A Few Flashlights

[jtluttrell]

Alright, I know many of my fellow gear-heads can appreciate a good flashlight. So, for your consideration, here are a few of mine and my thoughts on them. Not a I-Get-Paid-To-Do-This review by any means and tech specs can be found on the net.

http://www.fenixlight.com http://www.streamlight.com/

Starting from the top:

#1 Fenix LD20 - 2xAA - ~$50

#2 Fenix LD10 - 1xAA - ~$45

#3 Streamlight Stylus Pro - 2xAAA - ~$22

#4 Streamlight Microstream - 1xAAA - ~$18

Fenix Lights:

Very solid construction. I've had both these for at least year and not had any troubles.

Recessed tail switches are really nice. Easy push and allow the light to be stood up on end.

For me, these are expensive lights. Are they worth it? Yes.

Streamlight Lights:

I bought these more recently but have been carrying the Microstream daily because it is very pocket friendly.

Smaller battery=smaller flashlight Makes sense, right?

Mouth carry (aka third hand) is much easier with these.

Tail switches are not recessed therefore they will not stand up on end and require a stiffer switch to stop accidental turning on.

Very affordable lights.

*UPDATE* 7/9/12 : Microstream battery lasted 6 weeks with daily use.

Edited July 10, 2012 by jtluttrell

[BigK]

I have both of the Streamlights too. They are very handy and the batteries last a decent while.

My bad...my Stylus is NOT the pro, it's the one that takes AAAA batteries.

Edited June 14, 2012 by BigK

[RichardR]

Cool, I love flashlights! thanks for the heads up Jtluttrell.

Another really inexpensive but really good choice is the Coleman Max line, I have a couple (one is a compact flashlight, the other is the headlamp version) & I have been really impressed with their quality, durablity & preformance, especially for the measly $25 price tag on them.

Both of the ones I have take 3xAAA's, battery life is decent at full power (6 hrs @ 115 lumens) the flashlight one is a simple on/off soft tailswitch, the other headlamp version is a bit more fancy and has blue & red supplimental LED's & 3 adjustable power levels (low, med, high) for the main Cree LED.

[daddyo]

I also have both the Streamlights in your photo. They rock. I keep the Pro in my car and I usually have the Microstream on me or on my keychain.

I keep hearing great things about Fenix, so I'm gonna have to break down and buy me one so's I can try it out.

[RichardR]

I am surprized that this thread is so quiet, I would have figured there to be more flashlight junkies on the forum

[Mike]

you should check out Streamlight's PT series. I've been carrying the PT2A for a few years now and it's been great. I'd carry the CR123 version if I didn't get AA batteries from work for free.

[Guest bkelm18]

Cool, I love flashlights! thanks for the heads up Jtluttrell.

Another really inexpensive but really good choice is the Coleman Max line, I have a couple (one is a compact flashlight, the other is the headlamp version) & I have been really impressed with their quality, durablity & preformance, especially for the measly $25 price tag on them.

Both of the ones I have take 3xAAA's, battery life is decent at full power (6 hrs @ 115 lumens) the flashlight one is a simple on/off soft tailswitch, the other headlamp version is a bit more fancy and has blue & red supplimental LED's & 3 adjustable power levels (low, med, high) for the main Cree LED.

I've got that Coleman flashlight. Best flashlight I've ever had. Rugged and bright. Never saw much sense in spending $100 on a flashlight Heck, even $50 is too much for me. That $20 Coleman has served me well. It's been beaten and abused, even dropped in water. Still works like a champ.

[gjohnsoniv]

I've had a couple of the Streamlights in the past but have carried Surefire the past couple years.

[East_TN_Patriot]

I am a big Streamlight fan. I have a Stinger that I carried when I was in law enforcement. It has served me well for over 10 years with only a single set of replacement batteries. I also have the Streamlight Sidewinder Compact on my BOB, a PT-2L clipped to the small pouch I keep my PSK in, and a Nanolight in my PSK. All have been great and are very bright for being so compact.

I also bought one of those Gun Shack CREE P2 flashlights off of Gearhog a few months ago and it's really nice and bright. I like that it will work off of a single CR123 lithium battery or a single AA battery. It's actually brighter than my Streamlight PT-2L and the price on it was great. I'll probably order another one next time they pop up on Gearhog.

I have tried several different kinds of cheaper LED flashlights like you can buy at Lowe's and they have all been junk that stop working after a short time. I've also owned 3 different SureFire lights and all 3 were total junk. None lasted for more than a few months, and my last purchase was a Nitrolon G2. I went through 3 lamp assemblies in less than a year of very light use. I tried contacting SureFire customer service 3 or 4 times and have yet to get any response from them. I finally threw it in the garbage and swore I would never own another one. Seriously, even if someone gave me one for free, I'd get rid of it to save myself the annoyance of dealing with another piece of junk flashlight.

[RichardR]

I've got that Coleman flashlight. Best flashlight I've ever had. Rugged and bright. Never saw much sense in spending $100 on a flashlight Heck, even $50 is too much for me. That $20 Coleman has served me well. It's been beaten and abused, even dropped in water. Still works like a champ.

Well I wouldn't personally go so far as say it is the best flashlight that I've ever owned, but I will say that it certainly is the best sub $50 flashlight that I have had the pleasure of owning thus far.

[vujade]

very nice. I love the Fenix lights!

for the flashlights that you listed, I like the idea that you can use cheap and easy to find AA or AAA batteries.

[Guest josie22412]

I have the Fenix LD20 and I absolutely love it. I consider it a good investment for $60 off of eBay. If I could just keep my 11 year old son's hands off of it.