Suddenly flashlights are a hot item on the forum. I don't have a new fancy one, probably need to get one, but I do have this one. It really belongs to my wife, it resided in her fishing tackle box for years, but has been promoted to the bedside table. I have one just like it somewhere. It's not big enough to whack anybody with. :-)

Have a blessed day,

Leon

I still have mag lights, and recently purchased a non brand name LED light and the difference is truly remarkable. The LED will blind someone momentarily, while a 3 cell mag light will maybe make them blink. The LED has to be at least 4 times brighter than my old 3 cell Mag light.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

It needs an upgrade to LED.

Looks like one my dad had and kept in his car toolbox. Don't know what happened to it...probably thrown away as dad upgraded flashlights over the years.

That one looks like a Ray-O-Vac Sportsman. I started in law enforcement in East Alabama sheriff's office and the Chief Deputy had played center at Auburn. He was 6'3" and about 220 lbs.

One night, while directing traffic, a car almost hit the Chief. He took his Sportsman and drove it through the hood of that car.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I still swear by my steel Boy Scouts of America 90 degree belt flashlite upgraded to LED!

I have a bunch of the surefire P2X (and their predecessor) and a couple P3Xs. I'm a fan. I carry the two cell just about every minute of every day. My suit coat pockets are reinforced for the light and a spare magazine. One of the 3 cells is on my carbine; the extra light is really useful. The other is in my desk drawer for power emergencies and the like.

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NHI, 10-8.

I have a somewhat newer version of that same flashlight.
It also resides on the nightstand
It is a RayOvac Stainless Steel.

Back in the early years while night fishing and camping. I would take a 3 D-cell Ray-O-Vac Sportsman flashlight and out a 2 cell bulb in it......Bright as all get out for then.......Just don't bump it or drop it or the bulb would blow.

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S&W Accumulator

Here is an old U.S. made Ray-O-VAC, I am guessing from the 1950's...

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guys, i don't know anything about flash lights.
can you help?
a year or two ago, i got a key chain flashlight in a shipment
of ammo.
this thing is as small as my little finger but it is as bright as my old two cell.
is this LED?
i'd like something a little bigger , but when i looked at amazon there were a zillion types.
can you please tell me what to buy, identical to my little one in performance?

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susie

Orrr...don't put a LED bulb rated for a 2-cell light into a 3 cell...you will have the most beautiful, white and bright light.. for about 15 seconds!

I have had several Sportsman lights, but now have an old-style MagLite for 3 C cells, modified with the proper LED. Bright, lighter than the old 3 and 4 cell lights, but still has some utility as an impact device, should the need ever arise.

Maybe not quite keychain size, but I have a Fenix E 12. It's a one AA cell light, stout, and reliable. It has two modes, low and high, the others...
S O S, Strobe, etc, are not very useful, IMO. And Fenix has a reputation for quality and customer service.

Here’s a couple I picked up at auction a few years back. The only reason I have pictures of them is because I tried to sell them locally but there was no interest. Notice the writing on top of the Bearcat, that it “Bores a 500 foot hole into the night”. . I use Fenix light nowadays. If shined into someone’s eyes there’s a good chance of “eyeball meltage”.

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Get off my lawn!

You need to take those over to CPF (CandlePowerForums).

Just be ready, there just might be a fist fight over those!

BTW, they are GREAT looking lights!

I am looking at a Sportsman. I have no idea how long I have had it. It still works and looks good.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

susieqz: I also recommend Fenix lights. Use an E05 on my keys at home and work. LD09 for a little more power but not for keychain.
Photon brand keychain light is also great. Very light and easy to use.
The website 'Brightguy' is great for window shopping and comparing features, price, brightness, etc. The filters let you narrow down your choices so it is not so overwhelming.
Good luck and be careful as you travel down the flashlight rabbit hole.

Good post!
I have several 3 D cell maglites (upgraded bulbs), a 2 D cell maglite, a lantern that uses the square battery with springs for the conductors, etc.
Also have several that use 2 C cells, 400 or 500 lumens for checking the horses at night from the deck. These would make a big clunk in something if dropped, but not as big as the Maglites.
An Atomic flashlight, that uses 3 AAA batteries, that seems to provide the same intensity as the 400 lumen lights but does not adjust to as narrow a pattern for seeing as far away as the previous, and really lights up a larger area, but is much smaller and lighter.
A 120 lumen that is very small that uses 2 123A batteries mounted on a shotgun for things that disturb the outside night peace and quiet.
Several small camping lanterns that use AA batteries and provide a very bright diffuse light for general room brightness in case the power goes out.
What amazes me is that the newer technology uses smaller batteries for brighter light, that seems to last longer.
Wonder why that doesn't work with aging brains and fewer brain cells available?
Like where did I put that flashlight?🤔 Or Why Was I looking at the bulb when I turned it on? 🙄

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Wherever my mind isn't
Jim

I have at least 30+ flashlights in my home (at least one in every room), cars, motorcycles, garage, etc. The most high tech one I own is a 20 or so year old Mag Lite with a Halogen light bulb. Actually, many of the flashlights I have are old Military versions from the Army, Navy and Coast Guard - purchased at Army Navy Surplus stores many years ago. They have water proof gaskets, super heavy duty cases and strong hangars on them. They will not blind anyone or serve as a tactical weapon, but they are reliable for shining light on what I need when I need it. I prefer the light regular or Halogen lightbulbs give off and I am not a LED fan, just don't like the light they emit.

While I may be in the minority here, I never thought of a flashlight as a "weapon" because I choose never to get that close. I can think of better defensive weapons carried on a daily basis. I also never had the desire to mount a flashlight to a weapon. If a bad guy is going to shoot at you in the dark and you are blinding him with a gun mounted flashlight, guess where he is likely to shoot? At your blinding light. If that light is being emitted from the gun you are holding in your hands and that gun is being aimed, your face is at about the same location.

Bottom line for me is I use a flashlight as a flashlight. YMMV and I have no problem at all with guys who carry tactical lights and have trained in how to use them - just not for me.

Just a few months ago I sent in 3 Mini Mag Lites to the Company because the Reflectors in all 3 had cracked after 30 years. They do carry a lifetime warranty and I use them often.

Two weeks later I received a call from a Mag-Lite Representative stating that they would gladly upgrade my old lites to the new LED versions for 8 bucks each (a very good price I believe). She said they would also rebuild mine at no cost if I preferred. Since I don't like LED lights, I respectfully asked her just to replace my reflectors as that was all that was wrong with them. The next week I received the package and they had completely rebuilt all three Mini's including installing new spare bulbs in the base spring! I believe the only original parts left are the three Body's (tubes themselves). I am a happy Camper!!

Back in the early 1970's, when I was a kid, I used to coon hunt at night with a buddy who owned a couple good hounds. He used a carbide headlamp. It was a revelation when I bought a 2 D-cell Maglite, complete with the adjustable beam head. Really lit up those coons eyes up in the trees. Maybe what, 75 lumens?

Now I own modern LED flashlights the size of my thumb that put out 850 lumens, and will about light up a football field. Ain't technology great...

Larry

I must have 20 or so Surefire, Fenix, Olight, and other CR123A lights. But I still have my old favorites...6 And 4 D Cell Maglites...right under my bed.

I have a flashlight. Don’t feel you have to “like” this post.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

15 - 20 years ago I would have agreed with you about LED flashlights, however, that is not true with all LED's anymore.

While there are many companies/flashlights now that give a"natural/warm" light.

I highly suggest/recommend Malkoff Devices, as Gene and Cathy (the owners) are great/wonderful people and his flashlights are (for my money!) some of the finest flashlights you will EVER handle.

He has drop-ins/flashlights that give minimal to high lumens, from what it sounds like you would like, I would recommend his M61LL (N or W, for Neutral or Warm) drop-in, in his MD2 body.

Either will give you a solid 10+ hours of approx. 60 Lmns of light (that will leave most people believing they are using an old fashioned light, just with multiple times the run time and little worry about "breaking the bulb" if dropped) before it starts to fade, with is a long fade, unlike most other LED flashlights on the market, which tend to drop to nothing quickly.

And in case I forgot to mention it, Gene and Cathy Malkoff are the finest of people, and a pleasure to do business with!

A few of my flashlights and my newest favorite everyday carry flashlight.

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Keep on Chooglin'

Surefire G2X is what I carry.

The hi-beam is great for blinding an opponent if needed.




Pecked out on my iPhone.

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Death? Smile back...

In 2006, I became a flash-o-holic. I still have most of them, but the one's in this pic are pretty outdated now. I went nuts with LEDs, modifying anything I could from incandescent to LED. Then I started buying Fenix and Quark (4Sevens) flashlights.

Now days, the new Olights I have blow these out of the water.

IMG_9041

I have a 3-cell Maglite with tungsten bulb as my bedroom flashlight, but mainly because the Maglite makes an excellent club. I have a small Surefire with a tungsten bulb in my truck cab. But for light output, I'll take any of the cheap LEDs over either one of them. I have an excellent LED flashlight I paid $2 for in the markdown area of the local Wal-Mart and it is superbly bright.

My dad retired from a Hardware store so he had all kinds of flashlights and lanterns . This is one that was kept in the house all the others were used and banged up.

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I use Maglites, 3D cell & 2 A cell. A few years ago was called to
a house after a electrical fire and found a rechargable small
Stream Light on the roof. I took it down to city building and no
VFD guys had lost it. I offered to give it to Police Chief, he had
one just like it and charger. He said he didn't need it but gave
me a charger. Ever since it has been my main light. I use it
daily, it is powerful for its size and is made like a gun. I'm glad
I saw this post, have to check batteries in Maglites. I have lost
several mag lights by leaving them in truck in extreme weather.
If battery leaks the light is ruined. You will be lucky just to get
bad batteries out.

"If battery leaks the light is ruined. You will be lucky just to get bad batteries out."

True enough. Some years ago, I had a 2-D cell Maglite that had leaking batteries. I tried everything I could to remove those batteries without any success - they were stuck tight. I threw the flashlight away. That is usually not too much of a problem in a plastic flashlight body.

Thank you Boz, Muley and Rsgs.

And 326!

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I took out the bulb holder in old MagLight to get a lamp for it, but I don't know where I put it. Well, that's ok. Just buy a new expensive flashlight instead of bulbs.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I don't see much advantage at present to converting my old Maglite to LED. For my use, the incandescent bulb now in the Maglite is OK, and I'd rather use the same money to buy one (or more) new LED flashlights. Now if the LED upgrade for my Maglite was $5 or less, I would probably convert.

I keep a cheap LED flashlight from Dollar Tree in the kitchen, and it is surprising how often I use it.

DWalt, you can find LED conversion bulbs for Maglite flashlights at or near the checkstand at Home Depot now for $5 a piece. There are also more expensive versions available online (that may provide more lumens, longer run times, or different color temperatures), but the cheap LED conversion bulbs are great for upgrading old Maglites from the thrift stores that nobody wants anymore...

You can also find beautiful replacement lenses on eBay made from mineral crystal that are much nicer than the old, scratched up plastic originals.

Randy

Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk

Big mag light beside my gun on nightstand ,little mag light and a multi tool on my belt everywhere I go ,church yep, everywhere .