Looking for a flashlight

Smoke

Smoke

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I'm looking for a good carry flashlight that runs off of double or triple A batteries but is reasonably bright, say greater than 120 lumens.

The reason I'm looking for one that runs off of double or triple As is I almost never actually need a light and I don't want to pay for CR123s that are just going to sit in the light and lose charge where I can get rechargeable batteries in double or triple A.

Any suggestions?
 
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I have had good luck with Mini Maglite LED. 145, 226, 245 lumens or so.

I prefer Pro+ at 245.

I prefer Surefire, but you said AA only.

Consider: Surefire 123 has 10 year shelf life. Surefire 123 lights produce nearly the same light for the life of the battery. AA output starts declining on day 1.
 
I use Inova and Princeton Tec flashlights. Even the smaller ones outperform the four C cell Kel-Lite (Deluxe model) that I carried in security work.

My coat pocket light is a tiny Inova that takes one AA Battery and has either a LED or Krypton bulb that is VERY BRIGHT. My other Inova uses CR123 batteries, so is beyond your requirements. But now that I don't work nights, the batteries hold up quite well. My son gave me a box of them that he got on sale a couple of years ago, and I've changed batteries only once or twice.

I have a couple of Mini MagLites, but quit carying them. The bulbs break easily and they aren't very bright in modern terms. I think you can now get them with brighter LED bulbs. I hope those break less often. My larger MagLites always lost the rubber cover to the switch. I think Mag Lite has to be one of the most disappointing and overrated products that I've ever used.

Ask me sometime about the tiny flat Princeton Tec that my son had to rely on when his main light went out while searching one of Saddam Hussein's palaces at the height of the Iraq war. Without that little light, he would have been lost in Stygian darkness with enemy troops possibly around any corner.

Oh: I got my Inova lights at Target, but the store near me doesn't carry them any longer. Other Targets might. My son likes an Inova like my larger one, but also has Sure Fire. Quality seems comparable.
 
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I also recommend Streamlight. I had a couple of their "Mini's"(?) that the end cap(switch)had gone out on, & one of them the battery had swelled in the case. After talking to them I sent them back to see if anything could be done for them. They sent me back two brand new ones at no charge, even though they were out of warranty. They made a fan out of me!
 
Not sure I understand the idea of not using CR123 because of infrequent use and draining? The Surefire CR123 batteries I have are 10 year shelf life. I don't believe they drain much in the flashlight when not in use. I use a Surefire G2XPro 320/15 just about every night for walking the dog. Dropped a couple times on the street... keeps on illuminating. I also have a Surefire G3 that hardly ever gets used. Fired right up after months of no use CR123. Heck, I got a Streamlight 3C that fires up with the same C batteries after years of no use.

For a less expensive AA flashlight it's probably tough to beat Streamlight.
 
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bobelk99 said:
Consider: Surefire 123 has 10 year shelf life. Surefire 123 lights produce nearly the same light for the life of the battery. AA output starts declining on day 1.
Click to expand...

I have a CR123 light (Streamlight Scorpion) the problem is if I put the batteries in it and leave it on the night stand they seem to lose charge and I end up replacing them while almost never actually using the light. With a light that takes AA's I can use rechargeable batteries as I do in the light I carry now (Gerber Task Light 11 lumens) and just throw them in the charger every so often.

ETA After giving it some thought I might try using my Scorpion again, it occurred to me after I read Texas Star's post that when I was using it I was working nights so it never really did get a chance to just sit. It's not a bad flashlight but my wife wasn't happy with the cost of replacement batteries.
 
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Currently the most high tech bulb/lamp for a flashlight is a Cree XM-L and standard batteries don't have enough power, it needs a 14500 rechargeable battery. The good news is you can buy a flashlight, charger, and two batteries for under 20 bucks and you have a small light that is dang near as bright as a car headlight. Also these rechargeable batteries hold a charge for over a year even in freezing weather and they can be recharged hundreds and hundreds of times. I have three or four Ultrafire lights and have never broken one or worn out a battery, they seem almost as tough as Surefires at a fraction of the cost and you can get them on Amazon or Ebay.
 
I have become a big fan of Terralux flashlights and bought them through Amazon. I have a houseful of them and one in every vehicle.

Check 'em out Smoke!
 
Smoke said:
I have a CR123 light (Streamlight Scorpion) the problem is if I put the batteries in it and leave it on the night stand they seem to lose charge and I end up replacing them while almost never actually using the light.
Click to expand...

I had the same trouble until I changed to Surefire brand batteries.
 
You need to make sure you get quality cr123 batterie. I have heard batterie like ultrafire are "recycled" and relabeled in China, making them unsafe and unreliable. This information was from a dealer of bright and shiny lights.
 
Fenix or Quark are my favorites. They both offer a 2AA that will do 120lms. They do best on high quality LSD NiCd batteries such as Sanyo Eneloops. Quark has a single AA light that will also run on one 3.7v lithium rechargeable that essentially puts out the same lumens as a 2AA.

The 2AA Quark Foursevens.com

The 1AA Quark Foursevens.com
 
Might be a large "carry" light, but if you want to illuminate the area you should look at a Fenix TK41. 800 lumens at max power. I don't leave home without it.
 
Bozz10mm said:
Fenix or Quark are my favorites. They both offer a 2AA that will do 120lms. They do best on high quality LSD NiCd batteries such as Sanyo Eneloops. Quark has a single AA light that will also run on one 3.7v lithium rechargeable that essentially puts out the same lumens as a 2AA.

The 2AA Quark Foursevens.com

The 1AA Quark Foursevens.com
Click to expand...

^^^ This for the win . I dropped my FourSeven from 8 feet onto concrete and it still works like new .
 
Streamlight protac. They have several different lights with whatever battery configuration you want. I carry and use a protac 2L everyday. Batteries last about a month. I use only streamlight or surefire batteries. Lightweight and bright (260 lumens) with 3hrs of run time on high output. Durability,value and performance is way I'm a streamlight guy.
 
Home Depot. Walking down an aisle a few months back the flashlight rack caught my eye. Ray O Vac had a few offerings which surprised me because I've never been a fan of their batteries. Anyway, walked out with a 120 lumens tactical "style" rubberized flashlight for about 15 bucks, 2 AA batteries included. The batteries still work and I use it every night when I take the dogs out. Not weapons grade but hey, 15 bucks !
 
I've settled on lights that take rechargable 18650 batteries. Most of the 2x123 lights will take the 18650, but not all. Makes cost of batteries pretty negligible, and they will work well in cold temps, unlike AA or AAA's.

Fenix has some excellent lights and battery deals if you don't mind Chinese. Their PD35 is a newer model; I've got one and it's good for a small light. The TK series is more about business in size and brightness.
Fenix-Store - Fenix Flashlights and accessories - BLOG
 
I just bought a Fenix PD32 Ultimate for a hunting light. 5" long and takes the rechargable 18650 battery pack. I keep a couple of CR123 as spares. It has 5 lumen outputs from 9 to 740 with SOS and strobe. Great light.
 
My needs are for a high intensity flashlight, 60 lumens or better, that I can clip in a pocket alongside my pen and which will be small and light. It should use a commonly available battery or batteries, and should have a long run time.

Here's what I got. It's a Four Sevens Preon 1. It cost me about $35. It uses ONE AAA battery, and the one high intensity LED is capable of putting out 75 lumens. Run time is about an hour of continuous max. Its max output is enough to blind most people at night if shined in their eyes; it more than equals the "tactical" standard of a few years ago. It has 3 levels of output - minimum is perfect for reading menus in darkened restaurants, medium is great for finding a keyhole to insert your key in the dark or groping through a darkened house, and max is full-bore for whatever. And it's small. You can hold it in your mouth with no strain if you have to use both your hands at the same time.

Here are two pics, the second of which was taken in near dark conditions to demonstrate the output. I have it on my person all the time, and hardly know it's there.

John

FLASHLIGHT2_zpsc0168763.jpg


FLASHLIGHT_zps7c9b2edd.jpg
 
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My wife got me a Brinkmann LED flashlight many years ago. It uses 3 AAA batteries and never fails me.
I made a leather belt holder for it and It's become my EDC flashlight.
I don't know how many lumens it is but it's plenty bright enough for me.
 
I have 2 Mag 150 flash lights I am un sure of the lums, but they are bright, the 3 AAA batteries last a long time, these have held up to being dropped a few times. If you want you can mount it on your shotgun or rifle and it is fairly easy to using while holding a handgun. they were about 30 bucks when I bought them. One had to be sent back and it was fixed and returned in two weeks. I have a 5 D cell Mag light in the truck I converted to LED. bright and seconds as a nice club if necessary. Mag lights are still American made and have a life time warranty and good customer service.
 
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