First Serious Pocket light

[admin]

I have been carrying a $4.00 Ultrafire /and other walmart stuff for a little over 2 years and just made it work. I want a real flashlight now that I have proven to myself I will be using and carrying it everyday. A friend has the Elzetta Charlie 3 cell that I got to mess with for a few hours and I like the build quality of it. I was looking at the Elzetta Alpha ($130-$140) but have not seen one in person.So of the reviews seem to be iffy. I like the looks of the Surefire E1D LED Defender but at ($170.00ish). I did look at the fenix lineup on there website and about the only one that sounded good was the PD22UE but the pocket clip looks cheap on most of there stuff.

What Im asking is can I get great light that fit my needs for the $50-$60 or do I need to spend the $130-$150 to get it?

1) Short Essay Question: What do you intend to use this light for?
A. I want to carrie this inside my pocket for everyday use. Through out the day I will use it to inspect dark and large metal boxes for cracks and holes.

2) What Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in?
[A] I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn’t matter.

3) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
[A] Not sure how much I need to spend to get what I want yet. lets but my max at $150.00

4) Format:
PART A
[A ] I want a flashlight.

PART B
Length:
[A ] 2-4 inches. (Pocket carry)

PART C
Width:
[A ] I prefer a short wide light.

PART D
Weight:
Lights of a similar size can be very different in weight and may turn the perfect sized light into a paper weight. In general a lights of the same size will stack up like this; plastic and aluminum will be your lighter choices brass, stainless steel, bronze will be heavier. I won’t put numbers here because everyone has a different weight sensitivity. For the purposes of EDC specifically I’ll limit the choices here to the more easily carried sizes pick 2 sizes to represent a range of weight.
[A ] Medium light, about the weight of a AAA MiniMag
[A ] Medium, slightly heavier than a AA MiniMag

5) What kind of “bulb”.
[A ] LED – more rugged, unlikely to burn out in your lifetime, less accurate color rendition, in general less output but more efficient (longer runtimes)

6) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don’t pack as much stored energy and are don’t work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly.
[A ] I want common Alkaline batteries. (AA, AAA)
[A] I want lithium batteries. (CR123, AAA, AA…)
[A ] I want a rechargeable system. (an investment, but best for everyday use)

7) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
[A ] I want to light an entire campground or dazzle an intruder. (100+ lumens)

8) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that “throw” with a tightly focused beam? Place an “X” on the line below. Sometimes a flood is better particularly closer up or indoors. You won’t have to “sweep” the light back and forth to see what you need to see. You can also just set it down pointing the general direction rather having to point it right at that which you are working.
Throw (distance)———————-|—–X—————–Flood/close-up
(Im not a fan of hotspots)

9) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries. Understand that runtime is a function of brightness and capacity of your batteries. If you want 6 hours you’ll either have big batteries or dimmer light, they haven’t made a setup yet that lights up like the sun, runs all night, and fits in your watch pocket. 
[A ] 240-360 min. (4-6 hours)
(longer is is better but…it is what it is)

10) Durability: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights.
[A ] Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Self-defense, Survival.)

11) Switch Type:
[A] I don’t care.

12) Switch Location:
[A ] I want a push switch on the back end of the body.
[A ] I want a rotating head switch.
[A ] I want a rotating end-cap switch.
(I have not tried to many flashlights but I would think a switch up front in the pocket would turn on)

13) Operational Modes: Check all that apply.
[A ] I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
(Im not against more just do not have to have them)

14) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite? In this case “plastic” and it’s variants does not mean “cheap” or poorly made. In many applications a plastic bodied light is preferable, hard use and water resistance comes to mind; think caving or lights that get dropped or abused.
[A ] I don’t care.

15) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn’t been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s).
[A ] Belt/Jacket clip is a must.

(not a must but a plus if it is)
[+ ] Waterproof – how deep: _____________
[+ ] Non-reflective/dark finish (stealthy/hard to find)
[+ ] Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish
[+ ] Kuboton/self defense features

[Author]

Posts