Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics really good flashlight recommendations

Im a fenix and surefire fan myself

Brownwells has some new flashlights (their own brand AND made in the USA) for $60-$80. One is a 160 lumen and the other a 280. Any idea if these are worth a darn (previous experience with anything Brownell's would indicate they should be pretty good).

One needs to realize that the single brightness 123 lights are now obsolete (and so the complaints of their short runtimes).

A good 123 light with multiple brightness settings like the surefire LX2, E1B are superior for many reasons.

There are also custom made drop ins for the Surefire lights (that take P series bulbs, 6p,9p,c2,c3 ect) that allow you to pick your lumens and runtimes and even tint.

check out malkoffdevices.com

There is no reason not to go with 123 lights.

I carry a Surefire LX2 Lumamax, but in the OPs price point I would go with the 6PX Tactical (single output) or 6PX Pro (dual output with click switch). On low power the Lumamax batteries last forever, and you still have the power to reach out when necessary. I buy the 123 batteries by the dozen.

I also bought a lot of single AA Nebo CSI Edge 50's (50 lumens) from the local archery store for $10 a piece and keep them all over the place and give them away as stocking stuffers. They are, essentially, disposable. They do have a goofy strike bezel that can use some adjustment with a Dremel tool.

I carry this one with me everywhere I go:
http://www.amazon.com/Surefire-E2LAA-Outdoorsman-Batteries-Flashlight/dp/B0043A3DNE

There are much cheaper options, but I really like this light.

I like My G5 Maelstrom. It has a good balance of sensible output, good build quality and user friendly UI. It is on the smaller side of sorta big.

4Sevens Maelstrom G5 Tactical LED Flashlight Review

Great thread. This will keep a shopper busy for days. I use a SureFire but like others I'm tired of buying batteries.( Heck, I'm still trying to find good Strike Anywhere kitchen matches.) When this thread wraps up I'll have to do some homework and make a new choice.

O light M20S-X Warrior
Up to 500lm for only $85 if you Google it.
I have 2 of these and they will knock your eyes out of your head.
Check their web site for more info.

The new Surefire Fury #P2X-B-BK arrived in yesterday @ $155.00.

SureFire�s Fury� is a more powerful, slightly larger version of their best-selling dual-output 6PX Pro. It features the same 15-lumen low-output beam that�s perfect for tasks where too much light might compromise your dark-adapted vision, or situations in which extended runtime is a higher priority than maximum output. But the Fury�s high-output setting is an incredible 500 lumens, two-and-a-half times that of the Pro model. A larger reflector focuses all of this light forward to create a tight beam with plenty of reach that�s perfect for searching, signaling, or lighting up a target far off in the distance.
The Fury features a tough but lightweight hard-anodized aerospace aluminum body and an orientation-independent tailcap switch that controls output: press (for momentary-on) or click (for constant-on) once for low output; return to off then press or click again (within two seconds) for high.

FEATURES
Virtually indestructible LED emitter regulated to maximize output and runtime
Two output levels�high for maximum light, low for extended runtime
Precision micro-textured reflector creates smooth, optimized beam
High-strength aerospace aluminum body, hard anodized for extreme durability
Weatherproof O-ring and gasket sealing

SPECIFICATIONS
OUTPUT:
Low - 15 lumens
High - 500 lumens
RUNTIME:
Low - 46 hours
High - 1.5 hours
BEZEL DIAMETER:
1.375 inches (3.5 cm)
LENGTH:
5.4 inches (13.7 cm)
WEIGHT:
5.7 ounces (161 g) with batteries
SWITCHING:
Dual-output tailcap click switch�press or click for low, return to off then press or click again for high.
MATERIAL:
Aerospace aluminum, Mil-Spec hard-anodized; polycarbonate window
COLOR:
Black
BATTERY:
Two SureFire 123A lithium (included)

in 2007 i bought a surefire G2 LED... i really thought i had the worlds best flashlight... it runs for around 8-10 useable hours on 2 cr123 batteries, and maintains peak brightness for around 3 hours... i still think it's very good, but in 2008 my son bought me a simple energizer headlamp, and the world of flashlights changed for me... i'm in and out of the house enough that, most evenings now, i put on a headlamp and wear it til bedtime... i do a lot of walking on rural roads, and after dark i use a red LED headlamp on the back of my head, and a white one in front...
i see that they now make headlamps for walkers with this arrangement on one head band...

i still love the old surefire G2... i see it's a discontinued item... glad i got mine while they were available... it does all that a 3 D cell maglite ever would, and weighs probably 1/10th as much... dead reliable with no bulbs going bad, and fits in any pocket...

meanwhile energizer has expanded their line-up of lights and i recently bought a very nice headlamp at menards for under $10...

the only issue with the energizer lights as opposed to, say, the petzl's or princeton tec's is that there are different color lamps and brightness settings, and on the energizer light you have to cycle thru the settings to turn off the lamp... with the petzls i have, you cycle thru the settings til you get the light you want, then after the light has run for a few seconds the next push on the switch extinguishes the lamp immediately...

that, and you can buy the energizer at any farm and fleet, while the petzls are a catalogue item...

for almost all uses, put me firmly in the headlamp camp... and $15 at farm and fleet buys a LOT...

that surefire looks like a great light! For small gifts I went to Home Depot and bought those Rayovac 100 lumen AA flashlights that they show running a truck over. For $14.00, 100 lumens, and pretty tough they are not a bad gift for your erst while hunting buds. I tried one out for a month and found it to be satisfactory for $14.00.

Surfire are hard to beat. Watch camofire.com and you can pick one up for about 50% off. They are offering one today even.

Wow! Do they make one without the click switch? I don't like cycling through for the dual output.

I have one of these on my ar15. really bright. www.lumaforce.com

surefire

I found these at Costco TechLite Lumen Master, 150 Lumens, High/Low/Strobe and red low batt indecator. They are so bright that I use them on my duck boat instead of the 55 watt bow light or plug in spot. They seem to run a long time on three AAA batts as I use them while cruising the log strewn river in the dark.

Best part they are 3 for $19. and made of machined aluminum.

I gave one to my BinL retired sherifs deputy and he thinks its every bit as good as his duty light.

Well, I've been reading and doing some research based on above discussion. Best bang for buck on a bright light with good throw etc. Klarus XT10 is my pick.

It does look very nice for that amount of money.

Bruce

Sure does. A guy I met while doing my research that is a dealer for several different big names liked that one the best. And he had experience with all of what he carried... Hope this helps anyone who wants a NICE light

I've got quite a few Surefire models and love 'em. I recently bought some of these from Brownells. Got an extra one for me to keep. Very well made.

Bob