Your EDC Flashlight?

[Zig the Pirate]

Skinbubble- Thank you for the inquiry. A bit of a ramble to follow. All prices are rounded and I am not adding links because this will be a big enough post already

I had an 1st Gen E1B that toggle switched between 5 lumens and 80 ish lumens. I liked the size and its efficiency with batteries but that was it. For a tactical light, I have put absolute reliability and full bright with a press as priorities. I also made the decision that that I am not buying anything made in China when there is a viable alternative made in the USA even though I may spend more money and I acknowledge that many Chinese flashlight makers can be innovative, well made and well priced i.e. Olight, Nitcore and Fenix.

I ended up "Legoing" my light because the screw on and be done with it upgrade from Malkoff was not in stock and I was impatient. My "upgrade" also necessitated me buying rechargeable batteries and a charger which long term is a good thing.

What I did as I wanted more lumens and I did not like the switchology of the SF E1B:

Purchased a Malkoff M61 drop in and put it in the Malkoff Valiant Concepts Head. This combinations needs a rechargeable battery to power it up to 320-350 lumens.
M61 drop in- 47.00
Head ----- -- 35.00
Rechar. Batt- 10.00
Charger----- 25.00
ALL IN 95 ish (117.00 LESS 20%) because Malkoff will give you a 1x discount code when you sign up with an email

The Malkoff Easy Day solution is their E1 Scout 1CR123 head at about 75ish shipped (94 less 20%) 320 lumens with a DISPOSABLE cr123.

You can buy and actual one cr 123 celled flashlight from Malkoff throwing 250 lumens, single output (he also has models that toggle. Not my cup of tea) at 95 ish shipped (115 less 20%) The Toggle switch models likely cost 20 ish more.

Surefire
The relatively new EDCL1-T flashlight is the tactical successor to the E1B. 1 cell cr123. Gas pedal switching-push the button a little 5 lumens, floor it 500 lumens. 165 retail, street price is probably 145ish.

The latest E1B toggle switches between 5 and 400 lumens. 149 retail, street price 129 ish.

Surefire makes a great light. They have put their R/D in reliability first, output second and everything else a more distant third.


If the Malkoff easy day head had been available, I would have do that and drove on and been 20 bucks ahead. I went the lego route because I was impatient and I had already purchased 2 or 3 M61 drop ins from some old Surefire G2/6P flashlights and they simply exude quality and work well. The Malkoffs are a husband/wife team in Alabama. Everything is made in the USA.
Their bread and butter is still likely upgrading C/D cell maglites and Surefire products as the lumen train has long left the station but there are millions of Maglights/Surefires out there that still function perfectly, albeit dimly relative to newer LED lights.

I am supremely confident that both Malkoff and Surefire are conservative with their lumen output numbers and runtimes. I am also supremely confident that many Chinese makers overstate their output and runtimes.

If the intersection of quality/value is driving the train- nobody owns that space better than Streamlight. They manufacture product both in China and the USA and are fairly transparent about that if you look at their data/fact sheets available online.

Their Protac 1L-AA (88061) with throw 350 lumens with 1 cr123 battery and about half that with a AA. Under 50.00 shipped all day long. Their 66604 light is fully usb rechargeable at 35ish shipped all day long (250 lumens.)

I find the "ten tap" programming on Streamlights tedious and a potential point of failure. I want as bright as possible light with a push of a switch. On/Off. No more complicated than a ball-point pen tailcap at the max.

My view is highly personal and tactically skewed.

Let us know what you do.

Those ProTacs are nice!
I have an AA model in one of my bags.
Reminds me of those candle power forums...

 

[Skinbubble]

Skinbubble- Thank you for the inquiry. A bit of a ramble to follow. All prices are rounded and I am not adding links because this will be a big enough post already

I had an 1st Gen E1B that toggle switched between 5 lumens and 80 ish lumens. I liked the size and its efficiency with batteries but that was it. For a tactical light, I have put absolute reliability and full bright with a press as priorities. I also made the decision that that I am not buying anything made in China when there is a viable alternative made in the USA even though I may spend more money and I acknowledge that many Chinese flashlight makers can be innovative, well made and well priced i.e. Olight, Nitcore and Fenix.

I ended up "Legoing" my light because the screw on and be done with it upgrade from Malkoff was not in stock and I was impatient. My "upgrade" also necessitated me buying rechargeable batteries and a charger which long term is a good thing.

What I did as I wanted more lumens and I did not like the switchology of the SF E1B:

Purchased a Malkoff M61 drop in and put it in the Malkoff Valiant Concepts Head. This combinations needs a rechargeable battery to power it up to 320-350 lumens.
M61 drop in- 47.00
Head ----- -- 35.00
Rechar. Batt- 10.00
Charger----- 25.00
ALL IN 95 ish (117.00 LESS 20%) because Malkoff will give you a 1x discount code when you sign up with an email

The Malkoff Easy Day solution is their E1 Scout 1CR123 head at about 75ish shipped (94 less 20%) 320 lumens with a DISPOSABLE cr123.

You can buy and actual one cr 123 celled flashlight from Malkoff throwing 250 lumens, single output (he also has models that toggle. Not my cup of tea) at 95 ish shipped (115 less 20%) The Toggle switch models likely cost 20 ish more.

Surefire
The relatively new EDCL1-T flashlight is the tactical successor to the E1B. 1 cell cr123. Gas pedal switching-push the button a little 5 lumens, floor it 500 lumens. 165 retail, street price is probably 145ish.

The latest E1B toggle switches between 5 and 400 lumens. 149 retail, street price 129 ish.

Surefire makes a great light. They have put their R/D in reliability first, output second and everything else a more distant third.


If the Malkoff easy day head had been available, I would have do that and drove on and been 20 bucks ahead. I went the lego route because I was impatient and I had already purchased 2 or 3 M61 drop ins from some old Surefire G2/6P flashlights and they simply exude quality and work well. The Malkoffs are a husband/wife team in Alabama. Everything is made in the USA.
Their bread and butter is still likely upgrading C/D cell maglites and Surefire products as the lumen train has long left the station but there are millions of Maglights/Surefires out there that still function perfectly, albeit dimly relative to newer LED lights.

I am supremely confident that both Malkoff and Surefire are conservative with their lumen output numbers and runtimes. I am also supremely confident that many Chinese makers overstate their output and runtimes.

If the intersection of quality/value is driving the train- nobody owns that space better than Streamlight. They manufacture product both in China and the USA and are fairly transparent about that if you look at their data/fact sheets available online.

Their Protac 1L-AA (88061) with throw 350 lumens with 1 cr123 battery and about half that with a AA. Under 50.00 shipped all day long. Their 66604 light is fully usb rechargeable at 35ish shipped all day long (250 lumens.)

I find the "ten tap" programming on Streamlights tedious and a potential point of failure. I want as bright as possible light with a push of a switch. On/Off. No more complicated than a ball-point pen tailcap at the max.

My view is highly personal and tactically skewed.

Let us know what you do.

Thanks SO much for the information! I will look into the conversion as that seems to be a good affordable route for me to go.

 

[ByMyBeard]

That is a beautiful light, @garyg! Do you recall what brand/model it is?

 

[garyg]

That is a beautiful light, @garyg! Do you recall what brand/model it is?

Thanks Evan - it is a Maratac AAA - I have a couple in different materials

 

[kemurray]

I'm carrying pen style flashlight in my EDC!

It's absolutely perform best and dual use makes easier to carry in pocket.

Takeflight TF03 LED flashlight is the designed like survival things.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I have quite a small selection of lights nowadays. Loss and failure have gradually cut things down over time.

My primary pocket torch is a 4sevens Quark AA Tactical. I like it because while it is programmable, in use, it is just off or on. No thinking required. Second choice is a Sunwayman V10R. Again, very simple, just off and on with a dimmer switch ring.

This time of year, I won't always pocket a light, but I have the little green rechargeable Nitecore Tube on my keys at all times. The button is on its last legs, but with a bit of jiggery pokery, it still works. If I want to carry a light, but don't want something as big as the main two, I'll pocket one of the three little twisties.

I also have lights in key places, such as specific kits, travel washbag, etc.

 

[ouchyfoot]

 

[garyg]

I have quite a small selection of lights nowadays. Loss and failure have gradually cut things down over time.

My primary pocket torch is a 4sevens Quark AA Tactical. I like it because while it is programmable, in use, it is just off or on. No thinking required. Second choice is a Sunwayman V10R. Again, very simple, just off and on with a dimmer switch ring.

View attachment 1282971

This time of year, I won't always pocket a light, but I have the little green rechargeable Nitecore Tube on my keys at all times. The button is on its last legs, but with a bit of jiggery pokery, it still works. If I want to carry a light, but don't want something as big as the main two, I'll pocket one of the three little twisties.

I also have lights in key places, such as specific kits, travel washbag, etc.

A couple of those look familiar - I always have a AAA in my shorts pockets

 

[saj]

Just stumbled across this threadi got some usb rechargeable flashlights recently, don't know how good they are compared to others on the thrwad but are very bright

 

[ByMyBeard]

Sorry for reviving this thread. I'm considering a new flashlight. Primary use is to stand on the deck and watch the dog when she goes out in the dark before bed/sunrise. Our property is ~3acres, so I'd like it to have a lot of throw (is that the right term?). I'm also thinking rechargable might be nice, as one thing I hate about my current LED light is the long, slow degradation of the beam intensity. Anyone have a decent recommendation? This one SEEMS promising, though if it had a dedicated charging stand that would be even better.
Robot or human? - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Anker-Super-Bright-Tactical-Flashlight-Rechargeable-18650-Battery-Included-Zoomable-IP65-Water-Resistant-900-Lumens-CREE-LED-5-Light-Modes-Camping-Hi/809036927?irgwc=1&sourceid=imp_VJ9yAY310xyNT8sSvXVIdUGvUkDSV9TZ0UmJXU0&veh=aff&wmlspartner=imp_10078&clickid=VJ9yAY310xyNT8sSvXVIdUGvUkDSV9TZ0UmJXU0&sharedid=treehugger.com&affiliates_ad_id=612734&campaign_id=9383

 

[Kendoll]

Sorry for reviving this thread. I'm considering a new flashlight. Primary use is to stand on the deck and watch the dog when she goes out in the dark before bed/sunrise. Our property is ~3acres, so I'd like it to have a lot of throw (is that the right term?). I'm also thinking rechargable might be nice, as one thing I hate about my current LED light is the long, slow degradation of the beam intensity. Anyone have a decent recommendation? This one SEEMS promising, though if it had a dedicated charging stand that would be even better.
Robot or human? - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Anker-Super-Bright-Tactical-Flashlight-Rechargeable-18650-Battery-Included-Zoomable-IP65-Water-Resistant-900-Lumens-CREE-LED-5-Light-Modes-Camping-Hi/809036927?irgwc=1&sourceid=imp_VJ9yAY310xyNT8sSvXVIdUGvUkDSV9TZ0UmJXU0&veh=aff&wmlspartner=imp_10078&clickid=VJ9yAY310xyNT8sSvXVIdUGvUkDSV9TZ0UmJXU0&sharedid=treehugger.com&affiliates_ad_id=612734&campaign_id=9383

I don't have an EDC flashlight, but for when the family and I go camping, and for in the car, we have these:

MF Tactical Juno-5 USB Rechargeable LED 1300 Lumens Max 5-Mode - MF Tactical

Juno-5 is a 1300 lumen max 5-mode rechargeable LED flashlight with internal charging circuit for battery charging via micro-USB and a color LED indicator that displays battery level in real time and warns you when battery is low.

shop.monsterflashlight.com

MF Tactical Pro Tango L3 2000 lm USB Rechargeable LED Flashlight

MF Tactical Pro Tango L3, with internal USB charging and separate mode control dial is the brightest high quality EDC light built in the USA.

shop.monsterflashlight.com

Not cheap, but at least they are completely made in the USA. Can't say that about Surefire anymore, but their prices do not reflect the outsourcing of MFG and Labor to China.

 

[maxman]

Fenix PD22. Small, and powerful. The CR123 batteries make a big difference IMO.

 

[KW Driver]

Streamlight micro stream USB

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Nothing super spendy, and many of them are old tech now, but they still do the job. They all work better than my phone's camera

 

[nortac]

Fenix E12

 

[Whilliam]

Thrunite "T-1"

 

[LuckyR]

I look for: highest lumens, normal battery (AA or AAA only), cheapest price.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've just been doing my periodic health check of everything today. Cleaning and lubricating threads, and checking battery expiration dates in the lesser used lights. I figured while I have (almost) everything together, I'd update this thread, as there have been a few changes since my last post.

Pre-disability, I had accumulated quite a few twisty lights. They were useful, particularly as secondary lights, as they were less likely to get accidentally turned on in bags and pockets. The two CR123 lights are also great to tail stand and bounce light off the ceiling in a power cut.

I'm sure I have one or two more twist operated lights somewhere, probably in the pocket of a seldom used bag or jacket.

However, now that I often have one hand on my walking stick, or using something else to keep myself upright, twist-operated lights are less convenient. As such I mainly stick to carrying a tail switched light now, although the twisties do sometimes tag along as a spare, or get carried in the lighter months when I don't expect to need a light. For example, I have a second one of those bright orange Olight jobbies in the first pic, now attached to my house keys.

These clickies are my main go to lights now. Predominantly the Thrunite 10 and T20, the Quark AA2, or one of the i3T Olights. The Sumwayman V10R is a great light, but it's a bit of a Houdini, and I can't fully trust it to stay attached to my trouser pocket. The Fenix PD20 won't take rechargable batteries, as they overcook the emitter, as it doesn't have a regular clip. The Fenix E11 has been an excellent daily light too, but again, no clip can make it awkward.

Those in the know, will see a lot of these lights are quite old tech, but while ever they keep chucking light out, I'll keep using them. The two Olight i3T lights are fairly new here, and so far I am quite happy with them. The only real gripe being that two way clip can be a little uncomfortable. However, they are still of far more daily use to me than the AAA twist lights.

 

[garyg]

I've a bunch of twisters but think I should try a clicker maybe. Have you had any issues with the extra complexity? I usually have a single AAA in a pocket, mostly the one pictured above at my post #5


What would be the recommendation for a tester? Not too pricey or of exotic material ..

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've a bunch of twisters but think I should try a clicker maybe. Have you had any issues with the extra complexity?

As I mentioned in the post above yours, it's the twisties that have extra complexity for me, due to them needing two hands, when I already have one busy keeping me standing upright.

As regards there potentially being more things to go wrong, I think I have had two twisties pack up on me, and two with push buttons. One of the clickies started flickering badly, but I don't know which end of the light the problem was at. Another just went kaput, but again, that could have been the emitter. I had one of my twisties just stop working too. The other twistie failure was getting home one day to find the head had come away, and there was just the empty tube attached to my keys.

There doesn't seem to be that many AAA clicked around, which is why I went sniffing around the Olight ones last year (i3T EOS). Compared with the copper Maratac (I have one too, and think they're the same), both modes are brighter on the Olight. However, the high is bright enough to mean the run time is quite short. That's not a problem for me, as I will use the low more often, but for others it may be an issue.