0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Bad flashlight aint bad? Whatchyou talkin' bout Willis?Seriously, you look around these days and decent flashlights are everywhere. Auto parts store check out counters, drug stores, big box department stores, tv comercials, 7-11's for petes sake. Thanks to LED tech and mini CNC production a fairly reliable, inexpensive flashlight can be had from just about anywhere you go in America... even Bed, Bath & Beyond has flashlights. (Little novelty Ikea jewel thief lights for decorations).Now are they close in the awesome durability to the mighty SureFire? Streamlight? Elzetta? Certainly not. But if you lived in the days where your flashlight was a 2 C or D sized light bulb driven thin wall'd tube of cheap alloy where you slid a flimsy switch forward and then whacked said light against your palm to get all 4.8 lumens to glow (assuming your paper wrapped batteries didn't leak).... then yes even those as seen on tv lights... 'act now and the 2nd one is free'... aint bad for 2-300 blumens of light in darkness. I cannot tell ya the last time I acquired a new light without o-rings. Even those 8 for $10 multi-LED numbers have o-rings. Now us flashaholics understand a good flashlight from an 8¢ piece. But to the average ma-n-pa customer the alternatives to the venerable cel phone light are pretty amazing here in the post 100 lumen LED days. I'll cite a few examples:Top to bottom:- The bi-pin bulb'd 2aa Rayovac Industrial was a plastic light with well fitting parts n pieces that were held together via the copper pieces that efficiently sent the 3 volts or so the the bulb that put out a few extra candles of a nice clean beam thanks to a faceted shiney reflector. About $5 at many stores circa 2000.- The Rayovac Brite Essential is a 19 lumen 1x aa little number that boasts several hours runtime from an LED system that puts out a much brighter appearing amount of light than the numbers suggest. Well machined alluminum body with nice threads and thick o-rings. I set mine on the mantel at 4pm turned on and forgot it. At 2am it was still providing enough light to see my way back to my room from the supplied carbon zinc cell. $5.99 at my local drug store.The plastic bodied Coast something or other uses a domed lens and a twisty tail cap to pump out the brightest 5 lumens I've ever seen. Again it runs for hours upon hours on a little aa battery. 2/ $10 at Home Depots and other stores that carry Coast products.- The Menards wooden light. Yes, it's a wood bodied throwy little 2x aa number that puts out a bright light, which your ma-n-law can use in confidence while ensuring no snakes infest the yard while FeeFee the Schnauzer does her business at 11pm. And it tailstands while blending into your home decor providing a small room lighting ceiling bounce in sudden lights out. Menards stores for like $8. - The performance tools auto parts store checkout light boasts a Nichia 219B all the kids are so wild about. Like the typical 3aaa multi LED lights, this one easily fits in your pocket or purse. Another throwy little number that sips fuel from those little fuel cells. 2/$10 at my local advance auto. None of these should be counted on in absolutely positively has to work scenarios but when you just need light when you push the button in an ordinary every evening situation these will do nicely. (Note: these are samples of what I have scattered about my home just in case)Whutchya think? As a flashlight collector these are the golden years in my view.