what flashlight

Looking for a LED flashlight suitable for plant maintenance work. Pocket size, focus beam, AAA batts, durable, won't break the bank.

This caught my eye in search:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_244292-13229-TT7438CP_0__?productId=3027722&Ntt=flashlights&Ns=p_product_price|0&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dflashlights%26page%3D5%26Ns%3Dp_

Of course you guys would know, anything better for the money?

http://www.dealextreme.com a cree p7 LED with adjustable clicky button will kill just about any other torch you could find... but would need to use rechargable special batteries and charger from DX

can get lower light output stuff with adjustable beam for a lot cheaper then that one from lowes though... so i'd peek though and see what they have

I don't keep current with the model numbers, but you want a flashlight from Fenix.

I just bought six of ~These~ for stocking stuffers. They work great.

Fenix is good, but pricey. Maglights are great too, and made in the USA, if that means something to you. Their LED line is fantastic.

I've been through a bunch of them. The best I've ever found is the Coleman Max. Walmart has them for about $24.

Walmart.com has them for $19 here..

This one is bright enough I don't even own a full sized flashlight anymore, and durable enough to carry on a belt every day.

I have a Maglight 2 AA model with a drop in LED conversion. That little sucker is BRIGHT! But it goes through batteries fast. If I actually used it for work, I would have work buy me a Surefire.

A 4Sevens Preon 2 is in my pocket everyday. Not cheap, but it's thoroughly awesome.

I have a Surefire that I like a lot too, but it's too bulky for EDC for me. (Mine is incandescent and it eats batteries like peanuts, but I understand the LED conversion would go a long way toward solving that issue.)

I carry a surefire E1B LED on my belt everyday, and I have a mag charger (NI-MH, not NI-CAD) mounted in my truck, along with a surefire A2 in the glovebox.

It's just about the perfect combination, in my opinion. Then again, I'm a flashlight nerd and I spend a lot of time outside in the dark.

I'd reccomend a streamlight 66318 microstream c4 for you, though. I use one at the body shop, and while it's no surefire, it fits your AAAbattery requirement.

A tac light is overkill, imo. E-Z red makes a pocket utility 6-led lamp pen that takes 3xAAAs:

http://www.amazon.com/Z-Red-PCLED6-Pocket-Light/dp/B002Z36V6M $16 at amazon.

works great. just got one for Christmas. and used it for digging through the tool chest, under the car and truck, brake pad inspection, etc.

oops, missed the "focused" part, but still should do the trick for getting light where ya need it.

That said, I also have a flood tac light for EDC. but it takes two cr123a's.

i love my $3 advance auto led light. love it.

Made the rounds to WM, Sears, HD and Lowes today just to see off the shelf lights. The Coleman w/ focus beam looked good at WM for $29. The Coast w/ focus from Lowes had higher lumathingys for $45, engineered in Germany but made in China . Both had a broader base to stand up as a torch (+1). Sears and HD were pretty much a wash.

The latest thing at work is spotting condensate piping leaks 30' in the air through plant lighting shing down. Smaller pen lights are pretty much out now that I think of that, as long as the light fits in my coverall leg pocket w/ mucho luminosityness and focus beam.

I love the MagLites (USA) but don't quite fit the bill. But gonna get the LED conversion for the old 3x D cell Mag for about $12, wish they had a broader base to stand up. My gawd they are indestructable!

Don't mean to be too picky here, planning on buying at least 4 lights.. one each for car and truck, one for work and one for the nightstand (TAC)... maybe more, dunno.

fasted58 wrote: The latest thing at work is spotting condensate piping leaks 30' in the air through plant lighting shing down. Smaller pen lights are pretty much out now that I think of that, as long as the light fits in my coverall leg pocket w/ mucho luminosityness and focus beam.

Surefire.

Of course, I'm sure one of the bigger 4Sevens would fit the bill too, but I don't have first hand experience with them.

Surefire gets $95 and up for a flashlight? Holy crap, for that price it better do some amazing things when you put it in your pocket. I think I'll stick with the Coleman lights. The 2 hours of run time on the Surefire lights is a deal breaker too, it wouldn't last me a day at work. The Colemans will run 8+.

Do you need Class 1 Div. 2?

If not, anything cheap and buy lots of them.

Toyman01 wrote: Surefire gets $95 and up for a flashlight? Holy crap, for that price it better do some amazing things when you put it in your pocket. I think I'll stick with the Coleman lights. The 2 hours of run time on the Surefire lights is a deal breaker too, it wouldn't last me a day at work. The Colemans will run 8+.

Mine runs 37 hours at low output, which is about the same output as a 2D incandescent maglite. 2 hours is at high output, which is literally blinding. Also, the optics are much, much better than cheap lights, you won't be able to go back after you use a surefire without rings and holes everywhere in the beam.

Not to mention surefires are rugged as hell, mine's visited the bottom of a lake, been run over by trucks on numerous occasions, and been caught in a lathe. It still works perfectly.

Tommy's right, there is a big difference. It may hurt when you buy it, but once you have one, you'll wonder why you waited so long.

Another glowing endorsement of 4Sevens. I wear a Quark to work. I love the 30 day battery life on the lowest setting (which is surprisingly bright when it's really dark out- also won't blind co-workers). I'm planning on buying a Preon eventually.

Also the guy who makes them seems pretty grassroots, active in flashlight forums, etc.

Unless 4Sevens didn't have what I needed (Surefire makes some non-conductive bodies), no way I'd pay the name-dropping premium a Surefire fetches... though they are good lights.

4Sevens also has the kind of customer service that gets you an email back from one of the head honchos minutes after you contact them. That never ceases to impress me nowadays.

fasted58 wrote: The latest thing at work is spotting condensate piping leaks 30' in the air through plant lighting shing down.

Sounds like you need a pair of binoculars, not a flashlight.

In reply to alex:

They also give out discount codes for members of forums that use flashlights heavily. CPF has a 5% discount, and another forum I'm a member of has a 10% discount. My next light will be a Quark Turbo X.

Alex, I believe you recommended the 4Sevens light last year in a gift related thread. I asked Santa for one and got it. It is a fantastic little light. I got this one:

Hotlink

It is crazy bright for a penlight. I absolutely love it. I am also thinking about a Quark Turbo.

dang it, they all sound good... might hafta buy one of each

EastCoastMojo wrote: Alex, I believe you recommended the 4Sevens light last year in a gift related thread.

Actually, someone here recommended it to me, and I've had it in my pocket for a year last weekend. But I'll gladly take the credit.

Well somebody was right on goes off to search </i?

Looks like Derick Freese is our man. Thanks dude!