Look for new EDC light

[ryllok]

I did look at some of the other flash light threads but since I am looking for something fairly specific I thought a new thread would work if not I apologize for starting a new thread if this has been covered before.

Now onto why I'm looking for a new light, I had been carrying the 2 AA LED Maglite as my edc light because it was slim and fit in the pocket easily even though I had room for a fatter light I did like its size secondly it had very good brightness to battery life ratio. However the cons were it was twist start and had all these different brightness levels you could adjust too I don't really have a need for that. But it ended up getting lost at work, so now I am looking for a new light and I am more sure on what I want/need.

What I am looking for LED, AA or AAA powered no odd ball difficult to find batteries. Small enough to fit in pocket but I wear work pants (carrhart, dickies canvas type work pants) or cargo pants most of the time so I have big pockets so this is not a huge issue as far as small form factor being neccessary. A pocket clip is an absolute must I don't want it to slip out of my pocket like my last light, end cap push button start also a must. I do not want adjustable brightness settings but I do not want it to be super bright and have no battery life either, somewhere between 70-120 lumens please. Color is irrelevant so long as its not like neon pink or purple so it does not have to be all black tacticool. Last price range prefferably under $50.

Thank you in advance for you assistance, if more info is needed please feel free to ask I will try to reply as quickly as I can.

[Browning 35]

I bought a Fenix LD20 for $54 in Nov of last year since I'd been without a small powerful flashlight (I have 4 Mini-Maglites, but they're not as good IMO). It had to be bright, use a tail-cap switch, have adjustable brightness levels and use common batteries. It also had to fit in a pants pocket.

I put my Surefire G2Z on my AR-15 for hog hunting/home defense and so I needed a new EDC flashlight. At any rate I love that little Fenix. It literally goes everywhere and it's come in handy quite a few times.

Advantages :

• It's small, it fits well in a cargo pants pocket and it has a clip which keeps it in place well.
• It works on 2 AA batteries (so I don't have to buy CR123A lithium batteries which are slightly uncommon and a little more expensive).
• It's REALLY bright on it's highest setting (it's lumen setting is adjustable).
• I could use it as an improvised weapon if I had to due to the strike bezels.
• It has a strobe function for signaling or to blind someone momentarily.
• I have no doubt that I could also break auto glass with it as well.
• The two tabs at the tailcap keep it from being turned on accidentially and draining the battery which was somewhat of a problem with the Surefire G2Z when it was in my pocket or in a bag.

Disadvantages :

• If you clip this flashlight to your pocket the same way you would a folding pocket knife for some reason it wants to get hooked on seatbelts really easy. I've lost it twice and both times it was because the clip got hung up on a seatbelt and pulled it out of my pocket. Just put it in an actual pouch on your belt or put it all the way inside your pocket...problem solved.

I'm pretty damn happy with it and it costs half of what a Surefire E2D does.

[Towanda]

Looks like the Fenix LD20 replaced the L2D, which is what I've been carrying for a few years now. I like it much better than my old Mini Maglite.

[ryllok]

Looks like a good light, but I'm not a big fan of the adjustable brightness myself. I have owned adjustable brightness pocket sized lights before and the brightness always seems to get turned up or down while it is in my pocket, might have been that particular light but still I don't really have a need for it, I just want it to be of decent brightness that way I'm not constantly having to adjust it.

But that would be the only thing I don't like about the light you suggested otherwise thing looks great.

[Browning 35]

Looks like a good light, but I'm not a big fan of the adjustable brightness myself. I have owned adjustable brightness pocket sized lights before and the brightness always seems to get turned up or down while it is in my pocket, might have been that particular light but still I don't really have a need for it, I just want it to be of decent brightness that way I'm not constantly having to adjust it.

But that would be the only thing I don't like about the light you suggested otherwise thing looks great.

I've had it for about a year and it's still pretty difficult to rotate the front of the flashlight.

So I can assure you that it couldn't adjust on it's own in your pocket. Having said that it used to always be at exactly the wrong brightness level whenever I went to use it (usually too bright). After a bit I just kept it cranked all the way down to it's lowest setting and it's never moved unless I wanted it to.

This thing ranges from being bright enough to burn someone's retinas out of their skull all the way down to being able to read a paperback book comfortably.

[ryllok]

I'm sure its a good flash light but I find adjustable brightness to be uneccessary for me I just really don't like having to adjust it all the time, I really want the light just to flip it on so I can see what I'm doing in ceilings and underneath floors and then flip it back off I don't want to be bothered with the adjustable settings.
Like I said medium ish brightness single setting is all I really require 70-120 lumens should be about right from my experience with flash lights.
I am not trying to just reject your suggestion, I personally just don't want the adjustable light.

[Rednex]

It might be to small but a Stream Light micro stream what i carry. Tail cap on and off pocket clip 1 AAA powered no multi outout setting just on and off.

[Browning 35]

I'm sure its a good flash light but I find adjustable brightness to be uneccessary for me I just really don't like having to adjust it all the time, I really want the light just to flip it on so I can see what I'm doing in ceilings and underneath floors and then flip it back off I don't want to be bothered with the adjustable settings.
Like I said medium ish brightness single setting is all I really require 70-120 lumens should be about right from my experience with flash lights.
I am not trying to just reject your suggestion, I personally just don't want the adjustable light.

Naw, that's cool.

If it's not right for you then it's not the right one for you.

I personally don't know of an non-adjustable flashlight w/lumens between 70-120.

I'm sure that such an animal exists, I just don't know of one.

Maybe you could try here....
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php

[Kutter_0311]

I found the Energizer Hard Case Tactical ROMEO 1AA Compact Vest Light(click) a few months ago, and I love and EDC it. If anyone remembers Pentagonlight's MOLLE light, it is that, but improved, for a better price! I had bought several of the MOLLE lights before Pentagonlight evaporated, so the one Energizer I bought was mostly for comparison. Here's the features:

-ANGLE NECK WIN!
-Compact and lightweight; 4.3" long, 3.75 ounces including battery
-Pushbutton tail-switch regulates brightness turns on/off with the touch of a finger
-Shines up to 45 lumens (includes red and blue filters for stealth)
-Pocket clip attached (w/magnets!)
-Rugged design features a waterproof, aircraft-grade aluminum alloy body, shatterproof lens and nearly indestructible LED

This clips to your shirt/jacket/pants/tac vest/body armor/PALS webbing so you can see what you're doing/where you're going without tying up your hands. The clip has magnets so you can stick it to shit to see what you're working on, etc. It's a greatly improved, miniaturized version of the old GI Angleneck flashlight. Combines the functions of a pencil-style light with functions of a headlamp, while adding more use for very light weight. I love this light!

[111t]

The fenix e21 is a simple 2aa model I've been edc ing for a few months. It's great. It has 2 power settings but to switch them you twist the head. It's not a bunch of clickie through over complex unnecessary options. It's just at setting one if the head is loosened a bit and setting 2 if it's tightened down all the way. It's tight enough that it'll stay where you set it if you don't want to mess around with it. It has a well made click switch on the end. It turns the light on and off. That's it. Additionally there is a lock out tail cap for when you dont want it to go on accidentally. The glass lens does not scratch up and it's proven to be pretty rugged as I've dropped mine several times.

My wife is an electrician and she loves hers and her co workers are jealous of it.
http://m.rei.com/mt/www.rei.com/product ... flashlight" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



I think I completely understand where you're coming from as far as not wanting to mess with a bunch of settings every time you want to use the light. Honestly I think you should give this one a hard look.

Here's a size comparison between my e21 and my pre-multimode led minimag.

[ryllok]

Thanks for all the replies everyone I'm going to look at all the lights posted so far and then check back in, please keep them coming.

[Acquisitor]

For work, I carry a Streamlight Pro-tac PT-2aa. It has a push-button tailcap with Hi-strobe-low. for EDC, I carry a Streamlight stylus pro 2aaa. I lost three microstreams before I went bigger. The stylus pro is about the size of a sharpie marker, and 20-25 bucks. The pro-tac is bigger around and about the length of the LED mini-maglite. I spent 50 for the protac at Bass pro Shops.

[spyderco monkey]

Well, I have to ask two questions:

1. have you used tailcap style adjustable brightness flashlight before?

2. Have you ever used a 70- 120 lumen light before?

The reason I ask is because if you haven't, perhaps my experience with them may be helpful. If you have, feel free to ignore following advice.

1. When the manufactures list their multiple mode flashlights, they do a really poor job of it, and make it seem like its some complex task. Its not, it really couldn't be simpler- you click on the light, and if you need more light, you just give the tailcap a slight nudge and it pops up to a higher brightness. Honestly, the adjustable brightness is a wonderful feature that I would never consider doing without.

2. If your previous experience is with the Maglite, and you have not used any of the newer "ultrabright" flashlights that have cropped up recently, then you may not realize just how absurdly bright 70+ lumens is. Outdoors, its 65 lumens looks akin to holding a motorcycle headlight in your hand, and in a confined space its rather dazzling, especially when your looking at something from close up (fusebox, lock cylinder, changing a tire.) The reflection off the wall from a 60+ lumens light can be disorienting, and once your at 100+ its really way too intense for most indoor tasks.

The other issue is battery consumption. At 10 lumens (which is actually pretty damn bright) you can get 24 hours of use. Once you up it to 60-120 lumens, its much closer to 4-6 hours. Durring the blackouts I have been in, having these multiple modes has been essential.



http://www.good-kit.com/blackout-flashl ... ness-gear/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So, if that has at all changed your mind, I would suggest a 2xAA from either Fenix or 4Sevens light.

[Frank]

Fenix ldo5.. two triple a's, 3 brightness settings, and no complicated "head turns" to change the brightness. also has a pocket clip

[LastBoyScout]

Well I think the one thing he has asked for every time was a "NON AJUSTABLE" light. Here is one I have bought three of for beaters meaning ones I hand out to others without going nuts If do not get them back for some time. I purchased them at ok I will admit WallMart for $9.88 here in CA. Amazon has them for more but was the first to come up when I searched that had a good pic. It is rated at 60 lumen (ok close) and has a push button back end switch. But the clip is not great but for the price not bad.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-BDCL ... B004DERCXM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Made by or marketed by Black and Decker (think made by RAyovac) but for the price nice.Come with Batteries and a black belt pouch plus colored lenses.

When I say beater please understand I have an LD20 and it is great and you are right I have never had the head chance brightness level on me.

My EDC is a Surefire LX2 as well as a Fenix PD10 and thats when I wear a suit and tie.

Hope this helps.

LastBoyScout

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
Helen Keller

[Kutter_0311]

2. Have you ever used a 70- 120 lumen light before?

If your previous experience is with the Maglite, and you have not used any of the newer "ultrabright" flashlights that have cropped up recently, then you may not realize just how absurdly bright 70+ lumens is. Outdoors, its 65 lumens looks akin to holding a motorcycle headlight in your hand, and in a confined space its rather dazzling, especially when your looking at something from close up (fusebox, lock cylinder, changing a tire.) The reflection off the wall from a 60+ lumens light can be disorienting, and once your at 100+ its really way too intense for most indoor tasks.

Having used the Surefire X200 and X300 on my HD pistols to do a few tasks around the house, such 'high beams' are too much.

1) It is good medium powered task light with adequate flood to walk through the woods at knight without running into a tree. Though 47 lumens may sound like a lot or very little (depending on your knowledge of flashlights) power for a flashlight it is just below the 50 lumin rating that could cause permanent eye damage. this gives you the most light you can have while safely using it with others.

2) It is a right angle flashlight that can stand on its own and point in a general direction and does not roll on a uneven surface. I personally have it attached to my right backpack strap that gives me hands free lighting when I am in a dark environment.

I agree with Alejandro on the overall usefullness of the Energizer Romeo, and ordered another last night for $25.

Too bad I missed the $20 Black Friday sale!

[ryllok]

Alright I will try to reply to all the questions asked if I miss any forgive me.

Yeah I have had and still own two LED adjustable brightness flash lights that are tail cap on/off, the two I own are these they are both the car lights that sit in center console/ under driver seat
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemanc ... t0JR3rnqZQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I got them for much cheaper than price listed there at wal-mart think I paid $21.95 or something. That light is listed at 75 lumens but who knows if that is what its running at.

Now i also own one of these
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemanc ... t0KOXrnqZQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Which claims to be 95 lumens also got this own cheaper than listed price on that site. I can say that this light is noticeably brighter than the previous one is on its highest setting this one is single mode only. The only problem I have with this light is that it has no pocket clip or i would simply make it my regular EDC.

Now unless these lights are not running at what they claim then yes I have used bright lights indoors in the 70-120 lumen range I requested. I am currently carrying the second one which normally lives in my fishing back pack, as my EDC since I lost the mini maglite. Once again I just feel no need to have the adjustable brightness setting, and if it would help I'll give a brief description of what I will be using the new light for.

I will usually be using it at work, my official job title is Field Services Technician which is just a fancy way of saying traveling network technician for the public school system in my area. We do anything from running cat5, cat6, coax, fiber and phone line through ceilings, underneath floors, once or twice I have had to go up through the second ceiling to find a faulty fiber run (by second ceiling I mean that there is a second tiled ceiling about eight feet above the one that you see). I have had to drill through fire walls then patch the hole with fire cawk and on a regular basis I have to mount and dismount ceiling projectors and TVs. So i spend a lot of time up in ceilings but yeah so my edc light gets a lot of use and bright is good if those two lights I listed are at what they claim then that brightness is right about what I need. Also since the two lights I posted are fairly cheap and seem to work well (from my experience anyway) if anyone has questions about them feel free to ask and I will try to answer the best I can.

Hope that helps at all once again thanks to everyone for all the good replies and please keep them coming so if anyone else is looking maybe they will find a flash light from this thread as well.

[hatchtrikk]

I've been carrying a Surefire E1B for a year now and I love it. It's dual output and runs on 123a batteries. If you don't mind buying batteries online then it's a non-issue. It is a bit pricey, but very well built with a decent runtime.

I'll have you know that I am a biased Surefire whore so take what I say with a grain of salt


http://www.surefire.com/E1B-Backup" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ninja-elbow]

I am a Surefire guy. Why did I tell you this? Because I am about to recommend something I got from Walmart fo under $20.

January or February this year I was slumming it in my local Walmart ... the really bad Walmart we have. I found a Coleman - http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... 006&ci_kw=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;{keyword}&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-202190006&ci_gpa=pla&locStoreNum=4702 - that I decided to give a good test too. I have been using it all year as my EDC (Surefire on back up and also EDCed ).



The package said:
90 lumens
AAA
tough case
LED
...etc...

I thought, "90 lumens for under $20?? Liars!!" and dropped the $20 on it just to prove that Coleman was liars. So far, best $20 I ever blew on an impulse purchase. First off - it is not a weapon grade light so I wouldn't try to mount the thing on one. It is bright though - I compared it to some of my other lights and thei "90 lumen" light is brighter than my "70, 60, 20 lumen" lights. I have no way of measuring it though so I am not accurate other than saying it is brighter than lower lumen rated lights.

Good throw and spread too, but not too spread out.

The batteries I put in it in January? Still good today. Just used it last night to set up some mouse traps in the house and out back.

How have I used it? EDC. Also used on Wintergeddon last February, Deschuttes river trip this spring, multiple day hikes, hot, cold, wet, dry. Dropped it multiple times on accident and on purpose (nothing major like off a 4 story building though). Beat it on bricks. Submersed in water for a few seconds. Lost it. Found it. It's a damn good light.

I'm fitna' do a good review on the thing by next year.

My 2 cents.

[Czechnology]

EDC: http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-PD31-Limite ... B004HWQGFA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Weaponlight: http://www.amazon.com/SureFire-Nitrolon ... B002VC1ZPY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ryllok]

I am a Surefire guy. Why did I tell you this? Because I am about to recommend something I got from Walmart fo under $20.

January or February this year I was slumming it in my local Walmart ... the really bad Walmart we have. I found a Coleman - http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... 006&ci_kw=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;{keyword}&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-202190006&ci_gpa=pla&locStoreNum=4702 - that I decided to give a good test too. I have been using it all year as my EDC (Surefire on back up and also EDCed ).



The package said:
90 lumens
AAA
tough case
LED
...etc...

I thought, "90 lumens for under $20?? Liars!!" and dropped the $20 on it just to prove that Coleman was liars. So far, best $20 I ever blew on an impulse purchase. First off - it is not a weapon grade light so I wouldn't try to mount the thing on one. It is bright though - I compared it to some of my other lights and thei "90 lumen" light is brighter than my "70, 60, 20 lumen" lights. I have no way of measuring it though so I am not accurate other than saying it is brighter than lower lumen rated lights.

Good throw and spread too, but not too spread out.

The batteries I put in it in January? Still good today. Just used it last night to set up some mouse traps in the house and out back.

How have I used it? EDC. Also used on Wintergeddon last February, Deschuttes river trip this spring, multiple day hikes, hot, cold, wet, dry. Dropped it multiple times on accident and on purpose (nothing major like off a 4 story building though). Beat it on bricks. Submersed in water for a few seconds. Lost it. Found it. It's a damn good light.

I'm fitna' do a good review on the thing by next year.

My 2 cents.

Yes that light is very good I have one and I'm currently carrying it as EDC since I lost the mini maglite it would be the perfect light if only it had a pocket clip. Really want a pocket clip is the only reason this light wasn't already my edc. Seems like every time I need the flash light I'm already up the ladder or already in the crawl space so its some what difficult to dig it out of the bottom of my pocket, would be so handy just to have it on the edge of the pocket is why I want the pocket clip so badly.
But yes ninja elbow I agree that little wal-mart coleman light is awesome.

[ninja-elbow]

You're right about that. I use the lanyard as a fob and let that hang out of my pocket. I was thinking of maybe adding a fob of mine own.

[phractal]

You said you wanted a pocket clip? I EDC a MAG XL100 in a Nite Ize universal holster that clips to my pocket. I had to mod the holster a bit to make sure my MAG didn't fall out the bottom of the holster but it's the best holster I've ever had.


If I was in the market for another light, I would go for either a MAG XL50 http://www.maglite.com/maglite_xl50_led.asp

Or an Inova X5 http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/inova_x5t.htm

[Bad Penny 08]

I tend to go for custom Surefire 6-Ps... bored for 18650's, with McClickys, custom bevels, and that expensive crap but I've been pleased with my Fenix lights.
I have no problem recommending an E21 or LD20.
I'm carrying an E21 right now and I like it a lot. At $35.00 it throws a similar beam to my stock 6-P's CREE LED.
It's easy on cells, and I like the idea of high density AAs (for availability) over the 123s or AW 18650s (which are fine if you buy them in bulk).

The only real criticism I have is that, as is, there are no flats on it. You lay it down and it will roll all over.
The lanyard they so graciously provide (WTF Surefire?) seems to solve the problem.

It even comes with replacement O Rings and boot...which, again, I never got with the surefire.