Does anyone know a good LED pocket flashlight with decent brightness

[[email protected]]

I'm looking for a small LED flashlight to carry with me:

- Short and thin enough to fit in my pocket (around 4" length)

- Uses AA or AAA batteries (easy to find, not lithium)

- Has decent brightness (enough to read a house number)

- Lasts longer than 2 hours

- Reliable switch

- Should be able to withstand sweaty hand or occasional water splash

The closest thing I've seen is an Inova at Target, but the light is a
bit dim and the runtime is only 2 hours.

Thanks in advance -

The best I have found is one I got at K Mart it is called NEBO It has
about 7 or 8 leds and uses three aaa bateries 1st click turns on the
leds and the second one turns on the red laser spot and the third
click shuts it off. I do home inspections and it is very handy to
work with My first one is over a year old and I can't wear out the
bateries.

 

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I'm looking for a small LED flashlight to carry with me:

- Short and thin enough to fit in my pocket (around 4" length)

- Uses AA or AAA batteries (easy to find, not lithium)

- Has decent brightness (enough to read a house number)

- Lasts longer than 2 hours

- Reliable switch

- Should be able to withstand sweaty hand or occasional water splash

The closest thing I've seen is an Inova at Target, but the light is a
bit dim and the runtime is only 2 hours.

Thanks in advance -

The best I have found is one I got at K Mart it is called NEBO It has
about 7 or 8 leds and uses three aaa bateries 1st click turns on the
leds and the second one turns on the red laser spot and the third
click shuts it off. I do home inspections and it is very handy to
work with My first one is over a year old and I can't wear out the
bateries.

=========================


Can it illuminate house numbers from 100 feet away on a rainy night?

 

[y_p_w]

He said "bright enough to read house numbers", which I suspect means from
maybe the street. Will those Petzl lights do that?

A Petzl could do that. Maybe not a Tikka after it's down to maybe 1/3
of its useful life. I could read house numbers from with maybe 2/3 of
the charge left on NiMH AAAs from 40 feet. Alkalines (higher voltage)
will even be brighter overall through the life of the batteries.
There are considerably brighter LED headlamps with lower run times,
but they tend to be pricey. I guess a premium can be charged when you
cater to hikers and cavers.

I just picked up a bicycle headlamp (Cateye HL-EL210) to use as a
handheld LED flashlight. It was plenty bright with four AA NiMH
batteries - in fact brighter than my Petzl. I didn't notice a whole
lot of difference when I used fresh alkalines, so it's likely
regulated. It's rated for 100 hours continuous and 200 hours blinking
on alkalines, with 5 LEDs in an array; the pattern looks like one
diffused light source. It's not rated for "water resistance" as with
other Cateye headlamps, and there's some sort of hole in the bottom.
I doubt water would kill it, and it could be dried out. The switch
was a single rubberized button; pressing cycles through flashing/
continous/off. I picked it up for $15, but it was 50% on sale at
Performance Bicycle.

 

[Siskuwihane]

As far as I know, none of the multi-LED flashlights will thow a
focussed beam.  I have seen some with a single-LED rated at 1-watt
(common) or 3-watts (rare), and you can kind of focus those.

I have a 3 watt Luxeon, it's a Ray-O-Vac Sportsman Extreme, cost
around $24. It's actually a re-branded
Nuwai X-3. Available at Wal-Mart, but they sell out extremely fast (at
least around here).

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_x-3.htm

Specs:

• Ultra bright 3 watt Luxeon LED flashlight - up to 50x brighter than
standard LED's
• DC/DC regulated circuitry provides maximum light output throughout
the life of the battery
• Twist bottom for constant beam - press button for momentary light
• Adjustable beam
• Handy clip and wrist strap
• Aircraft grade aluminum
• Runs on 2 AA alkaline batteries (included)
• Water resistant

 

[y_p_w]

I have a 3 watt Luxeon, it's a Ray-O-Vac Sportsman Extreme, cost
around $24. It's actually a re-branded
Nuwai X-3. Available at Wal-Mart, but they sell out extremely fast (at
least around here).

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_x-3.htm

Noticed their review states that they had better runtime on NiMH.
Make sense to some degree. Medium-drain devices tend to be very
inefficient at using alkaline capacity. Alkalines tend to last longer
than NiMH when the drain is really low, like with a low-power LED.

 

[Patrick Coghlan]

[snip]

Walgreens has the ideal LED light.

- Machined aluminum
- Cylindrical
- 3 1/2" length
- 3 "AAA" batteries in tandem
- 9 white LEDs
- ON/OFF push switch
- Weather proof
- About $5.00

I got a bunch of them.

I have a couple of lights like that. They're very bright. One of them
is often what I reach for when I need a good flashlight.

For a penlight-type flashlight, I like the Streamlight Stylus (3 AAAA
cells). Great for detail work, medical uses etc.

 

[Cheesy Bob]

I'm looking for a small LED flashlight to carry with me:

- Short and thin enough to fit in my pocket (around 4" length)

- Uses AA or AAA batteries (easy to find, not lithium)

- Has decent brightness (enough to read a house number)

- Lasts longer than 2 hours

- Reliable switch

- Should be able to withstand sweaty hand or occasional water splash

The closest thing I've seen is an Inova at Target, but the light is a
bit dim and the runtime is only 2 hours.

Thanks in advance -

Say Hey!

Try the Cat Eye opti cube model HL-EL 130/135. Uses two (2) AA
batteries. It has three (3) super bright leds. Steady on or flashing
mode. Light is designed for biking.

5555 Yee-Haw !!
EL

 

[[email protected]]

Noticed their review states that they had better runtime on NiMH.
Make sense to some degree.  Medium-drain devices tend to be very
inefficient at using alkaline capacity.  Alkalines tend to last longer
than NiMH when the drain is really low, like with a low-power LED.

I was told that NiMH cells had a higher self-discharge rate and that
alkaline cells were better if you were not constantly charging them.

 

[y_p_w]

I was told that NiMH cells had a higher self-discharge rate and that
alkaline cells were better if you were not constantly charging them.

True to a degree. There's approximately a 1-2% loss of capacity daily
with typical NiMH batteries; it's actually a logarithmic loss.
However - I find advantages compared to alkaline. There's no
appreciable self-discharge loss if you're maybe taking a light on a
1-2 week camping or backpacking trip. I've left NiMH batteries in my
Petzl headlamp for four months, and the light output was just fine.
You can "top off" NiMH batteries at any time (gets you to a point
where you know that an LED lamp is good for a while), while with
alkalines you might not know exactly how much energy is left (short of
measuring each cell). I've also found alkalines left in too long have
leaked (one got fused in a Mini Mag-Lite I owned). With an LED lamp
with a rated life of 80+ hours on alkalines, I've never had one run
out on NiMH batteries.

I went on a cave tour last year. They had a bunch of Mag-Lites
available. It was someone interesting how they kept on digging for
ones where the batteries hadn't expired or were dim.

There are also the newer "hybrid" NiMH batteries. They trade off a
little bit of theoretical capacity for low self-discharge (about 15%
per year). This is fine for someone who will at least recharge it
every 3-4 months. Even alkalines have a small amount of self-
discharge.

 

[strabo]

[snip]

Walgreens has the ideal LED light.

- Machined aluminum
- Cylindrical
- 3 1/2" length
- 3 "AAA" batteries in tandem
- 9 white LEDs
- ON/OFF push switch
- Weather proof
- About $5.00

I got a bunch of them.

I have a couple of lights like that. They're very bright. One of them
is often what I reach for when I need a good flashlight.

For a penlight-type flashlight, I like the Streamlight Stylus (3 AAAA
cells). Great for detail work, medical uses etc.

I initially bought one and tested it for month and then bought nine
more as replacements for those kept in the truck and cars.

I've had several in everyday use for about a year. I've tossed
them around and run the batteries low without mishap. They're solid
enough. They compare favorably to similar styles in the $20-$50
range.

I found one that had a faulty switch due to some material inside that
caused it to be rough and intermittent. I took the opportunity to
remove the switch and replace it with another type. I also improved the
lanyards, modified plastic bottle caps to act as extensions so
the lights can sit upright and added pocket clips.

 

[DaveT]

I was told that NiMH cells had a higher self-discharge rate and that
alkaline cells were better if you were not constantly charging them.

Use the (newish) NiMH batteries that come ready charged. I use Uniross
Hybrio, they do not self discharge like the normal ones, hold a charge a
heck of lot longer. They are also a bit cheaper If you do get some do
not bother to recharge any backup batteries when have to do a swap wait a
while that also helps.

 

[y_p_w]

Use the (newish) NiMH batteries that come ready charged. I use Uniross
Hybrio, they do not self discharge like the normal ones, hold a charge a
heck of lot longer. They are also a bit cheaper If you do get some do
not bother to recharge any backup batteries when have to do a swap wait a
while that also helps.

I mentioned Sanyo Eneloop, although they resell their low self-
discharge batteries to other companies to re-brand.

Self-discharge is also heavily dependent on temperature, even with
alkalines. I've also had bad results with alkalines stored in hot
conditions. If they don't lose a good chunk of their capacity from
self-discharge, then they'll leak like crazy. The 85% claim is
probably at about 70 deg F. If you keep them warmer (imagine taking
your camera on summer camping trip), I think you'll find that self-
discharge is considerably faster.

 

[Retief]

I don't know of any such. The closest I can find, is a Mini Mag 2 AA light,
with the Nite Ize conversion. Might not be good for house numbers, but you

I picked up one of the AA Mini Maglites with a 3 Watt LED... It's as
bright as the big boys (e.g. D-cell models with the 3W conversion).
Obviously the batteries won't last as long...

My mini mag, I got the Opalec conversion when they first came out. 3 LED,
and not very bright. Later got the Teralux conversion. Turns out the new

Haven't seen a conversion for my Mini Mags... I bought one with the
3W LED installed.

Retief

 

[Stormin Mormon]

The Mag provided aa cell lights are too long to fit in my pants pocket.

As to conversions, google "Nite Ize" or "teralux" for more information. the
Nite Ize module is $4.92 at Walmart, and is essentially as bright as the
Teralux.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


<Retief> wrote in message

I don't know of any such. The closest I can find, is a Mini Mag 2 AA light,
with the Nite Ize conversion. Might not be good for house numbers, but you

I picked up one of the AA Mini Maglites with a 3 Watt LED... It's as
bright as the big boys (e.g. D-cell models with the 3W conversion).
Obviously the batteries won't last as long...

My mini mag, I got the Opalec conversion when they first came out. 3 LED,
and not very bright. Later got the Teralux conversion. Turns out the new

Haven't seen a conversion for my Mini Mags... I bought one with the
3W LED installed.

Retief

 

[Retief]

The Mag provided aa cell lights are too long to fit in my pants pocket.

BTW, the 3W LED is only a tiny bit longer...

As to conversions, google "Nite Ize" or "teralux" for more information. the
Nite Ize module is $4.92 at Walmart, and is essentially as bright as the
Teralux.

Thanks for the pointer, Stormin'... The Teralux looks very
interesting...

Retief

 

[[email protected]]

Surefire makes probably the best flashlights you'll ever find, especially

for illuminating things at great distances. I have one of these and despite
its small size, it VERY thoroughly illuminates things 200 feet away.

I agree. That ends the discussion right there.

Yes, they're expensive, but anything worthwhile is.

 

[Stormin Mormon]

I had a half watt light from Cabelas, which was "a little bit longer" and
doesn't fit in my pants pocket.

The teralux conversion is really great stuff. Pricey. But I paid $28 for an
Opalec when they came out. The Teralux really outshines (sorry) the Opalec.
The new Nite Ize also really screams.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


<Retief> wrote in message

The Mag provided aa cell lights are too long to fit in my pants pocket.

BTW, the 3W LED is only a tiny bit longer...

As to conversions, google "Nite Ize" or "teralux" for more information. the
Nite Ize module is $4.92 at Walmart, and is essentially as bright as the
Teralux.

Thanks for the pointer, Stormin'... The Teralux looks very
interesting...

Retief

 

[Dave]

I'm looking for a small LED flashlight to carry with me:

- Short and thin enough to fit in my pocket (around 4" length)

- Uses AA or AAA batteries (easy to find, not lithium)

- Has decent brightness (enough to read a house number)

- Lasts longer than 2 hours

- Reliable switch

- Should be able to withstand sweaty hand or occasional water splash

The closest thing I've seen is an Inova at Target, but the light is a
bit dim and the runtime is only 2 hours.

Thanks in advance -

Here is one I really like. It has a 25 year guarantee. 9voltlight.com

 

[Bruce W.1]

Google 'Fenix leds' if they are available in your area. Their 2-AA Cree
LED puts a 4 cell Maglight to shame on full power. For a basic Led have a
look at the single AA Gerber Ultra, still has battery saving electronics
in it (makes batteries last longer).

===================================================

I'll second that. The Fenix L2D can't be beat:
https://www.fenix-store.com/

You might enjoy the Candlepower Forums, where they take flashlights
seriously:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/

 

[Stormin Mormon]

I've had a Teralux conversion in my mini mag for a couple years. I'm pleased
as can be with it. The light is a bit blue color, but that's livable.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

As to conversions, google "Nite Ize" or "teralux" for more information. the
Nite Ize module is $4.92 at Walmart, and is essentially as bright as the
Teralux.

Thanks for the pointer, Stormin'... The Teralux looks very
interesting...

Retief