Everybody Needs A Good Flashlight
or Maybe Four

11/18/2011

I started this page 10 years ago to let others know about a good, cheap flashlight I used.  Over the intervening years there've been so many changes the page no longer serves this purpose, but like a government bureaucracy whose usefulness has long expired, it lives on.

There's a new type of flashlight on the scene -- LED flashlights.  Most of them burn for a loooong time on a set of batteries.  I haven't been using them long enough to assess reliability but performance is good. 

A Lantern

There are LED lanterns.  We lost power for a few days during hurricane Ike and my old fluorescent lantern ate batteries -- I ran out and the store was sold out.  Promptly closing the gate after the horse was gone, I got this RAYOVAC model SE3DLN lantern:

I got it from ACE hardware.  I ordered it online and had it sent to the ACE store five blocks from my house.  It will light a room (though not brightly) and claims to run for almost 6 days (or 12 nights) on three D cells.  I haven't tested this claim.

Headlamps

And now for something different.  I find a headlamp extremely useful.  It allows you to have both hands free and have plenty of light to repair things or grope around it places that would otherwise be dark -- like the attic.

I have an older one that's no longer sold, but the Rayovac Sportsman Xtreme seems to get good ratings and was a current model as of this writing.

You can get it at Walmart for about $19.
 

A really neat keychain flashlight?

This concept is common now, it was unique when I first added the link, but this brand is superior to the cheap versions you see today.  My wife and I both carry one and use it frequently.  You can get them cheaper at Amazon.
 

Maybe Just A Novelty but . . .

 I bought an Ultra Fire model C8 T6 XM-L.

Some ads claim it produces 1300 lumens -- it's probably more like 900-1000.  Some ads warn not to shine it in your eyes or it will do permanent damage.  Who knows if that's just advertising hype, but it's certainly very bright and a nice flashlight (or torch as the flashlight groupies call them).  I was able to light the side of a house a block away. It's about 5 1/2 inches long.  The business end is about 1.75 inches in diameter and the body 1 inch.  I got mine here.  It uses a rechargeable 18650 battery.  I got these batteries and this charger based on good ratings. By the time you click these links they are probably already dead (Nov. 2011).  If you don't get batteries with "protection" I understand they will die if you let them run down completely before recharging them.

 

Here's My Original (now obsolete) Flashlight Article
These are regular old fashioned flashlights

I spent most of my life buying flashlights that soon begin flickering and fading in-and-out.  I'd then bang them on something to try to make them give a steady light until they broke or I threw them away.  I'd buy another brand/model, and start the same routine again.  Then I found one that works.

Because I could never find a flashlight when I needed one I now have 3 spread around the house, plus one in each car.

I've had good luck with a Garrity model T5, but I'm sad to say you can't buy them anymore. I've dropped and thrown the old style and haven't broken one yet.  Somehow I do lose them occasionally, so I've probably bought more than a dozen over the last 20  years.  I got one that was defective new and I had one start flickering -- otherwise I've had good luck with them.  Here's the replacement model.  I bought a couple of these and I don't like them.  They are not as convenient or reliable.  I've had them for about three years now.  You can find them most places for about $6-$8.  They're black rubber with a heavy raised ribs/nubs, and have a push button switch. Update:  Garrity now has a LED Tuff Lite they claim is twice as bright and lasts ten times longer on a set of batteries.  I'll be trying one soon.

Other options

The Famous MagLite

Many people swear by MagLite flashlights.  They are a police standby, so I'm sure they are very good.  They're heavy and all metal, making them a good weapon too.  They're also $20+ a piece.  If you decide to buy one, do not -- that's . . .

DO NOT buy a copy/clone

If you decide to get a MagLite, get the real thing.  I've owned a clone that frustrated me 'til I threw it away, and a friend bought a Radio Shack clone that was no good either.  If I bought a regular MagLite I'd probably get the 4 D-Cell model.  They now have LED models that last up to ten time longer on a set of batteries, making a 2 or 3 D-Cell model last a long time.

Another Economy Model

I've heard a few people say good things about Energizer Halogens (also sold as EverReady Halogens).  I've had no first hand experience with them, so I can't confirm these claims.

I get no money whatsoever for the products or webpages mentioned here [except my own program].
They are my unrewarded opinions and reports.