I used to have this Surefire until one of our country's finest TSA approved baggage handlers decided they needed it more than me.



Word to the wise if you check tools, don't check flashlights like this, lan testers, anything shiny and expensive looking, etc. I'm too pissed and cheap to go buy another one that I only use maybe once every other week anyway.

Now I have a cheap 5 LED lamp that still has a strobe...that I swiped from my girlfriends bedside table. The price was right :-)

I am not sure what model Sreamlight I have but it has a laser, xenon, and LED modes. LED will last 100 hours, no joke. It uses 3 C cell batteries. Its awesome, I broke one a while back dropping it from a scissorlift but liked it so much I did not hesitate to buy another.

For work I use a mini mag light, I keep one in each car I drive, and have lost and then found so many that I now have them all over the place. They last forever. I also bought a 5 pack of LED flash lights from Home Depot fro $10, I just put them everywhere. No matter where I look, kitchen drawer, sock drawer, car cup holders, on my desk I see one sitting there.

To save my life at home, I trust this guy

[Link: viridiangreenlaser.com]

100 lumen LED, green laser, strobe settings, picatinny rail mounting, not cheap, but awesome.

I used to use the discount Home Depot LED lights until i bought an nice one by ITP lights. For some reason there off the map now so they must have been bought out. If you do get an LED light get a high quality single LED unit with a good reflector.

I just purchased a high CRI (color rendition) headlamp from Zebralight which has proved very helpful in those dark corners trying to see the colors on UTP cable. They make some nice flashlights too, but if you tend to lose lights you won't want to purchase them since they start at $65+

I figure if I paid good money for it I'll keep better track of it. Check back in a year to see if that worked.

|

That would be the first (and possibly last time) I would crap my pants when somebody pointed a flashlight at me. 

I carry the Mini Maglite. I have several that seem to stick around. I have lost every other flashlight I have ever owned including the power accessory ones (including the battery pack).
The mini maglight led is worth the extra coin. I did lose a few those in the beginning.

I wear a belt pouch, Nit-ize I think is the brand, that I carry a mini-mag, Gerber multi-tool, mechanical pencil, black sharpie and a silver sharpie. This belt pack is low profile and saves me hours a week, I need a quick tool and it is on my belt.

I like the mini-mag that has a single LED ant takes two AAs. Twist on and I am good to go, lasts forever.

There is a new type of light out there, it is about 4" long 2" wide and has one side coverd in LEDs and on the other side is a magnet. This is great for rack work, sticks to the side or inside top of the rack, small enough to fit in your tool bag but is really bright. It also has a small hook on it so you can hang it from a wire or nail. I have no idea who makes it but I have seen it in an Ace Hardware store and in some convince stores.

Sorry to dredge this up, but it felt better than a new thread.
First of all, Thanks for the advice and info. Lights can be one of those things where spend a little, get a lot, or spend a lot, get a little.
Secondly, avoid candlepowerforums at all costs. It will cost you a lot of money.... Those guys take lights seriously.
I just pulled the trigger on a new Zebralight headlamp at 1090 lumens. Should be here Monday. While ordering batteries (18650 Panasonic protected cell) from Amazon, I decided to grab a cheap hand-held that takes the same batteries. I figured that it would be better to have a back-up when needed, and I was tired of the mag-light and D cells. I bought an $8 Ultrafire Cree and and holy crap!!! These things are not just bright, they are scary bright!! Small, mid-weight, and I have had it running on high for 2 hours now and still hasn't died. Trying to see how long it will last on a single 18650.
Highly advise not just grabbing the home-store special and taking a few minutes to get good lights.  Nice to have all lights take the same, rechargable batteries.  No more D cells, or AAs for me.

I used to think my dad was crazy for keeping flashlights all through the house. Not anymore.

I like the small 9 LED version from Harbor Freight with 2 AAA batteries- they have a coupon for a free one occasionally and I end up close to the local store often enough, so I get one when I'm there. I added an S-hook to one of them, so I can hang it. I also use the kind with about 30 LEDs on the face and another group on the end- it has a plastic hook for hanging and a magnet on the back. Bright enough to work in a cabinet, basement, etc. Cheap, too. When I need to check a basement, attic or crawl space for wiring paths and generally when I can't/don't want to crawl in, I have one of these-

[Link: skywalker.com]

It focuses to a shape best described as a keystone- basically the shape of the LED, which is great because it's easier to see things at a distance when there's not a lot of scattered light. Not expensive, has a steel bead at the end for breaking a window and can be used as a weapon if someone were to try something stupid. Not exactly a 'tactical' flashlight, but it has several of the features of one. It lives in the map pocket of my van.

I absolutely HATE flashlights with the "flash mode." You have to go past that every damn time you turn it off, and I've simply never had a need for it. My present fave is the Goal Zero Bolt. It's $30 to $40* and very worthwhile. It charges with a mini USB connector, lasts for hours and hours, has high and low light level, and can be focused.

The low light level is obtained by switching it to about 50% duty cycle, meaning you cannot take a photo using it -- you get alternating horizontal lighted and non-lighted bars in the photo -- but the flicker rate is much too high for the eye to see.

I've found its 160 lumens is more than I need for most things.


*$40 or so is the price from Goal Zero. I've gotten a couple for less, and one from another company... but it occasionally wants to quit, so maybe buyer beware of spending less money on this!

Love the versatility; I have the waterproof model: blackfire
 

I find this light invaluable. the one with the magnet. I grabbed mine at a UPS store for $8. I also carry a mini-mag style light in my bag. I don't like the ones with buttons on the end cap as they always seem to turn on when I put it in my posctket.
[Link: sears.com]

OT, I had a camera taken by TSA in checked luggage. TSA did pay the claim for a new one. I no longer put anything in checked luggage that I value.

[Link: ayup-lights.com]



Comes with me everywhere for the last 4 years. Basically a hands free flood light. I highly recommend.

I find the difference between the LED versions fascinating. I see a model above that has 8 LEDs and produces 60 lumens of light output, compared to another that produces 1000+ lumens from a single LED. The models with multiple output settings let you dial the high-power units down, but the low-power models will never go up. You don't know how much you appreciate good light until you use it.
I just took a 4-AA, 8-LED headlamp out of my bag that weighed 12oz and produced 55 lumens. I replaced it with a 1-18650, 1-LED model that weighs 6oz and produces 1090 lumens. I can run the new unit all the way down to 0.6 lumens if desired and can go anywhere in between. Also, the new unit has rechargeable batteries. The extra power is great when needed, especially when spiders are involved.....

I hate the Maglite's anymore. They have that stupid flashing mode which just really annoys me