Flashlights ?????

[pffog]

Especially those night trips to potty and in bear country. Bears cannot see so well with bright lights in their eyes. That dark fuzzy thing(tree stump or bear) in the immediate area, just outside of lights reach bothers me a lot. I want bright and accurate lighting. Maybe adjustable would be nice. I'd really like one of those million candlepower, burn the fur off anything in the night light! Had one, but not biker friendly, needing a nuclear power source, but work sooooo fine on my ranch property. .....Randy

This will blind your bears!
I will say it one last time and back it up with pics. THE BEST light I ever had is under $10!!, and easily fits in your pocket.

The contenders, 3-D cell halogen Maglight ($25), Nebo redline ($35), Sipik CK-90($35) and the BEST Sipik SK68 ($8ish) ALL fully charged batteries, all max zoom.



Same order the brightest is the smallest (it does go square zoomed in) Garage is 60' away



Silo 250-300' away with the $8 light zoomed in



Garage with $8 light zoomed out @60'



Size reference, fits in pocket, tank bag, can be held with your teeth while you work, or finish your late night call of nature, etc.

[jeepinbanditrider]

In my tankbag rides a Wal Mart Energizer headlamp with white/red/blue light options along with a Fenix E21 handheld light. On my Glock 17 is mounted a Streamlight TLR-1.

[tommcgee]

I used to love these. Easy to hold in your teeth while you work on something -- never did warm up to headlamps, and the machined aluminum ones are a tough teething lesson.

[jeepinbanditrider]

Headlights are quite possibly the best thing ever for personal lighthing.

[83014]

I've been pleased so far with the Fenix TK 15 that I purchased from REI last month. It has 4 illumination settings. The dimmest is comfortable for close up reading and the brightest is focused and not glaring. I like it better than the Surefire it replaced.

http://www.rei.com/product/827448/fe...led-flashlight

[tommcgee]

I've been pleased so far with the Fenix TK 15 that I purchased from REI last month.

I had a third Fenix fail last week. I own one more, and don't have high hopes for its longevity. Three down, one to go.

Great lights when they work, but there are either design or quality issues.

[MIAirhead]

I think paying too much for one flashlight it not be the best idea. There are some very good lights that don't cost a lot and having more then one might be the best plan.
LED lights the trend, and they use the least battery life per hour of use.

[bmwrider88]

I recently bought a Fenix light- 300+ lumen output for 70+/- $$. Somewhat chagrined to read the poster's comments who said he has had issues with this brand ( tho I belatedly find they ARE made in China). I also own a high out-put (120 +/- lumens) Surfire. I typically carry at least one headlamp along on the bike, I use Petzl brand. I also have an older light, by Pelican. All my lights are LED.

I would rather pay higher $$ for industrial strength quality, than throw money at the Chinese for their crap products. Normally, I avoid Chinese goods like the plague, tho did get duped into the Fenix, lured in by the output,

I also use my lights at work, where high output and indestructability are key.

[ARGENT BRICK]

I have heard others say bad things about the reliability of Fenix products. Usually the LD10 model. The complaint always seems to be about the on/off switch and how it does not hold up, or is inconsistent on it's reliability.

I own two Fenix products, the LD10, listed above, and the E21. Of the two, my favorite is the smaller LD10, however I have had minor problems with it not turning on a couple of times. I have never had any problems with the E21 model, ever.

The LD10 has a strobe function built in to the on/off switch and I think this is where the problem is. They are just asking to much out of the components. If they would put the plain switch from the E21 into the LD10, then they should have a good product.

I have also had the chance to work with two flashlights made by a company called Sunwayman, of all things. What a weird name for a company. They have a little angle head flashlight called a L10A. I like it. Powered by one AA battery, it seems to work well(so far). The other is a model called R20A. It is powered by two AA batteries and features a three way switch to change the light's brightness. No problems with the Sunwayman lights.

Tom, What Fenix lights have you used?

[tommcgee]

Tom, What Fenix lights have you used?

They have all been different. I've had better luck with the two or three flashlight blister packs from Costco, BJ's, Sam's Club.

I repair church organs for a living and always carry a couple or three lights in the tool bag. When they die, they immediately get tossed in the trash (like ballpoint pens that stop working).

Pretty much everything comes on the boat from China, and much of it is extremely high quality, so I tend not to blame the country of origin.

Okay, here we go -- from old email receipts:

Fenix LD01R2
Fenix PD30R2
Fenix TK11
Fenix L2T

[ARGENT BRICK]

Yeah, its a shame that so much is coming from overseas now. I was at Harbor Freight
yesterday looking at flashlights. My wife liked them, but I just could not get myself to spend the money.

I recently bought some Craftsman tools and even some of those are now coming from China. I don't mind spending a little more to buy American made, but it is getting harder to find American products. If you do find them, many times the quality just is not there. How sad. I wonder if Snap-On makes any of their products overseas.

[sedanman]

Sadly, Snap-On DOES source some product from China.

[tommcgee]

Yeah, its a shame that so much is coming from overseas now. I was at Harbor Freight
yesterday looking at flashlights. My wife liked them, but I just could not get myself to spend the money.

I've been in Harbor Freight twice. Each time, I got exactly what I went there to buy and refused to look at anything else. Too much of a candy store for the likes of sweet tooth me.