Posted on 11/09/2013 3:57:20 PM PST by marktwain
“500 lumen lights generally sell for $200+. That is what makes it interesting.”
I did not have the instruments to actually measure the lumens.
It subjectively seemed very bright.
You need to design a (very, very) simple plan for one, for the prepper threads for us, preferably one designed so that it won’t be ruined if an old Alkaline battery bursts and leaks badly.
Right now I’m at the 74 hour mark of testing the runtime for an old single led model of a ‘Planet Bike’ Beamer flashlight that I just picked up at a thrift shop for a dollar.
I put in two well used AAs that measured 1.34v each, one of which was dated from 2008, and one with no date on it.
It looks like it is going to go for quite some time, I will probably use it for a loaner since I generally have to supply lights for neighbors during blackouts, or gift it to someone who doesn’t own a battery vampire.
Maybe in an over priced light like Surefire, or years ago, but not today.
Today you can get high quality lights, regulated, and producing an actual ANSI 850 Lumens, for $75.00, see the PD35 link in post 23.
If one is willing to use the 18650 battery, he can get a mind blowing light for $30.00 that is very highly regarded, and which I own (I paid more) here is the link.
At some point, any one interested in bright flashlights, that will throw hundreds of yards, will need to switch to 18650 batteries for their high power lights.
I can’t believe they never put it into production!
No one else seems to have pointed this out yet but that was a whole lot of Crap to read just to find out that everything sold at a Wal-Mart is CRAP!
If you want a very good quality light with 350 Lumens Hi, Low, Strobe. Also Red, Green, and Blue beams. Red: For Night Vision. Green: For Map reading. Blue: Helps Identify Blood. And it uses the more modern ten year shelf life 3V CR123 batteries. Get the Gander Mountain Item # 754235 GSX Tactical light. On sale right now for $49.99 It’s also available from Overton’s for the same price. I have four of these one in every car and one that goes in my pocket every night when I walk my dog thru the country. The strobe is powerful and has enough blinding and annoying flash to scare off coyotes and foxes pretty easily. The batteries will usually last for three to four months with a pretty good amount of use. The ones that are in my cars are rarely touched but always come on and are just as bright as new ones even after sitting for extended time periods months and months. When I ordered my second one of these it had a defective switch and Gander Mountain sent me a new one and a return envelope for the defective one no problem at all.
Because it isn't true.
Is Surefire lights the top light for the military, as you describe? Walmart sells them.
I sure could have written that better.
When I wrote “”Is Surefire lights the top light for the military, as you describe? Walmart sells them.””
I was meaning to write ‘Is Surefire lights, the top light for the military, as you describe(”crap”)? Walmart sells those.
The Fenix lights are well built, and have accurate lumen and run time ratings. They are worth the money. I also like sticking with the aa nimh batteries. They are cheap, widely available and safe.
LOL, you write like I usually write, a simple collection of plain facts.
When I read some of my posts on this thread, I see that I’m writing longer posts than I normally do though.
You are spot on, and clearly know a lot about it, no one just kind of accidently comes up with that collection of accurate and factual statements that you casually made.
I noticed some time ago that Wal-Mart started carrying replacement LED bulbs for the old Brinkman 2 and 3 D cell flashlights.
They were originally around $20 but I have noticed they are now only around $2.95. I am not sure if they are the same as the early $20 ones or not. I bought one of the early ones and it is brighter than the original bulb and the batteries last a whole lot longer with the LED over the Xenon ones.
I would strongly recommend that freepers leave the world of Maglites and Brinkman.
I personally detest Maglite, because they still go for the profit over the quality.
They survive on their old reputation from the 20th century, today they are a joke,AND THEY STILL SELL Their OLD LIGHTS, with the old bulbs, money before integrity.
I saved my pennies and got a 6 cell Maglight in the early 80s to replace the free plastic Radio Shack 6 cells that I got with coupons from Parade magazine. I turned on that luxurious Maglight and said, “That’s it?”
I bought a couple wind-up lights for our cars. 3 LEDs and will cycle through low/high/flashing. While not good for distance, they will show the next 10’ of a trail and aid under the hood in a pinch. Don’t know how long they go before fading, but it only takes a few seconds of cranking to fire them up and I recently took mine out after 7-8 months of disuse and it still fired up bright w/o cranking so the unit holds a charge very well.
I was kidding of course.
There are led drop ins that will make that 6 cell Maglite a better light, but then you have to skip meals to be able to afford 6 D cells, to feed a light that you can beat with AAs today, but it is cool looking, isn’t it.
They were something in their day though, while Maglite still has a lot of flashlight guys who remember it fondly, some of us really despise them for their continuing (to this day) to promote high profit, but inferior lights to a public that fell in love with them in the 1980s and 1990s.
If you still have it, you can buy an led drop in, some AA to D cell adapters, and keep it in the car as a club.
I own the only version of a forever light that I have real confidence in, the Nightstar, Gen 3, it was a military grade (and purchased by the military) shake light with a high grade capacitor to store the charge.
The light can store for generations, is waterproof, and fail safe, doesn’t wear out, it even uses magnets as the buffers during the shaking so that there is no contact, and the switch is magnetic as well, with no contact.
Here is a review from 2005, for the $40.00 shakelight.
http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews/ait_nightstar2sc.htm
Here is one of the company’s crank lights. http://www.appliedinnotech.com/product/lightstorm-sl1-no-battery-crank-lantern/
I really couldn't do better than the linked article from my post.
In fact, I found that the original article moved to a new webhost. It can be found here.
The main difference is that I didn't try to make it small enough to fit in a flashlight bulb casing.
To summarize: This article is simple to follow.
The transformer that I made looks like the second from the left in the first picture in the link.
I put the circuit into a Radio Shack AA Battery Holder Catalog #: 270-408. I trimmed the wires and connected the LED through the wire hole.
For I switch, I cut a notch in the side of the holder and added a toggle switch like this one from Radio Shack: DPDT Micromini Toggle Switch Catalog #: 275-626.
Just insert it somewhere between the ground and power in the circuit.
-PJ
2 C Cells in a sock delivered properly will make the bad guy see lights he has never seen before and may never see again.
Good night (vision)
Back to lurking
TT
I’m glad I remembered this thread of yours. Walmart has a sale (through tomorrow I believe) on these for $20 bucks. Just grabbed one and will see if it stands up to being put through a little testing.
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