What do you have and do you like it?
Looking to get one and it is important since we will be doing a lot of night paddling in unknown waters
Specs:
1 Naturally water proof
2 Led is a must
3 Small and light weight
4 Would like to be able to read channel markers from
a long sistance
5 Uses commenly purchased batteries
Not interested in a mag light since I heard they corrode to quick.
So what do you have, and would you replace it with the same if you lost it ?
Jack L
Fenix
Jack;
I like the Fenix flashlights, they are small and waterproof. Every year or so, when they come out with a better LED, I get a new one. I like the CR123 batteries, but they make them that use penlight batteries.
recommend
I’d suggest talking to the folks at www.goinggear.com to see what they would recommend. You can always browse their website and watch their flashlight reviews on youtube, but I think you’d be better off just talking to them on the phone. They carry a broad range of high quality lights ranging from keychain size lights to stuff that will light up a football field.
Petlz Headlight for Finding your Way
– Last Updated: Dec-09-11 7:29 PM EST –
You would be surprised how well human night vision
works, especially with some moonlight to help.
Using a light will throw off your night vision a lot,
taking several minutes for your eyes to re-adjust.
When night paddling I like a Waterproof Headlamp
like the Petzl Duo to light up the dock, buoys, , etc.
http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/duo-series-0/duo-led-14
I've ""hung"" the headlamp in a tree branch for some
nightime use as a hands free camping floodlight as well.
An alligator clip and some twine make a great lanyard
in case of a mishap so it doesn't get lost on water.
My backup/emergency/ditchkit has a Petzl eLite
http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamps/signal-and-elite/elite
Waterproof and water resistant are not the same
http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamps/protection-compatibility#waterproof
2 lights
not sure you’ll get what you’re looking for in one light. led’s are wonderful close up but don’t project the light a great distance. for around camp, in the boat, and general use i use a petzl tikka plus. it is an adjustable led headlamp which uses aaa batteries, is lightweight, and though not waterproof is very weather resistant. has served me well on many trips. for a reach out and light 'em up light i’d recommend a pelican super sabre light. 3 “c” cell light with incandescent bulb, submersible to 2000 ft. plastic body so nothing to corrode. very powerful light in a compact package. the combination of the two lights should meet all your needs for navigating at night.
further ideas
– Last Updated: Dec-09-11 9:16 PM EST –
I took a look at the goinggear.com website to see if there were a couple that you might consider. First criteria was that it had to take AA batteries since you wanted batteries that were commonly available. I went with 2-4 batteries so that you would have higher light output and longer runtime. Second criteria was meets the IPX-8 waterproof standard. That's about all that the production flashlight manufacturers test to. Third was good light output. I prefer multiple light levels because I don't always need full output.
Now for the lights:
I went with two brands, Jetbeam and Sunwayman. I own lights from both brands. Both put out very high quality lights.
Sunwayman: Depending on exactly what you think you need in terms of light output, I'd suggest the M20A (2xAA), the M30A (3xAA), or the M40A (4xAA).
Jetbeam: PA40, possibly others, but this was the only one I checked out
goinggear has a lot of flashlight video reviews on youtube, under the knowledge center on their own website, and sometimes on the flashlight page itself.
Good luck!
LEDs can throw very long distances.
You just need to get the right light
Go to candlepowerforums.com for more information on flashlights than you could ever want to know.
Fenix lights are quite reliable and they have a few models that use AA batteries.
candlpowerforums.com
is a great place to get information about flashlights and batteries.
The quantity of information can be a bit overwhelming.
I don’t do any night paddling, so I don’t have a specific light to recommend.
Let us know what you get and how you like it.
Light…
I have a 14 LED dive light, uses 3 C cells and has some range.
Remind me when next we meet.
Pelican makes a good light
Tough to beat their warranty too. I have the 2410 PL and am very happy with it. Submersible, AA powered, switch works well w/ gloves and the front of the light is a photo luminescent material which makes finding it in the dark easy. We have one led and one w/the ‘standard’ bulb, happy with both.
Yes, I would replace them with the same if lost. If you shop around you can find them for $40 or less.
Good Morning Jack
You might want to add those 3 volt 123 batteries to your list of ‘commonly used’. My God, those things last and last. I have a couple of little lights that use those and they throw out a tremendous beam.
batteries were mentioned, so if you go
with aa or aaa batteries, I have to recommend sanyo eneloop batteries, with which I use a sony recharger.
While most of today’s flashlights are improved and generally comparable, batteries have some variance in quality and durability.
Modern ones are much better than
incandescent.
You must be like I was - In the dark ages, (no pun intended!)
Jack L
Yes, “pre charged” rechargeables,
such as Sanyo Eneloop and many others, perform much better than any of the alkaline batteries and the older rechargeable batteries for high demand devices, such as high power flashlights.
If you want the best cold weather performance and shelf life, the Energizer e2 lithium batteries are the way to go. The least expensive place I’ve found to by the AA and AA lithiums is at Sam’s Club - 12 for $20.
Pick your poison
http://www.pelican-case.com/flashlights.html
I have a weems and plath self charging but they don’t sell them anymore.
Price range? n/m
ne er
Never used one or really know anyone who does…we all use headlamps…hand always free, put on head at dusk and ya never have to carry anything…ie flashlight…and always with ya…great for reading too. Lightweight
yeah, headlamps here too
got 4 of them, one for the wife, one for my son, 2 for me. Princeton Tech, made in the USA. I bought them off STP because the price was low, and 2 years later, we all love them and use them a lot. As strong a beam as many flashlights, yet fit in a pocket easily. They have some models with red lamps which will preserve night vision.
CR123
Yeah, the CR123 lights do give more output and some good runtimes. I didn’t mention any of them because I didn’t think he’d consider CR123s to be commonly available. But if he did, there are some great lights out there. He talked about wanting to be able to read marker buoys from a distance and I’ve seen 2xCR123 lights that claim an effective range of over 200 meters. It will be interesting to see what he winds up with.
waterproof to what IPX rating …
– Last Updated: Dec-10-11 10:07 PM EST –
...... completely submersible to 100 meters for indefinate duration is an IPX8 rating ... ie. dive lights (scuba)
waterproof to 1 meter (30 mins. or so) is IPX2 , and splash resistent is IPX1
I don't know what your desired requirements are jackl , but I think it would help you refine and determine them more precisely by just reading the "technology" sections on each of the different lights available from Princeton Tec .
Check out the Impact XL and Torrent LED from Princeton Tec under "Scuba" lights ... the Impact XL is a 65 lumen focused spot type , where as the Torrent LED is a 126 lumen focused wide beam .
(The Impact XL is my choice)
The Amp3.5 is a 1 meter (IPX2) light , 100 lumens , it's under Princeton's "industrial" catagory .
But in any case I think it will be good for you to just take the time to check out all the lights Princeton has because afterwards you'll have a good solid understanding of what you want a light to do for you .
http://www.princetontec.com/index.php?q=product-overview-page-use-scuba