Flashlight Recommendation

[VERT]

The wife and I will be traveling to Mexico on a company sponsored trip this winter. I do not carry a flashlight, but have been thinking of purchasing a light. 1) can I take the flashlight on commercial aircraft and through customs? 2) what light should I purchase?

Surefire seems to have a lot of nice products. But there are so many models to choose from. What would you recommend and why? Is there another line of lights that I should be looking at?

 

[rhino]

What are you intended uses for the light?

 

[VERT]

What are you intended uses for the light?

EDC carry in my pocket, possibly on my belt. Something that I could use as a functional light for looking at machinery, under the desk, in the IT closet, finding my car keys, etc. So I am thinking dual output, low setting and something bright enough to blind. Maybe a strobe? Absolute last resort something I could use as an impact weapon. FYI I do not carry a knife suitable for last resort situations and do not intend to. I do always have a utility knife, multiplier, Swiss army knife. I work in the field as well as in the office.

 

[x10]

My vote is the Maglite XL 100, its a great reliable light, has the bright white led, strobe, ect. plus it's adjusts down to where you can use it in a cabinet and for work, I work on heavy duty diesel Electronics so getting down in to wire channels is important and some light that don't adjust down far enough are too bright to use in tight places, I've been using the 2 I have for over a year now and super happy, they have taken rolling off of cabinits 5 feet high and landing on Concrete floors and never missed a beat. Also the lock out feature keeps you from turning them on in you pocket and looking stupid,

PLUS THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE I KNOW OF THAT ARE MADE IN THE U.S.A. That means a whole lot to me

Maglite® XL100? LED Flashlight

 

[paddling_man]

I own Surefire, Fenix, Nitecore and Streamlight.

Check out Flashlight Reviews and LED Modifications

Then google batteryjunction and 4sevens. Both are good dealers.



FYI - Most Surefire are made in USA.

 

[redneckmedic]

PLUS THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE I KNOW OF THAT ARE MADE IN THE U.S.A. That means a whole lot to me

Maglite® XL100? LED Flashlight

I'm SOLD!!!!

YouTube - magliteflashlights's Channel

 

[bigus_D]

I carry this: Surefire E2D LED Defender Flashlight - E2DL-BK

Looking at the TSA prohibited items list (TSA: Prohibited Items), I assume it is good to go in your carry on. List is silent on flashlights... tools are allowed as long as they are under 7 inches.

Does anybody have first hand experience carrying a light like this?

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Whatever light you choose, if you intend it to be on your person or on a carry-on, be aware that the bezel devices on some flashlights can give the TSA agents the heebie jeebies.

If the light you end up with has one... put it in your checked bag.

And when you get down there, buy an el-cheapo pocket knife from a street vendor. Ditch it or re-gift it when you come home.


-J-

 

[indyjoe]

There was a thread about lights and flying on a flashlight forum and the consensus was that you won't have a problem and you actually may be required to carry the batteries, etc. with you rather than checking them.

For traveling, I would have one "real" light, whatever you work that out to be, plus something like a Fenix E05 as backup. So tiny you almost forget it is in your pocket, but a respectable amount of light from a AAA.

I carry a Fenix E20 in each vehicle with Lithium AAs in them. Great light for whatever comes up (changing tire, etc.). If I did this purchase again and didn't get such a fantastic deal on the E20s, I would get the same form factor with dual modes. Sometimes you don't need full power.

One thing to always think about when doing much traveling is battery standardization among devices and how much trouble it will be to source those batteries. I doubt that AAs are as hard to find as CR123s in Mexico.

 

[x10]

BTW, I've flown with mine several times in the past 6 months, 2 times they were in my carry on backpack and they went through fine and 2 times they were in my checked bag and the other times I fedex'd them with my tools and equipment.

I don't know about different companies but we have a Fedex agreement that makes it cheaper to overnight our tools and parts than to check them on the plane

 

[combat45acp]

got a ton of Surefires, some say they are over priced...that maybe so, but they work well!

 

[VERT]

Whatever light you choose, if you intend it to be on your person or on a carry-on, be aware that the bezel devices on some flashlights can give the TSA agents the heebie jeebies.

If the light you end up with has one... put it in your checked bag.

-J-

This is more what I am concerned about. I can't help to think that TSA is aware that a flashlight is not a lot different then say a kubaton. Actually not as worried about TSA as I am customs.

 

[zecho]

I carry this in the magazine slot on my IWB holster. I've owned it and used it constantly for five years and have changed the batteries once. It is awesome.

7736D | LED Lenser High Performance

 

[lovemachine]

Thanks! I've been wondering if I would be able to carry my Nitecore light into a plane. It has the studs too.

 

[John Galt]

I have a couple of the Surefires and a couple from Fenix. The Fenix is really hard to beat, especially if you get the rechargeable batteries.

 

[sajnaj]

cant go wrong with a surefire 9p or 6p with the tactical bezel but i would worry about geting that through customs i bought the standard surefire and upgraded to led and rechargeable off ebay for half the price of buying one from sure fire . also streamlight makes some very good products i run there 3c led the batteries run forever but it is a little big to carry in a pocket.

 

[jdhaines]

Add in a humble vote for the nitecore extreme. Super bright, single battery, and it never left my pocket going through customs to mexico and back, even through security. I felt better knowing I had something with me even if it was only a flashlight.

 

[VERT]

Been doing some research. The Fenix lineup seems promising. Also ran across a brand called Bright Strike. Will look at the Nitecore and Streamlight.

I think part of my problem is that I really need to see some different lights before I buy. Who in central or southern Indiana stocks quality lights? Thought about checking out Bass Pro or some place similar, but would rather buy off an INGO advertiser or local shop.

 

[revance]

I EDC a Surefire C2 with a Malkoff M61 drop-in powered by an AW 17670 Lithium Ion cell.

Be careful with Lithium Ion batteries. Don't buy cheap batteries and chargers! Its not just an issue of not being as good, but a safety issue. .

Li-Ion for flashlights really isn't something safe for your average Joe (unless you are willing to do your research and spend the money). 99% of the stuff out there is crap that could easily burn your house down. The only charger I know of that doesn't overcharge cells (fire hazard) is the Pila charger (~$50) or a hobby charger (~$ a lot). Sure, you could use a cheap charger and rely on the protection circuit on your cells, but I would prefer that to be a backup... not the primary thing keeping them from catching fire. Speaking of that, make sure you get protected cells (again I recommend AW). Not only do they prevent overcharging and discharging too fast, they prevent running them so low that it damages the cell. Never leave the batteries on the charger after charging has finished and always put them away from flammable things while charging.

 

[Pocketman]

Jim, at Solarforce-USA has nice products and is pleasant to deal with.