Flashlight recommendation for flightcase

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Bright light, small (AA or AAA), cost effective.... thxs

 

[TonyC]

Bright light, small (AA or AAA), cost effective.... thxs

Energizer ArcWhite

4 AA's in series (6 volts), very bright beam, plus a flourescent bulb on the side for use in the cockpit or cabin

From the data sheet:

ENERGIZER NO. CFL420

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Designation: Compact Flourescent Light​

Power Source:​

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Four AA Size Batteries


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(ANSI/NEDA 15 Series)​

Lamp:​

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No. KPR-802 (Rated @ 4.8V, 0.5A)


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Rated Lamp Life:​

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15 Hours


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Rated Lamp Output:​

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33 Lumens


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Weight:​

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69.4 grams (2.5 oz.)


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(with batteries)​

Features​

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Soft, Ergonomic Grip


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3-Way Slide Switch​

Dual Use Bright Krypton Spotlight​

Hi-Tech CCFL Bulb for Area Illumination​

10,000 Hour Lamp Life - Never Needs​

Replacing​

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I've replaced a bulb. The picture doesn't adequately show the dimension of the case. While it's height is accurately depicted, the thickness (if you were to view it from above) is only slightly more than the thickness of the AA battery.​

You won't find many flashlights this size that use four 1.5V batteries in series, and you won't find many with the handy compact flourescent light.​

The only drawback I see is the sturdiness. It's not designed to take a beating. I've dropped mine a few times, and the cap on the battery compartment came off. No permanent damage, yet, but it looks like it COULD be broken. It's certainly not going to withstand the same rough treatment a MagLight would endure.​

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[TonyC]

So much for a WYSIWYG Editor - - I tried to fix the font size and line spacing on that post, but it's hopeless.

 

[aviatornick]

lites on

i use a surefire. www.surefire.com its bright as he!! u can get an attachement for a red lense. works great!

 

[sqwkvfr]

This is probably gonna be a little overboard and these things run just shy of $100, but the Streamlight Stinger is without question the best mini flashlight in the world.

Streamlight manufactures the SL-20X (rechargable d-cell aluminum) that was heavily favored and used by police officers as a better alternative to the maglight...the Stinger actually had similar burn time, a reasonably similar brightness, and the small size eliminated the temptation to use the larger flashlights as an impact weapon.

They're also a hell of a lot easier to carry on your belt or in your bag, worked well for searching tight spaces (under car seats, etc.) and proved to be extremely durable.

I realize that you're not looking to spend this kind of jack and the Stinger is a little larger than what you describe, but the Stinger will be the last flashlight you'll ever need to buy.

Edit: if you click the "products" tab at the top of the page I linked, you'll see some smaller products that might better fit your needs...I can't vouch for anything other than the Stinger and the SL-20X, but if Streamlight puts the same quality into the rest of their products, I'm certain that you'll be happy.

 

[gfvalvo]

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The only drawback I see is the sturdiness. It's not designed to take a beating. I've dropped mine a few times, and the cap on the battery compartment came off. No permanent damage, yet, but it looks like it COULD be broken. It's certainly not going to withstand the same rough treatment a MagLight would endure.​

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True, MagLights are tough. However, I've stopped carrying it in my flight bag for a couple reasons:



* It's cross section is perfectly round. So if you set it on anything but a level surface it will roll away. Very annoying while trying to pre-flight a GA airplane on a poorly lit ramp. Why didn't they machine a flat spot on it?



* Beam coverage is very uneven. Twisting that lens thingie on the front does spread or concentrate the bean. However, the coverage is uneven at all settings.



* Too heavy. This is probably more due to the fact that it is a 3 D-cell light. But, that metal body doesn't help.



I've switched to cheaper plastic and rubber-covered lights for general and pre-flight use. For in-flight, I carry a 2 AA-cell, red LED flashlight on a chain around my neck. Works fine for reading charts, etc.



I've also tried Navaire's headset-mounted Blackout Light. Didn't like it. Cheap, poor quality on/off switch. It would turn on in my flight bag and drain the battery. Also had a cheap, poor quality battery compartment door. If bumped, it would open and drop the batteries somewhere in the dark airplane.





Greg

 

[CubanSmoker]

I use the small Streamlite Stylus pen light and it is great. It comes with the batterties (AAAA) installed. It's really small, fits in your pen holder, and is just bright enough for a preflight, not too bright to ruin your night vision. Plus it has an LED bulb so the batteries last forever. The AAAA's aren't too hard to find and have lasted well over 4 years in mine with regular use.


For the small size and long life, you can beat it in my opinion for $22.

Smoker

 

[ifly4food]

I've always used a 4-D Maglite. Despite its size and weight, you can't beat its brightness and durability. One advantage is that you can hold it in your lap easily and use both hands for cockpit duties, which if you actually need the flashlight, let's say you're already having a bad day. You don't want to fiddle with trying to hold the thing.

Additionally, it has two more advantages: it scares the bejesus out of the TSA every time they xray it, because they think it's a pipe bomb, which is entertaining. Also, it could be helpful for self defense if I ever get attacked in one of our crappy hotels.

 

[socrates1]

This is a lot of talk about a stupid light. Just use the flight attendant's light.

 

[FlyChicaga]

I went to Home Depot and got a $5.95 Energizer red plastic 2-D flashlight, complete with a set of batteries. The beam is brighter than my old 2-D maglight was, and it's much lighter.

 

[FN FAL]

Hi rez o, I know you asked about bright and small. However as a freight doggy who always looks optimistically at half empty glasses...I thought I would put in a promo for the D cell sized flash light made by these guys. Maybe if you kick around their website's home page or product listing, you'll find what you need.

http://www.longlight.com/en/s_pro/pro_4000.php

That's a link to what they call the BEAST. I met the BEAST while I was purusing at a gun show. When the guy who had the sales tables set up for these flashlights demonstrated their durability to me, I dug into my pocket most riki-tik to buy one.

He turned it on, held it at arms length and dropped it onto a concrete floor. Obviously, he didn't drop it face down, but when he picked the unit up, it was unharmed and the LED bulbs were still going strong.

That was my biggest fear with the mag lights or any of the other cheap yellow plastic two cell D flashlights. You lose panel lighting, dig out your mag, drop it on the floor...oh sh!t.

Another thing that bugged me, was the fact that almost all the two cell D flashlights I ever had, always seemed to go yellow in their light intensity...just when I needed them the most. This thing is blue bright, and I can't remember if I have had the batteries in this thing for two years or three.

One thing I like about the BEAST is that it can be left on for hours, and the batteries will not run down right away...it doesn't consume power like incandesent bulbs do.

Another thing, the light is intense, but it is spread out. I can lay it on my flight bag turned on and it illuminates the entire dash, not just one area of the dash. If you aim it at the overhead, it reflects enough light to dimly light the whole cockpit. If I shine it back in the cargo area in the aft of the cabin, it illuminates the whole area, withought having to shine it around to a particular spot.

On thing about how this flashlight distributes light is that you will not be illuminating things far away with it, as it it not a spotlight, it's more of a floodlight. Which as I said, I like because It illumates a large portion of both sides of the panel, when properly pointed.

It doesn't generate any heat, so you can safely lay it on a flight bag, or jacket and it will not melt anything.

I would give this product an A+, and I would also recommend you take a look at what ever else they make to see if it suits your needs.

If anything, thanks for bringing the topic up, as the days are growing shorter and I should replace my batteries on general purpose...even if they are shining bright after a couple of years.

 

[SentryIP]

As for me...

...I use my camo-green, L-angled, government-issued GI Joe flashlight.

 

[Flywithmike]

I use the Streamlight TwinTask 2L mini flashlight. It's about the size of a mini maglite. On the xenon setting it puts out 72 lumens of light (brighter than a four cell "d" mag). It also has a 3 led mode for longer run time.


http://flashlightreviews2.home.att.net/reviews/streamlight_twintasks.htm

http://streamlight.com/tasklight_specifications.htm

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

Wow, some great lights on there. If I ever need a replacement, The BEAST looks like a nifty light. I expected nothing less from FN FAL. I'm very satisfied with this light:
http://www.southwestpublicsafety.com/pelsup20.html

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

PAL Survival light: http://www.pocketlights.com/pal.asp

Small, light weight, bright, square (doesn't roll away), plasticized (doesn't freeze to your hand when it's cold out). It's about the size of a lighter, only a little thicker. Comes in about a dozen different LED colors, most popular are red and white.

 

[pilotman2105]

PAL Survival light: http://www.pocketlights.com/pal.asp

Small, light weight, bright, square (doesn't roll away), plasticized (doesn't freeze to your hand when it's cold out). It's about the size of a lighter, only a little thicker. Comes in about a dozen different LED colors, most popular are red and white.

I'll second that. Excellent little light. The beam is a little narrow and there isn't a lot of illumination outside of the main beam. But it sips power from a 9V.

Another nifty feature is that it is easy to find in complete darkness because even when it is off, it has a slight glow. Doesn't run through power like you might think it would.

 

[PulluP]

The SureFire A2 Aviator was designed for preflighting. It is the best in all aspects, except for the price....$185 !!!

 

[TonyC]

Flashlight recommendation for flightcase
Bright light, small (AA or AAA), cost effective.... thxs

I assumed from the original post that batteries operated on "C" cells, "D" cells, rechargables, and 123A's were excluded from consideration.

I assumed that "cost effective" implied that $100 was a bit too much of an investment.

I also assumed that "for flightcase" meant it would be used by a pilot for typical pilot duties. That, along with the reference to bright, led me to believe that you were seeking a lightweight, inexpensive flashlight using AAA or AA batteries that would provide a bright beam of light.

Now, me, I like a light that will illuminate the top of the vertical stabilizer on the MD-11 from where I stand under the wingtip. That means it needs to throw some serious light a good long distance. It doesn't need to illuminate a wide area, and it doesn't need to produce a charming glow inside a dimly lit cockpit, it just needs to be bright enough to allow me to preflight a big airplane in the dark.


So, my reccomendation of the flashlight I mentioned above. It indeed WILL illuminate the top of the vertical stabilizer of the MD-11 as I round the wingtip during the walk-around. Oh, and as an added bonus, it has that cute "flourescent" bulb that will allow me to go back to the cabin and cook my dinner without disturbing the sleeping RFO.


Trouble is, I can't seem to find that flashlight for sale anymore. So I began a quest. In a quest for a relatively inexpensive, small, lightweight, durable flashlight based on AA or AAA batteries that will project a bright light at a long distance, I found these:

First, flashlifghts based on 4 AA batteries and a Xenon bulb:

Koehler - Bright Star Responder 4AA - $16.95

Streamlight ProPolymer 4-AA Xenon - $20.50

Underwater Kinetics 4AA (AS2) - $15.95

Princeton Tec - Tec 40 - $15.95

Pelican StealthLite - $22.95


Providing similar light, although for a shorter period of time, is this little number based on 4 AAA batteries:

Princeton Tec Rage (4AAA) - $10.95


Finally, if you're willing to accept a larger flashlight and get a tremendous amount of light (for a handheld, mind you) you might be interested in this flashlight based on 8 (that's right, eight) AA batteries and a Xenon bulb:

Princeton Tec Surge (8 x AA) - $27.50


The 4 AA models are ranked in the order of MY preference - - seems best suited to illuminate a target at a long distance - - and the prices come from the Bright Guy . com Professional Flashlights website.

Hope this helps - - it was fun for me. Now I gotta go order a few flashlights!




Price no object, show me a handheld that will light up the night, take a look at this number: Maxa Beam 6 MILLION candlepower, focused from 40 degree flood to 2 degree spot illuminates targets up to 1½ miles away, for a mere $1, 930. That's one THOUSAND, nine hundred and thrity dollars. WOW.

 

[nikoz1200]

I second the Surefire lights. While I don't have the Aviator model (which probably makes me a bad person), I did get the 35$ plastic version. Nothing fancy about it really, except that it's hella bright. I keep a second one in my survival bag also with spare batteries. They have a 10 year shelf life, and aren't really too expensive.

Nick

 

[FN FAL]

Wow, some great lights on there. If I ever need a replacement, The BEAST looks like a nifty light. I expected nothing less from FN FAL. I'm very satisfied with this light:
http://www.southwestpublicsafety.com/pelsup20.html

Hehehe...one of my coworkers got one of those 189.99 swat team tactical lights as a gift from his brother in law. It was one of those with the three led lights around the side of the reflector for normal use and some kind of lazer beam zenon or whatever kind of bulb in the middle for illuminating counties with a blinding light. It had a two position rubber encased push button switch in the base...push it to the first detent, you get the three LED's. Push it to the second detent, make new enemies.

He thought blinding his coworkers and anybody else within a hundred yards of that thing was funny till he figured out them center bulbs were life limited and expensive to replace.

I think that 29.00 light you posted on the link above would fit the original posters need pretty good...and it would be a good back up plan in case the primary flash light happend to be fubar when you needed it the most.