Flashlight recommendation for flightcase

[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.