LED flashlight recommendation wanted

[satpak77]

anybody use an LED flashlight in the course of their flying duties?

care to recommend a particular model?

thanks

 

[DJS]

Check out the LED Museum for Reviews

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm

This guy has devoted his life to the study of LEDs. You can find reviews of lots of different LED flashlights (plus other LED stuff as well).

The two LED lights I use the most when flying are the Petzl Zipka Plus headlight (mostly for preflight and such before actually getting in the plane) and a couple of Photon 2's (red or green) while flying.

 

[Illini Pilot]

i dunno what brand it is...but i bought one at walmart for like $10 with a removable red lens

 

[johnpeace]

I have a photon light that is very, very handy. I wear it on a lanyard around my neck all the time, but it came with a little clip so it can attach to headset, seatbelt, interior of cockpit...whereever.

I am drooling over/planning to buy a Surefire Aviator. It's a super, mega bright Surefire light with a stepped switch. First detent turns on 3 LEDs for low-light use, press harder to get the full strength superlight.

I have a couple of Surefire's already, they are the best flashlight in the world.

 

[cforst513]

i say go to the sporting goods part of wally-world and just look at the flashlights there. mine wasn't expensive and came b/c red, blue, and orange covers. pretty bright for how small it is.

 

[ultrarunner]

anybody use an LED flashlight in the course of their flying duties?

care to recommend a particular model?

thanks

Surefire

 

[erj-145mech]

The problem with the Surefires is 1.) Cost, 2.)requires non standard batteries that you have to buy from Surefire.

 

[cforst513]

so, real quick hijack: is red still the color for night? i heard that there was another color that was better for night vision than red, but i can't remember which. what's the latest word?

 

[UnAnswerd]

I have 2 flashlights that I usually carry with me at work. One is a Streamlight Stinger, which is rechargable. I payed about $120 for it, but it's without a doubt the best little flashlight I've ever owned. Be careful though. It emmitts a super bright, white light. Probably not what you want for night flying.

The other is a little LED light manufactured by Coast. I carry this with me at all times. Isn't no bigger than a pocket knife, and is just about as bright as the Stinger. For it's size, it is very impressive. The light is actually a light blue, so again, not too sure about the night flying.

 

[mattpilot]

Ever-light

You know.. the one you shake to get electrons flowing

 

[aviatornick]

if u can afford it, surefire!!!!

 

[Moonfly201]

Surefire's are great, and the Lithium CR123 batteries are getting more common. They last forever, so you don't have to shop for batteries very often.

If you will be using the light around the inside of the cockpit, use green LED's. Even one LED is plenty. I find green does not hurt night vision adaptation very much, and offers much clearer vision and map-reading. I have four different green LED's positioned around the cockpit, and they are great. In fact, I flood the panel with the Clipmate in green by clipping it onto some plastic on the headliner behind my head;
http://www.theledlight.com/clipmate.html
I like this light better than the white post lights.

If you are looking for a high-power white light, to check for ice accumulation outside the cockpit, forget about LED and just go with a strong regular white bulb type flashlight. Mine is an inexpensive one powered by 4 "AA" batteries.

 

[flyf15]

Well, everyone knows anything designed for aviation is about 4x the cost of a comparable "non-aviation" unit.... I've found some great ones in the sporting goods areas of Target, Wal-Mart, ...

I personally have about 3 ones each a little bigger than a tube of chapstick that take 1 AAA battery each. Last forever, easy to put anywhere (including a lanyard around the neck), definately bright enough for cockpit activities, and they cost about $6 each at Wal-Mart.

Also have a few larger ones that work well for pre-flight and such that take 2 AA batteries... they were about $15 each.

 

[Vik]

you can buy those surefire batts on ebay for cheap .. its not a non-standard battery actually. Its a camera battery the old Olympus cameras used to use, etc. Many people sell'em, I think its as 123A battery.

 

[SLagonia]

I just found a great conversion kit for the mini-mag lights that convert them into LED lights. I picked it up in Walmart for about $4.50. You pull out the tiny bulb and the reflector and replace it with this new LED unit. Battery life is extended and it so far works fine.

 

[Twotter76]

If we are talking about a full size (D cell) light then I carry a Lightwave 8000 that I got on eBay for about $80 and it is the best flashlight ever. Very very bright but it has a blueish hue to it so it doesn't totally destroy your night vision. Also built very sturdy in case I need to whack someone with it. I have been using it for almost 3 years now and I have never had a problem with it.

 

[FN FAL]

If we are talking about a full size (D cell) light then I carry a Lightwave 8000 that I got on eBay for about $80 and it is the best flashlight ever. Very very bright but it has a blueish hue to it so it doesn't totally destroy your night vision. Also built very sturdy in case I need to whack someone with it. I have been using it for almost 3 years now and I have never had a problem with it.

I think I have something similar...uses three D cell batteries, has about 10 or 12 led's and will run forever without a battery change. Plus you can drop them from 6 feet on to a concrete floor and they keep on working.

Yea, I'd spend 50-60-80 bucks on a flashlight like that! It's worth a million dollars if you ever have to use it.

 

[Corona]

Take a look at Princeton TEC. I've a headlamp with a blue-white LED; 1-watt, but it's bright enough to blind you. Great for doing preflights. It was about $26 and runs on two AA batts. It's waterproof and very well made.

I agree with FN-don't skimp on flashlights. They might save your life.

CJ

 

[Corona]

I think I have something similar...uses three D cell batteries, has about 10 or 12 led's and will run forever without a battery change. Plus you can drop them from 6 feet on to a concrete floor and they keep on working.

Yea, I'd spend 50-60-80 bucks on a flashlight like that! It's worth a million dollars if you ever have to use it.

FN: Is that Uzi guy in your avatar a reject from the Village People?

I sincerely hope it's not a self-portrait...I could not handle having that image in my head each time I see your posts.

C

 

[Goose Egg]

The other is a little LED light manufactured by Coast. I carry this with me at all times. Isn't no bigger than a pocket knife, and is just about as bright as the Stinger. For it's size, it is very impressive. The light is actually a light blue, so again, not too sure about the night flying.

I have that same light (probably). I paid about $40 bucks for it at the local pilot shop. Imagine my surprise when I saw the same thing at Target in the camping section for $12. Bummer. Live and learn.

-Goose

 

[Alin10123]

The problem with the Surefires is 1.) Cost, 2.)requires non standard batteries that you have to buy from Surefire.

You dont have to buy the batteries from surefire. It's just their own brand. I think even if you buy them it comes down to $1.25 each. It's still cheaper than buying 4 C cells i think last time i checked. Plus the CR123 batteries have a 10 year shelf like and pack a big punch in a little battery. They are the size of camera batteries. Unless you want to lug around a C cell of D cell light. The CR123's pack the biggest punch in the package.

 

[Chocks]

You don't want an LED flashlight as your main flashlight. Sure they burn cool and don't suck much battery power - but, the light the LEDs produce diffuses quickly and doesn't give good light over say, 6 feet or so. I have a bunch of LED flashlights I've purchased in China on my last few trips. They are cool, yes - the latest even has a laser pointer that comes on during the third press of the flashlight, but if I ever want to see something outside, or during a night preflight - surefire is the way to go.

Surfire has a plastic model that isn't too expensive. I've had it for 9 months and the battery's are still strong. It fits well in my flight bag and I use it all the time.

my .02 on flashlights....Chocks

 

[Alin10123]

You don't want an LED flashlight as your main flashlight. Sure they burn cool and don't suck much battery power - but, the light the LEDs produce diffuses quickly and doesn't give good light over say, 6 feet or so. I have a bunch of LED flashlights I've purchased in China on my last few trips. They are cool, yes - the latest even has a laser pointer that comes on during the third press of the flashlight, but if I ever want to see something outside, or during a night preflight - surefire is the way to go.

Surfire has a plastic model that isn't too expensive. I've had it for 9 months and the battery's are still strong. It fits well in my flight bag and I use it all the time.

my .02 on flashlights....Chocks

That's the problem. You bought the LED lights IN CHINA!!!!!
I spent a little money on my LED light that was a super bright and had a descent amount of throw. My cousin figured he'd show me off and buy a cheap made in China LED becuase it was cheaper. Anyways... he didn't even come close.

Try either surefire, elektrolumens, or pelican 3 watt LED, led lights if you want good quality lights.

 

[Hovernut]

I got a 5 watt LED light a couple Sun-N-Funs ago and WOW is it great! It is one bright-a$$ flashlight. Uses 3 of the 123 batteries. You can get rechargeables from batteriesamerica.com. Here's the review http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_5w_alx-253l.htm
and here's where it is sold: http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=943
It's just the right size to whack open the Aft equipment, Avionics, lav, and fuel doors on the CRJ.

Another cool one is this: http://www.sailgb.com/p/inova_xo3_led_flashlight/

 

[Tarzan]

I picked up one at Lowes of all places. It used three AAA's and it came with six batteries. It's about as long as a middle fi nger and I wear it one my belt. Nice thing about this one is that it has four white LED bulbs but it also has a red bulb that you turn on with a different button. It was great for instruction but it doesn't get used much any more, when your trying to look at your stabilizer that 23 feet straight up the mag light just a bit better.

 

[erj-145mech]

Did you 121/135 guys with the Surefire's and LED's get the FAA to buy off on the flashlights for 135.159 [f](3)? I'm wondering who determines equivellent to the 2 D cell rule.

 

[flint4xx]

This thread is exactly the kind of aviation realted chatter that makes this website so valuable.

Surefire...especially since you aren't paying for it Satpak!

 

[Click]

The surefire is great light, unfortunately way over-priced for the product. Luckily for me my friend works at the company and provided me a fair discount. One thing I've noticed is, for any reason if the high-output incandescent lamp turns on in the cockpit you can kiss your night vision bye for at least 5 mins. Hey but at least it's bullet-proof and will survive a crash - too bad I won't be around to use it.

 

[johnpeace]

over-priced

$185 for the best aviation flashlight ever conceived, designed, built and produced seems pretty fair to me.

It'll last your lifetime unless you trash it.

 

[Captain X]

Uh, my Surefire only cost $30. But I bought the G-2, not the Aviator.