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 Krenta
   
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Nope, wasn't me.
 |  | Re: Flashlight 2C or 2D
<Reply # 20 on 1/9/2004 1:52 AM >
|  | | | I like a lot of light, and I like it to last for a reasonably long time, and I like it to be cheap, both up-front and to run.
A lot of people hate Mag, the company, and dislike the lights because they hate the company's heavy-handed legal actions. Others hate maglites because of the weight that's pretty much unavoidable with their like-a-tank construction. And let me be the first to admit that the beam characteristics of a maglite suck, well and truly. After 25 years you'd think they could fix the big black hole in the middle of the beam... nope.
But, for a lot of needs and uses, it's still the easiest, cheapest solution. For $30 USD you can't really beat a 2D Maglite ($20 at Kmart, Target, whatever) with a Xenon bulb ($5) and a glass lens ($5-7 online, shipping included) for light output (and focussable), build quality, and indestructability. Batteries? $4 per package for good ones... $1 per for bad ones (dontcha love the Dollar Store?), and available nearly everywhere in the western world.
Yes, there are brighter flashlights. Yes, there are cheaper flashlights. Yes, there are smaller and lighter flashlights. But every Radio Shack, as well as Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Candian Tire, et al has replacement bulbs (including, sometimes, Krypton or Xenon ones) for a mag, and ther's a spare one in the tail of every light. I can buy C or D batteries at gas stations in remote parts of North Dakota at 2 in the morning on a weekend. It's a lot, lot harder to find bulb assemblies or batteries (N cells or CR123's) for lot of the "trendier" and more expensive flashlights, like Streamlights, arc lights, or whatever. And a complete bulb-reflector assembly really isn't something I want to lug around all the time when I'm exploring.
I've got a 2D maglite. I've used it extensively for about a year. Unlike most people, I actually clean and lube mine once in a while... and it's worked fine. Battered to hell and looks like shit, oh my yes, but it still works, after being dropped, kicked, sat on, thrown, banged into stuff, buried in sand, covered in cave slime and Goddess-knows-what-else I've done to it. Still on the first bulb, even, and about the eighth set of batteries. I love it, big ugly heavy beast that it is.
I've got a 2AA Streamlight that produces just about as much light as a 2D Maglite, and costs about the same (circa $25 USD). Had it about six months. Still on first bulb assembly, too, about six sets of batteries in. Goes through batteries faster than the mag, but no surprise - apples and oranges and all that. It doesn't focus, and the build quality is pretty awful, especially given the price. For $25 and $8 a bulb could I have a rubberized coating that doesn't start peeling off right away, please? And maybe a "polymer" body that I can't scratch with my fingernail? When the bulb finally dies I'll probably give it away to someone. For now it's a backup light and frequent loaner, because people I explore with seem to have a problem with remembering their own lights.
I've got a 2AA mini maglite, like pretty much everyone else. Had it a couple years. Goes through batteries, turns itself on seemingly by itself, and really doesn't produce enough light for me to navigate safely and happily in a large drain. It's a fair backup, but nothing special, given that it costs fully half of a 2D maglite.
I just picked up last week a 2AAA Pelican MityLite kit, because someone said these were great little lights compared to a mini-mag. I hate it. All plastic, puts out a moderate amount of badly-focussed (and unfocussable) light, small enough to lose or misplace easily, came with a plastic lens that was all scratched up, and takes AAA batteries (I thought it was AA when I bought it). Might make an OK loaner to someone, but still not impressed, and glad I didn't pay full price... I'd have been pretty pissed.
It'd be neat if we all had a hundred bucks or so to drop on an Arc light, or a Streamlight, or one of the other "high-tech" flashlights, replacement batteries and bulbs. I have better things to spend my money on, though... and I'd be a lot less pissed if I lost a $20 maglite than if I lost a $79 Stinger.
Brinkmann, Underwater Kinetics, all those other places make nice flashlights, don't get me wrong. It's just that REI, their competitors, and the few other places that carry replacement parts for the damned things are either not open when you need them, or somehow not conveinently located near fun things like abandoned farmsteads, breweries, factories, and mines; caves, and the other things that I and others like to explore.
You can pan, bad-mouth, and poo-poo maglites all you want; they're far from perfect. But I'd much rather the people I explore with have a C/D maglite than a $1 yellow no-name plastic flashlight (you know the ones I'm talking about) or try to explore by the light of a little keychain light.
If nothing else, give Mag kudos for having a focussable beam and a spare bulb in every light.
Have Speed Graphic, Will Travel. |
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Shane
Moderator
Location: Bronx, NY
Gender: Male
| |  |  |  |  | Re: Flashlight 2C or 2D
<Reply # 21 on 1/9/2004 2:43 AM >
| | | | If you like Mag's this might be a good alternative:
http://elektrolumens.com/FT-3C/FT-3C.html
3C cells, 3 watt luxeon star LED, 12 hour runtime at high brightness, 54.99.
I just ordered one today, I'll be writing a full review once it comes in. Basically it's just as bright or brighter than a standard mag, with an LED bulb that will last a looooong time without burning out. There's a review of another light from the same people at:
http://flashlightreviews1.home.att.net/reviews/elektrolumens_blaster2.htm
Which is a 3D cell version of the light I got with a less powerfull LED, so you get more like 24 hours runtime, but it's also much bulkier.
They seem to be comparable to Mag's in build quality and weather resistance.
"Because there's no possibility of real disaster, real risk, we're left with no chance for real salvation. Real elation. Real excitement. Joy. Discovery. Invention. The laws that keep us safe, these same laws condemn us to boredom. Without access to true chaos, we'll never have true peace. Unless everything can get worse, it won't get any better." -Chuck Palahniuk |
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Jester
Location: Vancouver,B.C. Canada
Gender: Male
Always just out of sight...
| | | Re: Flashlight 2C or 2D
<Reply # 22 on 1/9/2004 6:08 AM >
|  | | | Bahhh, LED all the way for me. My 2AA maglight is a backup/loaner. I really enjoy never having to change batteries or worry about replacing a bulb (in the short time I did use the mag, I had to replace the bulb twice...). My LED light collection isn't as bright as bigger mags but for the exploring I do, they're perfect.
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. |
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Chainsaw
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Underground, Colorado
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Flashlight 2C or 2D
<Reply # 23 on 1/9/2004 2:59 PM >
| | | | Posted by Ben
Posted by Commander Chainsaw
"D" cell - "C" cell - BAH! get yourself a million candle power spotlight and a motorcycle battery.
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What sort of amp hours can you get out of that?
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I dunno, never measured it - the 2M candlepower spotlight I have for it now has run up to 5 hours and shown little sign of faltering. It got a little dimmer around hour 4 but it was still brighter than any other flashlight I own. I mounted the spot on a plastic hard hat - works pretty good.
It's not so useful for smaller UE trips but when you get a ways underground in an abandoned missile silo it's about perfect.
Quid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
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