There are two flashlights that I always reach for when I need one. Both are LED flashlights.
The first is a Maglite. It is a two cell model that uses size D batteries. It is comfortably weighty without being too heavy. It is about 30 years old and did not start life as a LED light. It started out as a regular bulb light. Later on, when Maglite came out with the krypton bulbs, I put those in for greater light. Finally, about 2 years ago, Maglite came out with an LED model and a conversion unit for older units. I bought a conversion unit on hope... and was not disappointed. I love it!
Because my 2D Maglite is as old as it is, I will probably replace it with a straight from the factory LED model. (My old one is a bit fritzy.... but not because of Maglite but because of some batteries that went bad in it. As a result, there are a couple of spots that cause a short when I twist the focus ring. It is a minor annoyance and doesn't impair the general functionality of the light.)
The other light I reach for is a Princeton Tec Impact II. It is an LED light that uses 4 AAA batteries and is both lightweight and handy. It has a built-in belt clip and a focused beam. I was initially skeptical about the AAA batteries as they just don't have as much staying power as the larger ones. But they really work for this unit. I am still on the original set of batteries (I think). I bought this flashlight four or more years ago! And that is one reason I love LEDs for emergency preparedness.
The other reason I love LEDs is that they are impact resistant. Anyone who has used filament bulbs in flashlights very much has had the experience of dropping the light and having the bulb filament break from the impact. That is why spare bulbs are always advised. Have you ever tried changing the bulb in the dark? I mean the really dark of a moonless cloudy night or in a cave? With an LED, you just don't have to worry about it. If the impact hasn't broken the wires leading to the LED, it is going to light. It adds to the dependability factor, which is just what you want in emergency preparedness.
I have other flashlights and use them on special occasions. I will talk more about them in another post. And also why I like these over crank or shake lights for emergency preparedness.
In the meantime, you could do much worse than getting the LED Maglite or the Princeton Tec Impact II.
Do you have a favorite flashlight we should know about? Don't keep it to yourself... share it with us.
2 comments:
I have a 3 cell LED Mag that has become the go to light around the house and garage. I need to upgrade the old Mags that I keep in the family cars with the LED bulbs. I've never tested the replacement LED setup before so I don't know what to expect. Any experience with those?
I really like the Freeplay crank lights and use the Indigo and Sherpa and they really changed my mind about crank lights. I recommend them to my customers because they are tough, have surprisingly high output and, of course, no batteries are required.
I have the replacement setup both from Maglite and from Nite-Ize. The Maglite replacement is on the big flashlight. The other is for a mini-maglite.
I really like the Maglite replacement version. With it, you continue to have the variable focus capability. The Nite-Ize one doesn't allow that. The Maglite is really bright with just one LED. The Nite-ize took three LEDs to get equivalent brightness for the mini-mag bulb.
Still, I like either one over a regular bulb.
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