Richard L. Hess
Flashlights

• Still using the FourSevens Quark AA with 14500 as my main light with a second one in my bedroom. The lithium cell provides a 200 lumen high output rather than 109 lumens as the heads are the same between the AA and the 2xAA and the single CR123 cell versions. The 2xCR123 version is a different head. The light, however, will still be able to fall back to alkaline or NiMH AA cells should the need arise. Dust in the threads may cause intermittents. Cleaning helps.
  
• My "big gun" light is currently a Fenix TK-35 using two 18650 Lithium Ion cells. This provides about as much light as I need for anything: 860 lumens and something over 20,000 cd. The TK-22 and TK-15S2 are contenders for this category. One of my sons has the TK-21 and finds it useful.
  
• The Jetbeam intellicharger I4 deals with NiMH and Li-Ion cells in manypopular sizes--makes for a one-charger solution and can run off mains or car battery power.
  
• See my blog post about portable 12 V power. It can charge a few cells using the Jetbeam charger.
  
• Headlamps have become an issue. One of my sons has had two Zebralight H501 headlamps die on him and he's using NiMH cells (he doesn't have any 14500s that I'm aware of). Perhaps it is time to try him out on Fenix headlamps. The HL30 is interesting. I recently bought the tiny, single AA RayOVac headlamp. I wish it had dimming on white light, but it's kind of neat and very small, light, and inexpensive.
  

UPDATES - 2009-June: My June 2009 discussion of flashlights on CandlePowerForums!

I now have several new lights by Chinese manufacturers using Cree LEDs. The 4Sevens AA is a real winner for an everyday carry light. For an exploration light, the Fenix TK40 is also a real winner. The ZebraLight H501 is the best headlamp ever for reading. All of these run off AAs, but to get the most performance, I'm using an AW14500 rechargeable Li-ion cell in the Quark AA and Maha/Powerex Imedion AA NiMH cells in the other lights. I still like primary 123A lithium cells or Energizer L91 Lithium AAs in the cars.

4Sevens USA - Quark and Li-ion rechargeables
4Sevens Canada - Quark and Li-ion rechargeables
Fenix lights from Canada
Zebra Light headlamps direct from China
Paul's Finest for Maha/Powerex batteries and chargers

SureFire
Streamlight
But also, please see above for 2009 updates!

A new flashlight for 2008: The Surefire Backup!

I bought this in spring 2008 and it is wonderful. Almost as much light as the L4, 2/3 the size, single 123 cell with an hour at full brightness, almost a day at the dimmer setting, and the beam is narrower so it really throws well. This one light may be all I need!

My 2003 favorite flashlight:

Update: October 2005

Now that I've been in a colder, darker-in-the-winter climate for a year and with the winter coming, I splurged and bought four more lights. A Streamlight (SL) Tasklight 2L (2 lithium 123 cells) which is about the most compact light that has a decent throw and maintains full brightness for a bit over an hour and a half. Its throw is about half of the higher-output incandescent lights like the SL TL3 or SL Ultra Stinger. I also bought a SL Argo HP headlamp that provides good throw, long life and works off lithium 123 cells as well. I also bought the two boys each a Nuwai TM-301X-3 flashlight which they seem to like.

This gives me five different-purpose lights, all running off lithium 123 cells:
- Surefire E2e with KL-1 head: reasonable light, long run time
- Surefire L4: lots of light
- Streamlight Tasklight 2L: good throw, especially for an LED, good battery life
- Streamlight Argo HP: Good throw and maintains about 90% light output for four hours
- Inova X5 UV: A reasonably high-output LED UV light

What lights am I using most?

• Surefire E2e with KL-1 head. It offers a good compromise of overall light output, throw, and battery life. It's in my pocket all the time and is my first grab light. I'm using the Pila 168S rechargeable battery in it
  
  
• Surefire L4. It puts out a huge amount of light for almost an hour. It, too, runs on a Pila 168S rechargeable battery. I use it when the E2e with KL-1 head isn't enough light. If I only carry one light, this is the one.
  
  
• Streamlight Septor headlamp. This is about as good as I've found for reading in bed. For this application, remove the supplied reflector for slightly less light but a smoother beam. This uses 3AAA
  
  
• Streamlight Tasklight 2L. This light if I keep it handy will solve most of my "long reach" needs. Unfortunately, there is no light as small as the L4 with good throw--the physics of the light and today's emitters just don't allow for it. The SL Scorpion LED is smaller but has less throw and less light output. The Tasklight 2L has a two-level switch to help manage battery life.
  
  
• I have the original Streamlight Argo and the Princeton Tec Yukon HL headlamps. I see the Argo staying with my tools for that kind of work. I find it too battery hungry on 3AAAs. The Yukon HL sits by the back door for taking out the trash and recycle. BUT, I think the SL Argo HP replaces both of these if I choose to. The Argo HP has a two-level switch to help manage battery life.
  
  
• Around the house, our Streamlight 4AA and 3C LED lights see lots of use by family members. The 4AA ones are in the bathrooms and the 3Cs are by my wife's bedside, in the kitchen, and in the family room.
  
  
• The boys are using their Nuwai TM-301X-3 lights frequently when needed, but aren't overusing them. These have a two-level switch to help manage battery life.
  
  

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Richard's Recommended Flashlights

While there are lots of lights on this page--I bought too many over the last few years--I've begun to think about what I use most and what I'd buy if I had to start over. This section is my recommendation--a shorter list than the suggested flashlights, below. These are what I would buy if I had to do over again.

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Basics

We need to remember some basics as we begin to compare flashlights.

Center beam brightness in candela which tells you how far a beam will travel. This is somewhat illusory since the inverse square law applies. To put this in perspective, you need four times the candela output to provide the same illumination at twice the distance. Also, a very bright center hotspot is less and less appealing to me unless there is some spill. If we arbitrarily take one footcandle as the reference light level, a Surefire E2e will produce that at about 36 feet, while the LED Surefire L4 with the same overall light output will produce that at about 25 feet. The 3-cell Surefire 9P will produce one footcandle at about 47 feet with either the standard or high-output lamp assemblies. Put the SRTH turbo head on the 9P and you'll find one footcandle at 125 feet, but have no side spill.

Overall light output in lumens is useful, but doesn't tell the whole story, either. The Surefire L4 (LED) and E2e have 65 and 60 lumen output ratings, respectively. The 9P with the standard or turbo head lamp is about 105 lumens while the high-output lamp assembly is about 200 lumens. This forces the analyst in me to look for a number that characterizes these ratios. After a little playing around, the square root of (candelas/overall lumens) looks interesting. We find that the L4 LED and the 9P with the high-output lamp both provide an index on this scale of three. The 9P or the E2e provide an index of 5, while the SRTH turbo head provides an index of 12.

Surefire is leading the way with publishing rated total lumen outputs. I've actually measured the beam candela outputs. One of the things that these numbers tell me is that differences among a variety of lights are small. However, quality of construction and quality of beam are two areas where these lights differ. The lights from Surefire are the best in both regards, but Streamlight and Underwater Kinetics also are better than what most of us are used to.

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Every Day Carry Light

This is the most useful light that you'll ever have. Why? Because it is always with you. It will be there when you need it. I have had a Surefire L4 5W Luxeon LED light in this role for almost a year, and cannot imagine anything more useful. You can walk into a 300-400 square foot room and light it up. I also carry my E2e with an L1 1W Luxeon head. This head extends the burning time per pair of 123 cells from one hour to four, which seems very useful in some imagined scenarios here in earthquake country.

I also carry an Arc LE (now out of business) on my keychain. 7 hours of not all that much light, but more than you need for many applications right there on your keychain.

Logically, the Streamlight TL3 incandescent offers more options, but I've switched to the Surefire L6 in my shoulder bag as its light output is continuous for 110 minutes and it throws almost twice as far as the L4. I also have a KT4 turbo head for it in case I need that really long throw.

These four lights can do a great job of solving any illumination problem I'm faced with that can be solved by easily portable lights.

My wife carries a single-123-powered, early version of the Arc LS and an Arc AAA LE (Arc Flashlight is out of business and replacement lights with similar characteristics may be available, but I already have the Arcs and don't need to buy any of the others to research--you're on your own).

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Utility light

This is a light that doesn't cost too much, is there when you need it, and can at least marginally light up a room. For long life and slightly more brightness, I would choose the Streamlight 3C Pro Polymer LED, but the Streamlight 4AA Pro Polymer LED is a close second. These are just about comparable to a 1W Luxeon Star but have VERY broad beams. The 3C is a bit brighter and a bit broader than the 4AA. Having one of these everywhere is a good option.

Other choices for this category are also from Streamlight: The Twin Task series, either the 3C or the 2L are good choices. I purchsed a 2L which provides less run time, but better long-term storage due to the lithium batteries. If you're using it regularly, the 3C might be a contender as well, but the incandescent will start dimming almost immediately--that is the downside of alkaline batteries as compared to lithium. Don't forget the $15 for 12 price at Surefire for the lithium cells.

If you want a longer-throw incandescent, the Underwater Kinetics 2L is a good choice. I've also made people happy with the 4AA versions of this light. These are also good entry-level lights, but, overall, I am hooked on LEDs and only use incandescents for long throw.

In 2005, Streamlight introduced their 3C Luxeon Pro Polymer. I don't own any of these, but they have respectable throw, although they put out less light, overall, than the TL3 LED. Worth considering (along with its 4AA cousin).

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Car light

Cars produce a real challenge to lights. I have just purchased a pair of Streamlight TL-3 task lights for my car. One is an incandescent, the other is a 5W Luxeon Star LED. Whatever you do, I am more and more convinced that you need lithium-powered lights in the car (after I had a bad battery leak in a 3C LED with batteries that had been in for less than nine months).

I have just ordered two Streamlight Twin Task 2Ls for a friend of mine for his and his wife's cars. He really likes them and I got my wife one. These may be a very good choice for $30, especially considering they are two lights in one.

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Headlamp

While I like the PrincetonTec Aurora, it's blinking flash is too annoying for reading, so I'd continue with the Streamlight Septor. This is useful in the car for changing tires and in bed for reading without disturbing your mate. I don't do caving. These are utility, close-in headlights. I bought a PrincetonTec Yukon HL dual-level LED headlamp in January 2004. It really provides a fair beam for a headlight.

While I do not own a Streamlight Argo HP Luxeon Headlamp, that would be my 2005 recommendation for a long-throw headlamp. I do have the standard AAA Argo and it's bright, the HP is brighter and uses two Lithium 123 cells.

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Bright Light

From time to time, you want to have a bright light. There are seductive spotlights, but they only run 20 minutes on a charge and the battery may not be charged when you really need it.

The Streamlight TL-3 is one of the better bright lights in my opinion. It throws well and has some side spill.

I have an SF L6 inthe collection. It is not a competitor to the incandescents for brightness, but it runs at 3x the brightness of the L4 for twice as long (two hours more-or-less) on 3 cells and it's mounted on the very nice SF M3-type body. Adding the KT-4 Turbo Head (essentially an M3T at that point) provides a very far-reaching light.

I have undertaken a comparison of some of the lights here.

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What I probably wouldn't invest in

I probably wouldn't replace the fluorescent lanterns. The LED flashlights give about half as much light but are much more useful. Maybe one fluroescent, but not three. They are a waste of batteries since you end up replacing four D cells in each before you've used them up. I only have them for power failures. I wouldn't buy any D-cell lights at this point, but rather only AAA, AA, C, or Lithium 123. I would tend to look for more 123 lights now that Surefire has them for $1.25 each--not bad compared to even C cells!

While I like the UKE SL6, it's very narrow beam is no comparison in throw or coverage to the SRTH or KT-4 Surefire heads or to the Streamlight TL-3 and the alkaline batteries fall off far too fast compared to the lithiums. The UKE D8 is big and heavy and serves a purpose, but now that I've got the surefires, I prefer a combination of them. I sold the D8 in October 2003. Also, the D8 is not much brighter (about double the candela) than the Surefire L4 LED! Again, a great dive light (the Surefires don't dive well) but I'm not a diver.

Spotlights—they provide a lot of light, but I don't find myself grabbing one. I have one.

The large aluminum flashlights available everywhere. They were great two decades ago.

Two-D-cell incandescent flashlights.

Any D-cell light without the C-to-D adapters that are widely available. I have decided to avoid buying any more D cells if at all possible.

And now on to the details . . .



Long-throw lights / Rechargeable discussion

The longest reaching alkaline powered incandescent light is probably the Underwater Kinetics SL-6. One of the best choices for a long reach with lithium power is the SRTH Turbohead on a 3-cell SureFire that's available from LPS Tactical (see below). Probably the longest reach rechargeable is the Streamlight UltraStinger. I have never bought this light because it is a rechargeable. If you're using a light every night, then it makes sense, but I don't use mine enough and the experience I've had with rechargeable anything is that unless you use it regularly the battery won't have the capacity you need when you need it. I keep a drawer full of replaceable batteries. I did borrow an UltraStinger and was favorably impressed by it.

I have been using the Pila 168S rechrgeables in my two pocketable Surefires (L4 and E2e/KL1) and find that system to be superb. Since the move to Aurora, I've been carrying both in my pocket and they solve many problems for me. I recharge them as needed.

Utility lights

The Streamlight 4AA and 3C LED flashlights are great utility lights. The Streamlight LED Septor headlamp is a good choice for reading as well as chores. Serious caving requires further investigation.

The Underwater Kinetics 4AA (or mini Q 40) is perhaps the brightest, farthest reaching small light, and it shares the lamp assembly with the 2L which uses two 123 lithium cells. These two are great replacements for MiniMags if you don't want to bother converting them. Don't forget that lithium batteries do MUCH better in the cold and heat than alkalines, and they have a ten-year shelf life, although alkalines are approaching that now.

BIG light

If you need something really bright for not a long time and/or can run it off the car battery, probably the best deal out there in spotlights is the Costco-only Vector 137CO (now discontinued, apparently). I would look for 12V lights that can also run from the car with a cord if the internal battery is discharged.

The Gift of Light

I have given several of my close friends flashlights and one of them called me right after the August Blackout in the Northeast to tell me that she'd never laugh at me again for my flashlight obsession!

I find that the following lights are generally well-received as gifts and serve unique purposes:

• ARC AAA LE (no longer available - look for items from Peak, Gerber, and HDS)
• Streamlight Twin Task 2L (for cars)
• Streamlight 4AA LED
• Underwater Kinetics 4AA Incandescent
• Brinkmann LX as a car light (lithiums work much better than alkalines when left in cold cars—I hear the new ones are perhaps not as good as the originals.)
• Streamlight UltraStinger

A fantastic review site
Brock's Flashlight Page
Brock's LED flashlight page
Torch Review Site

Brightguy
Tactical Warehouse
LPS Tactical
The LED Light

Cheap Batteries Dot Com
Surefire has great prices on their excellent 123 cells.
HC Baker's eBay store--he usually has AA lithiums

Light Measurements

I do some measuring of lights and I'll post results here from time to time. Following are peak beam candela (same as candlepower) readings for various lights.

Here is the first shootout that I've done (November 2003) with the following incandescent lights:
     Surefire SRTH Turbo Head (3 cell)
     Surefire 9P with P90 Lamp Assembly
     Streamlight TL-3
and the following LED lights:
     Surefire L6
     Surefire L4
     Streamlight TL-3 LED

These measurements were made on individual samples of a light with a Meterman LM631 illuminance meter and converted to candela by using the inverse square law for the distance measured. Low output lights were generally measured at two feet and high output lights at ten feet. Different samples may measure differently. Your mileage may vary (as they say).

If you're wondering what the difference is between a lumen and a candela, download the Light Measurement Handbook by Alex Ryer. You will have to register, but it's worth it and they haven't sent me any spam.

Beam width and pattern vary greatly. Broader patterns (like the SureFire non-turbo) are generally more useful indoors, and the long-reach narrow lights like the SureFire Turbo and the UK SL6 and the UltraStinger are generally more useful outdoors.

Run times are approximate and are based on continuous running. All batteries, and especially alkalines will provide more run time with intermittent use. Run times are also subjective. With the rare exceptions of the fully regulated LED lights, run times may be shorter than listed if you always need full output from your lights.

• Luxeon Star 5W LEDs output 600 or more candela. The SureFire L4 is rated at 65 lumens and mine measured 600cd. The Streamlight SL3 LED is rated at 85 lumens but appears to put out LESS overall light and has a peak output a equal to or a hair higher than the Surefire. See shootout photos.
  
  
• Any Luxeon Star 1W LED run close to published ratings: ~200-400cd
  • Arc LS version one with WriteRight diffuser (reduces peak light output but smoothes beam and protects lens, one 123 cell, 3 hour run time) ~160 cd
  • Surefire KL3 with three 123 cells (7 hour run time) ~380 cd.
  • PT Yukon HL measures ~650 cd (it's a side-emitter utilizing the reflector).
  • Some custom modified (see CandlePowerForums) Luxeon Stars run much brighter than that.
    
    
• Arc AAA LE (single AAA ~4-5 hours run time) ~20cd fresh batteries (no longer available)
  
  
• Brinkmann LX ~3000 cd (one hour run time)
  
  
• Mag Light 6D with Mag-Numstar Xenon lamp ~12,000 cd (perhaps 8-10 hour run time) Still has rings and stuff, but it can put out a sharp bright beam with this new lamp.
  
  
• Mini Mag Light with Brinkmann Nexstar lamp ~800 cd (about two hours run time)
  Stock lamp is about 350-400 cd (three-four hours)
  
  
• Mr. Bulk Space Needle II This custom light in a Mag 2C housing runs on 3 123 cells for about a half hour or so and produces about 4500cd from a 5W Luxeon Star. As of Jan 2004, this is the brightest LED lamp that I have.
  
  
• PrincetonTec Yukon HL This headlamp contains 3 5mm LEDs and a Luxeon (might be a warm white, it is much less blue than the 5mm LEDs. It has 3AAs behind your head. It provides about 65 cd from the 5mm LEDs and a center hotspot of about 650cd with the Luxeon. The side-emitter Luxeon explains the higher output. The Luxeon runs at a lower current (by a bit) than the 5mm LEDs, and either will probably run for about 3-4 hours, with diminishing brightness.
  
  
• I would probably replace the PT Yukon HL with a Streamlight Argo HP Luxeon headlamp since it runs on lithium 123 cells.
  
  
• Streamlight 4AA LED ~100cd (very broad, smooth beam, five hours run time)
  Run Time Chart
  
  
• Streamlight 3C LED ~130cd (very broad, smooth beam, at least seven hours run time)
  
  
• Streamlight Septor LED Headlamp (three light levels) ~80/40/25cd (you might desire to remove the reflector for a smoother beam close up. There is about 5-8cd loss when the reflector is removed. The numbers shown split the difference with/without the reflector, estimated 5/10/20 hours run time)
  
  
• Streamlight TL-3 and TL-3LED The incandescent version puts out about 9000 cd and will throw close to 100 feet. It is substantially smaller than the SRTH turbo head, but the throw is shorter and the beam narrower. It is a good compromise between throw, cost, and size. The LED version will produce usable light (down to the 3C level) for, I suspect 6-8 hours, with bright light for the first 1.5 - 2 hours (estimate based on current draw and performance with two cells--more testing needed). The published numbers for the SL lights are a bit optimistic, but the TL-3 does produce about 600+ cd in the beam center with fresh batteries. See shootout photos.
  
  
• Streamlight Twin Task 2L This small light is perhaps a good alternative to the Underwater Kinetics 2L for some moderate applications. At around $30, this offers a 500cd incandescent and a 50 cd LED light. It should run about 2 hours on the incandescent and about 5-6 hours on the LEDs.
  
  
• Streamlight Ultrastinger This is the only rechargeable flashlight in this list and it’s the only light I only borrowed to test and do not own. It runs for about an hour per charge. It delivers a smaller spot the the SureFire SRTH TurboHead and about the same size as the UK SL-6. The brightest point of the hotspot was 16,000cd when measured at 10 feet. What is exceptionally nice, is a broad cone measuring about three feet in diameter at ten feet that runs from about 1500 cd to 700 cd over that area.
  
  
• SureFire L4 Lumamax (LED) ~600 cd (My new favorite--A great light for every day carrying, 60 minute run time at FULL OUTPUT). I am also carrying the 17 lumen KL1 head on the E2e body should I be in a situation where I wanted 4 hours from a set of batteries. I also have three spare sets of batteries. See shootout photos.
  
  I have added the Pila 168S rechargeable Lithium Ion battery to this light and now I can use it almost guilt-free. It will take 1-2 years to pay for the rechargeable set. I hope they last that long!
  
  
• SureFire L6 Lumamax (LED) ~1600 cd (A great light for in the shoulder bag, 110 minute run time at FULL OUTPUT). This is the Millennium-series 3-cell light as a base, so it will use the KT4 incandescent turbohead with the N2 lamp assembly should you need longer reach. See shootout photos.
  
  
• SureFire E2e ~1350 cd 60 lumens (A great light for every day carrying, 75 minute run time). Note: SureFire is currently selling a silver gray version of the E2e that does not have the hex anti-roll bezel (a plus to some), but it only has a Lexan lens while the hard anodize version has a Pyrex lens.
  
  
• SureFire P60 ~1450 cd (60 minute run time, 65 lumens)
  
  
• SureFire P90 and P91 (the P91 has broader coverage and puts out 200 lumens while the P90 puts out 105 lumens, P90 60 minutes, P91 20 minutes) ~3500cd. See shootout photos.
  
  
• SureFire N2 in 2.5 inch SRTH TurboHead (60 minutes run time) ~15,000cd Broader beam than the SL6 or the UltraStinger. See shootout photos.
  
  
• Underwater Kinetics 2AAA The incandescent module is about 250-300cd and I have not yet checked run time--at least a couple of hours, I'd suspect. A nice option is the red LED lamp module that is useful for looking around in the dark without messing up your night vision.
  
  
• Underwater Kinetics 2L & Q40 & 4AA ~2400 cd for very fresh alkalines and ~2800 cd for very fresh lithiums. Tight beam. Approx.. 3 hours run time. The 4AA with switch is a new addition which works well.
  
  
• Underwater Kinetics SL-6 ~8500 cd (average batteries) Peaks at about 11,000 cd with very fresh batteries. Tight beam. Approx. 3-4 hours run time.
  
  
• Underwater Kinetics D8 ~1200 cd (broad beam, dual lamps) Approx. 6-8 hours run time. While this still has a use, I have sold mine to someone who wanted a second one. I just don't use it.
  
  
• Vector 137CO 75W sealed lead acid rechargeable spotlight. 20 minute run time. Can run off car cord. 100,000 cd. This is now discontinued as I understand it. I don't use it very much, but ordered a new battery in Oct 2002.

• My EDC: SF L4 Lumamax 5W Luxeon LED, Arc AAA LE, SF E2e with KL1 lower power LED head. The SFs are running on PILA batteries.
  
  
• Wife's EDC: Arc LE, Arc sLS with 1-lithium battery pack, one spare 123 cell.
  
  
• My Bedside: SF 9P with KL-3 LED head, SF 9P with SRTH Turbo Head, SL Septor, UKE 2AAA+Red LED
  
  
• Wife's Bedside: SL 3C LED
  
  
• My Car: Streamlight TL-3 and TL-3LED; Leland Strobe (1D Amber) with Lithium AA battery, Red LED flasher with Lithium AAs, Vector 137CO; I usually have more lights on long trips.
  
  
• Wife's car: Brinkmann LX, SL TT 2L, Leland Strobe (1D Amber) with Lithium AA battery, Red LED flasher with Lithium AAs, wired RadioShack spotlight
  
  
• Bathrooms: Black and Decker Power Fail Light, SL 4AA LED
  
  
• Kitchen: SL 3C LED, Fluorescent 4D lantern, SL TL3