Duracell LED flashlight pack

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Costco has a four pack of small aluminum LED flashlights for $15. They're 350 lumens, use 3 AAA cells and are compact enough to fit in glove boxes, day packs, etc.. The only downside is battery life. They say only an hour at high beam. Still, worth it in my book...

 

[Bill D]

I wouldn't hesitate purchasing them if you want a bunch of bright pocketable flashlights for cheap. I have Snap-on ones from Costco and I like them, but they get limited use. My GF uses one and the rest are spares.

I'm obsessed with flashlights. I have a Nitecore MH20. Same kind of size but it's USB rechargeable. I like being able to charge it off the 12V in the camper. I like always having a fully charged flashlight on hand. In the flashlight world it's known as an EDC (Every Day Carry), because the idea is you don't leave home without it.
http://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/mh20gt


If you only need 1 flashlight and you want to stay in a reasonable price range.
Something like this would be great. USB, rechargeable. It's basically a cheap knock off.
https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Flashlight-Waterproof-Batteries-Holster-Soonfire/dp/B01CJJYZ78/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1484291296&sr=8-6&keywords=18650+usb

18650 batteries run for a long time.

The nicest feature isn't brightness. 350 lumens is bright enough. It's the lower settings that are most useful. Great for walking at night without disturbing others, losing your night vision, or if you need to get up in the middle of the night etc.

The other thing you get with a better flashlight is a focused beam in addition to a decent amount of flooding. This in nice for camping, you get an idea of what is around you without shining the light directly on the objects around you. It provides comfort and safety. You are less inclined to trip on rocks, branches etc.

 

[PaulT]

Bill,
I am blessed with the same affliction. In addition to Duracell LED flashlights like the above and a very nice Black Diamond headlamp (plus too many others), I recently acquired a Pak-Lite light that is a two LED module that clips on a 9 volt battery. http://www.pak-lite.net/inc/sdetail/31948
It is almost weightless and has a very long battery run time with a lithium battery. Always having it in my pocket means I'm no longer fumbling around looking for a light.

It was created by an Oregon teenager for his brother's Pacific Crest Trail hike.
Paul

 

[Advmoto18]

Thanks for the heads up Steve!

I will be heading to CostCo for these lights! I like to stick a light in the recess of all 4 doors of our vehicles, drawers in camper, drawers in kitchen in house, etc.. I don't want to go searching for a light when I need one in a hurry. At this price, they are almost "throw away" lights and no big loss if you lose it. Not like a Surefire!

I'm never without 2 (absolute minimum) or 3 lights! When I go through airport security, I'm more often then not asked why I have 3 flashlights in my daypack. My reply, "I'm afraid of the dark!" In reality, I subscribe to the theory, 3 is 2, 2 is 1 and 1 is NONE!

AAA have the best longevity for an emergency light, much better than AA or CR123 lights. And a AAA light will provide ample light.

My favorite 2x AAA cell EDC light is the Pelican 1920 (Gen2). I also have a couple of the 1x AAA 1910s stashed around various places as well. Pelican 1920 (Gen1) is currently available at Sierra Trading Post for 19.99 and in 3 colors! That's a great deal as well!

And, I always carry extra power source (more batteries) in this case. The case holds AA, AAA or CR123 batteries.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

In reality, I subscribe to the theory, 3 is 2, 2 is 1 and 1 is NONE!

A bit of an aside and the inverse, but that reminds me of an old saying my grandfather had about my cousins and myself any time we were all together.

"One boy, all boy. Two boys, half a boy. Three boys, no boy at all."

The amount of trouble we could cause was amazing...

 

[Happyjax]

I got a Cat led light for xmas. It is rechargeable and throws out a ton of light! Good for lighting up a room or a large area outside if you really need to see what's out there. It's light and has a stand built in

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t_0esSdmAB8/maxresdefault.jpg

 

[Espresso]

I purchased an earlier version of the Duracell flashlights at Costco. All three were dead within 12 months. They worked fine for a few months, but then they would shut off after being on for a few seconds. This first happened on high beam but low beam died a while later. I tossed them in the trash and learned my lesson about Duracell flashlights.

I also bought a pack of the big flashlights that take 3 C cells. One of them stopped working and when I went to change the battery I found one of the cells had swelled a little or leaked and it was impossible to remove it from the body of the flashlight. That one also went in the trash. I guess I have bad flashlight carma.

 

[rotti]

I purchased an earlier version of the Duracell flashlights at Costco. All three were dead within 12 months.

Mine too.

Thanks to Costco's great return policy I brought all six of mine back and got a refund. They came out with an updated version awhile later and solved that initial problem. I have had nine of the second generation lights scattered around in vehicles, camper and house now for several years with satisfactory service.

 

[BILL98388]

Remember to check each flashlight every few months to see if any batteries are failing (expanding, exploding, etc.). That will ruin a good flashlight (ask me how I know, as we say).

Bill
(who has many flashlights ;-))

 

[smlobx]

Since we're all confessing our additions have to mention what I did in a moment of weakness....

I'm sure you probably saw all the advertisements prior to Christmas for the tac lantern....

https://www.taclightlantern.com/?mid=8752490

Well I bought one...actually TWO of them and gave one to a friend who kayak camps a lot.
They actually produce a ton of light and most of the time I only open it a little as the full exposure would be too much light for most applications....

I'll say three Hail Mary's now.....

 

[craig333]

One of the first decent lights I got when I started my obsession was a Fenix P3D. Still one of my favorites for EDC. Getting ready to head out for the snow or I'd bore you with my whole collection