Lanterns, flashlights and lighting - post yours

[Bill D]

I finally had to quit cold turkey.

Marry me Craig!!! That's a pretty sweet looking case and arsenal.


I know where you are coming from. I actually visit a flashlight forum http://www.candlepowerforums.com periodically. I haven't joined but I did a lot of research and read reviews before I purchased my Nitecore.

I see the pic is dated 2004. Being your lights are getting a bit dated but are high quality a lot of guys mod them, especially the mag lights.

Very nice.

 

[GroovyDad]

Here is my "Go To" assortment-o-light.

There's only one light better than an old Dietz kerosene lantern to set near a hot spring at night and that's moonlight;

The SureFire LED headlamp is bright enough to use as a landing light on a airplane and

The little Black Diamond LED lantern will burn for days on just a few AAAs.

 

[Bill D]

old Dietz kerosene lantern

She's a beauty. I like the low center of gravity compared to most.

What year is it?

 

[GroovyDad]

She's a beauty. I like the low center of gravity compared to most.

What year is it?

I don't know what year it is and I can find any kind of date on it. It was new when I got it, but it had been stored in its original box for quite a while. In fact, I have two of them and I like them a ton better than those noisy bright Coleman's with the mantles that are always breaking.

 

[Old Crow]

.....

I hope with this thread we can have a little bit of fun.

Post pics of your patio lanterns, LED exteriors, flashlights, Coleman lanterns (the classics are beautiful), candles... you name it... if it lights up post it....

Posting another EX-favorite.

What's not to love about a classic like my Rayovac Workhorse?



Lemme tell ya what.

Notice anything about the end-cap? Yeah. It's not there. It's not there because it fell into my sewer line on June 5th. And it's still there.

I couldn't believe it. I was trying to determine how deep underground my back-yard sewer pipe is in preparation for a yard-drainage project. The cleanout in my back yard seemed like a super-simple way to figure that out. Just remove the cap and measure down to the elbow. And it WAS super-simple. Until I used the flashlight to look in.

That's when the end-cap of the flashlight came off, dumping it and both batteries into the sewer pipe.

Because of the elbow at the bottom of the cleanout, the cap and batteries went out of sight immediately. It happened so fast I didn't believe it. But when I looked at the end of the flashlight in my hand, I thought, "Yep. That happened."

After scrambling around a bit, I bolted a magnet to the end of a coil of lightweight utility strap I had leftover from a ducting project. Hopefully it was limber enough to go around the elbow but stiff enough to push the magnet out the pipe beyond the elbow.

The magnet brought out the first battery on the second try. The other one took another two dozen tries. And the end cap is still in there.

June 5th was a Sunday so the next day I drove over to the sewer authority office. I sheepishly told the manager what happened and he laughed. He said they see much worse than that. The end-cap will most likely wash into the 'well' at the end of the pipe at the pumping station. The pipe just ends in a big concrete box (the 'well') where the pump is mounted in such a way that it doesn't pick up trash washing into it.

He said he'd have the maintenance guys keep an eye out for it. And then he grinned and asked "If they find it, do you want it back?"

What a smart-aleck.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

As for seeing better in dark areas here is some thought.
"Why did pirates wear an eye patch"?
Saw this one on Myth Busters.
If you are going from a brightly lit area into the dark,close one eye for a short time,
than when you get into the dark open that eye and you will be able to "see" in the dark.
Seems the pirates used this trick when going below decks on their raids.
OK doesn't have much to do with flashlights...
Try is in a movie sometime.
We carry a solar/rechargeable LED lantern and LED book lights also a headlamp,and assorted other lights.
Frank

 

[craig333]

There's times when you need the reach of that super lumen light, but not many. I get by with my small lights or no light at all mostly. I haven't carried my propane lanterns in years. When I need area light my battery lantern is plenty. Of course if I ever do need to outfit a search party for a night search I'm ready

 

[Old Crow]

I have an older Cabelas XPS high-lumen flashlight I really like. I've had it since 2014 or so and believe it's a re-branded Streamlight HL 3. As far as I can tell, they're not available from Cabelas any more. However, in size, construction, and features it sure looks like an HL3. It takes three CR123A lithium batteries and I believe puts out about 1100 lumens maximum. I think I paid about $150 for it at the time. Maybe $135.

Last week I decided I need another as I keep forgetting to move it between rigs and end up without one on my trip. In searching for one, I came upon Streamlight's Protac HL 5X USB.

This one is a 'multi-fuel' one in that it uses either four CR123A batteries or two 18650 rechargeable ones. The 'USB' in the name refers to the fact that the 18650 batteries are recharged via micro-USB connectors made right into the batteries. A USB-to-microUSB Y cord is included and allows the two 18650 batteries to be charged simultaneously from one USB port. Each 18650 has a tiny LED that shows red, then green when the charge is topped off.

One nice thing about the HL 5X is you can order it with the 18650s, or, if you just plan on using CR123As, save a few bucks and order it that way. In either case, you can use either CR123As or 18650s.

I have a stock of CR123As for the old one so almost ordered it with CR123As. But then I noticed the light output is rated at 2500 lumens for those and 3500 for the 18650s. So for $10 more ($90 vs $100 on Amazon), why not get the 18650s? My main concern about rechargeable batteries has been finding them low when I need them. But in this flashlight, I can use either.

I received it a few days ago and found it didn't seem to work as described in the ad or by Streamlight. At first I couldn't get it to go into strobe or the Low setting. I did eventually get those functioning and thought I was set. But that evening I tried to turn it on and it wouldn't turn on at all. I removed the 18650s and immediately put them back in. And it worked on high but again wouldn't go into strobe or Low modes.

I called Streamlight and learned a bit more about the ten-tap switch. There are three 'programs' or options: (1) High-Strobe-Low, (2) High Only and (3) Low-Medium-High. To change programs, tap the switch nine times and then hold it down the 10th time. I did not, however, get a response on the light not turning on at all (until I pulled and re-inserted the batteries).

I've been trying it multiple times a day since that happened and it has worked every time so far. Not sure what could have been going on there.

I've also learned I have to be careful with the strobe mode or flashing the light. Not long after trying the strobe, I felt odd... a bit dizzy perhaps... and it didn't clear up right away. (Also- Please note there's a warning with the light that using the strobe may cause a seizure in a person with photosensitive epilepsy.)

At this point I've just left the light on the high-only program as that's how I intend to use it.

Photo comparing the size of the Cabelas light and the Streamlight to a more-traditional flashlight... (click to enlarge)...



Photo of the 18650 batteries charging. If you look very closely at the upright one, you can see the red LED at 6 o'clock on the battery top.



.

 

[Ronin]

My lights include:

Petzl E+Lite - only 1oz. 2 brightness settings,emergency strobe,and red led. My go to backpacking light.
Fenix HM50R headlamp - 500 lumen, micro usb rechargeable
Fenix PD25 -550 lumen, micro usb rechargeable
Klarus XT11s - 1100 lumen , micro usb rechargeable. My tactical light I keep at my bedside both at home and in the camper.

I also bought my wife a Fenix PD35 for her tac light.

BTW - I'm with Craig - I only use a light when absolutely necessary. The past couple of years I've even stopped having campfires to minimize light polution.