Best flashlight?

[Aahx]

Not only that, you can use them to shoot with! Nicer than on camera flash ;-)

Hehe.. that's too funny, I just bought several flashlights to do just that, illuminate my subjects. As I am doing a lecture (at a local photo club) on Painting with light in early December I am putting together examples to show the group different ways of doing it. Using color correction filters over the lights as well as showing the different colors of the lights themselves as LED's are cooler temps than Xenon or incandescent, etc.

Anyway.. of the Pelican's and Maglights I purchased my 3 D cell LED Maglight is by far the brightest. The two Pelicans are smaller and easyer to carry though (both use 2 C cells). It realy comes down to trying differnt ones out and seeing what best fits your personal use though. For lighting my way to my Grill at -15F to cook my steaks I use the 2 C cell krypton bulb Pelican as it's easyer to manage and has a nice broad beam. For looking at my camera gear in the dark I prefer the mini maglight in belt holster. For painting subjects with light it all depends on subject size, distance, etc. For emergencys with my vehicle I prefer the big Mag light for maxium light to determine the problem. Or to let other drivers know I am there so they don't run over me. So use, conditions, etc.. are all variables one has to figure out for themselves to get the "best" light.

[mdd99]

Every one of these responses is, uh, illuminating. I do like the idea of the "hands-free" headlamp, plus something brighter for finding my way back to civilization.

[Sean Galbraith]

This is what I use in the darkest of abandonments:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16092

It is the brightest I've used outside of something attached to a car battery.

[eshotwell]

I know this is an old post, but I just couldn't resist putting in a plug for my Fenix TK40. At 630 amazing lumens and just $158.00 it just blows the doors off everything else. Attached is a photo that I took for a local funeral home using the TK40 as the primary light. Approx 30 second exposure while painting with the flashlight. The amazing thing is that parts of this house were at least 200 ft from the camera.

Ed Shotwell

PS: This is my 4th Fenix light. They last forever, but I am a sucker for "more power"!

[Lightbender]

I have a black aluminum Dorcy that I picked up at a discount store. It takes 2 AA's and has a single high-output LED that emits a nice brilliant white beam.
It is blindingly bright.. and after using it fairly regularly over the past year i have yet to change the batteries. Best $10 I ever spent. Probably almost as good as the expensive models mentioned.

Those LED's are truely amazing in respect to those lousy C-cell flashlights I had as a kid that you could barely read by and browned out after an hour or so.

I also have a little AAA size light. Not nearly as bright but lighter and easier to read camera stuff with.

I've been looking for a good cap-mounted light if anyone can reccomend one.

One last word of advice.. if you have a bright light like mine, DO NOT use it to inspect the interior of a mirror-lens. (not that IVE done anything like that before

[Lightbender]

just an update: the Dorcy flashlight i have is only rated at 45 lumens. Those others must be crazy-blinding heavens-gate-opening bright.
Some do have a variable-power which i think would be neccesary.
Question for those owners of the fenix and similar.. do you have to cycle through all the bright settings to turn it off?

[Lightbender]

Ed: great shot!@
Sean: if your still reading this.. is that flashlight pretty durable? It looks like all the stuff sold on that website is imitation junk. While it may be bright i wonder if it stacks up against more expensive models.

[Frank Petronio]

Unfortunately I investigated flashlights last month.... The newer tiny LEDs with a single 123 Li battery are pretty great. I have two Romisen RC-C6 lights because they can go flood to spot. Under $20 and hard to fault. Bought a bunch of 123 batteries on eBay for peanuts... nice cause they fit my three Olympus Stylii P&S cameras too. I can actually shoot with them as fill or spot lights.

I haven't succumbed to "Every Day Carry" (or EDC) like the people on the forums but maybe if I had a Surefire I would. The light is the same but like a Leica, they are great to fondle. There are $400 custom Ti homebuilts that are pretty fine too.

My Maglites and cheap plastic incandescents are all buried in drawers....

[Roger Thoms]

I like the Mini MagLites, I have two in my camera bag. One two cell AA and one two AAA. I also have have a two cell AA with the red filter for the darkroom. Good company, still producing their flashlight in the US, plus lifetime warranty. I just sent one of my older flashlights from my tool bag back because it developed an open. No doubt they will return it working for no charge.

Roger

[Matus Kalisky]

I have a head light from Petzl - it has 4 leds and one halogen lamp I like very much (I got it like 2 years ago - would not by one with the halogen anymore - todays LEDS are stronger). It is not the smallest - it takes 4 AA batteries (located on the band on the scruff so it balances the reflector in front) what makes it last forever. Since I was camping on New Zealand I would not change it for anything. I love to have free hands AND the light at the same time.