Got an LED flashlight yet?

[kenk]

By the way, last Friday while wandering around our local Target I found a nice little River Rock 1.5W LED Lantern. It cost around $20 and even my wife likes it.

 

I found this review: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/riverrock_lantern.htm

 

I also bought their 1.5W 2C LED Flashlight. It is nice - seems well made. It puts out a very bright focused distinct circle of light - reminds me of a theatrical spotlight. It is very bright at a distance, but too small a circle of light at 10-12 feet for lighting the ground ahead while walking at night. I still like my Princeton-Tec Impact XL better - it has a softer and slightly more spread light.

[Owl62]

The past year or so, I have been using the little LED lights that clip under a cap bill. Some have three LEDs on them, and I have one that has six.

 

They seem to hold up well, if you wear a cap, you always have the light with you, and they seem to provide plenty of light for setting up camp, walking a trail, etc. And they only cost about $10.

 

[ammPilot]

Many new very bright LED flashlights--both hand-held and headlights--have been coming available over the last couple of years. One of the oft-touted advantages of LED-based lights is their decreased power consumption compared with incandescent lights. Some of the recent offerings tout 1 watt, 1.5 watts, even 3 watts and more.

 

If you do the basic math, a 1 watt LED light drawing from a 3V battery set is pulling over 300mA. A typical AAA alkaline battery has a current capacity of around 1100mAh. This will give you 3-4 hours of light (assuming you can actually suck all the current out of the battery and still power the LEDs).

 

Yes, if you're out for a simple weekend, that's likely enough battery life. If you're out at Philmont or on 50 Miler or at Northern Tier, you'll need as many batteries with one of these LEDs as with a "regular old" flashlight.

 

Yes, some of these extra-bright LED flashlights have lower power settings available. Just remember to use 'em!

[ASM857]

I have 2 a head lamp replaced the battery after 1 year just in case had over 60 nights of camping, and my recent mini mag at work brighter light and will shine clear across a drop ceiling no more lugging 18V task lights.

 

YIS

Doug

[kraut-60]

I bought a LED flashlight from Gander MT. last year to use at Philmont. I cant tell you the manufacturer or the name its sold under(cause I dont have it here in front of me), but it doesnt need batteries as it uses the wind-up gizmo-deally. I believe it has a capacitor inside to store the electrical energy generated by winding the thing up.

 

I am well pleased with the performance this light has, minimal winding was required to get and maintain adequate light. The button on-off switch also gives the user a choice of a single LED being lit, or all 3 LEDs. The crank handle detaches and can be used as the handle for 6 bits carried in the body of the light...3 philips, 3 flat tip.

 

The only cons I found with it is the weight...I would estimate it weighs at least 1/2 lb.

You cant clip it to anything...its not free standing.

 

The pros are that you dont need batteries...you can read by its light(maybe winding it up every 30 minutes or so), and it will hold a charge for a very long time...when I bought it I wound it up and put it away for 2 weeks...was just as bright as when I stashed it.

[Owl62]

I have converted to nearly all LED lights.

 

I carry a LED light from Inova that is powered by 1 AA Battery. It has a magnifying lens and this serves as my primary flashlight. About $20.

 

I also carry a Photon Microlight on a neck chain - This way, I always have it with me. About $12.

 

I have a LED headlight powered by 3 AAA batteries. Good for setting up in the dark. About $12.

 

I have a LED "Cap" light that clips under the brim of a cap. Uses 4 2016 lithium cells. I use this light only sometimes as the batteries are expensive.

 

I use a "packable" Coleman fluorescent lantern with a spiral shaped fluorescent bulb powered by 8 D Batteries for long term camping. About as bright as a 60 watt bulb. Heavy, but I like this light. About $18.

 

I recently got a "packable" Coleman LED Lantern that is powered by 4 D batteries. I am not sure about this light yet. Not very bright but will light a small area adequately. About $24. They have a brighter light but it was too expensive for me.

 

I also recently got a LED Hanging Tent Light from Walmart. It is disk-shaped, about 5" in diameter with 24 LED lights, powered by 4 AAA battries and a mini biner for hanging it. Very light and compact. About $7. Very bright - lights a small tent very well. Two would light a larger tent well. Have used it on a weekend campout in a small tent, and plan to use two in a larger tent for camporee and summer camp. Only problem is that it has a push button switch that is easily activated in a pack so I just keep the batteries out until I put it in the tent. So far I like this light for a tent light. It is LED, lightweight, compact, powered by small batteries, very bright, and inexpensive.

 

I have a 2 AA cell mini-mag that I converted to LED by replacing the light module to a third party module for about $4. Much less than buying on of their LED manufactured light. I carry it in a leather pouch that also has a knife pouch - I only carry it occasionally.

 

Also, I use a footlocker for summer camp. I installed one of those "touch" lights (dome-shaped disk about 6" in diameter) using velcro inside the footlocker lid, that when the lens is pressed the light comes on. The original one I got was an incandescent. I recently replaced it with a similar one that has LED lights in it. Both are powered by 4 AA batteries. But the LED lasts much longer on a set of batteries. Great for lighting the inside of the footlocker so I can see what I am doing. Also, if I leave the footlocker lid up, the light can help light my tent. The light can be removed from the footlocker and used elsewhere.

 

My opinion is that LED, is pretty much the way to go these days. The bulbs last virtually forever, they usually use smaller batteries but since the bulbs use less power, the batteries don't need replacing near as often - thereby saving money. The LED lanterns are coming along well. While LED lights generally cost more than incandescent, they are usually much less expensive to operate over time, therefore there is usually financial savings.

 

[Gold Winger]

I took an LED headlamp by Black Diamond to Philmont, used it every night an never needed to change the batteries.

 

I have a Dorcy 3 Wattt Luxeon flashlight that uses three AAA batteries and it's still on the original batteries from two years ago.

 

Since LEDs don't generate much heat, you get more bang for your buck.

 

By the way there are MAGlite conversions for their 2 and 3 cell big lites.

[Horizon]

I have had a couple of the LEDs - happy with them. Now I want to mention another one:

 

http://www.bogolight.com/

 

This is an LED light with built in solar for charging. Leave it in the sun, and you are good to go with light. The price is higher, but in exchange for every light you buy they send one to Africa (and other places where a good source of light is needed).

 

My son carries his in his Scout Essentials, and we never worry about battery life. If it is dead on Friday, he can simple charge the battery on the campout by leaving it outside.

[Horizon]

I have had a couple of the LEDs - happy with them. Now I want to mention another one:

 

http://www.bogolight.com/

 

This is an LED light with built in solar for charging. Leave it in the sun, and you are good to go with light. The price is higher, but in exchange for every light you buy they send one to Africa (and other places where a good source of light is needed).

 

My son carries his in his Scout Essentials, and we never worry about battery life. If it is dead on Friday, he can simple charge the battery on the campout by leaving it outside.