Buying a light you'll hardly use

[hiuintahs]

Let's say you want to get a new light to keep in a place where you'll likely never use it. For me, that would be something like a fishing tackle box or first aid kit. I'll probably have at least one light on me anyway, but I want to have that backup knowing it will always be there.

A cheap <$10 1xAA is the easy answer, but the flashaholic in me still wants to have something nice......................

For me I think the best bang for the buck, well regulated, good mode spacing, name brand single AA light is the Jetbeam Jet-I MK. Turns out that those can be had for around $16 if you know where to look. I have recommended / given away around a dozen of them. It's a little more than $10 but you know that the flashaholic in you demands something nice . For smaller, I like the Fenix E05 or the Jet-U MK.

 

[marinemaster]

I don't recommend the Fenix E05 for emergency situations. All of them that I had al least half dozen all stopped working. Is not a reliable light.
E01 yes but not E05.

 

[peter yetman]

Thinking the idea of keeping it inexpensive is good. As has been said, these could be given away to those in need if necessary.

Now you've started me thinking, which you normally do.
I often come across people in the dark around here and wish I had a light to give them. Normally I give them whatever I have on me and trust them to return it.
I shall start looking for a couple of lights that I don't mind losing.
I wonder how I'll cope, buying something that I wouldn't normally allow house room.
P

 

[ZMZ67]

I don't recommend the Fenix E05 for emergency situations. All of them that I had al least half dozen all stopped working. Is not a reliable light.
E01 yes but not E05.

I have no experience with the E05 but after seeing this post I think I may have read about it having some issues in the past so I would strike that one off the list if I were you markr6. The Streamlight Microstream might be another option for you. It is only one level but 45 lumens is pretty good for utility purposes and it is available for less than $20.Another light I don't have yet but I know the Microstream has some dedicated fans.

 

[markr6]

I have an E05 I purchased a long time ago. I never use it, and I'm not so sure about the twist head now that I think of it. I sometimes wonder if it can get pressed and turn on if the head isn't twisted off enough.

The Wuben E01 can be had for $9.99, that's a nice deal. But I still prefer AA to AAA. I'll need to wait and see what the Tool AA 2.0 is like when I get it Monday. That's about the most I want to spend on this anyway.

 

[RA40]

That's a tough position because when needing a tool what is thought as the intended use can become much more. Granted I desire to be wallet efficient and have low cost beaters for certain instances. Those suggested are good. I've delegated older lights like WalkIntoTheLight had mentioned or as some age sold them to buy updates.

 

[LetThereBeLight!]

Lol. I'm not sure that would have been any better. Kind of like leaving a candy trail for kids during the daytime.

I think we all get that your intentions were good. But, a jury of 12 would probably decide to put you on a registry of some kind.

I appreciate your empathizing with my dilemma but I don't share your cynicism.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

We were walking out of a store through a fairly dark parking lot. Elderly lady and what may have been adult son were using a coat hanger to try to unlock a car door (keys were in ignition). I stopped and shined a flashlight (probably a Nitecore TIP or TINI) where the inside door handle was. He tried hard to get everything set up but the curved part of the wire flexed open before opening the door. I held the light one more time but no luck. Wife and son were waiting and time for son to get to bed pretty soon, so we left. After that, I started carrying one of those Battery Junction promotional pinch lights in the work-pack to be able to give away for that kind of situation.

We are ambassadors of illumination, and it seems like it could be our duty to reflect good will to the non-light-ones, don't you think? Some individuals of some cultures might be suspicious of a stranger giving a flashlight to young people. Perhaps while placing a flashlight on the ground ahead of them, maybe yelling out "Be safe!" and a kind wave?

 

[Hoka Hey]

It's stunning that we have to analyze kindness. Given the situation. And after the fact analysis, stopping the car, rolling down a window, and speaking while keeping Your hands on the wheel is about as least threatening as you can get.

It seems that dash cams are a thing now, at least for some. I'm unsure what ultimate utility they have, but they might prove useful in the suggested situation.

Given the the choice of 100.00 investment in camera, I'll take my chances and hand out a flashlight. Or 2.

Being kind isn't hard. Or at least it shouldn't be.
Though sometimes you have to work at it.



On the other hand, that's as profound as I get. According to the board, I'm still unenlightened.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Let's say you want to get a new light to keep in a place where you'll likely never use it. For me, that would be something like a fishing tackle box or first aid kit. I'll probably have at least one light on me anyway, but I want to have that backup knowing it will always be there.

A cheap <$10 1xAA is the easy answer, but the flashaholic in me still wants to have something nice. But it's a gray area since it won't be used much, if ever, so $50 is out of the question. Or is it?

Great thread! I grapple with this myself. Compare to some of the folks here my collection is pretty small yet I still have dozens of Malkoff dropins, a couple of MD2s and six different MDC-type lights I assembled from parts, along with half a dozen Elzettas and a slew of other pretty good lights (Surefire, Inforce, Peak, etc). I have enough that I have some $150 lights stashed in places where they're rarely used like the console in my car, first aid kits, survival kits, etc. It's kind of tough to stick an expensive light in the survival kit I stash in my hiking gear but realistically while it doesn't get used much if I do need I'll really need it!

 

[Poppy]

I once put together one of those little altoids tin survival packets. I struggled with the decision of whether to put a Streamlight Nano in there, or a spare AAA battery for the EDC I was carrying at the time. They were about the same size, where size is of paramount importance.

I debated, if I am in a situation, that I am actually carrying my FAK:
1. how likely is it that I would NOT have my EDC with me? answer VERY UNLIKELY
2. a single AAA battery has much more capacity than 3-4 button cells, and my AAA DQG mini is a far superior light to the nano, if I carried a spare battery, I wouldn't have a back-up light in the FAK, but I'd have a spare battery. So the question was in part, is it more likely that my EDC would fail, or is it more likely that it would run out of juice?

oh boy... first world dilemmas eh?

I mention this to suggest the possibility of packing a spare battery for whatever your EDC is.
Consider that you'll also likely have your cell phone light as a backup to your FAK should your EDC fail.

just thoughts.

 

[archimedes]

Let's say you want to get a new light to keep in a place where you'll likely never use it....

it's a gray area since it won't be used much, if ever, so $50 is out of the question. Or is it?

Great thread! .... I have enough that I have some $150 lights stashed in places where they're rarely used like the console in my car, first aid kits, survival kits, etc. It's kind of tough to stick an expensive light in the survival kit I stash in my hiking gear but realistically while it doesn't get used much if I do need I'll really need it!

Yes, I typically have enough lights around for EDC that if I am using something casually, I'm not too worried about maximal reliability.

However, for tools and equipment that hopefully might only be needed and used on a really bad day, I'd like those to work for sure ....

 

[peter yetman]

This thread has inpired me to dig out my Peli L1s which have been lying in a drawer for years. I'm going to treat them to new cells and keep them in the truck to give to the unenlightened nightwalkers around here.
P

 

[FlashKat]

My outlook on emergency lights are they should be good quality lights as you are using them for an emergency.
I value my lights as how important is your or someone else life worth saving. If you feel your life is worth less than $10.00, then go for it.
For those of you who say I carry a good EDC, so I don't need a good emergency light must have never had a flashlight fail at the wrong time.

 

[Modernflame]

Lately I've been carrying three lights, but I never leave the house without at least two. (Yes, I have a problem). I also carry spare cells. It's hard to imagine a scenario in which I'm genuinely left in the dark, even in the unlikely event of a failure.

This thread has inspired me to consider the purchase of a few less expensive lights that I can distribute to muggle friends and family members in an emergency.

 

[peter yetman]

Which brings us back to what to buy?
I know nothing about Mini Maglites and Solitaires, any point in picking up a couple of those to stash or lend?
P

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Which brings us back to what to buy?
I know nothing about Mini Maglites and Solitaires, any point in picking up a couple of those to stash or lend?
P

Well, that's about all they're good for, IMO. If you can get them cheap, sure.

I have a few Maglites (from before I was enlightened by this group), and they're sitting in a drawer somewhere waiting for a neighbor to need a flashlight.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

[FONT=&quot]My take on emergency gear, whether flashlight, knife, hole punchers, or whatever tends to go contrary to what a lot of people initially do/think. Most thought process on the subject is "I probably won't use it, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on it." Very wrong mindset. The gear you pick up for emergencies should be the absolute best gear you can afford. You may not need it, but if you do, you certainly need it to work and not fail.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]If you are familiar with Aron Ralston (127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place)… he had to amputate his own arm to get out being stuck. Read the book. What did he have to amputate his arm with? A cheap Chinese multi-tool with a knife blade so dull he had to stab his arm off. (You don't get that in the movie). Nope. He didn't cut his arm off. He had to stab it off. So, what price would you pay for a decent knife in that situation? [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]I consider ANY emergency gear needs to be of the highest quality and frequently checked, and also used so that one becomes intimately familiar with it. The time to learn how to use it isn't when you have to use it. Nor is that the time to find out it doesn't work.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]This is just something I took away with me after living in Kobe, Japan on January 17th, 2005.


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[TCY]

Got myself a C8 ~6 months ago, clear ano with 5000K XPL-HI. Used it..once. :shrug:

I intend to put a H32 in glovebox for emergency but then I realise I carry so many lights (D4vn, H600Fc MKIV, H53Fc) wherever I go it makes an emergency light obsolete.

Maybe get the SC600Fd on glove box duty after I get a MKV ZL:twothumbs

 

[Bazar]

Personally, I keep my older lights around for this purpose, and have them on standby with batteries. Although I don't have many places for this.And, I disagree. I have several $1 rayovac lights which are simple to replace batteries, easy for anyone to use, not overpowered, not theft-worthy, and very importantly they run on weak AA batteries which unlike cr123a or 18650s have zero fire hazzard risk. So I think and collect aaa aa flashlights for this reason. Recently I got a couple 3c maglights on sale, again, easy to use for everyone, not too expensive ( $15) to risk loss or theft. And not super fire risk. I like these type of lights to remind me the extreme use of my better lights, and to have as solid back ups.My backup work lights inside of a few closets, tool chests, etc. Are usually the Coast pollysteel or similar lights.