What was your best/favorite/coolest flashlight of 2017

[Phlogiston]

I'm surprising myself to write this, but... my Nitecore MT06MD

It doesn't sound like anything groundbreaking, being a 3-mode 2×AAA penlight, but it has a 5000K 90+ CRI Nichia 219B LED, which is my gold standard. The three modes - 4, 45 and 180 lumens - are all useful and the low-medium-high sequence without memory is my favourite arrangement. Even the shape and the subtly machined grip ridges feel good in hand.

4 lumens - examining things at point blank range, reading resistor colour codes and tiny print on SMD components.
45 lumens - wandering about the house at night or looking for things I've dropped.
180 lumens - still looking for things I've dropped, or checking out the window at night to make sure the bins haven't blown over in windy weather.

I bought my light on a flash deal from Gearbest at half price. I wish I'd bought three Now I'm keeping an eye out to see if a similar deal comes back, either there or on Banggood.

The one thing I'd change would be to get rid of those silly circles on the side. The anodising is noticeably weaker there; I can see bare aluminium through the scratches the light has inevitably picked up, yet the black anodising on the rest of the light is still immaculate.

 

[night.hoodie]

Older light but new this year, a fav of mine the sc62d, luxeon T 85cri in 5000k . Love this light! Its not my brightest ZL, it does not have the highest CRI, nor the latest UI.............work that one out:thinking:

I know. It is a combination of at least three things. This light is the size of a typical AA flashlight, but it is 18650, thus the runtime is crazy and it is very compact. More importantly, what is notable about this light is the really great tint; though the color rendition is not high CRI, it makes reds and browns look more saturated and all colors pop at times even more than in natural light. Also, before I forget to mention, it is the really great tint.

 

[lightknot]

BLF Q8 for $40 is pretty hard to beat.

 

[ven]

I know. It is a combination of at least three things. This light is the size of a typical AA flashlight, but it is 18650, thus the runtime is crazy and it is very compact. More importantly, what is notable about this light is the really great tint; though the color rendition is not high CRI, it makes reds and browns look more saturated and all colors pop at times even more than in natural light. Also, before I forget to mention, it is the really great tint.

Size yes, so form factor and feel. Like the design far more than the sc63/64 which is kind of fugly. The Luxeon T is 85CRI so not too shabby and pretty near hi cri(what is classed as hi cri?) . The 5000k is a nice CT for any time of day and evening for me, the beam to my eyes is very clean. The ano is tough, very tough and i like the light greenish colour. There is actually nothing i dont like about this light. The 320lm H1 is ample, most uses are on H2 and 145lm ish. Beam pattern is traditional type, hot spot and spill. In ways similar to the HDS type of beam to my eyes. The sc62d is one of my fav lights!

 

[harro]

Nitecore TIP CRI

A beautiful little keyring light.

 

[bwalker]

BLF-Q8 for sure. Love the smooth ramping, the lumens, and the price.

 

[Vemice]

One of these two Tains:

 

[bykfixer]

Glad to see as we approach the end of February that this thread is still active.

My initial favs post was a sort of knee-jerk reaction where it was a "must post now" thing. And yeah I still stand behind it but....

I think later on, now that 017 is long gone and it's a chance to think "hmmmm which do I count on from last year?" Afterall we flashaholics have fun with flashlights at any given time, but when we actually need one what is the go to? To me that would be the favorite.

Recently I packed 11 days of stuff to carry to a place I've never been. It's a place with electricity, running water and all that. But what if?

Sure, you grab 11 pairs of socks, scivee's, undershirts and all that. Then the prepper part comes into play. And that was when "my favorite for 017" came to mind... which one was picked first...

Thinking back to a few of years ago, an incan would've been picked first. Then I discovered lights with XPG engines. So a Coast HP7R got the nod the following year. At about 250 lumens it was my go to in a pinch, but pack a few backups light. The following year I had acquired a SureFire G2x Pro and that got picked first. The next event of outta town occured and I owned a PKDL FL2, which was the go to light. Last year I acquired both an early 6P and a Malkoff M61 NLL.

This year when it came time to pick that first one my initial thought was that one. Yet again I picked the FL2. That is the 3rd year the FL2 was chosen first, so I suppose it's my favorite of 2017.
The Malkoff MDC, the Pelican 2360 and the PR-1 came along as well. And being a flashaholic so did a bunch of other lights. That first G2x Pro was one, the Malkoff'd 6P, a 1xAA from the 1950's and a 2C Kel-Lite from the early 1970's were also added. The brightest was that new E model SureFire EDCL2-T in case I absolutely, positively needed to blind somebody at 50 yards.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Nitecore Tip/ Tip CRI/ NU20 headlight. Three lights but all variations of the Tip. For the Tip and Tip CRI, I'm referring to the second generation with the lockout drain fixed and before the newer version that gets rid of the lockout entirely.