# using a flashlight as a car headlight for emergencies



## coachclass (Apr 15, 2011)

If you had to, can you use a flashlight as an emergency headlight for your car (like if for some reason both headlights don't work?).

Other aspects should I be thinking about? What minimum requirements would it need? What's the cheapest light that would accomplish the job? Keep in mind:

1) Minimize the cost. The least amount of money to do the job.

2) Probably use AA lights - easy to find them on highway gas stations. Could be 1AA or 2AA...

3) Efficiency - enough burn time to get to the next city

4) Assume lower highway speed (55mph)

Also, I was imagining one would need to hold the light out the window, or have your passenger hold it out the window. But is there a better setup than that?

Obviously, throw would be important. But, how much and how many lumens? You don't want more light than you need, what's the bare lumens you would require?

Any suggestions on specific models? Keep in mind, lowest $ for the job 

EDIT: So rather than spending $40 on a light just for bright throw, how about I add some another $20 for useful low modes too for an all around light? So some 10lm and 70lm settings as well as a high?


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## freq18hz (Apr 15, 2011)

Had to do this recently when our car suddenly lost power. We were in the back country, no moon, pretty much pitch black. I'm glad I had my surefire e1b with me, or else we would have run off the road into a ditch. Using the e1b we were able to safely bring the car to a stop by turning into a service road.

Had I been equipped with anything that had less throw or output, we would have run off the road.

-Freq



coachclass said:


> If you had to, can you use a flashlight as an emergency headlight for your car (like if for some reason both headlights don't work?).
> 
> Other aspects should I be thinking about? What minimum requirements would it need? What's the cheapest light that would accomplish the job? Keep in mind:
> 
> ...


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## sambeaux2249 (Apr 15, 2011)

Just for fun, I did some testing one night with my Surefire E2DL... it's actually brighter than my headlights out to maybe 60ish feet? 
I would think maybe something like a Trustfire TR-803 would work, but that's not AA... Maybe a Terralux Lightstar 300? 

Sam


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## RobertM (Apr 15, 2011)

coachclass said:


> If you had to, can you use a flashlight as an emergency headlight for your car (like if for some reason both headlights don't work?).
> 
> Other aspects should I be thinking about? What minimum requirements would it need? What's the cheapest light that would accomplish the job? Keep in mind:
> 
> ...


 
Just to give you an idea as far as output goes--a typical 55w automotive low beam is _around_ 1000 lumens. Keeping in mind that you normally have two of them, I think you are going to hard pressed to find a 1xAA or 2xAA flashlight that will be bright enough to travel 55 mph and last long enough to "get to the next city."

I would try to find some sort of LED light around 500-1000 lumens that has a large reflector or optics oriented toward throw.


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## Warp (Apr 15, 2011)

Between two low beams and two high beams, plus possibly fog lights, well, I really don't see how you are going to be out _all four _of those. 

For less time/expensive/bandwidth waste than thinking about holding a flashlight out the window you could just make sure all four of your headlights are currently operational or, if you suspect somebody is going to come along with a hammer and break all of them, keep a spare bulb in your car. "Problem" solved.


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## TyJo (Apr 15, 2011)

RobertM said:


> I would try to find some sort of LED light around 500-1000 lumens that has a large reflector or optics oriented toward throw.


 TK30/TK40. Perfect balance between throw and flood. Headlights aren't pure throwers.


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## onetrickpony (Apr 15, 2011)

Why don't you just duct-tape about fifty flashlights to your hood, then just check the batteries once a month or so. That way, no matter what happens, you'll be all set.

Just make sure they're waterproof, and that you have good duct tape.


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## chicken dave (Apr 15, 2011)

Warp said:


> Between two low beams and two high beams, plus possibly fog lights, well, I really don't see how you are going to be out _all four _of those.
> 
> For less time/expensive/bandwidth waste than thinking about holding a flashlight out the window you could just make sure all four of your headlights are currently operational or, if you suspect somebody is going to come along with a hammer and break all of them, keep a spare bulb in your car. "Problem" solved.



Fuses can blow, switches can fail. Happened to me last year. Got home with a Fenix TK 20. Much nicer diagnosing/repairing in my garage rather than on the side of a dirt road. 

TK 20 was adequate (only a couple of miles, at about 20 mph) but more light would have been helpful. Wider beam would have been nice too.


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## trooplewis (Apr 15, 2011)

A Dorcy 41-4650 works surprisingly well for this, and for just 20 bucks at Sears. 4 AA's, but it is a thrower, not a lot of spill. I have tried it at night, 100 feet in front of my car with the headlights on you can still see the hotspot very clearly.

You can get an even better result with a Coleman Max for $25 at Wally World. Really. Very tight, white beam, very little spill. Not bad emergency car lights.


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## enomosiki (Apr 15, 2011)

Aside from last-ditch measures like a flashlight, be sure to check your high beam regularly. If your low beam goes but high beam works, you will be able to use that.

But, for everyone's sake, carry a duct tape with you. If you are forced to use high beam, use the tape to cover up the top half of your headlamp so the beam doesn't blind the oncoming traffic.


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## gladis (Apr 15, 2011)

The high beam suggestion is a good idea, also a substitute (if you have them) are foglights, which can help you see if you're going <25mph or so.

Rather than trying to have the light last through to the next city, why not A) pull over and call AAA/ Highway Patrol for assistance, B) just carry a couple spare bulbs?

Unless your car is in a terrible state (where lack of headlights wouldn't be the first thing I'm worried about), or you're doing some serious off roading (in which case I would hope you have some off road lights, and are already acquainted with portable lighting), or you're in a country where there's no road side service, those two suggestions should really cover it all. 

But for your argument's sake lets say you do have trouble, how about a light that runs off of the cig lighter? 

I guess what I'm saying here is that a portable, yet AA and cheap substitute for headlights is a really not a good idea, given the alternatives. IF I was forced to do something like that, I wouldn't trust anything less than something like a TK-40, or a reputable light putting out at least 500lm OTF.


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## mvyrmnd (Apr 15, 2011)

I agree with the sentiment that car maintenance is the most important issue here. That said, I haven't found any of my production lights good enough to safely drive by. I have, just for fun, driven using only my Elektrolumens MCE-III mag. It's 2100 lumens, and roughly equivalent in output to my headlights. I could probably drive up to 80kph easily with it, I wouldn't be willing to go any faster.

The big issue is beam shape. Even though the mag has the same output as the two headlights, half of the light is being sent up into the sky, as opposed to the headlights having all the light aimed at the road. So even with a super-powerful flashlight, I still only get the same amount of useful light for driving as having only one headlight bulb working.


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## beerwax (Apr 15, 2011)

Warp said:


> Between two low beams and two high beams, plus possibly fog lights, well, I really don't see how you are going to be out _all four _of those.


 
i lost all lights for a few seconds (seemed longer at thetime i assure you) whenthe relay/switch jammed when switching to high beam. 
cheers


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## MikeAusC (Apr 15, 2011)

Warp said:


> Between two low beams and two high beams, plus possibly fog lights, well, I really don't see how you are going to be out _all four _of those.
> 
> For less time/expensive/bandwidth waste than thinking about holding a flashlight out the window you could just make sure all four of your headlights are currently operational or, if you suspect somebody is going to come along with a hammer and break all of them, keep a spare bulb in your car. "Problem" solved.


 
You most probably believe that you will never have brake failure - after all, modern cars have Dual Circuit Brakes. When I had total brake failure due to fraudulent servicing, I found out the weakness to that argument - the Brake Fluid is common to both circuits !

If you think what's common to all four headlights, you might be able to better prepare yourself for things that can go wrong.


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## mcnair55 (Apr 16, 2011)

A very simple answer to your question in the UK if you were here is NO,you would be breaking the law.The Police would not even listen to your story of all lights had failed etc etc,you would be booked and fined or maybe taken to court.


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## Mathiashogevold (Apr 16, 2011)

http://mobil.tv2.no/underholdning/broom/manglet-lys-paa-bilen-brukte-lommelykt-3169736.html

translate this text in Google translate. 

This was a case in norway some time ago, this guy were charged and talen to court for using a flashlight as a headlight.


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## AusKipper (Apr 16, 2011)

Nearly 12 months ago now I was coming back on a trip and my alternator died. It was at night and i really wanted to get home, so I had to turn off the lights just because they would have drained the battery.

Fortunately I had my TK40 with me, and a passenger, so the passenger held the light while I drove.

It did ok. I can tell you that if your headlights die you will probably be using the brightest light you have with you  .

Lowest budget thing I can think of that would probably do the job fairly well is the iTP Polestar.

If using a lower output light (ie, if i had to drive with my Quark Turbo for example) you would aim it for the line on the outside of the road, as thats the bit you most want to follow


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## goose2283 (Apr 16, 2011)

I hit a moose last fall, and the electrical system of the vehicle shorted out. I hit it at approximately 50 kph, which killed both the moose and the engine instantly. I managed to get to the side of the road without power brakes, power steering, or headlights. This was in a 1-ton diesel van. After I got the van stopped, my wife and I used my Quark AA2 to make sure neither of us was hurt, and then used it to make the van visible while we waited for assistance. Not a pleasant experience, and it would have been much, much worse without a good flashlight.

I wouldn't have liked to use the Quark as a headlight, but in an emergency, I could have. That said, I have experimented with driving using my Catapult XM-L, just to see if I could. Not an ideal beam pattern, but it works.


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## BoarHunter (Apr 17, 2011)

Americans cars are that bad you have to plan for this ? 
How about spare bulbs and fuses ?

AMusing topic similar to "how many angels can dance on a needle head ?"

but to drive a car using a flashlight as the only light is dangerous and probably not legal. In case of major failure like this, better park and call for help.


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## jtblue (Apr 17, 2011)

I tried driving with a flashlight once.......... I just hope that I'll never have to do it in an emergency.


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## MikeAusC (Apr 17, 2011)

BoarHunter said:


> . . . In case of major failure like this, better park and call for help.



- and if you're in an area where there's no phone service and no passing traffic ?


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## Walterk (Apr 17, 2011)

Scheinwerferman would know an answer


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## Warp (Apr 17, 2011)

MikeAusC said:


> - and if you're in an area where there's no phone service and no passing traffic ?


 
I don't think I have ever driven somewhere where my cell had no service and there was no traffic. If I were to be in that situation, somehow, the chances that all of my headlights cease functioning just seems, uh....beyond remote. 

IRL I have never heard or known of this ever happening to anybody.


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## jtblue (Apr 17, 2011)

Warp said:


> I don't think I have ever driven somewhere where my cell had no service and there was no traffic. If I were to be in that situation, somehow, the chances that all of my headlights cease functioning just seems, uh....beyond remote.
> 
> IRL I have never heard or known of this ever happening to anybody.


 
It's not uncommon to be in a far off place without phone service and not have any passing traffic for hours on end (in Australia anyway) but it would be pretty bad luck to have the headlights go poof. Being prepared for this is no different from carrying 2+ edc's because the chance of both lights failing are pretty slim.


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## fivemega (Apr 17, 2011)

coachclass said:


> 4) Assume lower highway speed (55mph)


*Driving 55 mph in highway with flashlight is equal to sign a death certificate. (This is my opinion which may differ than yours).
Also illigal (in road and highways) in all States but not all contries.*


coachclass said:


> 2) Probably use AA lights - easy to find them on highway gas stations. Could be 1AA or 2AA...


*Such a brightness to illuminate 30 feet ahead out of single or double AA is a dream.*


MikeAusC said:


> - and if you're in an area where there's no phone service and no passing traffic ?


*In off road you don't have to drive at 55mph so you don't need 2x55 watt headlights or equal brightness.*


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## CKOD (Apr 17, 2011)

1-2x AA? lolwut? My 3x P7 mag in a 4x 18650 dual bored FM body would only suffice as a headlight for ~30 mph travel, maybe more if it had a touch more throw, luckily it could take the heat with the airflow it would provide being held out the window. My pelican 2x AA inside the car would strictly be for fiddling around trying to get the main headlights working again.


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## Latango (Apr 18, 2011)

Warp said:


> I don't think I have ever driven somewhere where my cell had no service and there was no traffic. If I were to be in that situation, somehow, the chances that all of my headlights cease functioning just seems, uh....beyond remote.
> 
> IRL I have never heard or known of this ever happening to anybody.


 
I have driven many hours at a stretch with no cell phone coverage, and only very occasional traffic (literally hours between sightings). Look at a map of Australia some time and take note that almost all of the middle bit is unpopulated, then lay it over a map of USA. Even then, a lot of the time the only people who come past will be driving 100ft long road trains, and do NOT stop (since in a lot of cases if they do stop, the local indigenous population take the oportunity to raid the load while the truckie is distracted)

That said, you can drive at 30ish with a TK40 I would think. Good flashlight to have stashed in the glovebox with a few packets of batteries.


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## BoarHunter (Apr 18, 2011)

MikeAusC said:


> - and if you're in an area where there's no phone service and no passing traffic ?



Then you park and wait for the morning. Better that thn end up in a ditch.

Or, you plan to have a good pair of boots, proper dress, a GPS, a good flashlight eventually a gun, drink food ..., . SO you park and walk !

Frankly, there are far more chance to have an engine failure, two punctured tires while having one spare than a total light failure.

Anyway, first try to drive with a good flashlight as the only light and have fun. I tried, I have a TK35.


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## jtblue (Apr 18, 2011)

Latango said:


> since in a lot of cases if they do stop, the local indigenous population take the oportunity to raid the load while the truckie is distracted



would you be able to provide a source for this information?


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## saeckereier (Apr 18, 2011)

mcnair55 said:


> A very simple answer to your question in the UK if you were here is NO,you would be breaking the law.The Police would not even listen to your story of all lights had failed etc etc,you would be booked and fined or maybe taken to court.



Well said. If you're in an area where you really have no choice, ok. If you're in a civilized area, with either cell-phone service, other cars passing by or similar possibilities to get help, it would be forbidden, And with good reason. A flashlight bright enough to allow comparable safe driving would shine way too much light towards oncoming traffic. Then again if you were in a completely deserted environment, where this is would be your only option, chances are that you wouldn't need a light most of the time, if the moon is bright enough. You don't really need much light too drive. With a clear sky and full moon, it would be enough. If you're not going 120kph that is..


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## Cataract (Apr 18, 2011)

Already done that test with my TK45 for my review:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-review-(Beamshots-from-3-exclusive-locations!) 
(scroll down about halfway)

It was pretty much equal, but I had only 1 TK45 and 2 headlights!!


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## Yoda4561 (Apr 18, 2011)

bout 10 years ago I tried this on an abandoned back road with a surefire M3 just to see how it compared to headlights. Works okay up to about 40 mph with the 225 lumen assembly. That said, unless you were genuinely out in the middle of f'ing nowhere and your headlights fail and need to get outta there pronto, I'd recommend not doing it. If you have complete lighting circuit failure and you're on any kind of proper road without your marker and brake lights, forget it, just pull over and take a nap till sunrise or wait for a tow truck.


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## Sgt. LED (Apr 18, 2011)

This is pretty irresponsible and I'm surprised to see so many trying it.
Hopefully nobody sees this thread and cites it in court as giving them the idea.
Hate to see CPF shut down.


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## TyJo (Apr 18, 2011)

I believe the original thread was a hypothetical-if need be-SHTF question. Obviously, as mentioned previously... I hope common sense would prevail and while flashlights are amazing technology, so is an AAA membership, cellular telephones, and the Sun. That being said, the performance of the light would have to be similar to a headlight, minus the runtime obviously. My vote was for the TK30, but lots of lights are simlar or can outperform that light. It should also have a nice wide hotspot with throw, with significant spill... similar to a headlight. Anyone know the lumen OTF numbers on headlights/lux/etc.?


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## RobertM (Apr 18, 2011)

Warp said:


> I don't think I have ever driven somewhere where my cell had no service and there was no traffic. If I were to be in that situation, somehow, the chances that all of my headlights cease functioning just seems, uh....beyond remote.
> 
> IRL I have never heard or known of this ever happening to anybody.


 
There are places in the western United States without cell service for hundreds of miles and lack passing traffic as well. Western US states really only have good cellular voice service around cities and other populous areas. Travel between these areas and you will definitely run into massing "dead zones." 

Even rural eastern states (West Virginia comes to mind) have areas with poor cell service and lack passing traffic.

With that being said, I would agree with the chances of headlights failing would be remote. Being prepared is good, but I think there would be a much greater chance of tire punctures, engine problems, transmission failure, or other mechanical issues before losing your headlights. Alternator failure is a possibility and would be a scenario where you would not want to use you headlights in order to preserve power though.


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## Warp (Apr 18, 2011)

Sgt. LED said:


> This is pretty irresponsible and I'm surprised to see so many trying it.
> Hopefully nobody sees this thread and cites it in court as giving them the idea.
> Hate to see CPF shut down.



CPF shut down? Over that?

lol

Not going to happen.


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## shao.fu.tzer (Apr 18, 2011)

My Manafont XM-L drop in makes the output of my car's headlights seem like 5mm LEDs. I've tried it a few times on back roads just for comparison...


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## srfreddy (Apr 18, 2011)

shao.fu.tzer said:


> My Manafont XM-L drop in makes the headlights on my car's headlights seem like 5mm LEDs. I've tried it a few times on back roads just for comparison...


 
What host do you have it in? I just got it, and while impressive, the spill is soooo narrow, even with the B6 stainless low profile bezel on my L2.....I suppose, with the Acrylite lens I have it in, which increases the size of the hotspot, it could be used in a dire emergency.


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## recDNA (Apr 18, 2011)

I prefer to use my var headlights to drive but if an american manufacturer made a drop in as bright as the manafont it would cost us $300

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk


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## shao.fu.tzer (Apr 19, 2011)

srfreddy said:


> What host do you have it in? I just got it, and while impressive, the spill is soooo narrow, even with the B6 stainless low profile bezel on my L2.....I suppose, with the Acrylite lens I have it in, which increases the size of the hotspot, it could be used in a dire emergency.


 
Right now just a gunmetal Solarforce L2 that I modded to foward click. Wrapped the crap out of the dropin in copper tape, press fit it in, and am running it currently off an unprotected Solarforce 18650 which seems to give it the brighest output of all my 18650s (Yes, even AWs...I have no IMR cells at the moment)... Nice and cheap and if I drop it out the window, the mourning wouldn't last long... 

Sha


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## coachclass (Apr 19, 2011)

TyJo said:


> I believe the original thread was a hypothetical-if need be-SHTF question. Obviously, as mentioned previously... I hope common sense would prevail and while flashlights are amazing technology



Definitely not suggesting that people use their flashlights to drive around, and they should explore other options if they're stranded...but if all else fails, just wondering how much flashlight would be needed.


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## knobby (Oct 8, 2011)

Ya know....one night about twenty years ago.....a buddy and I duct taped a 4D cell maglite to the handlebars of his Suzuki dirt bike. We rode that thing half the nite on rural roads and I don't remember feeling like a lack of light was putting my life in danger lol. Of course we weren't stunt riding or anything....stayed on flat paved roads.


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## Mr Bigglow (Oct 8, 2011)

The original car headlights were coal oil lanterns that you lit the wick of and went on your way. So in an emergency a decent flashlight would be a huge improvement over that as long as you drove your car in a manner reenacting a nighttime drive in a Model T- very slowly and noisely over dark, deserted roads. And for the very nervous, you could have a man walking in front with a red flag, as used to be required by law.


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## Soda (Nov 7, 2011)

You see, when the headlight smasher comes around my side of town, i like to paint the entire front of my car with tritium, using my tongue as a paintbrush. If that doesn't work, i fill up ziplock bag with glow- stick liquid and place it in the headlight cavity.
Bonus: if you use red and blue glow-stick fluid, you can confuse other drivers into thinking that you're a policeman!


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## Warp (Nov 7, 2011)

Mr Bigglow said:


> The original car headlights were coal oil lanterns that you lit the wick of and went on your way. So in an emergency a decent flashlight would be a huge improvement over that as long as you drove your car in a manner reenacting a nighttime drive in a Model T- very slowly and noisely over dark, deserted roads. And for the very nervous, you could have a man walking in front with a red flag, as used to be required by law.



The original car headlights were for speeds you could probably hit on foot...a far cry from the velocity we drive at today. And they probably sucked.


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## longboat (Nov 8, 2011)

I have a couple of the blackndecker 4xC LED spotlights. They are relatively small and light (in the spotlight world) and can easily serve as a flashlight. I can easily see deer at one-tenth of a mile with the little spotlight. It would serve as an ideal backup on my ATV if its light goes kaput or gets busted by a wayward tree branch during off-roading.

Oh, the spotlight itself is available at WallyWorld for under 20usd, runs close to 20 hours on high and 70+ hours on low.


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## bullterrier (Nov 8, 2011)

been there done that. 

50 miles with a flashlight that was interesting :duh2: 
the alternator broke down on on my friends car and 50 miles home in the middle of the night. 
the flashlight in question was a old Philips 1500000 6v candle power spotlight. 
1500000 candle whats that in lumen?.


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## Rexlion (Nov 14, 2011)

My custom Mag with 6 XMLs @ 3A will outshine my headlights noticeably. About 4000 lumens. Unfortunately it was a bit pricey. And of course it would blind any oncoming cars.


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## TyJo (Nov 14, 2011)

Rexlion said:


> My custom Mag with 6 XMLs @ 3A will outshine my headlights noticeably. About 4000 lumens. Unfortunately it was a bit pricey. And of course it would blind any oncoming cars.


Any links/threads?


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