Flashlight recommendation?
 

Just got a car for my son to have while at college.
Putting together a "kit" to keep in the trunk. This includes a good set of jumper cables, safety triangles, some basic tools, and I'd like a good flashlight. Agenda here is to make any sort of breakdown as safe as possible...

I did a search and I don't see anything recent and I imagine that this technology is constantly evolving.
Any recommendations? Seems like $40-$50 can buy a heck of an option without going too, too nuts.

Current options/brands I'm considering include:
Streamlight
Olight
Maratac
Foursevens
Anker
...

And it starts to get crazy-complicated for what seems like it should be a fairly simple decision.

Any advice?

I spend a certain amount of time in my work crawling around attics and crawl spaces. I use an LED flashlight from Fenix, the TK35, which uses two 18650 rechargeable batteries. I pair that with their HL55 headlamp, which uses a single 18650, and the headlamp, being hands-free, is actually more useful. Finally, my movable LED bike headlight is also by Fenix, also uses a single 18650 battery, and is the BC21R.
Not cheap, but super high quality, great customer service, very reliable, and it's really nice to have interchangeable batteries and a single charger.

This is cheaper option...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rayovac-W...A-BC/206767090

That said, I have used this for tac-flashlight training and they have held up to the abuse and impact that we put them through. The rubber ends absorb impact so it's a bit safer if you get hit with it but it also does a good job of protecting it if and when it gets dropped. Super bright with two brightness modes, tough aluminum body, and cheap. A no brainer to me for keeping in the car.






William

I've got a number of the inexpensive Tasco and Duracell branded flashlights that Sams/Costco often times has as a 3 for $20.00 pack that have all worked fine. I believe they're 300 lumen lights which are plenty bright and they've all been durable.

I don't have any real advice except to say don't get too nuts. the kid will bust out his iPhone for a flashlight well before he'll go to the trunk. trunk flashlight will only get used if the phone dies or if he can't reach help by phone and has to walk somewhere. and it's dark, obviously. so maybe focus on longer run time versus more lumens?

^ great point.

I personally have an LL Bean wind up flash light similar to this one.

My personal view, living in the Northeast is that lots of freeze/thaw cycles, you forget to change the batteries after a while.... I'd rather have something that provides some light on demand, than a super nice flashlight that could be dead.

I didn't read all the responses and I have no recommendation but I wonder: since the OP is assembling an emergency kit for an automobile I'd think that a light that could be propped up to shine on a wheel to help a guy change a wheel at night. Maybe a "normal" stick shape light would be ok if it had a wide-angle pattern of light?

Jumper cables are so "90's" :)

Take a look at this option, jumps your car, flashlight, and charges your phone too. Many different offerings, this is one I just bought for myself.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You make a very good point about charging and infrequent use, but we've had one or two of those wind up ones die after a long period of not winding them up. Based on that, I'm not sure they're the best solution for this use case. Unfortunately, I don't have a better answer. :(

I keep a headlamp in the center console for general and emergency use. It provides plenty of light and allows me to work with both hands. Princeton Tec and Black Diamond as well as a number of other companies offer a wide variety of models in your price range.

Even emergency kits need maintenance. Flashlight and extra batteries should be there and changed out every so often.

As far as the hands free point, I would go with NHaero's and gdw's point about a headband light in addition to the option I posted above.







William

i have AAx2 torches with zoomable projector-style lenses and CREE LED emitters in my gloveboxes. cost like $10/ea.

prefer AA cell based torches because they're ubiquitous, since they're emergency-use-only i fit expensive lithium disposables for good shelf-life.

adding a headlamp to my roadside kit sounds like a good idea!

I'm in complete agreement that he'll have his iPhone flashlight with him, so this is looking for something MORE.

William and others ~ are the HD versions close enough that it makes no sense to buy the bigger named brands?

One that really strikes me is the Foursevens Mini MKII. This gets rave reviews in a number of places and seems to tick a lot of boxes.

And as for use, I'm definitely imagining this as an emergency-accessory, but cool flashlights seem pretty neat to me, so I'd hope it's not just a glove-compartment-and-forget-it tool. If that's the ultimate fate, then I'd definitely do the HD option.

That seems like a good light, but may be overkill for a glove box/trunk occupier.

What I would EDC on me would be different then what I have for training/use around the house. That said, the one I recommended above I did so because it was low cost, tough, very bright, and dependable. I, as well as many of my students, have used these for a couple of years now and none of us have had any issues with them. I use it around the house as well and I can even see very far back into the woods across my property at night with it.

For an EDC light I want one that is bright to blind, but also metal. Rubber is being too nice if you have to use it for impact purposes. :)







William