Flashlight advice

[AWLee]

I’ve been using a Olight S1 Mini for a couple years. It can run on a USB rechargeable li battery or a cr123. It has 4 brightness settings and is plenty bright at the top end. Waterproof, shockproof and super compact.
Best of all, it’s a handheld with a pocket clip that doubles to clip to the bill of a hat for use as a head lamp. Plus it has a magnetic tail cap which comes in handy too.

https://olightworld.com/all-flashlights/olight-s1-mini-baton

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

These are some great answers, thank you all for your input! After taking all the suggestions and looking at the reviews, videos and price points I ended up going with the Nightcore MH20! I think this will work well and I'm alos considering picking up an LED headlamp as a "just in case". I really appreciate all of your information!

 

[Tra3]

Look at black diamond. They make great headlamps. I carry 2 headlamps when hunting. It is surprising how often both get used.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Thanks for the ideas! Unfortunately the Nightcore MH20 arrived broken. It wouldn't switch modes, the only 2 that would work were strobe and the lowest light setting. Ah well, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So I picked up a 200 lumen headlamp at Lowes since it was on sale for $14. Now I need to see about getting another flashlight as well since you have all convinced me that having one of each would be a good idea.

 

[Jeffrey]

If you like that Lowes headlamp, consider getting a flashlight to complement it that runs on the same type of batteries.

 

[spike.t]

Thanks for the ideas! Unfortunately the Nightcore MH20 arrived broken. It wouldn't switch modes, the only 2 that would work were strobe and the lowest light setting. Ah well, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So I picked up a 200 lumen headlamp at Lowes since it was on sale for $14. Now I need to see about getting another flashlight as well since you have all convinced me that having one of each would be a good idea.

Shame . Mine has taken plenty knocks and drops and not a problem.... .

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Shame . Mine has taken plenty knocks and drops and not a problem.... .

Right? I loved that your post showed yours with bangs and scratches which meant that it got some serious wear and tear but kept working. Unfortunately the one I received found out that the African Bush can't hold a candle to Fedex....ah well. I might try again from a local store or just go with a different model. Honestly the "full push, half push" thing confused me a bit. I wasn't sure if maybe the error was with me but after a ton of testing it came up that it was simply broken.

 

[spike.t]

It's easy cycling through the modes on it after couple mins of playing with it. And on the lower levels the battery lasts a long time.....and strobe really messes peoples vision up

 

[rookhawk]

When life and death (or hunting) is on the line, nothing compares to a vintage surefire flashlight and a pile of cr123A batteries. Sure, you're going to pay a pretty penny for a 5 year old flashlight on "the world's largest marketplace", but they are that good.

I have 4 of them. They go everywhere with me. Everybody's flashlights fail yet mine keep on ticking, can be run over by a truck, and still produce light with batteries near dead.

Buy a $100-$200 flashlight once, cry once. Buy $40-$60 flashlights this year, you'll be buying them again shortly thereafter.

 

[spike.t]

Used to use Surefire but other ones have overtaken them ....they burn through batteries and on off switches/buttons aren't great.....maglight were the only ones used but the sat on their laurels and got overtaken by surefire......and same has happened to them.....took them long time to bring out led etc .....also you can't use rechargeable batteries in a lot of them......so yeah surefire sat on its assand got overtaken... lots of better ones out there now.....

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

When life and death (or hunting) is on the line, nothing compares to a vintage surefire flashlight and a pile of cr123A batteries. Sure, you're going to pay a pretty penny for a 5 year old flashlight on "the world's largest marketplace", but they are that good.

I have 4 of them. They go everywhere with me. Everybody's flashlights fail yet mine keep on ticking, can be run over by a truck, and still produce light with batteries near dead.

Buy a $100-$200 flashlight once, cry once. Buy $40-$60 flashlights this year, you'll be buying them again shortly thereafter.

Any particular surefire you recommend?

 

[rookhawk]

Their aviator A2 was pretty good.

It had one incandescent bulb and then three colored low-lumen LED bulbs. (for a pilot in cockpit reading a chart at night) With the Blue bulbs its really handy for a quickie read of a map or for tracking blood, whereas the clean white light of the bright incandescent was great for general flashlightery.

The E1L was a one battery, 45 minutes and its spent, quickie little flashlight. Great for having in a pocket. The clip would clip easily onto a ballcap when you need two hands, light enough not to fall off uses.

The e20 outdoorsman was a solid choice as well.

How to know if they are the "good ones"? The old ones on ebay will be grey in color. Search from most expensive to least and you can figure out right quick that the "vintage" ones command a pretty penny.

Critiques are valid that the cree LEDs have come a LONG way in the past 5 years so I'm sure there are better lamps out now. The candlepower forums abound with geeks upgrading the LEDs on these old surefires to get them to be the best newest thing if you want to go down that rabbit hole.

They were really durable and they are the only flashlights that havent failed me. I always travel to Africa with fresh batteries in 3-4 flashlights and a 12-pack of spare batteries. On a given hunt I have the tiny one in my pocket and the 2 battery small one on my bino chest harness. The big ones I throw in my pack in the truck.

Keep in mind, its Africa. They "make a plan" which means they are 100% reactive to negative stimuli and ill prepared. Fixing a tire, they needed a flashlight to bust the rusty lock off the spare and then use my flashlight in the dark. Another time I did a solid shot on a zebra with a modest caliber so the zebra ran 200 yards before it died. They wanted to bail for the day until I whipped out a flashlight and demanded they give it five more minutes (we found the blood and the zebra). Bottom line, virtually guaranteed that your flashlight and your batteries are going to be the ones that work on the trip, not the bad ones (if any) in their rigs.

*apologies if a PH on this forum IS prepared and has contingency plans worked out...I just haven't hunted Africa where anyone was a boyscout "always be prepared" oriented.

 

[rookhawk]

A quick photo of the things I will NEVER go on safari without.

1.) Two pairs of Raybans with cable temples. The polarized sunglasses I never wear but I feel good by carrying a spare in the truck, and the yellow polarized lightest lens color model that I can use 14 hours a day.

2.) 4 surefire flashlights, of which the two smallest are on my person on hunts. Mine are E1L, A2 aviator, L5, and a cheapo newer one I got free with a leica mail-in rebate promo.

3.) My FHF gear bino harness with gps pocket.

4.) Leica rangefinding binoculars. Nobody will know how far the animal is but you...better have your facts straight if you can't get close enough.

5.) Garmin inreach satellite texting device. Because you're the only one that is going to message globalrescue when someone is dying, everyone else will be scrambling to "make a plan" 200km from cell coverage.

6.) Scandi edged razor sharp bushcraft knife. (and mini sharpener) with sheath. I like belt, side draw parallel configuration.

*Not shown. A shemagh for when you're too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry, too visible, or someone needs first aid. (*Or when there is no toilet paper and you have an emergency...god rest its soul)

**Also not shown. Two pair of courteney boots well broken in.

Everything else is negotiable.

 

[Tra3]

@rookhawk I’ve had multiple hunting experiences where having more than 1 flashlight is crucial. Including 2 experiences like that (“make a plan moments”) while hunting in Africa. I use headlamps though. Black diamond and Petzl are the best I’ve used (but get the higher end ones) And they work well for reading in bed after the generator goes off
My question: if I am to buy one hand held light for for hunting, what should I get?

 

[rookhawk]

My question: if I am to buy one hand held light for for hunting, what should I get?

Two schools of thought, kind of parallel to the question of what concealed carry handgun to buy.

My answer: buy the best one you will carry EVERY single time, not the biggest or most powerful. In flashlights, that would be something small with balls. Two CR123 battery compact models. LED so if it’s dead, it’s still able to output a couple lumens. Surefire E2L executive or O2 outdoorsman come to mind. You can buy a blue flip close lens filter for either if you want to track blood also.

Regarding black diamond, my kids all have headlamps...2 of 3 are broken. I have the mini lantern that I use for eating dinner, putting down when using the bathroom, or for reading in bed on hunts. Works great, but it’s plastic and quite delicate.

 

[rookhawk]

Current production ? This one in dual output format:

https://www.surefire.com/illumination/flashlights/e2d-defender-flashlight.html

 

[JakeH]

Not so much Safari-specific but one of these gets stuck in my pocket everyday.

https://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-ProTac-2AA-White-Led/dp/B003GXF9OA/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1551845170&refinements=p_89:Streamlight&s=hardware&sr=1-6

That’s coupled with a Streamlight Nano on my keys and a Maglite with the LED conversion kit in itnriding in my truck at all time.

 

[Tra3]

Exactly! I’m going to order one. I need a solid built very bright hand held light. Nothing like searching for an animal in the dark to justify maximum lumens.
For gutting, skiinging, quartering, we all still use headlamps. When it is cold here in MN no metal flashlight should touch your mouth for holding it...

 

[mdwest]

The E1L was a one battery, 45 minutes and its spent, quickie little flashlight. Great for having in a pocket. The clip would clip easily onto a ballcap when you need two hands, light enough not to fall off uses.

I’ve got an e1 that I bought new in 2007 to have as a spare pack light for a deployment I did in Iraq... it’s still going strong.. and is the light I keep in my hunting day pack now (12 years later), along with a browning headlamp I picked up at cabelas a couple of years ago...

 

[rookhawk]

All this discussion made me cover my flashlights even more, then I started panicking that they don’t make them anymore. So anyway, I went to eBay trying to lowball my way to a spare A2 aviator surefire with blue LEDs. There were two for $120-$130 or make an offer. Since I didn’t need one, so I offered low and didn’t win. They countered at $100.

If I didn’t have 4, I would jump at that light for $100.