Flashlight advice

[Philip Glass]

Good morning all! I had a quick question for you all about flashlights. I'm heading over in April for trip #2 and I was thinking that last time I really could have used a flashlight or headlamp. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm leaning towards headlamp because I'm borrowing a rifle out there and don't want to buy an attachable one but do want it hands free for convenience. Sadly I'm pretty clueless about what lumens are needed and what brands to drift towards. Any advice would be appreciated, and as always thank you for your time!

You want a lightweight, battery powered, PTEC headlamp. Mine have a red light first setting which is good for not disturbing night vision and then two white light settings. There are many on the market to choose from just get a quality one and Energizer lithium batteries and you’ll likely make the whole trip without changing batteries.
Regards
Philip

 

[Philip Glass]

Here is my PTEC head lamp that has made many trips to Africa. I’ve bought other, larger ones but this is my fav.
The LED Lenser flashlight is something I picked up last year at a Cabelas on a whim. I am not normally a fan of rechargeable stuff for Africa however this light is so light weight and powerful and the battery lasts a very long time I can and do recommend it. As long as you have a car charger you can charge anywhere there is a vehicle. It is German made and top of the line quality. It’s basically a handheld spotlight!

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

So, just a head up! I ended up going over to Cabelas so I could test out a few lights in person, and also so if they broke I could return them without hassle. I ended up getting a Streamlight ProTac HL-X. Unfortunately they didn't sell the replaceable or rechargeable batteries but I can grab those from online with no problem. It seems to work well, 1000 lumen power and it goes very far (they said 350 yards but I don't think I'll get out the ole ruler to measure it). It doesn't have any neat red or blue filters, which is a shame, but at least it seems to be powerful, portable, rechargeable (after I buy the rechargeable batteries) and durable which is what I needed. It also has a 90 day return policy and since I'm going to Africa in April if it breaks over there I can return the pieces to them for a refund, which is some small consolation.

 

[rookhawk]

I'm happy for you @Eventually_Africa_Again

Just so you know, if your light uses CR123a batteries, there are two reliable batteries made of high quality. The panasonic is gold standard, the surefire batteries I believe are private label panasonics.

Amazon is the best price.

 

[spike.t]

Just remember your airlines don't allow you to put lithium batteries in your checked luggage.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

I'm happy for you @Eventually_Africa_Again

Just so you know, if your light uses CR123a batteries, there are two reliable batteries made of high quality. The panasonic is gold standard, the surefire batteries I believe are private label panasonics.

Amazon is the best price.

Thank you. I hadn't ordered them yet, but I'll take your advice for sure.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Just remember your airlines don't allow you to put lithium batteries in your checked luggage.

That's good information to have. I travel light so I'm just going to have a carry on backpack. I'm using Emerits this time and I've never used them before so I'm hoping a regular backpack will be ok. Just 1 extra pair of pants, 2 extra shirts, binos, flashlight, meds and a good book.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Just out of curiosity has anyone had any good luck with rechargeable batteries for these flashlights? I looked around and it seems even the Streamlight batteries can sometimes have an issue with their rechargeable batteries fitting into their flashlights. Any info would be great, and thank you all again as always!

 

[spike.t]

Well in my mh20 I use nightcore 3100Ah 18650 rechargeable lithium batteries. .....some of the 18650 type made by other companies don't work in other manufacturers torches. ...because of having I think its flat terminals at each end......not 100pcnt but could be fenix batteries. But mh20 is nightcore so batteries work perfectly. ..with two I can go quite a while

 

[Newboomer]

I like a small handheld with a red lens. It gives adequate light and doesn't affect my night vision like a white light.

 

[Newboomer]

I like a small handheld with a red lens. It gives adequate light and doesn't affect my night vision like a white light.

Edit: It's an ancient Mini-Maglight I bought when I was in the Army in 1975 for night nav and mapreading. Runs on 2 AA batteries. It has a lanyard hole so I can hang it around my neck. Nicks and scratches but still going strong.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

That's great! When I was in they gave us the crummy plastic "L" lights that weren't good for much beyond eating batteries and dying when you needed them.

 

[Newboomer]

That's great! When I was in they gave us the crummy plastic "L" lights that weren't good for much beyond eating batteries and dying when you needed them.

Yes, I remember those. That's why I bought my own. I got tired of trying to mess with them in the dark changing batteries--if we had spares-- which half the time were already dead.

 

[DaveL]

I've found the Nitecore range of LED flashlights to be exceptional. Their HC60 headlamp and their MH12GT handheld unit are my go to tools when I'm operating in the bush in Northern Mozambique. Believe me as a PH following something nasty at night, you want the best possible torch out there! Good battery life is essential. Nitecore ticks all the boxes for me. Failing that, you will be okay with LED Lenser.

 

[Tra3]

Per recommendations of @rookhawk and others I just added two surefire lights to my kit. I’m impressed this far with how well built they are. I got the E2D ultra defender and the fury IB-DF. For the size the the E2D is likely the one I will carry most.
I will still carry 2 headlamps, I prefer the hands free option of a headlamp and the second headlamp always seems to get used by another person.

query: can i fly with the batteries? Some have said no.

 

[AgustinDowns]

I never thought I had to pay attention when choosing a flashlight, but I convinced myself when I got into a rather unpleasant situation. I had lost my phone while working in the field, and the flashlight got broken before I could find the phone, I had to go back to a neighbor to borrow his flashlight. It sounds quick, but 17 miles in one direction and 17 back isn't quick. After this happened to me, I decided to buy something durable. I found this product; it surprised me that it's water resistant https://www.amazon.com/Vont-Flashlight-Flashlights-Water-Resistant-Accessories/dp/B089T8HDBV

 

[rookhawk]

Per recommendations of @rookhawk and others I just added two surefire lights to my kit. I’m impressed this far with how well built they are. I got the E2D ultra defender and the fury IB-DF. For the size the the E2D is likely the one I will carry most.
I will still carry 2 headlamps, I prefer the hands free option of a headlamp and the second headlamp always seems to get used by another person.

query: can i fly with the batteries? Some have said no.

I know this is an old thread but I have an update on this topic.

I still love the vintage Surefire flashlights, some of them now worth rather obscene money. They were that good. However, times have changed and the days of lugging around CR123 batteries are a thing of the past.

Today, the best flashlight out there for a hunter is the Surefire Stiletto Pro. No cheap date at $233, it has tremendous battery life and is USB rechargeable which you can do in the bush, in the cruiser, or ahead of time.

@AgustinDowns regarding batteries on planes. Yes, you can bring batteries, but they MUST be in your carry-on item as they are worried about battery fires in the cargo hold. This is yet another reason all my rangefinders, binos, illuminated optics, flashlights, and iphones are in my carry-on duffle when going for a hunt.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1547938-REG/surefire_plr_b_stiletto_pro_multi_output_rechargeable.html

 

[VertigoBE]

@rookhawk , would a sure fire G2X pro dual output be a good choice?

 

[rookhawk]

@rookhawk , would a sure fire G2X pro dual output be a good choice?

Sort of outdated. Like the better vintage ones, it used cr123a. If you’re going to pack lite and escape batteries, the stiletto pro is the thing to have.

If using batteries, the vintage a2 aviator with blue bulbs is pretty amazing. Blue light for blood trails and recovery, bright white for Normal use.

 

[The Engineer]

Some sort of a headlamp is really handy when coming in after dark in rough terrain. You can use both arms just as you would in daylight instead of having one commited to a flashlight. That being said, I would also take a small straight body flashligt that uses the same batteries as the headlamp.

I recently purchased a 5.11 Tactical Response XR1 Headlamp that uses two CR123a batteries as purchased. The CR123s have a relively short life on high settings, however; if you have access to a USB port you can get a two battery charger and a couple of 3200mAh batteries that have fairly long lives. The features I like about the 5.11 product are:

1. There are two seperate lights in the unit. One is a round white beam with sequential steps from VERY bright to dim before off. The second light an about 1/4 by 1 1/2 yellowish bar that is on or off. Either or both lights can be used simultaneously. The white light is good for distance vison or bright illumination up close. The bar light is a low intensity wider beam that provides sufficient light for walking in the dark. Both light are controlled by push button swithes on the end of the battery enclosure. On the white light as the battery starts to run down the light blinks. The blinking can be eliminated and the battery life extend be selecting a less bright setting.

2. The headband is adjustable, has one band arround the head, and one over the head. With that arrangment the light is held in place with the band relatively loose and will fit under my Tilley hat. There is no latteral adjustment for thel light in the headband but the light can be pivoted from straight down to straight up and stays where is is put.

3. The light can be snaped out of the headband and used a hand held light. The light is a L configuration. When removed from the headband the bar light serves as a clip so the light can be slipped over a belt instead of being held.