Easy.
Good choice.
âBecause the users range from kids to non-hobbyists I want to keep things very simple, reliable,âŚâŚ.â
I have a BUNCH of these throughout the house (basically in every room) and elsewhere. As simple and practical (i.e., I donât care $$$-wise if you sumhow destroy it) for wide-user range applications as it prolly can reasonably get. Uber-lightweight, essentially water proof, tuff/well-made, uber easy to operate, and one of the most important features, itâs also a 360 degree LANTERN.
Each comes with 3x AA batts and runs for a LONGTIME. On sale @ Costco Iâve seen them fer as low as $9.97 for the THREE PAK. Mind you including NINE Duracell AA batts. Even at $18 STILL a GOOD DEAL.
Since each light carries three AA batts, in a pinch you also have an emergency supply of AAâs on hand should you for wattever reason need just a single AA to operate another type light. IMNSHO stick with AA platforms. AAâs are the most common batt size in Muggleland.
About as foolproof and muggle-proof as you can get.
And they do exactly watt they advertise theyâll do. IMNSHO if there ever was an ideal âemergency lightâ that every BLFer should have on hand for doling out to non-hobbyists during SHTF events THIS IS IT.
And yes theyâll also run on 1.2v NiMH rechargeables too.
I also bought these becuz 9volt batts are prevalent. These run seemingly forever. Dorcy had a BOGO recently that worked out to $1.50 INCLUDING the batt. IMNSHO every emergency SHTF kit should have at least one of these.
And yes theyâll also run on 9v NiMH rechargeables too.
PS. I almost feel like this is sum kind of FEMA public service announcement or sumthing.
PSS. Ignore anyoneâs comment about them being âflimsyâ. Theyâre not. Theyâre WELL MADE.
PSSS. On the Costco Life-Gear light, thereâs about 1 1/4â diameter folding steel ring at the tail end. Uber handy for hanging it in tents, off tree branches, fence tops, general protrusions, well you get the picture. And btw, you would normally presume that at this price point this
1 1/4â ring snaps down into closed position flush ring would be carbon steel, right? Nope. Itâs STAINLESS STEEL. As are the two contact anodes that allow it to turn on automatically if thrown into the water. So no exposed metal that easily rusts.
PSSSS. That clear plastic surrounding the lantern LEDs? Well that clear housing just bayonets off in a quick twist. No threads to get crossed-up. Itâs also O-Ringed. AND thereâs enough room INSIDE of that lantern clear housing to DRYLY STORE STUFF. Ya know, matches, paper munny, coins, para cord, string saw, even for a single AAA batt PLUS sum maybe even all the foregoing. Use yer ingenuity.
And I actually like it that itâs NOT dinky. Not so easy to lose for even a 7 year old and so light that grandma can throw it at a zombie with velocity.
PSSSSS. OhâŚâŚand, it has a bezel ring that unscrews from the main black switch housing. This bezel ring self-contains and retains the reflector itself. The reflector wonât fall out on the ground IOW. It also is O-ringed protected on the main black side switch housing.
So when ya unscrew (there is about 1/2â widthâs worth of coarse threads to securely werk with) this bezel/reflector portion, inside of that back switch housing thereâs ALSO room to hiddenly store stuff, especially paper munny, and the bendable like. This main switch housing also has two lanyard holes where the bezel part meets it btw.
âWAIT! THEREâS MORE!ââŚâŚâŚ
After unscrewing off the bezel/reflector ya now have yerself A MULE! Tatâs right. A nice even big soft circle of light either standing from the flat tail end or hanging from the tail ring off yer 18K gold Mr. T chains.
Itâs a durable-enuff, uber inexpensive, muggly-purposed , elegantly-simple, well-made, easily disassembled/assembled, overall brilliant design. Great job Life-Gear!
PSSSSSS. Here I am PSSSSSSSing my life away again.
Love the Storbe mode they list.
Any of the LuxPro lights with Vipon coupon take alkaleaks, and are included with the light. Also have a rubber sleeve around the battery-tube for grip. A bit pricey without a discount, but a steal with one.
Easy.
likely a decent light that fits the bill for the OP, but could not help but :person_facepalming: when I read the description of 7W and see it runs on an AA battery. looks like a 14500 will work also, but most folks wonât know this.
As mentioned above, use Energizer brand lithium primary.
Long shelf life, and they wonât leak like alkalines.
likely a decent light that fits the bill for the OP, but could not help but :person_facepalming: when I read the description of 7W and see it runs on an AA battery. looks like a 14500 will work also, but most folks wonât know this.
Theyâre good enough; but when you consider the price, theyâre amazing. Theyâre certainly not the brightest, but I havenât tried running a 14500 yet. Since you mentioned it, Iâm eyeballing some LiFePo4 14500s; but the typical 500-700mAh capacities are a bit disappointing. Surely it would be much brighter, but at only 25% of the runtime. On the other hand, I can get [4] of these batteries for like $10 and theyâd last over 5 years and 1,000 cycles. Plus they could be easily charged in series with a little solar panel I have â if necessary.
Iâve bought one of these 5-packs and one of the Kootek brand 5-packs at various times. I have a flashlight at the ready in pretty much every conceivable spot around the house and car. They also make great gifts to pass out at kidsâ birthday parties or whatever. Cheap as hell and very useful - my favorite attributes.
All of mine have worked so far. No duds yet.
Your best choices for AAA and AA flashlights are places like Home Depot, Lowes, Harbor Freight or more common stores for common cell releases.
Yup on the long time lurking I got really into the hobby and then it quickly overwhelmed me. Bought a bunch of cheap DX/Banggood/Aliexpress lights to play with, but so many of them failed with no apparent reason that I just kinda gave up for a while. Sure I can spend $50-100 on a Fourseven or something but thatâs really not my thing. Did occasionally come and check out whatâs up, and see BLF specials but always too late! So the Sofirn C01 is a perfect recommendation for me, thanks!
I really like the SK-68 5-pack too; think I actually have one of those around. Are they any good reliability wise? Sure is cheap! And the Costco recommendation may just be the ticket: My wife loves anything Costco so I can get her to go along with that, no problem I always joke that if Costco sells a mistress I can probably pick one up with her approval. And itâll probably come in a 3-pack to boot!
The Dorcy looks interesting too. Are they anymore bombproof than the Sofirn aluminum, do you think? The Jet Beam is nice but probably over budget for this application.
Thanks for all the recommendation. Keep them coming, and good to finally get out of the deep lurk!
I really like the SK-68 5-pack too; think I actually have one of those around. Are they any good reliability wise?
I have Ultrafire-branded single-mode versions of those lights that I bought a 6-pack of on eBay a few years ago for around 13 dollars shipped. They work pretty well, although they wonât give you the best runtimes possible.
Yup on the long time lurking I got really into the hobby and then it quickly overwhelmed me. Bought a bunch of cheap DX/Banggood/Aliexpress lights to play with, but so many of them failed with no apparent reason that I just kinda gave up for a while. Sure I can spend $50-100 on a Fourseven or something but thatâs really not my thing. Did occasionally come and check out whatâs up, and see BLF specials but always too late! So the Sofirn C01 is a perfect recommendation for me, thanks!
I really like the SK-68 5-pack too; think I actually have one of those around. Are they any good reliability wise? Sure is cheap! And the Costco recommendation may just be the ticket: My wife loves anything Costco so I can get her to go along with that, no problem I always joke that if Costco sells a mistress I can probably pick one up with her approval. And itâll probably come in a 3-pack to boot!
The Dorcy looks interesting too. Are they anymore bombproof than the Sofirn aluminum, do you think? The Jet Beam is nice but probably over budget for this application.
Thanks for all the recommendation. Keep them coming, and good to finally get out of the deep lurk!
Well as you and wife undoubtedly know if youâre dissatisfied with the Costco lights just take them to any Costco Warehouse and you will get your money back instantly. I believe for as long 1 year after purchase and more in sum cases. Try that with sumthing shipped from China.
The Dorcy/Amazon-generic 9 volt block lites have little to break on them. The polycarbonate plastic material is robust enuff to take pretty good abuse.
And as ya likely know 9 volt batteries are tuff as heck already by themselves plus they rarely leak as often as other alkaline sizes tend to do if left unremoved for longer periods.
The smallness of the 9volt block lites can be one big plus if youâre really trying to keep your emergency storage kits as small and light as possible. Weight here is negligible for either the Costco or the 9 volt lite.
Ya know watt? Iâd get BOTH to try out. Then figure out watt quantity ratios of each is most suitable for the various ages and physical/mental abilities of your prospective end users.
You may very well end up with a mix of lights for different potential scenarios.
PS. Oops. Just realized yer referring to bikenber73âs Dorcy lights - his Post #7. Those should work great for your particular emergency applications. Tuff as nails I suspect plus they likely are great in rainy, muddy, conditions. No to little rust corrosion issues to ever worry about.
I'm guessing the answer is the three mode ...opps I mean 2 mode and a strobe .
I like how the trend now is for dimmer lights that have longer runtime ..
How about the sofirn Sf10 that runs 6 -7$ a AA 4 mode that starts in high , has 4 nicely spaced modes,takes the old style bolt on convoy s2 clip but..some bad low frequency pwm . If you're buying a C1 from them you might want tyo toss in a sf10 or even a sp10 for fun ...I still like the original $2 zoomie over the sk68 clones
Yeah, the 9v battery+ light is a good kit for the school backpack. And definitely getting the Costco light, I like the versatility. Too many good options
Well as you and wife undoubtedly know if youâre dissatisfied with the Costco lights just take them to any Costco Warehouse and you will get your money back instantly. I believe for as long 1 year after purchase and more in sum cases. Try that with sumthing shipped from China. Shocked
The Dorcy/Amazon-generic 9 volt block lights have little to break on them. The polycarbonate plastic material is a robust enuff to take pretty good abuse.
And as ya likely know 9-volt batteries are tuff as heck already by themselves plus they rarely leak as often as other alkaline sizes tend to do if left unremoved for longer periods.
The smallness of the 9volt block lights can be one big plus if youâre really trying to keep your emergency storage kits as small and light as possible. Weight here is negligible for either the Costco or the 9 volt light.
Ya know watt? Iâd get BOTH to try out. Then figure out watt quantity ratios of each is most suitable for the various ages and physical/mental abilities of your prospective end users.
You may very well end up with a mix of lights for different potential scenarios.
PS. Oops. Just realized yer referring to bikenber73âs Dorcy lights â his Post #7. Those should work great for your particular emergency applications. Tuff as nails I suspect plus they likely are great in rainy, muddy, conditions. No to little rust corrosion issues to ever worry about.
I needed one for an emergency kit I take bush. Similar requirements and after much forum lurking decided on jetbeam jet1mk.
-Twisty, no switches to fail, easy lockout
-Runtime, excellent on low and medium
-AA or nimh
The only thing I donât like is the tint, its not at all prettyâŚâŚ For its intended use that dosenât matter. Took it hiking a few times using only low, the hotspot is quite effective at lighting trails. If tint doesnât bother you, I recommend it.
I needed one for an emergency kit I take bush. Similar requirements and after much forum lurking decided on jetbeam jet1mk.
If tint doesnât bother you, I recommend it.
Yep, the Jetbeams are kinda notoriously greenish, but out in the middle of nowhere, the choice between a greenish beam and a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, Iâll take the greenish beam.
I'll take a poke in the eye
interesting topics.
I'll share what I prepare for my family BoB or BiB prior to 2017:
- Everyone has a unit of Fenix E10 in their BoB installed with Energizer L91 + 2 spare Energizer L91.
- Kids have their own AAA backup light ranging from 4Sevens Preon to Single AAA cell lantern with 2 spare L92.
- Wifey has Olight S1 Baton with 4 spare CR123A as backup.
From 2017 'till now:
- Fenix E10 + 2 spare Energizer L91 is standard backup light for their BoB.
- My teenager started EDC-ing Olight i1R and using NiMH rechargeable in their AAA lights (Fenix, Olight, etc.)
- Young one still on AAA lantern and a headlamp.
- Wifey upgraded from Olight S1 Baton to Olight S Mini Titanium. Spare CR123A refreshed. SureFire with 16650 added.
- I've also re-wired the power source of "BriteStrike APALS" to 2 x AA/AAA in various colored LED (it last for months on blinking mode) as their signaling kit and also as spare light.
- Every bag has a 1 x AA Zebralight Headlamp or Olight S1A clipped outside for immediate deployment
Beside flashlights, other essentials like whistle, lighter, 9V battery + steel wool, chemlight, knives, multitools, water, water filtration system, first aid kit, masks, sanitary items, medicines, small radio, snacks, etc. are also in the family kit or part of their BoB/BiB.
IMHO, a flashlight is good to have for a 72 hours kit, knowledge and will to survive is still the key to making it out alive.
Sofirn C01 is as simple as it gets and with what itâs based off of (the legendary Fenix E01), it should be bloody bombproof. One lithium primary inside each should get you set.
I tried out the Sofirn C01 in 3200K last year. I liked it so much that I got one for each member of my family for Christmas. The warm tint is very attractive. Colors show quite well under it. Itâs only around 10ish lumens but thatâs surprisingly useful in the dark. Itâs enough light for lots of tasks without sacrificing much in the way of night vision. The beam pattern is just right for what it is. Given the small size, low cost, and extremely long run times on a single AAA; itâs a great fit for the intended purpose here.
The black ones are sold out now but I see that the blue and red ones are still in stock. (I just bought a few of each!)
Easy.
I like how the âhandle materialâ as listed in the specs is âMentalâ.