Your 6 Apocalypse Flashlights.

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Edited to increase to 6 lights.)

If there was a world wide apocalypse, (Such as in a EMP power failure for months on end, world economic collapse, world wide black outs, etc.) requiring you to go off-grid for months ( or even years) during the crisis,
What would be the 6 first lights you would grab/want to have with you and why ?

My 6 choices currently would be lights i already have and tested.

These 6 are:

- Olight S15 with TIR/XM-L 3C > Very versatile. its capable of multiple different easy to find cells, one or two AA Alcalines, NiMHs, and LiIons, ( and even AAA cells with a modded sleve-adapter) has good run times on 2 AAs, a hat clip, a moonlight mode, and tail magnet.

- Supbeam X40. > Powerful throw, great user interface, powerful strobe, good run times, and built-in charger port to re-charge using a 10W solar panel.

- Nitecore P25 with XM-L2 U3 > Mounts easily to rifle, great modes, built-in charger to be charged from 10W solar panel.

- Lumitop SD10 with XM-L2 4C > can run a variety of easily found batteries.

- Rayovac Sportsman 62 Headlight (Modded) > has 219 Nichia main LED, a RED night LED, a UV LED, a built-in Diffuser, and all runs off a single NiMH AA cell.

- Reactor 3-AAA > This Luxeon single-mode rebel light has a good tint, and no electronic curcuits for those worried about EMPs.) (only a resistor and no driver) runs on simple AAA cells and has a 8 hour run time on Alcalines.

To accompany these lights would be my Nitecore I4, the needed LiIon & NiMH cells, and a 20W/12V Solar panel that would provide continuous off-grid charging.

2

Do I have to pick only 5?

3

I would make a point to meet someone with over 250 lights in advance of this event so i can make informed decisions :bigsmile:

4

Do oil lamps, storm candles, and about a gallon or two of old olive oil (for DIY candles) count in that as well?

5

If years are needed then you have to go with NiMH (eneloops) since all your li ion will be toast by then
In addition, would LEDs work in the case of an EMP?

6

Any AA lights that has a great runtime on moonlight.
Lights that come to mind
sc52, 4/8 cell AA flashlights with moonlight, Quark X. I would definetely not want flashlights with hard to get batteries (18650 etc).
Also, flashlights must have the ability to start on moonlight else its a waste of energy in crisis situations.

7

Perhaps one should stock up on some nickel iron batteries

8

Well… all my lights are kept in my pockets, car, house so i guess all of them. I do need a solution to charge 18650s in such an event. I have a stockpile of aa, aaa, and D cell batteries for my incan mag 3d(incan is emp proof) serveral sipiks, and my trusty old ap pro series 125lumens that runs on 2 aa for pretty damm long. I have a EMP warning app on my phone so i get 8 mins of warning time. I store all my lights in a faraday cage if not used. I also keep a incan p60 dropin for my l2p.

9

Also, protected batteries will not work during an emp because they have cirquits in them. Unless you store them emp proof.

10

Old microwave w/ the hot and neutral cut off and only the ground wire connected

makes a pretty effective faraday cage (at least a very good RF energy attenuation box)

11

1xAA lights would be the choice. Multi-cells mean more possibility NOT to have all the needed and balanced cells.

No use for lumen monsters you can’t scavenge batteries for, because in any apocalypse staying still outdoors to charge batteries means taking too many risks for what lighting the dark is worth.

An headlamp.
A pocket flashlight.
A more powerful and throwy one.
A light to trade.
A backup.

Plus(es) to look for:
tailstanding (versatility)
high cri (medical use)
direct access to moonlight (stealthy operation)
direct access to max (tactical / defense operation)

12

how about this? super cheap, you can probably find them 2 dollar each, no batteries needed, dynamo powered…

but well they wont give you the best output, for me I would like to have a 4x AA Nitecore EA41 and a 1x or 2x AA setup like Olight S15. since you can start savaging AA batteries anywhere.

13

In no particular order:

- Sunwayman D40A

- Zebralight H502c

- Zebralight H52c

- Zebralight SC52w

  • Dipper D19 modded with an MT-G2

Pretty much chose lights which could be powered by AA cells and also efficient in power usage. The D19 was thrown into the mix so I could potentially use it as a club. I know it’s not as big as this one here , but I think the D19 would still do the job. :smiley:

14

I wonder if anyone planned to put a boost driver and get some real good xpg2 on it

it’s not like the xpg2 will heat up with such low output anyway~

Edit: nevermind…
searching around instructable shows that there are people modding it lol

good survival step perhaps?

I don’t know bout you guys but I can’t choose 5 except my sipik modded with a joule thief that draws power even when the cell is close to dead leaking levels

15

it depends on how many you can carry at once :stuck_out_tongue:

16

Those is accepted, ( as i would have an additional number of lanterns to my 5-light bag.

17

I believe most flashlights would be EMP proof already.
Considering that the Aluminum “body” of most lights are in effect a Faraday-Cage itself. Also since i have used an old beat-up Ultrafire 501 while ARC welding in the dark ( at my workplace) while holding the light in contact with the electrode gun while welding with the same hand, ( An ARC welder at 120 plus Amps produces an extremely powerful Electromagnetic field and pulse during the ARC strikes at that close range) the light’s driver, LED, and protected 18650 survived those repeated jolts with no problems.

18

as i mentioned to Bort i believe that flashlights will withstand an electromagnetic pulse as the light’s body is somwhat of a faraday cage itself. ( add a metal head cover to help seal it completely maybe)

though since i have used an old beat-up Ultrafire 501 while ARC welding in the dark ( at my workplace) while holding the light in contact with the electrode gun while welding with the same hand, ( An ARC welder at 120 plus Amps produces an extremely powerful Electromagnetic field and pulse during the ARC strikes at that close range) the light’s driver, LED, and protected 18650 survived those repeated jolts with no problems.

19

These lights are usually poor quality, if you buy one and don’t use it for a few years you will be lucky if it still works, if you use it often you won’t get a year out of it.
Not to say they can’t be made in good quality, but i have yet to see one that can stand frequent use.

20

Several Xenon P60 drop-ins of various voltages, FastTech used to sell them super cheap but I don’t know if they still do. My AA enelooped Nitecore MT2A is stored along with several sturdy metal things, sharp and pointy metal things, so hopefully would still work. I also have great hopes for Solarforce L2’s along with LEDLensers suitably protected and recharged via 12v lead-acid batteries.

I’ll probably be able to get by with bartering the previously mentioned sharp and pointy metal things as they will probably be in more demand than lights that get you noticed at night.