Help buying a light for my cousin

Hello everyone. I am looking at getting my cousin a flashlight as a gift....for Xmas. Now I would not start buying until November but want to start looking now and getting ideas. Here is some info:

he is an auto mechanic/fleet tech

works at night

works inside on a lift and out in the rain

uses a Streamlight penlight for edc around 25 lumins-ish

uses a Snap-On 3XLED head on a 14.4V batterypack in shop for light, about 200-250 lumins

he is not a flashoholic nor has he seen my lights yet

I want to get him something that he can EDC that will hold up for his job day in and day out but will also not break the bank. If it is too large he will not carry it. Something with a long runtime would be nice as I do not know if he carries that Snap-On light in the field on calls. I worked with him one night and we uses his penlight to change a van headlight bulb in the dark and rain. If this is to be a 14500 or 18650 light then batteries and charger will have to be figured in to the overall cost. Thank you for your ideas here.

Don't wait until november. HK post collapsed last year. UFH3 headlamp, use mine all the time for working on cars etc

This is my suggestion also. Every time I work on my car I wear it.

I'd recommend a headlamp for any job that is going to need both hands - personally I'd recommend the Ultrafire H2 headlamp ( UltraFire UF-H2 B Q5 2 Modes Cree LED Headlamp (AA/14500) ) rather than the H3 ( UltraFire UF-H3 D Q5 2 Mode Cree LED Headlamp (18650) ) as it will run on more easily available cells - getting someone an 18650 light really means getting them cells and a charger - and explaining to them about lithium safety. And advising them to get a multimeter too.

There is also an H4 which feeds on CR123s or 17670s. This is a dollar cheaper than the others, at $31 instead of $32 for the others.

UltraFire UF-H4 R5 2 Modes Cree LED Headlamp (CR123A/17670)

And an H1 which doesn't do the stupid blinky stuff but has the lovely ramping interface.

UltraFire UF-H1 Q5 1 Mode Cree LED Headlamp (CR123A)

If your cousin doesn't like headlamps as some don't, all of these can be clipped to pockets, hats or whatever instead.

If this is too much, I'd suggest the Trustfire Z1 which is $18 but again would need rechargeables and a charger - or spending quite a lot on disposable CR123 cells. This is better made than the DaZong Tong 4 LED light, though it is surprisingly bright according to my measurements.

The other wonderful thing about the UF-H2 is the magnet in the tail. Perfect for a mechanic because he can stick it to the underside of the hood or the fenders. Super useful if he doesn't like using the headband. ;)

The H4 is not a floody light so much that it doesn't have the special flood lens that the H2 & H3 have which give them the nice even flood they have. The H4 has a regular flat lens and reflector giving it a center hotspot and likely a ringy beam. I would avoid an H4 for that reason.

Didn't know that - I'm not now tempted by one. Thanks for the heads up. My bank account thanks you too!

I will have to wait until November to buy....that is when I get money back from college loans and such that I will put towards holiday shopping. :) I am liking the sound of the UF H2 headlamp in AA. :)

+1

One of my friends has liked it a lot. I also use it and like it.

Quite simple, wide-enough flood, enough power and not overdriven for decent runtime.

Ramping is also good for getting good runtimes.

I forgot the UF H3 is picky with batteries. Unprotected are okay and TF flames just fit, anything else probably won't work IME. The UFH2 is better for a non flasholic. I still love my H3

Sorry john mac I’m really doubting that it is either ringy or not a flood … I don’t know why you’d say that if you don’t have one …??I have two zebra lighta one is the 501 and it doesn’t have the glass or reflector like the h2 ultra-fires and I have the other one that does and it’s a flooder and smooth as can be too . As much as i think the ultra-fires are not of the same quality I doubt that they are ringy with a hotspot …with such a shallow reflector I would doubt it . But I don’t have one either ,so it’s just a guess .

Don I think you need to start lusting for the new zebralights and leave the ultrafires alone ...not for the ringy or spotty beams but for the nasty PWM<- some of the worst in the business (almost unbearable) IMHO.

Simpleman ...I almost hate to say it but some of the best gifts to non -flashaholics are flood to throw lights...most being a novel toy but bang for buck they can't be beat .. people just love to play with stuff they can adjust ... to seemingly make it ...just perfect

Sorry, Boaz, but I don't need to own one to make an educated guess. To see if I was correct I just did a search on the UF-H4 and it was as I predicted.

This thread states what I thought about the light not being as smooth and floody as the H2 & H3. The H4 has a hot spot in the center and the flood is not as smooth as the other models with the special lens and no reflector.

Here is a pic of the beam from post #22 of that thread comparing it with another light that shows the hotspot and rings/bands in the spill. Looks just like I figured it would.

If you have an H2 or H3 you know that their flood is smooth as silk and just like the flood of a nice zoomie in flood mode. ;)

Johnny

I do!

I do!

But the budget just isn't there this year. I'm still saving to get the New Assistant neutered.

Can't go wrong with a SK 58 for a mechanic, these are the good ones and Meritline is great to do business with if they send you a broken one they send you another one right away no jerking you around you get to keep the broken one for parts.

I have ordered at least a dozen through them and I have none left. These run on 14500s no problem but work fine with AAs and the zoom is great for a mechanic for looking in spark plug holes and such. Great deal to at $9.99.

Edit: You better order 2 because you might want to keep one once you get your hands on one of these.

I think you mean an SK68.

Yeah I meant SK68 but the link has the right light sorry