Most all the flashlights I see are boasting about how far they can throw light. I guess that’s great if you’re trying to find a bear in the woods 1/2 mile away from you. But if you need to do anything REAL, that most people would be doing, like working on your car at night, or working on the house or raking leaves and the sun is going down on you and you need to finish, a bright spot light isn’t going to help you much, and if you’re working on your car it’s going to cast harsh shadows and probably be a detriment. A soft light is what you need in those cases.
Cooper Lighting used to make the Might D Light, no longer made now.
What a GREAT flashlight it was!
You could have a traditional spot with the flashlight end, or have a soft flood light that were on the handle. The spot was at the end. You could have either spot or flood, or both at the same time.
It had a swivel spot light so you could put it somewhere and aim it where you needed it.
It had a pull out handle so you could hang it up. If you’re working in the yard, just hang it on the nearest tree.
It had a magnet so you could attach it to anything metal.
It had a wrist strap so you could easily carry it in your hand.
It had a belt clip so you could carry it easily.
It even had a bottle opener built into it.
It provided 9 hours of light.
It was rechargeable.
It had reflectors on the side so cars with headlights could see you at night if you didn’t even have it on.
And it wasn’t junk!! It didn’t die after just 6 weeks! It was made well with good components. 10 years later, mine is still working, not as good as it once did, but it’ll still provide maybe 1 to 2 hours of light.
And it cost… $18.00!
At the time this was made, 200 lumens was pretty good. I was hoping there’d be a new flashlight similar to this with new technology and more power that could provide some serious light. I saw lights like the Strion Switchblade and the Braun but it looks like those would break easily at the neck if you dropped them. Especially if you were doing something a bit rugged outdoors like raking leaves or painting the house where the sun is going down on you, you fold them over a tree branch to give it a V shape so it could hang, and it slips off and falls since I don’t think they have handles on them. Seems like those would break, whereas the Might D Light had a handle or wrist strap that you could hang it with and even if it did fall, it’s not in a very vulnerable V shape.
There is heaps of chineseium lights with a normal flashlight and a flood strip in the side. Not quite what you mean tho. Certainly not premium quality.
Id say the cooper light is still under patent. As there is no obvious copies.
Wurkkos and wuben make lights with a flood and lantern option on a flashlight.
Wurkkos HD02
Wurkkos TS27
Wuben X4
Wuben X2
All decent quality lights with far far more than 200 lumens i found in a couple minutes of searching.
No doubt there are others from reputable manufacturers
Have a pleasant time at this friendly forum, Whocares!
I have a Sofirn headlight with a throwy emitter and a floody emitter.
Otherwise, for regular flashlights, I like to have one emitter that is somewhat floody and somewhat throwy.
The XHP50.3 HI and SFT70 are good examples.
My favorite emitter right now, though, is the LHP531.
It’s a bit less throwy than the other emitters, but it has more output.
You are ahead of me on flashlights. I’m not sure what you’re talking about when it comes to the different types of emitters and how that equates to a better or worse flashlight. I just want to buy a (good) flashlight and be done.
Which flashlights might be good that provide both soft lighting, and traditional throw flashlight, and be durable? I’ve read reviews on some flashlights where people say “It was great at first but then I charged it and tucked it away for an emergency and 6 weeks later when I needed it, it didn’t work!”.
“Which flashlights might be good that provide both soft lighting, and traditional throw flashlight”
You’ve answered your own query. Some emitters are intense and directional… aka thow. Some are less intense and warmer… aka softer, ‘wider’ lighting. Some are a compromise resulting in a mixture of the two, but not as good as either.
Then one can combine different lenses and reflectors to enhance those characteristics.
Storing a light for weeks or months is a different subject. One of battery chemistry (self discharge) and flashlight parasitic drain. All flashlights suffer the same in this regards. Nothing rechargeable will store indefinitely.
Perhaps if you outline what the light will be used for we can better make suggestions. You’ve mentioned work light. Now you’ve mentioned soft lighting, throw and emergency.
The perfect light doesnt exist, or this forum would be redundant. Ive suggested several somewhat similar to the multi purpose work light you originally mentioned. Some of which have throw and soft warmth AND replaceable batteries.
The Wuben x2 Pro seems really nice, but at $150, I’ll look for another choice. The closest I’ve found so far was the 800 and 2500 lumen Husky light, both $25, and both at this link below. The 2500 lumen is really nice but it’s soft light only, no throw light. I haven’t seen the 800 lumen one in person yet.
I saw a number of bad reviews where people said their light would only hold a charge for 2 or 3 days before it needed charging again. My old Cooper Lighting Might D Light can hold a charge for probably a year. I never tested that theory since I want them to work when I need them, but it did hold a charge for at least 8 months one time. I routinely charge them once every 3 months and keep one in my car trunk. Even after 10 years of being in the hot Atlanta sun at 98 degrees (and therefore probably 120 in the trunk of the car since temps are measured in the shade and the car is sitting in full sun) and some days down at 10 degrees in the winter… this $18 flashlight is still working. And it DOES have soft lighting and throw and does a good job of both, because it has TWO different lights. The soft lighting is on the handle. The spot lighting is at the end.
Closest thing I can think of is a Sofirn If23 (bigger 21700 battery) and If24 (smaller 18650 battery). Both have pro versions that further complicate decisions too. But honestly it sounds like you want something that just works. So I’d say if you don’t want to bother with flashlight nerd details just get an If 24 on Amazon for $25.
No swivel light head, that’s a rare thing. But has a pocket clip, lanyard hole, magnet, and two different light sources. And best of all it has one of the most important things, a removable battery.
I’m going to look at the Lowes flashlight. $35 as well but with a “no hassle” lifetime warranty. That’s really hard to beat, especially when I read so many bad reviews on flashlights on Amazon.
i have the Kobalt posted above.
it has held a charge for 7 months…so far.
18650C 2500/ USB-C slot on battery.
4 modes: H/M/L and Flood.
no memory. starts in High.
click through to turn off.
white but not blue-white.
it gets hot on High.
7 months is good. Better than the reviews I read on Amazon about some of them where they say theirs held a charge for 3 days then was dead. The whole idea of a flashlight is that it works when you need it, provided you charge it occasionally.
I’m not into these stupid “12 different modes and 14 different blinking colors” flashlights where the button will break after they use it a few times. It’s like, who cares?? Skip that crap and get me functional things like a handle so I can hang it, a swivel head so I can point the light at what I’m working on, long use time (like 8 hours), and a product that is reliable and durable, will work for years. Skip the fluff and get me content!
I have no faith at all in Amazon reviews, far too many written by people who have no idea what they’re talking about, how to use the product or who failed to read the description before buying.
Nobody here thinks you can buy just one flashlight and be done.
200 lumens at that time was not pretty good.
That is just an oversized bottle opener. And it’s not a flashlight it is a work light.
Some of us do want to see a bear in the woods at a half a mile but the trees get in the way.
It sounds like you are bound and determined to buy something at a big box store.
Nobody cares about what you’re reading on Amazon about lights that you have not identified and that we know nothing about. And we don’t want you to identify them.
I’m sure you can find what you want at The Big box store but it won’t have a bottle opener and do everything all in one unit so you’re going to have to buy two.
If you are willing to buy 2 or 3 separate lights and spend more money then people can help.
One of them needs to be a headlight.
