Not too long ago, i was in the same place as you, wanting a light that would stand up to hard abuse. I do a lot of drywall, and dust and grime getting into the electronics killed a couple of my under-$100 lights.
I was tired of lights that died after a couple months. I did find the answer, and at first i was put off by the price, but it’s definitely worth it.
First some general info:
- POTTED: When it comes to water and dust resistance, you definitely want potted electronics (sealed in acrylic) if you expect it to last over a year of daily abuse. This is not a feature seen regularly in under $100 lights.
- FLOOD: I’m guessing you do mostly close-up work, and rarely need to see something 50 yards away, so you definitely want a wide, dispersed, flood beam, not a thrower. The wider the better.
- CRI: Some LED’s have a blue-ish tint to them, and red objects will appear to be black. You do not want to miswire black to red, so you NEED a high Color Rendering Index. Any light with a CRI of less than 90 should be unacceptable to you.
- Pocket or Clip? This is a matter of personal preference. Clips are removable. I’d get one, and see if I like it. You probably want to stay away from crenellated bezels.
- 500 LUMENS or better. This means AA batteries are out of the picture. Not enough voltage. You need 18650.
Durability:
For extreme toughness there are really only two brands (in my mind at least). Elzetta and Surefire. Both are made in the USA.
Both are the types of light you would use “If your life depended on it.”
Surefires are pretty damn good, I had two, but I sold them, because Elzetta is probably the toughest light on the planet.
I carry Elzetta Bravos. One of my favorite things is to hand one to somebody and say, “Go ahead, throw it down the street as far as you can” One of them has been thrown half a dozen times with no damage except scratches to the anodizing. I’m not saying you can’t do that with a surefire, but i have absolutely no fear when i whip an Elzie at concrete. (surefires have a glass lens while Elzie’s have a solid acrylic lens.)
You really have to experience this. There are videos online of Elzettas getting dropped from helicopters, shot point-blank with a shotgun, but the one that got me was where they took it completely apart and put it back together, WHILE UNDERWATER.
Rechargable?
These brands are both designed for police or weapon use, where your life might actually depend on it. Both mainly use CR123 “primary” batteries. CR123 are more reliable, and do not have the “protection circuit” of most rechargeable batteries. These are not rechargeable. (surefire does have some rechargeable models)
The way to get a rechargeable elzetta is to buy from Oveready. They bore out the inside so that an 18650 battery will fit.
My final recommendation:
Elzetta Bravo purchased from Oveready. 600 lumens. (900L if you use two 18350)
Flood Lens
Hi-Lo Tailcap
Standard Bezel
Ugly Elzetta Belt Clip that will clip on a stepladder pretty well. Stops roll around.
Two Panasonic NCR18650PF 2900mAh batteries. This hybrid IMR lithium manganese chemistry cells are considered safer than lithium cobalt cells as they are less likely to go into thermal runaway and catch fire or explode and so are unprotected cells. Also half the price of 3400mAh cells.
Just about any 18650 charger will do.
SO you will be close to $250 by the time your done. Is it worth it? What I tell people is…
“If you buy an Elzetta, you will NOT be sorry you did…. until the day you lose it, at which time you will be very sorry.”
or
“the only problem is who do I leave it to in my will?”
If that’s way out of your budget i have another suggestion, a really great light for the money, a true bargain, is the BLF A6. Get it while it’s hot.
Code now public! BLF A6 FET+7135 Light. Short 18350 tubes and Unanodized Lights Available BLF A6 XPL 1600Lumen 7 / 4Modi EDC LED Taschenlampe 18650 Sale - Banggood Deutschland sold out-arrival notice-arrival notice
Get version 5A. The one thing that you must have is a High CRI of 90 or higher. You want a color temperature of around 4000k, if you get up around 5000k you will not be able to tell black from red. Flood is priority number two. The other things i mentioned sure would be nice, though.
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Links for newbies.
http://lygte-info.dk
http://www.flashlightreviews.ca/cpf.htm
http://www.surefire.com/illumination/flashlights/p1r-b-peacekeeper.html
http://www.elzetta.com/modular-flashlights/bravo-series-2-cell-body.html
http://www.oveready.com/elzetta-flashlights/cat_86.html Bravo out of stock right now. Wait a couple weeks, they’ll be back.