…but I can’t find any with compartmental foam in the ones I’ve seen on ebay that will secure the lights when put in place. Any ideas? It would help when demo-ing lights or transporting them for outings and such.
Have you tried Harbor Freight? They sell them in 3 or 4 sizes.
Links? I just looked and they have only one attache case.
Harbor Freight is definitely one place. They’re not nearly as budget, but I am a huge fan of Pelican cases - worth checking out if you want something with a little more staying power.
PPtk
Rusty, I am very pleased with the case I bought at Harbor Freight. You can’t get it online, but you may have a local store. Here’s the link: Aluminum Case
What I like about it is: (1) it’s the right size to hold all my flashlights; (2) it has dividers which section it into 6 bins (you can adjust the sizes to your liking); (3) it has the pick-to-fit foam insert so you can shape it to hold your flashlights & accessories secure; (4) it has a sculpted top section to keep items secure when the case is being carried - which is not shown in the link above; (5) it has a removable panel with pockets to hold small tools (which IS shown in the link); (6) it has rounded corners and is relatively well made.
Although it’s pricey ($28), it’s a lot less expensive than the Pelican version which can be found HERE for the equivalent size, $122. That’s too much for one case in my miniscure budget!
Not sure about the links as my local store has them in 3 or 4 sizes. One of them is on sale for about $15 IIRC.
Wow. Thanks. Looks good, and maybe more than I need. I don’t see prices. I bet they rock.
So do you pull out cubes of foam to fit whatever item( s ) you have? And how many layers does it - can it - have? Their pictures leave some to be desired. I’d love to see more, but that is what I’d be after.
Looks awesome and $28 ain’t bad at all! That’s what I been needing, friend!
Pelican’s website does absolutely suck for pictures. They do rock though - we use Pelican Cases to ship very expensive ($100,000+ per box) equipment back and forth across the country, and it’s amazing the abuse they can take. I swear by Pelican. They may not be ‘budget’, but they are an excellent ‘value’.
Yes, you pluck out the little french-fries of foam to shape it to fit your object. Works amazingly well. The case I linked to, for instance, has two layers of the foam. You can always tell how many layers a case has by looking on the “print datasheet” page - like this…
http://pelican.com/cases_detail_print.php?Case=1520
and then finding the “Case accessories” section for this:
3 pc. Replacement Foam Set
The number of layers will always be one less than this number - because one piece is for the case lid.
PPtk
You can find a bunch on ebay, search “vanguard case”. I have used several over the years.
The HF case is OK, but the quality (and support) of the foam is a bit more ‘budget’ than I like.
Check out the Calumet Photo cases for near-Pelican quality at slightly more reasonable pricing.
I agree with Pilot. Pelican case are the best there is. I own more than a few. My wife keeps all of her photography equipment in a couple, I have two that I use kayak/canoe camping for things that just cannot get wet, and I have two big ones on my KLR just in case I too want to take The Long Way Around. Well worth every penny those case are IMHO.
My only caveat is that you need something more expensive than the case in the case to justify the cost. If you are are just using it to store your flashlight collection and to prevent Mrs. Joe from complaining about the mess on your nightstand, then Pelican is overkill both in terms of performance and value. And if what you mean by “transport” is taking your lights over to a friends house to play with them, then the HF box is likely tough enough.
And because my bride would love me to clean up my own nightstand, I think I will be poking my head into HF the next time I’m near one.
I have 3 of the Harbor Freight ones. All full of flashlights of course. 
http://www.harborfreight.com/17-3-4-quarter-inch-x-12-3-4-quarter-inch-x-5-3-4-quarter-inch-aluminum-case-35777.html
Hey Rusty, I was looking here … better pricing. I was looking at the 1150 or 1170 for a new handgun. Great prices. Lots of help on this blog, you should find something “:o)
Rusty,
I have that same case showed in the Harbor Freight link. You will need to get some type of foam to put in the top where the black tool insert is. I ended up using carpet padding in mine. But foam padding that goes in a gun case will be much better. But you won’t believe how much that padding is. I looked for some on the internet and said the heck with that for what they were wanting plus shipping.
Check ebay and see if you can find some cases there. If I were you, I would find one with foam on both top and bottom unless you have some already you can use and cut for a custom fit.
This one would be better.
No top foam? There goes that. The idea is for secure carry. The ebay one looks nice.
Take a look at this site:
Sorry, ILikeFL, there IS a foam top in the Harbor Freight Case, as I stated in my post above (#4). There is not in one of their other cases (with the square corners, and that case doesn’t have the pick’n’pluck foam either). The Harbor Freight Case I have, has both the foam top and the Pick’n’pluck foam in addition to the dividers. The Pelican case does NOT have the dividers, you would have to buy that separate.
OK rusty, pull the trigger before we all start a flame war!! 0:)
BTW, If I had the money, I would love to have some Pelican cases! I think they’re wonderful, fantastic, many sizes, many features, waterproof, practically bomb proof, and they come in different colors.
But I only make $13.43/hour as a mental health therapist (I’m thinking of getting promoted to a pizza delivery guy since they make much more money than I do) and that all goes towards mortgage, car payment, bills, and an occasional flashlight.
So Pelican is just a dream. In the meantime, I make do, so that’s where HF fits in. My hats of to Pilot and others promoting Pelican!! :party: