So just kind of a do-nothing general-purpose light?
Might as well get one that works off ’123 primaries, then.
Simon makes the brand Convoy. He is highly regarded around here as are his flashlights.
If you will leave the flashlight in a bag for long periods of time, you may be better off using lithium primary cells (non-rechargeable batteries with a long standby time). Liion batteries (like 18650 and other sizes) don’t like to be charged up and left to sit (or even worse, run down for a long time, then recharged), whereas with a lithium primary, you can usually count on it being a reliable standby.
Others here will have more educated opinions on “how long is too long?” type questions. If the light is going to be used more frequently, a lithium ion rechargeable is easily a great choice.
Excuse my ignorance, but when you say primary lithium cells, can you explain what type of battery you are referring to? (It just link to an example or two)?
Thanks
1,5V Primary lithium cells in the AA/AAA form factor.
Energizer L91 Lithium, Energizer Ultimate Lithium.
Eg, a CR123A would be a good choice in a 16340 form-factor. Energizer Lithiums are another in 14500/AA.
Btw, 16340 and similar numbers mean 16mm in diameter, and 34mm long.
’123s last pretty much forever, and most cop-shops use them in lights where they supply the batteries. FD, also.
Most importantly, THEY DON’T LEAK. If you get AA lights and leave alkaleaks in ’em, guaranteed when you need it most and try to use it, you’ll find only a salt-block wedged inside the light, and no power.
So… if you’re gonna use a light in a BOB, keep batteries that won’t take a dump in whatever you’ve got them in.
And lights that have any parasitic drain will run down even big Li-ion cells over time.
Now…
A SP32Av2, a MH20/MH20GT, any light that can take one 18650 or a pair of ’123s, would be the best choice. Use the former when you’re actually using the light, or the latter if you’re just keeping it for just-in-case.
KBoater.
As explained above. Simon. Convoy…. 100+% person. dealings.
Any torches I take anywhere. and keep in container/bag, long term.
I just carry torch Empty. and battery’s in their sealed pack
They mostly on a 10 yr storage cycle.
and how long does it take to put battery in torch.
I and everybody I know. (Just about).
carry one of those little flat/round/ press side to activate lights
Size of 2 x 10c coins on top of each other.
On ALL my keyrings. Boat, house. whatever.
with another half a Dozen (whoops. 4 now) in comp desk drawer.
Bloody granddaughters.
They about $5 for a pack of 10 from on here.
Battery’s I’ve got and been happy with on here.
Panasonic 18650B’s.
Samsung 18650 30Q.
Soshine Black 26650. (4400. 4500.5500)
Soshine ICR 14500 9-00 mAh
Soshine AAA/10440 LI-PO cells.
These came in a 4 pack. 2 x cells. 2 x Connectors (Dummy cells).
to take up the space of second battery
as they 3.2v over the 1.5v AAA’s.
IE Cook… Small power torches.
And 2 x BASSEN 26650’s 60a Max pulse current.
Basically ALL from Gearbest or Bangood.
Couple from ?? (can’t remember).
Basically. look around these coupon buys.
They usually have Battery’s. Chargers, and torches.Knives.
They only last a week or so. some less.
So you have to be quick.
Locally. Fine. for supply…
But cost usually 2 to 3 times the cost of these.
Like my 123. $17.50 for 1.
and 18350’s the same. ($15 ea from memory)
There are other Aussie’s here too.
They will have other contacts for their battery’s.
ANYBODY?……….
I’m alright for general questions on what I have/have done.
But brain damage. NO memory. (motorbike accident back in ’90).
I can’t remember finer points. like who, where. and when.
Gets very frustrating. but better than the alternative believe me.
For bugout, I like the new usb rechargeable lights w/solar panel combo. I do keep some 123’s just cuz they’ll last without leaking and aren’t too big an investment. I’d highly recommend jumpin on the BLF lantern group buy, it’s going to be the best emergency all purpose light. I also like getting the short and long tube convoys for easier pocket carry or swapping to longer run time. The astrolux s41 also has lego factor.
Thanks. What is this blf buy you are referencing?
I think this recommendation fits the bill.
I haven’t tried either of these lights that Lightbringer is suggesting, but I’ve seen them suggested elsewhere. The ability to keep a pair of CR123s handy for long term storage and an 18650 for more frequent usage makes them a winner for your use case.
I’m not sure what I’d recommend on the headlamp front where CR123s are concerned. A high quality budget headlamp (as suggested above) is the Wowtac A2S. I have personally used the Wowtac A2 (main difference if I recall is that it is $10 cheaper, comes with a lower capacity battery, and the tint of the light is not what most people prefer around here… still serviceable though). I bought the A2 over the A2S because I intended to mod it (put in a 95 CRI Samsung LH351 in 5000k and a new driver with Anduril), but it was perfectly usable as it came. I gave it to my brother after modding it. He uses it for work (pest control) and is very satisfied.
I imagine the upgrades on the A2S are worth the $10, and you wouldn’t need to purchase a charger if you used the battery it came with (the battery has integrated charging and plugs into a micro usb cable).
If you will use the light more frequently than “in case of emergency” (as I imagine most bug out bags are designed for), these are all good choices… just remember:
non-rechargeable lithium primaries (i.e. single use) for long term storage and rechargeable lithium ion for regular use (e.g. 18650, 26650, 21700, 14500, etc).
It is this thread:
BLF LT1 Lantern - *BLF LT1 Lantern Project) (updated Nov,17,2020)
And…I wish you luck not getting much more confuse with the lots of suggestions given here 
This:
Basically the best lantern ever designed/produced as far as I’m concerned.
They are almost ready to begin production, and if you join the group buy (post in that thread saying something like “I am interested in one” or “I want to buy 32”) you can get in on the initially lower price (projected around $50-60 at this point).
It uses 4 cells, so budget another $30-50 for those if you are planning to get one. It’ll come from China, and it could take a while to ship… just be prepared to wait for good things like this. The lantern has all sorts of features, but check out the first post over there for the details to see if it is something you would even want.
great advice from mascaratumB.
Maybe pick one light to start and see what you like/don’t like about it. Then, use what you learn for the next light you may want/need/etc. You don’t have to buy all the lights RIGHT NOW. Look around the forum and see what is out there.
Can the wowtec take another battery as may of you recommend? I know it takes the 18650, but can it take some of the other batteries you guys are recommending that won’t leak or can be left charged?
https://www.amazon.com/Headlamp-Headlight-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Headlamps/dp/B071HW5XQH/
I don’t know that it is officially supported. I think I saw somewhere that a person tried it and it was “fine” , but two CR123s will have a higher voltage than one 18650. I think if the light is strictly for emergency use (used infrequently) you might want a different light. If you have one that can use CR123s or 18650s and one that is only 18650, then you’ll probably be covered well enough by that combo. Having a rechargeable could be pretty useful if you can’t get more primaries in an emergency situation but have access to electricity (solar panels, wind power, vehicle powered 12v socket, etc).
I don’t think it is a hard and fast rule that you have to use lithium primaries, rather it is a strong suggestion as they are best suited for that use. If you have a quality/new lithium and you leave it in your bag for 8-10 years, it’ll probably still work when you need it. The rechargeable may not, or it may not have much of a charge at that point. A mix of both provides the best coverage.
EDIT:
18650 is a measurement of cell size. I typically am referring to rechargeable lithium ion 18650s when I use the term for our discussion here, the size is less relevant than the chemistry (lithium ion rechargeable vs lithium primary). On these types of batteries, the first two digits are the diameter in mm, and the second two are the length in mm. Other sizes include 14500 (size of a standard AA alkaline) and 26650 (closer to a C or D size alkaline). I think most of these will never leak, but rechargeable batteries tend to have a higher self discharge rate than lithium “primary” batteries.
Alkaline batteries will leak eventually, and this is bad because the stuff they leak is corrosive. Only use alkaline batteries for things like TV remotes or toys. Rechargeable NiMH batteries are typically a better choice for the standard sizes (AA, AAA, etc) when you find yourself changing batteries often as they don’t leak, tend to last longer (for my uses anyway), and are rechargeable. You can also get lithium primaries in these sizes, and they have lower self-discharge rates for devices that you don’t use often.
Thanks so much! I’ll get it figured out with all of everyoned help 
From what you are saying, it would be best to find a headlight they takes both 18650 and cr123 or another lithium?
Maybe I’ve already missed it, but is there a headlight that does take the 18650, and either the cr123 or another lithium?
This is quite confusing for someone new to all this
Edit, I see some handheld flashlights that were recommend meet this bill and I think I’ll purchase. Are there any recommend headlights that meet this bill also?
Short answer: NO!
You can only use 18650 batteries.
See this video, minute 6.36.
Look at the “Working Voltage” and you will see 4.2V as maximum. So, this flashlight/headlamp can only use 1x18650 cell.
I’ve been reading about the 32A v2. I think I’m going to go with it. It comes with 18650, so now I need to figure out the cr123 batteries. Where from and how much.
Now that I’ve got the flashlight squared away (besides the cr123 batteries) , I need to figure out a headlight. I was think one that takes the same combination of 18650 and cr123 would be a good idea for the headlight to match up with the flashlight. Thoughts? If possible, would like to stay under the $30 mark
Looks like sofrin also makes a headlight sp40 that takes the 18650 also. So if the sofrin 32a (which I am planning on getting) takes both 18650 and the cr123, maybe the sofrin sp40 headlight will take both?
Edit, Reading some reviews it looks like it will take both the 18650 and the cr123….so is this what people would recommend? I was going to go with the recommend wowtac headlight, but as some have recommended it only takes 18650…so maybe this sofrin light is the one to go with?
So go with the sofrin headlight which does not have many amazon reviews (I’m sure all of you know more then amazon reviews) which takes 18650, 18630, and cr123
Or wowtac which just takes 18650
Or does anyone have another suggestion under $30 I should consider?
Again, I appreciate all the help
Old news, but Vipon had coupons for Morpilot ’123s, think 16/box and 20/box, which were/are pretty good. But they were half-off at Amazon.
Sofirn is well regarded around here… I think their headlamp is fairly new, but you should be able to find a review on this site (use the search on the top left for SP40). I think it is likely a decent option. I don’t know if it takes CR123s or not, but a review here would likely have that info.