Recommend emergency flashlights for my cars?

Boaz · 2019-10-07T01:19:55.000Z

I have a few in my car but that's because I have a bazillion lights .

the cheapie in my console is a free light I got from a vendor a long time ago . It's a plug in the lighter light . Kind of an odd side button two mode with next mode memory and a strobe in the mode order . It's a pure junk light that actually gets used more than you'd think . has either an xpe ? or a fake emitter with a bunch of throw for it's size . I'm guessing it's worth about $5. but it's paid for itself ....Glad I didn't buy it :P

I keep 18650 lights in the car but don't leave them there expecting them to be fresh as a daisy until the next coming ice age . Like any light I check / rotate /use or play with ...at a minimum once or twice a year.

I don't see bugout and my car as the same thing.The light in my car gets used 20 times a year and in a few years will be replaced with something better

If bug out is your game and you're not willing to ever touch a light than put a pack of lithium primaries batteries in the light or pack candles

firedome · 2019-10-07T06:49:00.000Z

I do not like to keep anything expensive in the car, because it is subject to extreme temperatures or the risk of theft. So I keep a S2 in the glove box and a cheap 2xAA COB in the toolbox. I like the magnet on the COB.

Lightbringer · 2019-10-07T16:51:07.000Z

Was gonna suggest to anyone who’s not afraid of keeping an 18650 in a car, try the Nitefox UW360 worklight.

4 LEDs on an Al plate, magnetic base, membrane switch (high/low/off), gooseneck between base and head, quite nice to stick onto the side of the car if you’d need to change a tire, etc.

It’s a mule, so forget about throw, but it’s a quite nice area-light. I got 2 of ’em, but use both of them indoors.

Oh, usb charging, too, and included (protected) cell.

BOO5TED · 2019-10-07T17:30:34.000Z

My vote is a Nitecore MH12GTS, it takes CR123s, 18650s and uses the same usb charging cable as my phone. I always have the usb cable in my truck so if the light is low I can plug it in to charge up quickly. I’m in ATL and that light has seen 120 inside the truck during the summer to single digit temps(only a couple times lol) in the winter and never had any issues with it.

wle · 2019-10-07T19:20:20.000Z

i would not get AA or AAA - you will ignore the light, it is hot in the car, the thing will leak, invariably when you need it, it won’t work
plus it may be corroded beyond repair
unless you can remember to check the thing 4x a year

also, what is its real purpose?

i only consider my car light ‘the last resort’ - since if i can get the main EDC light out, i won;t go for the inferior car light.
so it almost never gets used
except maybe to look at something inside the car at night, while driving - again how often is that?

I just have some $4 CR123A twisties that are super small, 1 mode only
CR123As - in addition to not leaking - also have super long shelf life, like over 10 years

i’m also in atlanta

wle

amishbill · 2019-10-07T19:39:39.000Z

Another Atlanta guy….

I’ve had some double AA lights in my car for a while now. They’re old, and surprisingly dim in comparison to the turbocharged lumen monsters I’ve gotten used to, but they’re simple and durable. Yeah… Dim. Maybe 100-150 lumens… But, let me tell you. when you’re stuck at night in the middle of nowhere, it only takes a handful of lumens to make the difference.

WLE - the answer you seek is non-rechargeable lithium AA. They have all the benefits of non-rechargeable CR123, with the bonus of also accepting standard AA off the shelf of absolutely any store you’re near.

I’ve thought of using something small, simple and internally rechargeable like the Sofirn SC31 as a car light. If kept out of direct sunlight (like in a console or glove box) I’m not overly worried about the heat they’ll be exposed to, and being able to recharge with a USB cable is a definite mark in its favor. All you need to do is remember to check them once or twice a year and top off their charge. Yeah - you’re not supposed to keep Li-ion full charged if you want the best life out of them… BUT, how much good is a light that only has a half charge when you suddenly need it?

Lightbringer · 2019-10-07T20:23:43.000Z

Youse can all use alkaleaks in AA/AAA lights just fine. Just keep the cells separate and in a plastic bag so that even if they do leak, the corrosive ick won’t go beyond the confines of the bag.

Spares too, in case the main cells take a dump.

But in those cases, I’d just skip those hateful little alkaleaks entirely and stick with NiMH cells or Li primaries.

wle · 2019-10-07T21:03:46.000Z

i;ve used the lithium 1.5V, not impressed, they seem to have very low total energy

i forgot nimh as an option, but they have pretty high self-discharge.

but again, if you carry a good light in your pocket, when would you realistically use a car light?

i also agree that li-ion is probably ok even in heat and cold, for a non critical use

wle

Lexel · 2019-10-07T22:05:53.000Z

emergency light
use AA or CR123 primary lithium 3V battery

amishbill · 2019-10-07T22:20:03.000Z

wle:

…
i forgot nimh as an option, but they have pretty high self-discharge.
…

Older NiMH - can’t argue with you.

New “Precharged” NiMH have a much lower self discharge rate that the non-precharged versions. It’s worth looking into.

Lightbringer · 2019-10-08T00:56:32.000Z

Yeh, enelooops and amaloops are pretty good in that regard. LADDA cells (eneloops in drag), too.

SIGShooter · 2019-10-08T02:08:55.000Z

I keep a Sofirn 2 AA light, a cheap 3 AAA headlight, a 3 D cell maglite, and a 12v spotlight with the cable in my car. The maglite is something I have left over from decades ago and I figured I might as well leave it in the car. I have primary lithium batteries in the AA and AAA lights and also spare enloops in a plastic bag.

That’s on top of an Olight AAA light on the car key ring and a Convoy S2 that I normally carry.

cm64 · 2019-10-10T12:05:39.000Z

I keep one of these in my car. Cheap & quite good for close up use.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32833798268.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dzIGuhg

buck91 · 2019-10-29T17:51:53.000Z

I switched from CR123 lights to AA lights running L91 cells in my trucks a couple years ago. No real reason other than I prefer a little larger form factor in my vehicles (easier to find, harder to lose, etc). Running a 5.11 XBT A6 in one truck which I am EXTREMELY happy with. Runs two parallel stacks of 3AA cells so it can run either 6AA or 3AA plus gobs of throw. I have a Coast HP14 in the other which is OK but I wouldn’t re-purchase. Not as bright as others out there, goofy zoomie head and worst yet the switch has been somewhat unreliable.

Since you are talking about CR123 lights I’ll tell you what I have run in the past and thats Surefire G2 lights. I actually really liked the old G2 incan I had in my glovebox for years. Surely those 65 lumens were Surefire lumens because the bang thing never let me down! I also have a G2L-FY which has the 120lm head. Obviously dated but they were both great in their day. I do like the 2-mode (Police model?) G2X I have that starts on high with a clicky tailcap.

If I was going to put a modern CR123 light in the truck it would be something like the Streamlight Polytac HP or the Lumensfactory Seraph 9 with or without Turbo head. I have a 3-cell Streamlight Protac iHL 3 in the gun cabinet which would be ideal as well. Right now I’m looking to buy or build a 4-cr123 compatible p60 module to use in a old Cabelas XPG host; just not sure how hard I can push it in the plastic host.

My goals with a truck light is to be able to spot addresses, scope out camping sites in state forests and other longer range tasks. It also has to have longer runtime options to allow for emergency use in roadside repair or other extended situations. Wonderful age in lighting, today. Many, many top notch options!

EDIT: I didn’t think of this until now, but when I paid-on-call fire I carried my Streamlight Survivor (LED) on my turn outs and used it often when working downed lines and such. Not the highest lumens compared to other lights but great LUX. Very useful that you could leave it on the 12v charging cradle, though that would be less useful for many people.

Lightbringer · 2019-10-29T20:45:07.000Z

If only the Z1 would have onboard charging…

TheIntruder · 2019-10-29T21:13:39.000Z

I’m happy with the Sofirn SP32v2.

Well-rounded, very flexible, and can take CR123s if it sits in the car, or 18650s when it doesn’t.

jasontheguitarist · 2019-10-29T21:27:20.000Z

I have a Rayovac Indestructible 2xAA and an Ultratac A1 with Ultimate Lithiums in both of them in my console. The Ultratac for the lower modes and floodier beam, and the larger Rayovac for a throwier beam. I don’t want to keep any of the good stuff in the car.

Unloco · 2019-10-30T00:39:22.000Z

I use Zanflare F2 with white eneloops and a blister of 6 alkaleaks for emergencies.

Oli · 2019-10-30T02:05:55.000Z

Wowtac A1S. It doesn’t have moonlight but it’s got a reasonable low and over 1000 lms on high. Reliable and not afraid to get dirty. It’s too big for me to EDC so it sits in the vehicle as a work light. I would certainly rely on it on in an emergency kit in the car. And it’s been $26 on Amazon.com now for quite a few months. The Convoy S2+ would work equally as well as an emergency kit light packed away in a car.

SKIF2 · 2019-11-07T21:20:16.000Z

Maybe I am too old fashioned, but still keep a few pcs of Sipik SK68 with Energizer AA Lithium inside. Cheap and simple for emergency light (the one you need from never to once in 10 yrs)