Hi all,
I am to the age where I consider most of what I buy, including clothes and gear, I am going to use the rest of my life, so within reason, I buy stuff that will make me happy (or conversely, I shy away from stuff that might make me unhappy). This report is of a flashlight that makes me happy.
Really good gear
There are probably individuals who, in regular life, use flashlights more than I do, but I suspect there are not many. Living on a boat or RV there are always nooks and crannies where light does not penetrate or I am up at night to check on something. I have gone through a lot of flashlights, high end and inexpensive, and most have disappointed.
I do want to recommend a flashlight which I have used a lot over 3-4 years: not a long time, but enough to give a report.
For me, everyday (not specialty) flashlight attributes include:
small size,
multiple intensity levels ranging from dim where night vision is little affected, to bright,
able to hold firmly in my mouth so both hands are free (helps sometimes to put a few layers of athletic tape on the light for grip by one’s teeth)
LED for long battery life
Does not roll around when put down (for use on a boat)
Water/rain resistant (I have other lights for underwater use.)
A place to tie on a lanyard/loop
One handed turning on and off
Able to survive a fall from waist or table height onto a hard surface
I do not need:
SOS blinking capacity nor any blinking capacity,
A red light for night vision (my experience is that night vision is more affected by intensity than color, so a dull setting preserves night vision while being adequate for many functions)
Clips and holders of various types (aside from somewhere to tie a loop)
I have a Prometheus Lights BETA QRV2 classic (https://www.google.com/search?q=prometheus+lights&oq=promethius+lights&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i10i512l9.8885j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) and have used it for 3-4 years now. It is my go-to light for all immediate flashlight needs which means an average day of maybe 4-10 uses, sometimes far more). I have used it for ‘projects” but tend to use my headlamp or other work lights for extended use. It is about the size of a ChapStick lip balm.
The light lasts for a very long time with my re-chargeable batteries (the flashlight is not rechargeable; I recharge the AAA battery it needs separately.). Its dull light level is enough to guide one safely while walking at night while its bright level is very bright and is only used when I need a “spotlight”. There is a medium level.
It is waterproof to IPX8.
The light is small enough so I frequently take it with me as it can be very handy at times: menus in a dim restaurant comes to mind. It could be attached to a set of keys (as many small lights recommend), but a light with a set of keys attached is quite relegated to lighting keyholes alone.
Although, the light is designed for 2 handed operation (a twist), I can do it one handed: I suspect not everyone could do so. (One handed push-button switches are hard to design properly: waterproofness and the added complication of the switch can become a source of trouble).
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy