I just sent this to one of our members who needs a new flashlight - it's a recap of what I recommend in buying flashlights.
I recommend these online sources for flashlights:
4Sevens:
http://www.4sevens.com discount: 8% off any item, $20 minimum order, Code: CPF8 typically free shipping on all orders
They used to be the prime source for Fenix lights, and have now branched into selling their own label - Quark. The Quark lights are great. This is a very good source, sometimes offering specials and always with good service and warranty.
Going Gear:
http://www.goinggear.com 10% off with coupon code ggcpf10, and free shipping on domestic orders over $49.
They sell a lot of stuff...but I like the ITP flashlight brand, the AAA and AA versions are just great, and a bargain.
Bug Out Gear USA:
http://www.bugoutgearusa.com 10% off JetBeam lights, use code: cpfjet and you can get free domestic shipping on orders over $49.99.
This is another dealer with a range of stuff, in particular a good source for the high-end JetBeam flashlights, most of these are excellent.
Shining Beam
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/StoreFront 6% off with coupon code CPFuser Flat rate shipping charge of $2.75 in US
This guy is in NYC, sells Romisen, ESE, and ITP lights at good prices. These are good quality lights. ITP seems to stand out from the cheaper ESE and Romisen (although they are usually OK). Prices here are really a bargain, good service.
Dorcy:
http://www.dorcy.com and for 20% off and free shipping go to
http://www.dorcydirect.com and use coupon code: CANDLE
There are some of these that represent a real bargain, but some of them are pretty weak.
Look for lights with Cree LED's, the Q5 and R2 are the brighter types, but it gets more complicated than that. In buying any powerful flashlight, you have to think about batteries. Most people either use the CR123 lithium batteries (expensive, not rechargeable) or the AA nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries. I am in the NIMH camp. If you use the lights a lot, CR123's get expensive, even when purchased in quantity at web sources. There are some people using the rechargeable lithium ion batteries, these are powerful, expensive, somewhat exotic (they can essentially blow up on you). The CR123 lithium batteries are popular because they are 3 Volts, and they pack a lot of energy in a small battery. But, they are not so common, and you can burn up $3-4 worth of these non-rechargeable batteries in a couple of hours really easily.
CR123 batteries were the basis for the popular Surefire flashlights that many LEO's carry. Now that miniaturized electronics circuits and LED's perform so well, I see no reason to use these. I do own a Surefire 9P with a Malkoff lamp module, it's great, but for a fraction of the money, you can get a light that performs as well.
My recommended battery solution is the Sanyo Eneloop AA and AAA format, these batteries have "low self discharge", meaning that you can charge them, and a year later they retain 90% of the charge. This is a big improvement over the NiMH performance of a few years back. For my money, this type of battery stands above others in performance, and they will give thousands of charges. Truly a lifetime battery if properly charged. Sometimes the best deals on these batteries can be found on Amazon.com
So now, we have the issue of charging these batteries. I recommend a good "smart" charger like the Maha MH-C9000. It is rather pricey at $50, but it does a great job, and handles this type of battery superbly. Thomas distributing has this and other charger options at decent prices. Also a good source for just about any battery.
http://www.thomasdistributing.com/Another good battery source, I understand their private label "Tenergy" brand is a good buy.
http://www.batteryjunction.com/cpf2010 discount code
