I've been into flashlights for as long as I can remember. As with many of my interests, I guess it was my grandfather that started it all. He used to keep a flashlight in every room of the house, in the sheds, in the vehicles, pretty much everywhere. It became a running theme for me to find some kind of new or intersting flashlight to give him as a Christmas gift.
Well, flashlights sure have come a long way over the past 30 years. Now, one can obtain a flashlight that fits on a key ring, takes one AAA battery, and emits more light than the old incandescent flashlights that ran off of the large 6V lantern batteries thanks to state of the art LED technology.
I recommend that having a flashlight in your vehicle and major rooms of the dwelling, and those can be of any size. My personal facorites for the cars and house are the Mag Lite 2D and 3D cells with LEDs. They put out plenty of light, are extremely sturdy and water resistant (unless you completely submerge them for a great length of time), and in a pinch, can be used as a self-defense tool.
However, since most of us are not law enforcement or security personnel, most of us will not be walking around with a duty belt that has a Mag Lite hanging on it. Therefore, I am devoting this post to discussing flashlights that can carried by almost anyone as part of their overall EDC gear.
Let me begin by stating that a flashlight, in my opinion, is one of the three essential items of an overall EDC kit: flashlight; knife; lighter or matches (preferably a lighter). With those three items, one will be able to address most of the problems / obstacles / chores faced in everyday life. There are exceptions of course, and additions (such as a small minor first aid kit), but those three should be able to assist in most daily tasks. I will address the other two in future posts, but will focus on flashlights in this post.
If you have ever started looking for flashlights for EDC, you probably have seen the wide variety of options, as well as a wide range of prices. While that may seem daunting, it is actually beneficial, as one should be able to find a flashlight that not only meets their ligt output needs, but also their budget. Since there are thousands of flashlights to choose from, I am going to focus more on the characteristics of a good EDC flashlight, in my humble opinion, and then provide examples of what I use for EDC.
When considering an EDC flashlight, I look for a few characteristics. First is the size. The flashlight needs to be small enough and thin enough to carry in pocket comfortably. There are plenty of small flashlights that are inexpensive on the market, but most of them are lacking in other important features.
Next, the brightness of the flashlight. There are a few different ways that the brightness of a flashlight are expressed, especially the LED ones. For simplicity sake, I will refer to lumens instead of candlepower or watts. For a primary EDC flashlight, I typically look for one that is in the 30-60 lumens range. I've found that anything higher than that tends to reflect too much light off walls. There are reasons to have flashlights with higher output, but those are more specialized in nature. I've found that 30-60 lumens should be adequate for most tasks (it wasn't too long ago that many of the very high end weapons lights were rated at 60 lumens).
Third, is ergonomics. Specifically as they relate to the operation of the flashlight. Flashlights have several ways to turn them on and off, from twisting the tail caps or headlamps to buttons. I prefer flashlights to have buttons, especially tailcap buttons. A button allows the flashlight to be used one-handed, whereas the twisting kind require both hands.
Fourth, I prefer LEDs over incandescent or xenon. LEDs last a lot longer. The diode can last thousands of hours, whereas incandescent or xenon bulbs will burn out much faster. Additionally, LEDs are more efficient and get more life from the batteries. LEDs are also cooler in temperature - incandescent, xenon, halogen, etc. all get very hot, especially in the higher lumens flashlights. Lastly, I prefer the light that the LED produces, it is, in my opinion, cleaner.
Fifth, the types of batteries used. I prefer to get flashlights that use standard battery types, especially AA and AAA. AA and AAA batteries can be found almost anywhere, and they are relatively inexpensive. I try to avoid getting lights that require the CR123 batteries, or other more difficult types like AAAA or the watch type batteries. CR123 batteries can make the flashlight smaller with higher output, but they are not always available and are more expensive than AA or AAA. I reserve my CR123s for use in dedicated weapon lights.
Lastly, is the price. I don't want to spend a couple hundred dollars on an EDC flashlight. I will admit, I have done it, but regret it, due to the speed at which flashlight technology changes. Price will also dictate how many compromises or sacrifices you will need to make on the above features. However, after much trial and error, I finally found a few options that meet most, if not all, of the above criteria, and still remain relatively inexpensive.
The two lights I carry with me as part of my EDC are the Streamlight Stylus Pro and a Life+Gear Mini Aluminum Flashlight Keychain.
The Life+Gear Mini Aluminum Flashlight I found at Target for a price I couldn't pass up, so I bought about 5 or 6 of them. If I come across anymore at the price I found them for, I will buy more. It is a handy little light that I have clipped on a #0 S-Biner on my Nite Ize S-Biner Key Rack. I have used this light even more than I have Stylus Pro, especially for opening house door locks in the dark. You will notice that the light has a lot of wear to the black finish, that is from the key rack, but I think it also adds some character to the little light.
The above picture shows their light in a fully lit room. They are quite bright and their beams do go a good distance. Even though the Stylus Pro is not a dedicated weapon light, I would have no problem using it for that purpose if I had to, especially since its slim prfile would allow for a modified two-handed grip as opposed to the supported one-handed grip.
There are several flasjlights to choose from out there, so choose one (or more) that best suit your needs and budget. While the Stylus Pro and the Life+Gear Mini Aluminum work for me, they may not suit everyone's needs.
Stay Safe. Be Prepared. Defeat the Dark.
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