My current penlights .

[Styerman]

I use penlights a lot , mainly for looking into holes , hollows etc . A small head , and low power are a distinct advantage . ATM , I'm carry two old friends , the AAAA Steamlight Stylus , and the Stylus reach . The Reach is very handy , due to the flexable shaft that allows hands free hanging - very handy when trying to hook and grab a fishtape , and similar minor surguries .

After several  bad experiences with lower end clicky switches , I like the pushy/twisty combination on the original Stylus . The AAAA batts are a bit of a PITA to find , but they last a good while . I'm lucky to have a good source for them .

Chris

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm really not sure if I like the format of pen lights

[Styerman]

Mike , couldn't agree with you more for EDC , in that role I prefer the 1xCR123 lites . For me they are task lites , often used in very confined spaces , and for dumb stuff like reading obscure terminal designations , etc inside panels , looking for fishes etc .

Chris

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

For specific tasks like that there probably pretty good then

[Gareth]

For some reason I've rather grown too like the penlight format as well.  This is the one that's been getting used quite a lot at work recently.  It's a re-branded Dorcy light.



When I've scrapped together a touch of cash I'm planning on getting a slightly better spec light.  Looking at either the Eagletac PN20a2 or the 4sevens Preon 2.
 

[parnass]

I, too, like penlights and sometimes use the brighter penlights as daytime EDC lights.  They are a joy to carry in a shirt pocket.

My favorites include the Fenix LD05 and Streamlight Stylus Pro.

[Styerman]

The Stylus Pro is a good light concept wise . But... I had one pocket clip break , and the clicky scitch on mine crapped out after about 4 months of service . If I'm carrying something of less than stellar quality , give me a twisty every time .

Chris

[nuphoria]

Hmm... what to buy the gynaecologist who has everything 

I quite fancy a Preon but can't find an excuse for one!

[markn951]

I use penlights a lot , mainly for looking into holes , hollows etc . A small head , and low power are a distinct advantage . ATM , I'm carry two old friends , the AAAA Steamlight Stylus , and the Stylus reach . The Reach is very handy , due to the flexable shaft that allows hands free hanging - very handy when trying to hook and grab a fishtape , and similar minor surguries .

After several  bad experiences with lower end clicky switches , I like the pushy/twisty combination on the original Stylus . The AAAA batts are a bit of a PITA to find , but they last a good while . I'm lucky to have a good source for them .

Chris

If you didn't have a good source already I would say:

http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-65030-Stylus-Replacement-Batteries/dp/B0000AUSOI/ref=wl_mb_recs_3_dp

[Styerman]

Chrissy , I have a Welch Allen medical penlight from back in the day . Cost an arm an a leg , I no longer carry it ,as it's an incan , and doesn't like to be dropped . Another good incan penlight is the venerable AAA minimag , good shirt pocket carry . I wish the would come up with an LED version , or an aftermarket LED drop in .

Back in the day ( prior to my discovering the Surefire 6P in the ninties ) , I used to sport a AA Minimag on the belt , and a AAA in the breast pocket . I can tell you from a very bitter experience , that changing bulbs in incan Minis , under conditions of total darkness = near impossability !

In those palmy far off days 4 and 5 cell Maglites were just a politically correct baton . I obsoleted mine , as a contribution to public saftey back in the ninties . ( I discovered Casco and ASP collapseable batons about the same time as I discovered the Surefire 6P )

Chris

[Gareth]

TerraLUX do a drop-in for the AAA mini-maglite. 

http://www.terraluxcorp.com/terralux/Products/Portable/Upgrades/TLE20/tabid/80/Default.aspx

While it claims 36 lumen I'm a little doubtful myself.  Still, it's a bit brighter than the original lamp and you should never need to change a lamp in the dark again.

I do have one of these and think it's OK, not brilliant, but OK.  If you really liked the AAA mini and want to use it again then go for it, but unless you're a sentimental sod like me it's probably worth saving your penny's.

[ryan1835]

id quite like to get a penlight someday i think id go for the fenix though just because i like my other one so much

[Sparky415]

id quite like to get a penlight someday i think id go for the fenix though just because i like my other one so much

Oi, Didn't you get a short one a few days ago? 

[ryan1835]

yeah but i didnt count it as a penlight as its not pen shaped    thus giving me an excuse to get a penlight 


and yes i do love that little torch i used it for finding my house and the lock on the door coming home one friday after a fair few pints 

oh and i used it at work

[Sparky415]

yeah but i didnt count it as a penlight as its not pen shaped    thus giving me an excuse to get a penlight 


and yes i do love that little torch i used it for finding my house and the lock on the door coming home one friday after a fair few pints 

oh and i used it at work

You are forgiven then 

I love them little things, so cheap it doesn't matter too much if you loose it in a cavity,
And godchildren etc love them 

[lovenhim]

I love my Preon 2.  If I had only one small EDC pocket light, the Preon 2 would be it. 

[N_N_R]

I've started liking penlights a lot.... mainly because of their slim profiles and therefore being inconspicuous in tight pants' pockets in the summer. I've had the Fenix LD05 for about a month and a half and the Preon 2.... for a day and a half Some random pics of my happy couple

[sawman]

Nice lights. 2x AAA I assume?

[N_N_R]

Yes, 2x AAA

[sawman]

I don't know if it qualifies as a pen light but I like my Streamlight C4 quite a bit.

[N_N_R]

Lol, once I think I tried to give a definition of a "penlight", but failed. Does it have to have 2x AAA necessarily? To me it always looked so, but then I saw that years ago Fenix had an LD03, using 1 AAA and called a penlight...

And as for the Streamlight, I like it, too, though I haven't had it. I like AAA lights... and I think I'm converting to clickies, lol. I used to have different twisties at different times, but I've liked clickies more and more recently.

[sawman]

Lol, once I think I tried to give a definition of a "penlight", but failed. Does it have to have 2x AAA necessarily? To me it always looked so, but then I saw that years ago Fenix had an LD03, using 1 AAA and called a penlight...

And as for the Streamlight, I like it, too, though I haven't had it. I like AAA lights... and I think I'm converting to clickies, lol. I used to have different twisties at different times, but I've liked clickies more and more recently.

I have both twisties and clickies but my favorites as of late of the clickies. It's easier for OH operation. My C4 is a single AAA. My wife has an old Leatherman LED light that uses a AAA and she uses it daily. We can hardly keep AAA stocked, in fact, we buy them in bulk!

[N_N_R]

Why don't you use rechargeables? Seems to be more cost-effective 

[sawman]

Why don't you use rechargeables? Seems to be more cost-effective 

For a couple reasons:

1) I've heard bad things about them such as they don't hold as much of a charge
2) Once charged, it's hard to keep them separated from the uncharged ones

[N_N_R]

Eneloops hold charge...  But actually, I use my lights a lot as lamps at night, so maybe I don't really need that much of a shelf-life, as perhaps I go through most of my batteries for a week or two.

And some of the cool gift boxes that a lot of lights come in are cool for keeping batteries I use the cute boxes from my Olight i3s-es for batteries...

and I usually charge the dead ones immediately and don't have more than 2 empty ones at a time.

[sawman]

Eneloops hold charge...  But actually, I use my lights a lot as lamps at night, so maybe I don't really need that much of a shelf-life, as perhaps I go through most of my batteries for a week or two.

And some of the cool gift boxes that a lot of lights come in are cool for keeping batteries I use the cute boxes from my Olight i3s-es for batteries...

and I usually charge the dead ones immediately and don't have more than 2 empty ones at a time.

You nearly have me convinced... I'm still on the fence though 

[Hyatt181]

I use the streamlight aaa versions. The single is with me all the time and the double is my edc at work. It has been fantastic for me and has survived being dropped in oil and used everyday for 3 years. Great light IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Millhouse]

Eneloops hold charge...  But actually, I use my lights a lot as lamps at night, so maybe I don't really need that much of a shelf-life, as perhaps I go through most of my batteries for a week or two.

And some of the cool gift boxes that a lot of lights come in are cool for keeping batteries I use the cute boxes from my Olight i3s-es for batteries...

and I usually charge the dead ones immediately and don't have more than 2 empty ones at a time.

You nearly have me convinced... I'm still on the fence though 

Eneloops are very good. All my AA/AAA lights have them.

http://us.sanyo.com/eneloop/About-eneloop-Batteries

Alkalines can leak and ruin a light, so I only use them as an emergency option.

[Max Archer]

I picked up a Coast A9R today for use in the shop. It's the size and shape of a long-ish pen, very slim, and has a rechargeable battery that can be charged without removing it from the light or opening any ports, which is pretty cool. The beam pattern is nice too, super even and sharp-edged, like an LED lenser.

The shop I work at does a lot of suspension and chassis work, especially fixing cracking subframe mounts and shock towers, which are extremely common issues on the E36 and E46 BMW M3s we specialize in, and this should be perfect for inspecting those areas. I'll report back once it's gotten some use.

[powernoodle]

Nice job on the thread resurrection.   

I was a flashlight junkie long before I got into guns, knives, MTs and SAKs.  My lights get used more than anything else.  For a long time, the Streamlight ProTac 2AAA has been my primary EDC light.  It is 1 - bright, 2 - has a long runtime, 3 - has a strobe, and 4 - rides nicely in a little pen pocket on my 5.11 Taclite Pro pants.  I feed it with Eneloop rechargeable batteries for "free" light.


Streamlight ProTac 2AAA, with Shrade "tactical" pen, S&W Shield 9mm, Spyderco Police, mini Sharpie, PS4 and Classic SD.