Lousy EDC Flashlight, good enough for a badge?

rishardh · **on:** March 14, 2016, 04:28:52 AM

My EDC Flashlight is an old school LED pen style light. As a light it is barely ok but it also has a laser pointer, pen and stylus all in one which makes it passable

To make up I rounded up most of my headlamps, lanterns and bicycle lights to post here

Headlamps are arranged by brightness, bottom left to right then top left to right.
Lanterns are arranged by size, left to right which also happens to be by brightness and age.
Bike lights are road use(left), trail use(center), backup(right).

I love my lighting devices and hopefully this will earn me a badge. Isn't it fun being a kid again. Thanks MTO

zoidberg · **Reply #1 on:** March 14, 2016, 06:46:07 AM

That bag is pretty cool. Looks like a miniature of my tent. What is your favorite headlamp?

rishardh · **Reply #2 on:** March 14, 2016, 02:22:31 PM

Quote from: zoidberg on March 14, 2016, 06:46:07 AM

That bag is pretty cool. Looks like a miniature of my tent. What is your favorite headlamp?

Thanks for the badge Z. The backpack is from Columbia Sportswear. I've been carrying it for over 5 years and shows very little wear and tear. All my other backpacks I have carried before shave away material at the touching areas after a couple of years. That's probably because I spend very little on backpacks and this was very expensive but got a very good deal because Columbia is one of our clients.

My favorite headlamp is the one at the bottom left. It is very compact and has a touch switch, long battery life, dimmable, red mode and strobe. It is the least bright of the lot but bright enough to get work done around the house where light distance does not matter. I had to get one for the kid too because she always wants mine whenever I use it. It's called a Black Diamond Ion and can get it for about $15 when on sale.

zoidberg · **Reply #3 on:** March 14, 2016, 02:26:01 PM

Aloha · **Reply #4 on:** March 14, 2016, 04:07:23 PM

Nice selection of lights. I don't think many light fans are as into headlamps as they "should" be. I keep one in my vehicle at all times and also one in my emergency evacuation bag as well. Hands free lighting is a terrific thing.

rishardh · **Reply #5 on:** March 14, 2016, 05:43:15 PM

Quote from: Aloha007 on March 14, 2016, 04:07:23 PM

Nice selection of lights. I don't think many light fans are as into headlamps as they "should" be. I keep one in my vehicle at all times and also one in my emergency evacuation bag as well. Hands free lighting is a terrific thing.

Thanks

I am a headlamp convert. Traditional flashlight has it's place but I find headlamps are better in most situations. I used to have flashlight of all sizes but now that headlamps are cheap, compact, lite and powerful I have been getting them mostly.

powernoodle · **Reply #6 on:** March 14, 2016, 05:50:47 PM

Consider also the Black Diamond Spot headlamp. Its a little more spendy, but a great light. I have a few of them scattered around.

I agree that once you figure out how nice it is to be hands-free, you never go back. My days of holding a flashlight with my teeth are (mostly) over.

Aloha · **Reply #7 on:** March 14, 2016, 06:44:56 PM

I'm certainly not moving away from flashlights anytime soon. I do however really enjoy using a headlamp and don't discuss it nearly as much here on MTO.

Sure we look like modern day miner but I kinda dig it

rishardh · **Reply #8 on:** March 15, 2016, 12:12:39 AM

Quote from: powernoodle on March 14, 2016, 05:50:47 PM

Consider also the Black Diamond Spot headlamp. Its a little more spendy, but a great light. I have a few of them scattered around.

I agree that once you figure out how nice it is to be hands-free, you never go back. My days of holding a flashlight with my teeth are (mostly) over.

Yes, Black Diamond makes some very nice headlamps. The top right headlamp is a Black Diamond Spot. Have not used it that much since I got it recently but it has a very nice even light spread with no halos

josephloya5150 · **Reply #9 on:** March 15, 2016, 04:20:47 PM

Should an emergency arise where light is of critical importance the only lousy torch is the one that does not work!

Sent from my Z987 using Tapatalk

Aloha · **Reply #10 on:** March 15, 2016, 05:21:57 PM

Quote from: josephloya5150 on March 15, 2016, 04:20:47 PM

Should an emergency arise where light is of critical importance the only lousy torch is the one that does not work!

Sent from my Z987 using Tapatalk

Welcome and you are absolutely right.

zoidberg · **Reply #11 on:** May 08, 2016, 02:36:57 PM

I have ordered a blue Ion (they can't get black unfortunately) and a black Spot.
Should be here mid week.
Pretty excited, it's been years since I got a new headlamp.

zoidberg · **Reply #12 on:** May 11, 2016, 02:45:00 AM

Quick question re the Ion, does it emit a noise and if so does the noise increase on lower outputs?

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #13 on:** May 12, 2016, 11:58:35 PM

If it's a cheap light that earns it's keep then it counts. As much as I push people to use brand name lights, tools etc, there are some good cheapos out there that get the job done and that is what matters more than anything else.

Def