Selections To make When Shopping For The most effective LED Flashlight

Just as technologies has created awesome strides previously 20 years, it was inevitable that someday the good old flashlight would ultimately catch up at the same time.

The invention on the LED... (light emitting diode) seemed like an excellent fit to at some point replace the typical "bulbs" that flashlights utilized to work with to produce light.

Nowadays, selecting the best LED flashlight, would be to recognize which features are offered, and what YOU truly want.

SIZE (LENGTH)

Gone, would be the days if you necessary a thing resembling a billy club, to shine a beam of light. Most lights nowadays may be described as EDC (everyday carry) which signifies they're in all probability 6" in length or significantly less, and about 1" thick. There are an excellent deal of mini-size lights ranging from about 1 ½ " to 4" in length. These are the ultimate in EDC lights. Battery possibilities for these tiny torches will probably be covered shortly.

OPERATION

Most turn on/off from a rear "clicky switch". But of late, there's been a push in popularity to reinvent the old fashioned side switch. Some lights may have both switches' functioning collectively. It is up to you to decide that is additional easy. The benefit of a tail switch is that quite usually, it'll have tactical abilities. This can be exactly where momentary-on is probable, in addition to constant-on. Not all tail switch lights will function this. Some lights even operate (in layman's terms) like a dimmer-switch. That is normally known as variable control or infinite brightness. It'll just possess a ring below the head. Turn the ring, and you go from off and really dim to really vibrant! It is truly cool!

ELECTRONICS

A further function on the best LED flashlight, are numerous levels of brightness. Commonly, with continued presses of the switch, (either side or rear) the light will provide a minimum of three levels; low, medium & high. This will vary. Some have an ultra-low, (moonlight) level and some may have turbo mode. Other modes (sometimes described as "hidden") will include strobe, and SOS.

LUMENS

This really is an important term to be familiar with since each light will advertise its top lumen level. Just shy of a decade ago, 100 lumens of flashlight power were considered blindingly bright. These days, 100 lumens pales in comparison to those sporting anywhere from 300, all the way up to 800 lumens!! A scant few heavy-duty models even sport 1000 lumens! The truth is, if using a light ONLY for indoors, (and especially in pitch darkness - [indoors]) a mere 10 lumens or Much less is going to be all the light you'll have to have! But, it is also superior to have selections available for outdoor use, or if an electrical blackout occurs. Many lights will stand upright and could be used like a candle. For camping, hiking, and general outdoor activities after dark, you'll find even 100 lumens is often not vibrant enough. Some lights may have a lumen range from as low as 1, all the way up to 400 (for example) with increments between the two.

BEAM RANGE

Lights will also differ in terms of throwing capability - the distance in which the light can shine a useful beam. This really is generally determined by how far down the LED is seated within its reflector. This distance will be measured in meters.

BATTERIES

This one is a biggie! Because the top LED flashlight, might only run on ONE battery. How so? Read on.

In general, lights either use alkaline, NiMH rechargeable, or lithium (Li-ion) rechargeable cells as the power source. Important: Alkaline (and NiMH) based lights will NEVER offer as many lumens as lithium based lights. This really is because alkaline and NiMH batteries operate at a lower voltage than li-ion cells - 1.5 & 1.2 volts vs. 3.0 & 3.7 volts.

AA, (& "triple A) alkaline is the normal. They last a fair amount of time but must be tossed when empty. Rechargeable cells last about one half to three quarters as long BUT save money since they is often recharged hundreds of times. Rechargeables also come in AA/(triple A) size (sold as NiMH chemistry). A plethora of (rechargeable) lithium based sizes are also accessible, but typically sold ONLY on the internet.

When you're looking for a tactical flashlight for EDC, you want to pay attention to the type of battery the light uses because recharging or replacing them might be more hassle than they're worth.

CR123 size is lithium based. They are better known as camera batteries. They are short and stubby. They can be bought at major retailers but are usually quite expensive... about $5 per cell. The rechargeable version, known as RCR123 (aka 16340 size) could be bought online for as little as $1 each! Popular Li-ion battery sizes are 18650, 16340, and 14500. The latter looks EXACTLY like a AA, BUT is rechargeable. AA's are also obtainable in NON-rechargeable lithium. A 18650 cell is the size of two CR123's stacked end to end. The very smallest lights which I referenced earlier will always use ONE '123' (or 16340) cell.

The best LED flashlight will give you the ideal bang for your buck. This would include any that utilize either TWO CR123's (or related rechargeable) or ONE 18650 size cell.

Finally...

BRAND AND PRICE

The most effective known brands nowadays are Jetbeam, Fenix, Olight, Surefire, and Sunwayman. You will find several other much less known brands, which are also very fantastic. In this category, Zebralight and Niteye stand out. Generally for a properly made Li-ion based light, expect to pay over $50. For $75-$90.00, you can get an excellent light, with as many as 600-800 lumens of light. It'll be completely waterproof and virtually indestructible! This would truly be considered military-grade and be ideal for any situation including search and rescue missions.

Excellent luck in your search for the top LED flashlight your money can buy!