What lights do you guys use for your diy projects? What headlamps do you guys use for up and close work, what do you guys use for inspecting, and what lamps/attachable lamps do you guys use to light up a workspace that isn't normally lit like a crawlspace or attic or underneath a car, etc? What lights have worked out for you guys and more importantly, WHAT LIGHTS TURNED OUT TO BE SHIT?
>>2875353Always been a fan of magnetic mechanic type lights. A lot of them are kind of stupid expensive for a flashlight, so I get cheap like 2 for $25 Amazon ones.The two main differences I see between the 2 for $25 lights and $75+ lights from name brands are the battery and magnet. The chinese batteries always flake out after like 6mos, like they drop down to one bar on full power, but tons of the lights are 18650s, and I soldered in some LG cells and they work great. The cheap lights also don’t use real strong rare earth magnets, so go ahead and JB Weld your favorite magnet on the light if the original one doesn’t hold the light great at every angle. Most of the cheap lights will still hold ok as long as you don’t shake them a lot.
>>2875353For mechanic work I use the harbor freight braun flexible light and am testing the Icon flexible light. I like the braun because the 18650 is removable but the quality from the OG braun has gone down. Icon seems to be very nice but the lack of removable battery is almost a deal breaker for me.
>>2875353I use Petzl with the core battery. The battery is replaceable and has the same form factor as 3x AAA so when it runs out I can just use normal batteries while it charges. Their helmet mounts are great and the ones with red light double as a camping headlamp
>>2875621My headlamp is a thrunite th30 v2. Use it almost everyday doing farm stuff.especially after stupid DST.
>>2875571I have the OG Braun and it always pissed me off because it doesn’t fold all the way down and the joint is sketchy. The magnet is really strong, but the included 18650 got weak really fast and had to be swapped.The OG braun was expensive when it first came out too, like $45?
>>2875632The new braun has super thin wiring from the body to the light. The first one i bought failed in a week of use. I bought another and the light in the tip fell out with the first fall, glued it back in with RTV. The OG light lasted years and looked like it went through a house fire. Batteries are garbage in both of them but I have tons of 18650's. Removable batteries is a necessity for my use. Icon is a super nice light though. Survived some good falls with no issues.
I honestly like the cheapo headlamps the most so far. Removable 18650 is a must for me as well. I have gotten some of the smaller headlamps that take one 18650 and use them on my welding helmets. The 2x powered ones last a hell of a lot longer though, and I'll spend entire night long work sessions with a headlamp on at times, so it is nice not having to swap out batteries all the time with the 2x powered ones. Also the aluminum ones and ones with huge light arrays are more annoying than they are helpful. They are heavier and bulkier and really don't put out enough additional light to be helpful. I have killed a handful of them, but they don't exactly live an easy life. I keep 2 or 3 of them on my gear shift levers in my work pickups. My wife and I are constantly grabbing them and using them, especially when working cattle and it runs long and we gotta keep going into the night to finish up. I need to take my box of dead ones and go through them and see if I can piece together some working ones from parts, or order a few more...
>>2875353i still use the tried old incandescent light i bought with my first cordless impact off the truck 15 yrs ago. i want a replacement that uses my shillwaukee m18 batteries, but none of the options have a head that pivots down past 90 degrees horizontal when stood up on the battery. having the light sitting on the bench pointed down at whatever im working on is like 90% of how i use it, so i dont understand why none of the new ones wont fkex that way?
>>2875353I always use and always recommend this chink headlamp https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006729286586.html>replaceable/hot swappable 18650>onboard USB C charger>no stupid fiddly modes if you don't want them:>>press button - turns on (remembers last intensity), press button again - turns off>long press to change intensity>pretty strong light, on medium mode a 3Ah 18650 lasts ~4-5 hours.There are a few alternative variants and I have tried some of them, but they have much worse button game. They all have a "rapid double press" function that turns on max power, but on this specific version the rapid press must be in <1s, in all other versions <5s or more, which gets really annoying when I just want to briefly use the lamp to find something. Also have a Petzl and that's even worse on the buttons, never use it nowadays.
My only advice would be that stay the fuck away from lights that have side e-switches. They are unreliable and pain to locate in the dark with gloves on. Also potential fire hazard because they turn on accidentally in your pocket and the battery is always connected to the led through the circuit board. Recessed mechanical tail switches are so much better option. Also stay away from lights that use multiple lithium batteries. Not safe to carry around imo.Best bang for your buck is probably Convoy S2+ or S6 depending if you want more general purpose or throwy light. Easy to mod and have massive aftermarket part availability.
>>2875621>Petzlthis - just buy a decent headlamp you wont regret it. petzl makes good shit cause you are going to trust your life to it when caving or some shit.
Which brand was the really large and sturdy one for clobbering intruders?
>>2878128>>2878128Petzls are outdated shit that were already too dim for most tasks 10 years ago. There is no reason to buy outdated AA or AAA battery-run flashlights and headlamps now when there is chink flashlights on amazon for $20 that come with rechargeable 1200mAh batteries that reliably put out 350-1000 lumen. Brandfaggotry is a low IQ phenomenon.
oino
>>2878128I have this one. its the best. no stupid band that wears out after a year, fits in any pocket without snagging anything, works on 3x AAA or a battery kitonly downside is that its not waterproof, but ive gotten it completely submerged in river water and it worked after drying outonly $30
>>2879158Your info is outdated. Petzl can use both aaa and 1250mAh lithium they come with. Nothing wrong with the light output ether. They are expensive but takes out the guesswork for someone who doesnt want to research chinisium to pick up something worthwhile. And dont kid yourself that 1200mAh is anywhere near practical with 1000 lumen leds if you want any reasonable runtime. If it actually is the said 1000 lumens and not what the aliexpress shithead lies about.
>>2879158Too dim for fucking what? Are you reproducing the Mona Lisa at night? They seem bright enough for cavers, rescue teams and the Marines
>>2879258The 1200mAh in the Petzl is pretty garbage, too. There's no reason to go any lower than a hot-swappable 18650, which can do 3Ah, but of course Petzl won't do that because then they can't jew you on the custom batteries.
>>2879259This dude thinks that small plastic headlamp without any passive cooling fins can reliably maintain 1000 lumens for more than 10 seconds before the driver start to step down due overheating. He is not the smartest person.
>>2879261I would agree if we were talking about handheld flashlights but with headlamps i want it to be as small and light as possible. 18650 headlamps are not for me.
>>2879258>>2879259Chinks do lights better for a fraction of the cost. A fool is easily parted with his money and I'm not going to try to dissuade you from paying an insane mark up for some brand known for making faulty carabiners. (made in Malaysia btw)
>>2879266Im not saying that you are completely wrong about that but i just hate when people argue against something with misinformation to make the other side look worse than they actually are.
I've had a Nitecore HC65 for years now. I prefer using a headlamp to using a flashlight. It's nice having my hands free. It can charge the 18650 in it or I can just swap in a new one in if needed.
>>2879166>>2879258>>2879259>>2879263petzlnigger shill pleasei can buy a chink headlamp that is ipx4 waterproof, runs on a 1200 mah li-ion battery, has 4-6h runtime, a 230 degree floodlight and spotlight function for $10why would i get your aaa battery fuddlamp in this day and age?if it breaks i will just get another onefor $10fucking retard clown
>>2879521Those lamps are terrible kek. Atleast get a good one if you choose the chink landfill route.
>>2879538i have had it for a year and it works great you retarded niggerthe best part is it was $10 kekyou dont know shit about anythingretarded ass nigger making retarded shit up for the sake of looking smart
>>2879541Imagine being a grown ass man and getting outbursts like this over a flashlight.
>>2879521>buying a disposable flashlightkek.
>>2879574what about it is disposable, shitskin?i said dispensablei have lost more flashlights than i have brokenbecause i actually use them instead of philosophizing about them on 4changthe one i posted i have had for a yearand its just as bright and keeps a chargeabsolute freakshow retards in this thread
I just buy no name flashlights and headlamps when there is a heavy discount on them or coupons available from amazon. You stupid niggers realise all those lithium batteries are made in the same Chinese factory anyway, right? Chinese batteries are the most cost effective consumer good currently available.
>>2879585Inability to keep track of even simple items without losing them sure tells us how smart you are. A quality flashlight would be a waste on your hands.You are the type of friend that borrows your tools and returns them broken.
https://www.harborfreight.com/lighting/work-lights/175-lumen-portable-foldable-led-work-light-63930.htmlThese were like $4.69 on BFhttps://www.harborfreight.com/lighting/work-lights/750-lumen-led-portable-work-light-with-rotating-handlestand-57961.htmlI was going to buy another corded one but this was $8.99 and is very bright. I was temped by more of the former but I really don't need like 30 rechargeable AA batteries tied up in random shit. I haven't actually tested them yet though.Ryobi led lights in kit, the pistol grip one is actually very good, you used to get them for $15 on amazon but it's like mid $20's now.
This is the one I use the most. Just a standard Streamlight Microstream. It's small and I always carry it in my pocket, so when I actually need it it's there.
anyone trusting chinkshit lumen numbers is batshit insane. petzl actually measures there stuff to a real standard. the core battery works fine too - who the fuck wants to where 18650s on their head. buy once cry once. i've owned a lot of chinkshit - it's not worth the aggrevation. petzl is the white mans brand of head lamps.
>>2880026>where 18650s on their headwhere? On their head?
1- two level brightness w/spot or flood - internal, removable, rechargable 186502 & 3 - three level brighness, on/off or motion detection - non-removable, rechargable Li-Ion4 - Streamlight Stinger HL - three level brightness, three cell NiMh proprietary battery - 800, 400, 200 lumens5 - Streamlight Stinger LED - three level brightness, 425, 200, 100 lumens6 - Streamlight Stinger original, xenon incandescent lamp - single function7 - two level brightness w/strobe, two level flood on side with red as third level - USB-C charging port removable, rechargeable 26650 5000mAh (USB-A output port for charging external devices) 8 - BLF Special Edition - removable, rechargeable 3000mAh 18650 (no charging port)9 - two level brightness w/strobe, removable, rechargeable 18650 10 - spot + strobe + flood on side - non-removable, rechargeable Li-Ion11 - LED single level, single standard AAA battery
>>2880026Who gives a fuck about any of that gay shit you dyslexic nigger? I have 4 or 5 chinklights, all of them are super bright, I have extensively used them in wet and rainy conditions and have eviscerated dozens of deer using them in pitch black. I even got them for free because my gf's dad gave me a €100 hardware store coupon fucking kekHave sex dumb nigger retard and stop worshipping material items
>>2880026Yeah, I love how my Petzl puts out half the real lumens (but they're ACCURATELY COUNTED lumens mind you) after having to press 3 buttons to turn it on in normal mode, and still depletes in <2 hours, then it charges for 5 hours. Imagine having to carry an extra 25g weight on your head to get 3x the runtime on a single battery, all from a headlamp that costs 3-4 times less than the Petzl. But really, is the battery life or charging time an issue when you can easily hotswap to a new $20 Petzl battery that you have to carry with you at all times? Or even to a set of 3 AAA batteries with their own $15 adapter that you also have to carry on you?Petzl has it all figured out. Fucking chinks amirite?
>>2880083What's funniest to me is that I own and use gear that is tens of thousands of euros, but it has never once crossed my mind to spend more than a few on a fucking flashlight. What year do these buffons think it is? 1900? >yes yes the ability to create a small beam of light is worth hundreds, surely >muh shitzl, muh lumenShut the FUCK up.
For the hell of it I measured the chinklamp in >>2877792 with a 3Ah 18650 battery, 122g. The Petzl Tikka is about 105g with the 1.25Ah battery, the R+ with 1.8Ah is 116g.
>>2880087>I own and use gear that is tens of thousands of eurosYet you're still unable to post an image with proper orientation/rotation.
>>2880091Both on my tikkas weight 80 grams with battery.
>>2880114Ogey, that's still only a 50% weight increase for presumably over double battery life and not much different form factor.
>>288011640g is a big difference in stability if you run with your headlamp. Lamp that heavy should have a extra headband that goes over your head not just around it.
top kek - the level of butthurt from chinkshit owners ITT is off the charts
>>2880119>>2880133>still coping after getting btfo by multiple different anons on multiple different matters
>>2877792>>2875671>>2879166>>2880074>>2880080>>2880083>>2880087>>2880133>chinkshit, expensive :O>chinkshit, cheap :|
>>2875353Normally keep a rechargeable energizer penlight and then this in my toolbox.>pic relatedHas been extremely impressive, I’ve not had good luck with kobalt tools but this bad boy has been through hell and is still as bright as the day I got it. It came with a rechargeable battery you plug a usbC into, or can just use AAAs. It might be the longest I’ve ever owned a work light of any kind. The headband is loosing a little elasticity, so might have to find a new one soon tho
>>2875353I purchased the Harbor Freight BRAUN 900 Lumen USB-C Rechargeable Swivel Head LED Flashlight on BF combined with a coupon. My Favorite light so far.
Streamlight is usually decent. Surefire is fucking overpriced.For headlamps i use black diamond and petzl.
>>2875353Happy Holidays my 4chan frens and enjoy this Harbor Freight coupon (expires 12/25/24) to light your nights. I purchased four for my vehicles, not so bright (3-settings) and recharges thru the cigarette lighter. Handy.
>>2880331I just bought that because of your post.Considering the cost, it is pretty bright, though it is just a flood instead of a beam.
>>2880446It got brighter after fully charging until the green indicator (otherwise red) lit up. Good enough for any roadside emergency based on the reviews. Buyers should test out this light in store before purchase.Just good enough tools at throw-away price$.HF currently has more coupon deals on a dual halogen work light setup ($33) and a waterproof Braun 400-lumen handheld spot light ($17).
>>2880331HF reviews of this $3 flashlight reveal:"..It also has an S-O-S flashing feature that it seems most here have been unaware of - just press & hold the power button (for 3-seconds) to activate the feature & press once to turn off..""..I took one apart and it had a tiny lithium ion battery pack. About 600mAh if I remember correctly. It was soldered on, so not a tool less battery upgrade / replacement. The small battery means it won’t last long, but it will charge quickly. Not a bad design choice for this little flashlight. The internal components seemed good for the money..""..Used it around 3 hr. And this thing was bright and still had plenty of charge left.."Essential to any vehicle owner or bug-out shtf bag. I plan on buying and holiday gifting a few more. May everyone's future be bright.
>>2880016I have a streamlight stylus pro that's lived in my pocket every day for the last 6 years or so. Other than having to replace the pocket clip a couple of times, it's never let me down.I just bought an olight arkfeld pro because I thought the combination UV light and laser could be useful, we'll see if this one holds up as well as the streamlight has.
>WHAT LIGHTS TURNED OUT TO BE SHIT?Fenix HP30R V2.0, the switches in them may as well come from a $5 temu lamp, they feel gritty like they've been dropped in sand and after a month the switch just doesn't work, happened to a friend even with the replacements from Fenix themselves, shame, they used to make good headlamps.
>>2880567Am I the only one who wants an Arkfield because I actually have a use for the UV light? UV dye is the GOAT for diagnosing fluid leaks on cars.The Quantum penlight in this pic lives in my go-bag. It’s like $20 from HF, can’t get myself to spend $70-$100 on the Arkfields. The Quantum is ok, USB recharging, magnetic tail is weak tho which is always true on cheaper lights, the actual light is maybe 100-200 lumens and ok for looking in an engine bay. The UV is like one single diode though and it needs to be pitch black or real strong UV dye to use it easily. As for a laser, my Klein NCV in my go-bag has a laser pointer for some reason so I can use that to drive cats crazy.
>>2880660I work on gensets, so yeah, I've got plenty of use for the UV light.
what batteries are safest for an EDC flashlight?I had these already that I'm using with a Sofirn SC18 but I'd rather avoid blowing my dick off, though i'm really happy with my flashlight itself
>>2880923Anything from a name brand.But check if it’s button top or flat top. Lots of lghts where you can change the cell want button tops.Also if you have a light that uses the 18650s that have a little USB charging port, that means the battery has circuitry built into a tiny board. You might want to do some further research because 18650s need some basic circuitry to work safely. If the light is built without protection circuitry because it’s typically used with a battery that has the protection built in, then you could have issues sticking bare non-protected 18650s in there. Also one of the protected 18650s will be longer than a button top 18650 which will be a couple mm longer than a flat top 18650.
>>2880923>>2880935Also when you’re looking at lithium cells, across the major name brands, there’s a tradeoff between capacity and charging speed/discharge rate. 3500mAh is real high capacity for an 18650, so if you want to run a real bright light on turbo, it’s going to get that cell hot which isn’t great for the lifespan of the cell. And the same will be true if you try to charge them quickly.If you get a ~2000mAh 18650, it will stay cooler during high demand operation, and charge faster, but less runtime. On a flashlight though, if you’re using it with normal flashlight operation like 500 lumens, the higher capacity 3000mAh+ cells should be ok as long as you don’t need to charge them fast. It matters more on stuff like power tools where a cordless saw might pull 20A
>>2880923LiFePo4 cells
>>2880938I don’t think that’s an exact swap.To start, the LiFePO4 cells look to be about 1/3 of the capacity you would get from regular lithium cells. And on top of that, nominal voltage on normal lithium is like 3.7V, while the LiFePO4 is 3.2V. Not sure what the charged-discharged voltage is on the LiFePO4, but if the light is designed for normal 3.7V lithium, it’s probably going to shut off around 2.5V so it doesn’t overdischarge the cell. If the low voltage cutoff for LiFePO4 is 2.0V, then the circuitry in the light is going to cut off power while your 1100mAh 18650 is going to shut off after only running like 800mAh worth of energy.And from a quick look at the datasheet of that 3.2V LiFePO4 cell, I think charged voltage is 3.5V, while normal 3.7V lithium cells are 4.2V fully charged, so what’s going to happen when the USB charger on your flashlight is trying to charge a 3.5V max cell up to 4.2V?tl;dr: don’t use LiFePO4 cells in a light made for regular lithium cells.
