Flashlights

Featured review by PappyHiker

The PD32 UE is not to be confused with the PD32. The two are the same except the UE model operates at higher lumens throughout the all the settings with a maximum of 740 lumens vs 340 lumens.

This is by far the best flashlight I ever owned. I needed a slim compact and powerful flashlight with excellent battery life for backpacking. This flashlight exceeded my expectations. It is a little under 5 1/2 inches in length and less than an inch in diameter and weighs a little over 5 ounces. To many this may be a little big but you'll never find this kind of performance in anything smaller. It operates on 2 CR123 batteries. Included with the light are a lanyard, 2 extra rubber O rings, a pocket clip, and a night diffuser which clips on the flashlights end.

Read more: Fenix PD32 reviews (3)

Reviewed by Sheila Bergin Goss

This small lightweight penlight creates a mighty beam of light! Suitable for use as a household light, as part of a car emergency kit, or as a reliable light for camping, the Alloy-X is a strong-beam flashlight, powered by a rechargeable battery or two AAA alkaline batteries. It is very compact and appears quite durable, and I can recommend it for use in the field or in the home.

Introduction: I always carry a spare headlamp and batteries in my canoeing bag and daypack, and keep a small flashlight in my camping kit. Though our camping season has yet to begin, this light has been used a lot around our home. I keep flashlights in the home for whatever use is necessary, and this small sized light has been perfect for getting into those tight spaces (i.e. checking the dog's ears, looking for small items between seats in the car, searching under the refrigerator). Under the fridge, in the car, and in the ears! I was glad to have the opportunity to test this Princeton Tec penlight, especially since it does not rely only on regular batteries, but also includes a USB rechargeable battery.

Read more: Princeton Tec Alloy-X review (1)

Featured review by Arthur Cropper

With this tool you get Maglite quality and durability, plus 200 lumens of bright, focused light with good spill...enough light to clearly see whatever goes "bump" in the night. I've carried a Maglite (in its various forms) for over 30+ years, and I still have my first Maglite bought new in the mid-'80s. Iconic quality with exceptional performance...Maglite.

When I think of iconic outdoor products from my youth, a few items come to mind immediately... Coleman lanterns and stoves, the Buck folding 110 knife, Stanley Thermoses, and the Maglite flashlight. True, back then ('70s and '80s) the "state of the art" was nowhere where it is now, but if you go to any store or website you will find each one of these products, in their nearly original form, still available for purchase. THAT is time tested quality of a truly iconic product. The Maglite XL50, to me, represents one of the best of this iconic brand.

Read more: Maglite XL50 LED Flashlight reviews (2)

Reviewed by ObiWan

The best, most useful, compact flashlight I’ve ever carried. Bright when I need it, just enough when that’s all I need, plus great battery life.

The small but powerful Fenix LD15R. For most of my outdoor life experiences, I’ve been frustrated to one extent or another by light. Or the lack thereof. Flashlights, headlamps, floodlights, mini-lights, etc. I’ve used innumerable lights over the years, but now find myself singing “Hallelujah!” in response to modern LED light sources and their capabilities. While I still find a headlamp very, very useful in the backcountry, the Fenix LD15R is small and light enough to make the backcountry trip and ride around in my every-day backpack or bag, or even in my pocket.

Read more: Fenix LD15R review (1)

Featured review by Korey

This is my go-to light. Efficient, lightweight, and practical.

These are lightweight, practical flashlights. I like the AA battery lights because when I'm hiking, all of my battery powered gear takes "AA's". This light is bright enough and not only can it be used in beam and flood, but also if you unscrew it all the way, it can be used as an emergency lantern. The sheath can be dangerous in rough terrain because you can push it out with your leg or gear and lose it for good. That is why I add lanyards and carabiners to all my gear. It does have a hole for a lanyard though. I probably own about 10 of these between my wife and I of various colors and business engravings.

Read more: Maglite Mini Maglite Pro reviews (2)

Reviewed by Denis Evans

Brilliant, literally, small rechargeable torch. The adjustable light beam is simply amazing.

Firstly, this is a small, lightweight, all metal torch. Because it is so lightweight and small the battery is small (2.6Whr) but it has more than sufficient capacity for an overnight camp—3hr/15hr battery life—on each of two intensity settings—420/20 lumens brightness. You recharge by a USB cradle. The torch itself is brilliant. It has a wonderful focusable beam from spot to moderate flood. On max brightness I believe this brilliance and range of this beam is unsurpassed in this weight class.

Read more: Ledlenser P5R review (1)

Featured review by Stephanie Herington

The MT10 flashlight is in a word, intense. If the packaging doesn’t convince you (a chainsaw would have been useful) then the 1000 lumens of light might.

The MT10 flashlight is in a word, intense. If the packaging doesn’t convince you (a chainsaw would have been useful) then the 1000 lumens of light might. It is incredibly well built and while just under 6 oz feels a lot denser. It’s a convenient, compact size at a little over 5 inches long and comes with a handy sheath that clips to your pants, shirt, backpack, etc. Like the headlamp you can go from a soft 10 lumens (20 meters) of light to the powerful direct 1000 lumens (180 meters). As a women I considered the fact that this 1000 lumens light would blind a would be attacker in a heartbeat.

Read more: Ledlenser MT10 reviews (3)

Featured review by Bentbrook

Keychain-sized powerful little light. With one AAA battery powering it, it won't last as long as some, but excellent brightness and value.

I coveted a Solitaire-sized light with LED for years before this came out. The original Solitaire was perfectly sized, but nearly useless due to lack of power. Now I have the Maglite Solitaire LED and I love it: small, slim, light, and bright, this light lives on my keychain as my EDC light option. Construction is of aluminum, the familiar Maglite quality. Power comes from a single AAA battery, a size I keep on hand. The light feels good in hand and operates with a twist of the cap. The beam itself is a bright (37 lumens? seems brighter) with a focusable, even circle of radiance.

Read more: Maglite Solitaire LED reviews (2)

Reviewed by LapisLee

When I initially starting researching flashlights for general camping on www.candlepowerforums.com I quickly learned that the experts did not take any light seriously that cost less than $50 and they would recommend flashlights in the $70 to $120 range for general use. I decided that I could find a better light for less and I finally decided on the Fenix E20 because of its price (most lights under $35 are just not as good), the fact that it uses two 1.5v AA batteries instead of the more expensive and hard-to-find proprietary batteries like the C123, it's ability to outshine the competition (we illuminated a Great Horned Owl in a tree about 100 feet away and kept it lit as it flew off until it eventually eluded the E20's spotlight beam around...

Read more: Fenix E20 review (1)

Reviewed by FromSagetoSnow

If you can't find at least a hundred uses for this light you aren't trying. This is the most handy item I have tested.

You know something is cool when the first thing you hear after showing it to someone is, “Cool, can I have it?”  Do you have a visceral hatred for headlamps?  Please read further. First Impressions I heard this from people so often when they saw the LazerBrite LED lights that I finally quit showing it to people. The numbers of people lusting after it was only eclipsed by their ideas of great uses for it. This is no exaggeration; this light has so many uses and is so interesting that I will only begin to scratch the surface of the long list of great uses for this light but I get ahead of myself: The parts Description This isn’t like any other light so I need to describe it.

Read more: LazerBrite Multi-Lux Unit review (1)