Never have found a flashlight I’m happy with. The Ultra-stinger puts out a lot of light but only lasts for an hour. That doesn’t seem like enough. I’m partial to small flashlights.
Kenton,
I carry a Sabrelight as a spare. It has the LED bulb so batteries seems to llast forever. There is no switch to break, just a twist of the lens cover and it comes on, has a lanyard and a belt clip build on, it is a flourescent yellow so you can see it forever, and is supposed to be usable in explosive environments. I have had it for probably 7 years and it is still going strong. Uses three C cell batteries. Take a look at them and see if it may not do what you want. It is made by Pelican and you can find it on line or at a lot of Marine or boating supply places.
Are you doing your inspections at night Kenton?
Yolking
I used to carry a cheapo coleman million candle power job for attics, now I carry two ultra stingers and charge one every other day or so.
I carry an UltraStinger and keep an extra battery in the bag, but I tend to use a Stinger LED in the crawl spaces and attics. It lasts a lot longer and puts out a true white light instead of giving everything a yellow tinge. It doesn’t shine as far as the Ultra, but is brighter in close. It is about 4 inches shorter.
I carry an UltraStinger and keep an extra battery in the bag, but I tend to use a Stinger LED in the crawl spaces and attics. It lasts a lot longer and puts out a true white light instead of giving everything a yellow tinge. It doesn’t shine as far as the Ultra, but is brighter in close and smaller by about 4 inches.
I’ve never gone for those specialized home inspector flashlights because I simply thought they cost too much. Since I like to hike and camp, it occurred to me that the flashlights at the sporting goods stores should be able to take the abuse that I could give them as a home inspector since they apparently work quite well for hikers and campers. Consequently, I gave it a try and have not been disappointed. They also come with a car adapter so my inspectors and I could always recharge them while driving from one inspection to another. Well, all my inspectors except for the smoker. There are a great many varieties to choose from.
I’ve been using the Brinkmann Dual Xenon for years…I have 2 rigged as depicted in the photo, just clip onto belt loop or tool bag…one is always on the cig-lighter charger and the other is with me…lasts about 90 minutes per charge and I’ve never been in a situation where this did not provide enough light…get the recharged one before entering crawlspace and never needed a backup…for under $30.00 I don’t think you can beat this…jmo
[quote=bkelly2]
Are you doing your inspections at night Kenton?
quote]
Yep, and I like to do my inspections with my eyes closed. Also, if you use earplugs it’s so much more peaceful, especially if you stay in one place. Like in bed. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Earplugs? A good set of headphones or earphones hooked to a CD player fastened to one’s belt playing The Beatles is far superior! :margarit:
I have the stinger, I like the power/sizer ratio but was not happy with battery life. A couple of months ago I got a strap on 9 led head light, this works great, not only do I have plenty of batter power in the stinger when I need it but for the most part the attic trip is hands free of the flashlight.
This looks light an eye-opener…
Gotta love the tag line!
I hate those spot rechargables as they never last long enough.
This is the best light ever. Small enough to fit in your pocket, and bright enough to light up the darkest crawl space. Not to mention they are only about $28 for TWO. Look HERE.
Here’s what I ordered… $37.00
http://www.brightguy.com/images/bgimages/str51031.jpg
The new Streamlight Twin-Task 3C Laser is an alkaline powered flashlight with a laser pointer. The Streamlight 3C Laser features an enhanced knurled grip, laser pointer, 5 ultra bright, long running white LEDs and one high-intensity Xenon bulb - use just the laser pointer, 5 white LEDs or laser pointer with Xenon bulb.
Push-Button Switching sequence for Streamlight Twin-Task 3C Laser:
- click once for laser
- next click gives you 5 LEDs
- next click gives you Xenon and laser
- next click turns the flashlight off
Features of Streamlight Twin-Task 3C Laser:
- 3.6 Volt high pressure Xenon bulb, 57 lumens
- five 100,000 hour life Nichia white LED bulbs, up to 21 lumens
- prefocused visible red laser cartridge, 650 nM wavelength, Class IIIa (3r)
- up to 5 hours run time with Xenon bulb
- up to 100 hours run time with 5 LEDs
- powered by 3 C-cell alkalline batteries, not included
- push button switch
- glass lens
- aircraft grade machined aluminum body, type II gun-metal anodized finish
- micro faceted reflector for smooth focus
- O-ring sealed for water resistance
- heavy duty drop-tested construction
- includes wrist lanyard
- made in China
- No Excuses limited lifetime warranty from Streamlight
Did you try that before you bought it, Kenton? I bought one similar last December for the car because I thought it looked cool, and all the specs were similar to yours. I don’t find it to be bright enough at night just to take the valve covers off the tires to check the air pressure, so I now have it in the house as an emergency backup flashlight.
I actually use a ryobi light. One of two things(the other a hand vac) I never used as part of kit I got for DIY projects. So now both help with my HI business.
tom
I swear by the Mag. rechargeable. same one that is in police cruisers.
I have a vehicle charger and a house charger for it and it is always charged.
Also it is very bright, not one complaint
110 for the light and extra 10 for the vehicle charger.
the led. lights like the one in the photo are terrible, very dim light
Carla
I just bought a Coast brand LED flashlight at Home Depot.
It is a single bulb with 65 lumens, 3.44 watts and takes 3 AAA alkaline batteries.
It cost $40 and is the best $40 I have spent. I can see to the far side of most attics.
Be careful of the units that take special batteries due to the expense.
It seems like the ‘tactical’ use ones are the best too.
It is tiny - fits in the palm of my hand.
I use a little Pelican Xenon flashlight. Uses two 123 type camera batteries. I find them cheap at Academy or Frys. Generally get about a week out of each set. It is 4 - 5 inches long, sturdy metal construction, fits easily in pockets. Switched to it when a client pulled one out to show me something and it was much brighter and clearer than my Huge Maglight.
I tried the one that uses AA batteries and it was not as bright.
I recently bought a ***Dorcy 6 watt ***LED. It takes 6 AAA batteries that last about 20 hours. Sorry, don’t have all of the specs. Very bright, however, I am already having problems with the switch.:neutral: