The customer who wants the best flashlights on the market wants lights that are long lasting, use less power, are the brightest and most durable flashlights. Manufacturers meet these needs in a variety of ways from using energy efficient LED bulbs to creating a rechargeable flashlight. Of course, some lights are made better than other lights. It’s up to customers to decide what kinds of flashlights are the best flashlights for them.
LEDS versus Incandescent Bulbs
When looking for the best flashlights on the market, you’ll want to research the different types of bulbs. There are two types of flashlight bulbs on the market today, LED and incandescent bulbs. LEDs are the newer type of bulb. The name is actually short for light emitting diode. These diodes were first developed for the technology industry way back in 1962. Originally, these miniaturized bulbs were expensive, but over time as manufacturing processes were refined and technology improved, the diodes became very affordable. They were placed in everything from lamps to electronics and flashlights due to their affordability and very long life.
Incandescent bulbs typically last between 1,000 and 2,000 hours, while the best LED flashlights last between 35,000 to 50,000 hours. Incandescent bulbs will need to be replaced more frequently and there is a higher chance that the bulb will be bad when the flashlight is first turned on after a long period of disuse.
However, there are benefits to sticking with incandescent too. Incandescent bulbs are still much cheaper than LEDs to buy, though if you are looking for the brightest flashlights, you may want to consider getting one with LEDs in it. The incandescent bulb produces a warm, yellow light that feels more natural to people using it, while the LEDs produce cool white or blue light. There is also some concern that it’s more dangerous to look at or into an LED light than a regular incandescent, because the LEDs exceed the safety limits of the blue-light hazard. The blue-light can possibly cause macular degeneration.
Both types of bulbs have their advantages and disadvantages. It’s up to you to decide which type you prefer using in the long run.
Types of Flashlights
Manufacturers also make a number of different flashlight types to suit different needs. There are tactical flashlights, rechargeable, floods, underwater and even police flashlights. For emergencies, you may want to go for the types of flashlights that the professionals use, tactical or police lights. Rechargeable flashlights are also a good option to help save you money or keep light going long after the traditional power sources have shut off.
The Best Tactical Flashlights
Tactical lights are small, extremely bright flashlights commonly used in conjunction with armed weapons by the military. These flashlights are popular for non-lethal purposes too. Many people keep these small flashlights in their emergency kits or in the car in case of an emergency.
The best tactical flashlights are going to be small, extremely bright, long-lasting and sturdy enough to handle a lot of bumps and bangs.
The Surefire LEDSingleOutputLEDFlashlightis one such tactical light. It’s extremely small, smaller than the palm of a person’s hand. It also has an aluminum body and it produces an 80 lumens beam of light. That’s a lot of light for a flashlight that only requires two 123A Lithium Batteries. In fact, it’s four times the light of a big two-D-cell flashlight.
Consumers seem to light this flashlight too. One customer said of the Surefire, “The Surefire 6P is THE classic modern day cop light. It pretty much set the standard for law enforcement, military and emergency personnel flashlights.” It could be said that the Surefire 6P is one of the best tactical flashlights on the market.
The Best Rechargeable Flashlights
Rechargeable flashlights are flashlights designed for easy recharging from multiple power sources, in addition to batteries. Most rechargeable lights can be recharged by plugging them directly into a power outright, through solar power, hand cranks, or other methods of reclaiming energy.
The Streamlight XenonRechargeableFlashlightwith Charger is a rechargeable flashlight that contains a rechargeable 6-volt Ni-Cad 5 cell sub-C battery. When the battery runs out of power, the flashlight can be plugged into any standard outlet and charged back up. When fully charged the light provides about 30 hours of power. Additionally, this flashlight is covered with Machined aircraft anodized aluminum and uses an unbreakable lens. This light is designed to last for years with proper care and recharging.
The Best Police Flashlights
You’ll find that police flashlights are similar to tactical lights in that they are usually very bright and emit highly focused beams of light. While they have varied in size from the large, heavy duty light down to the smaller than your palm LED light, the best police flashlights will consistently provide long-lasting, extremely bright light in conjunction with durability.
TheMAGLITES4D016 Heavy–Duty 4-DCellFlashlight is popular among police officers for it’s durability, heft and light output. These flashlights use 4 D Cell batteries, so you know they are putting out a lot of power. Additionally, the flashlights have a reputation for continuing to work for years or even after being banged around.
One fan of these lights stated in his online flashlight reviews, “I pulled mine from my totaled car and worked without a hitch. If you use a flashlight a lot or hardly ever, this is the one to buy.” The Maglite is truly one of the most durable and best police flashlights.
When you are looking for the best flashlights to serve you in an emergency, you’ll want to do your research. Determine whether or not you prefer incandescent to LEDs, find out what type of flashlight you like best and look at the customer reviews. To do this, you can go online and do a little more research on the different flashlight manufacturers and really get a good idea of the many different types of flashlights out there. You can’t go wrong when you practice due diligence before making that purchase.