Best hand held flashlight ?

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09-06-2007, 03:05 PM
chrome

Best hand held flashlight ?

We've got a discussion going on between the best right angle flash lights.

Kohler Bright Star Responder 4-C (stronger beam-less battery life)

Vs.

Streamlight Survivor LED 4AA (weaker beam - more battery light).

Which ever is the best then thats the one I'll buy.....

Thanks, Todd
09-29-2007, 12:03 PM
CKirk922

Not so Bright star

I have a Koehler bright star responder right angle light. Bluntly put, it isn't that great after a bit of hard use. The lens has really been scratched up and smeared to the point that it detracts from the beam. It is a bright, narrow beam, but it does not compare to a lantern. The recharger never did quite work right and now I'm down to using the C-batteries in it. Yes, it does the job for small areas, but NO, it is not the greatest light in a smoke filled environment. Perhaps I'm too harsh on the tool, but this is the second Koehler light I've had and both of them were a pain in the butt as far as the chargers go.

OK, pelican has a light called the big ED, and I've had friends who use the streamlight responder. The streamlight lasts a long while, but it just isn't that bright. I do not know about the big ED.

It depends what you are using this for. Are you mounting it on the gear? The Bright star works great for this with one exception: My SCBA strap cocks the darn thing to the side. Are you carrying this in a pocket?

Great Idea: Make a light the attaches to the SCBA strap or Mounts near the shoulder. $100,000.00 idea there... Anyway, my light mounts on the right breast front of my coat. Incidently, no matter what type of CLIP you have on your coat, or on the light, it is still a pain to dismount the light with gloves on, and even harder in smoke. A pocket light might be easier to get to with gloves. Don't know for sure, but I will experiment there.
10-04-2007, 02:30 PM
CaptOldTimer

The best one? I have seen a lot of the "Best Ones". I would go with the one that you can afford and gives good light. That would be my best one.

I surely do not want anything attaching to my breasts!!!

:eek: :rolleyes:
10-04-2007, 03:20 PM
jbrescue

Go with Pelican. They have a warranty that nobody can beat. They take a beating and are built to last.
10-10-2007, 08:58 PM
FFmedicGUMP

have you seen the fleshlight? It is definetely the best I have used! Check it out at fleshlight.com, you will NOT be disappointed.
10-15-2007, 04:43 PM
KEEPBACK200FEET

Quote:

Originally Posted by FFmedicGUMP

have you seen the fleshlight? It is definetely the best I have used! Check it out at fleshlight.com, you will NOT be disappointed.

That's because it's all you can get.
10-16-2007, 03:55 PM
TNFF319

I like the streamlight over the responder. The streamlight seems to produce more light than my responder. The responder has more of a flood pattern thant the streamlight.
10-16-2007, 04:14 PM
NWOhio157

Quote:

Originally Posted by FFmedicGUMP

have you seen the fleshlight? It is definetely the best I have used! Check it out at fleshlight.com, you will NOT be disappointed.

Might I remind you of your post bashing Explorers and Juniors over in the Explorer/Junior forums... I'll share it with everyone else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FFmedicGUMP

maybe you should take a look at some of these youngsters who are demanding you to do things, and demanding us veterans to "earn their respect". Sometimes I feel darn right embarassed for these kids and the things they say. All I know is I am tired of them talking about things like they know everything, and I don't think it's right when they come on demanding stuff out of you. I am not looking for anything to happen I will just be happy when they show some respect for people as old as their parents. Maybe we should open a thread on what respect is since they don't seem to know.
10-16-2007, 05:17 PM
saylesvillefd35

We use the Kohler lights attached to each Scott Pak. We use the rechargable battery packs. I personally have a Survivor LED on my coat for the times when I'm not using a pack. The survivor will get left behind in the truck every time, the LED lasts forever but just doesn't put out near the beam of light.
10-16-2007, 11:50 PM
e46rick

Our department supplies us with the Big Ed 4-C, it's the only one I've ever tried. It works well and it's durable.
10-24-2007, 08:12 PM
USARFIRERESCUE

Big Ed vs Kohler Brightstar

Only difference I have seen between the Kohler Brightstar and the Big Ed is the switch to turn on and off and the price. Big Ed is a lil more expensive and the switch is a lil more difficult to turn on and off with a gloved hand.
10-28-2007, 12:38 AM
hfd817

I use a "aa" MAG-LITE mounted on my helmet. (right side) The only thing I do not like about this is that it weighs down my helmet on the right side. Works nice in my oppinion. It's hands free and everywhere you turn your head you have light.
10-30-2007, 06:23 PM
masterFF

Quote:

Originally Posted by USARFIRERESCUE

Only difference I have seen between the Kohler Brightstar and the Big Ed is the switch to turn on and off and the price. Big Ed is a lil more expensive and the switch is a lil more difficult to turn on and off with a gloved hand.

I have a rechargeable kohler brightstar and have had nothing but problems with the charger. Sent it back once and the problem happened again. I gave up on it and it sits in the closet. I now have a Pelican Big Ed rechargeable and I have no problems yet. lifetime warranty I believe. Streamlight Survivor is the only one that is hazardous location approved (at least at the time of my research) if that is a feature you could use.
11-15-2007, 09:23 AM
guardo83

Quote:

Originally Posted by hfd817

I use a "aa" MAG-LITE mounted on my helmet. (right side) The only thing I do not like about this is that it weighs down my helmet on the right side. Works nice in my oppinion. It's hands free and everywhere you turn your head you have light.

Just a suggestion, put one on the left side to balance it out, then you'll have twice the light.
11-17-2007, 06:38 PM
cap6888

The only problem I have with the Big Ed is that it is much heavier than the Survivor. Otherwise its a great light. My only dilema is that since our radio pocket is on the left chest, I have to wear it on my right side. This causes a problem because the switch is on the right side of the light and keeps getting turned on/off by my PASS/air gauge (we uses Scotts).

Stay Safe