mcmaggie1501 wrote:Does anyone know how many batteries one flashlight uses? The tech specs say 6 AAA batteries (each), but the pictures make it look like it is really 3 batteries per flashlight. I will buy a 3 battery flashlight, but 6 is too rich for me when my kids can wear out a set of batteries in a single use.

Hi Maggie,

First: there are three AAA batteries per flashlight that fit in an inner carrier, so the overall length is less then 6". that's 6 batteries for two lamps. Times about 4-10 hrs use per lamp.

Second: LED (and the CREE light assembly) uses much less power per output lumen than older, inefficient incandescent bulbs. A single set of batteries will last 4-10 hrs depending on power level and use patterns. Less intense use, longer life. I use other lights of similar design and get up to 20 hrs in intermittent use. That is very efficient and cost competitive.

It would be hard for kids to wear out this flashlight in normal play. I use lights like this on our farm, with extras hung inside out-buildings (long term emergency backup), in vehicles and carried in our foul-weather gear. We depend on them for our long hours in dim light, in the field and for troubleshooting. I find them very economical compared to short lived incandescent MAG lights and traditional flashlights.

I also use them in tech service and hunting. I find them durable, bright and long lived. Kids will not break them or you.

Tom @ RiverSong Farm and Enterprises

I wasn't going to buy this until i realized it had the Flesh Rendering front Bezel. What good is a flashlight if it can't permanently disfigure someone? I am in the process of replacing ALL my families flashlights with Tactical Flesh Rendering models, I hope to have the process complete before the start of Bible Camp. We are Atheists

kingofthenet wrote:I wasn't going to buy this until i realized it had the Flesh Rendering front Bezel. What good is a flashlight if it can't permanently disfigure someone?

As a correctional officer that can't carry any weapon or item of self defense (some states get OC/CS but we feds do not) you either choose between a flesh rending front bezel or a 4D nightstick-flashlight ;) Better than nothing, not that it will matter if 300 inmates decide they don't want 1 officer to tell them it's bedtime.

[quote postid="4339863" user="jdrage"]Thinking about getting a couple to use as cheap bright bike lights. Any suggestions for mounting to handlebars?

James[/quo

"Zip" strips and duct tape

Does anyone know how durable these lights are, like the lens? I tend to drop stuff....cellphones are no match for my breaking abilities.

samwize wrote:I shop for just two people, and even with the membership price for Costco, I save well over $100/year by making select purchases there.

I purchase elsewhere too, shopping sales & coupons, but really it comes down to a matter of choosing carefully what you buy where.

One person here. Save many times over that $50
every year. A bit on groceries, but it's mostly
big ticket items...and the return policy is better than
just about anywhere else. I also like that my membership
$$ goes towards providing me with quality products at
good prices...instead of commercials.

taml70 wrote:Anyone know or recommend which flashlight is best and with reasonable price to buy and where?

That's like asking which car or which computer is best. The answer depends on what you want to use it for; what you need it to do and what you are willing to pay for it. The specs on this light would make it a good deal for the size and output. A good utility light to put in a toolbox or a car. I'd want a brighter light for a bicycle on a trail, but in an urban setting probably ok. It's too big to carry in a pocket everyday and not big enough to serve as a weapon -- if you needed flashlights for those purposes!

jdrage wrote:Thinking about getting a couple to use as cheap bright bike lights. Any suggestions for mounting to handlebars?

James

I've used two hose clamps to good effect. Nice & sturdy mount, but hard to quickly remove.

Lance19 wrote:[quote postid="4339974" user="mbrickell"]You forget something...gas. The gas station at our Costco is almost always significantly cheaper per gallon than any other place around here. Not to mention that I get a decent check back from AMEX every year for an additional percentage off that gas and everything else I bought at Costco.

I'm not a rabid fan of the store like some, and there are only 3 of us, but the math definitely pencils out in the end. Worst case scenario, unless you're like Scrooge and heat your house with one lump of coal per day, you'll probably at least break even with the membership fee. Now, if you had to drive 50 miles out of the way to get to the store, not such a hot deal, but fortunately there is a Costco about 500 feet off my route to work, so it makes sense.

************************************************

Actually, MY local Costco doesn't even sell gas,
but the membership is still a bargain for me.
The last time I bought a set of Michelins paid
the entire yearly fee. And the return policy is so
good that it's often smarter to buy something there
even if you can find it somewhere else a few bucks
cheaper...just to have no headaches.

For tires, I haven't found Costco to be such a great deal. Tirerack is usually cheaper even after factoring in shipping, considering you pay no sales tax. Plus, our local Costco has a horrible tire dept...unless you feel like waiting a forever to get anything installed.

showcaller wrote:I have bought several of the Cree based flashlights for around the same amount though this deal is right up there as one of the best. What I have found though is that it seems that all these flashlights are made in China and they simply don't have the quality control standards that we are used to. As a result they start to turn off for no apparent reason. Most of the time if you hit the switch twice it will stabilize and stay on, at least for awhile. They all seem to have the same button arrangement in the back. For the price it is probably worth buying a couple and throwing them in the car but my bet is they won't feel nearly as solid as say frinstance a Mag light.

This has been my experience as well, the switches went bad on 3 out of four Cree lights that I bought some time back. Although not the same model I'm hesitant to trust this brand.

mdnorman wrote:How many flashlights does a man really need?

All of them!

thaskaman wrote:YouTube Review

LOL some people are really into flash lights! good review none the less!

I have several of these flashlights, and I did indeed buy them at Sam's Club about a year ago. They are decent little powerhouse flashlights, worthy of putting in the car or around the house, plus they're cheap enough to lose without crying too much. WAY brighter than my old Maglight, and much smaller too.

I haven't seen these at my Costco, they had a different light (with a lower lumen output) in a 3-pack. Maybe they got new ones since the last time I was there.

All in all, this is a good quality bright flashlight that doesn't cost too much.

showcaller wrote:I have bought several of the Cree based flashlights for around the same amount though this deal is right up there as one of the best. What I have found though is that it seems that all these flashlights are made in China and they simply don't have the quality control standards that we are used to. As a result they start to turn off for no apparent reason. Most of the time if you hit the switch twice it will stabilize and stay on, at least for awhile. They all seem to have the same button arrangement in the back. For the price it is probably worth buying a couple and throwing them in the car but my bet is they won't feel nearly as solid as say frinstance a Mag light.

Mag lights are junk.

Here's specs:
http://www.technupower.com/serengeti-fl708-160-lumen-cree-xre-led-flashlight.html

itsme2 wrote:One box (package) has (2) ...so yes we are getting (2) boxes, they better otherwise I'll be one MAD wooter. Although it's a still steal with 2 only ...but 4 should be arriving

No, Woot is selling you one two pack. 1 x 2 = 2.

DennisEChung wrote:Does anyone know if the med level is achieved by PWM (pulse width modulation)?

PWM is basically a very fast strobe effect and can be noticeable and objectionable. If you wave your hand in front of the beam you can tell, or watch falling rain or snow.

If the frequency is high enough, PWM isn't bad, but I dislike lower frequency PWM dimming.

Who cares? They're less than $10 each.

For some reason I have a compulsive need to buy flashlights whenever I see them.

These even have the blunt points on both ends so if you needed to, you could crack a bad guy's head open.

tpscan wrote:Hi Maggie,

First: there are three AAA batteries per flashlight that fit in an inner carrier, so the overall length is less then 6".

Weird how you came to that conclusion. They take three AAA batteries so they're less than 200' long would have made as much sense.

I despise flashlights that uses 3 batteries. Either 3xAA or 3xAAA, the batteries alone will cost a fortune overtime and even if you have rechargeable NiMH batteries at your disposal, well.. it won't last too long compared to Alkalines either. If it used 18650 Lithium or R/CR123 batteries... I would've jumped on this deal.

mcmaggie1501 wrote:Does anyone know how many batteries one flashlight uses? The tech specs say 6 AAA batteries (each), but the pictures make it look like it is really 3 batteries per flashlight. I will buy a 3 battery flashlight, but 6 is too rich for me when my kids can wear out a set of batteries in a single use.

I have these. They're AWESOME. 3 AAA batteries

qvtqht wrote:Does anyone know how the switch works? Is it four-position, or do I have to cycle through all the modes every time I want to turn it on or off?

I have these and you have to cycle through all modes.

agent1atl wrote:A 60w regular light bulbs puts out 800 lumens. This puts out 160 on high. That is less light than a 20w light bulb.

A 60w bulb emits diffuse light in all directions; flashlights generally have reflectors or lenses which collimate the light into a narrow cone. If you think about that a bit you'll see how the comparison is not a useful one. This collimation is more useful in handheld lights; if you walked around in the dark with a lit 60w bulb in your hand you might find it a bit awkward.

Anyhow, 160 lumens is decent bright for a flashlight; brighter than what most people would expect, and certainly brighter than would be expected at this price.

jayeeyee wrote:I despise flashlights that uses 3 batteries. Either 3xAA or 3xAAA, the batteries alone will cost a fortune overtime and even if you have rechargeable NiMH batteries at your disposal, well.. it won't last too long compared to Alkalines either. If it used 18650 Lithium or R/CR123 batteries... I would've jumped on this deal.

I buy batteries @ the warehouse store in bulk which make them reasonable. I have the Costco and Sam's club membership. Costco has their executive membership which costs $100 per year but I get an AMEX rebate AND a rebate from Costco that equals or is greater than the executive membership cost - so my cost for my membership is free plus I get the savings from shopping in bulk. My teen age son has my second card so he can get gas, food, whatever he needs but he is limited to what he can buy on his debit card - I'm not crazy enough to add him to my AMEX. I also have a small business membership so several of my friends and family ride on my membership for $40/2 cards per year. It is a win - win for all of us.

In for two (4) since they are LED lights. I bought several LED flashlights years ago - for emergencies. They were expensive but totally worth the cost. I haven't had to change the batteries - they don't seem to drain the batteries like ordinary flashlights do.

SIX freakin AAA batteries???!!!! I don't understand this obsession with the tiny, weak AAA battery--they wear out in no time. What happened to the trusty, long lasting D-cell battery, especially for flashlights?

Anyone else think that Woot's prices have not been so great lately? In my opinion, this woot should have been $9.99. Growth might be causing the greed bug to bite.

That's exactly why I'm contemplating getting them!

jaamzw wrote:good for night geocaching...those late night/early AM FTF runs.

riveted wrote:get 3 at Costco for 19.99 and no shipping

$40 annual membership there...

mdnorman wrote:I've got to get this flashlight because it has the flesh ripping crown. That's an extremely critical feature. Far too many times I have temporarily blinded an assailant with a super bright flashlight but then failed to cause sufficient damage with my multiple strikes to his head and face because of a smooth edge on my flashlight.

capnkrik23139 wrote:I have these and you have to cycle through all modes.

There is a quick-off feature for the CostCo TechLight version (probably the same here). If you hold down the on/off button for more than 1 second, the flashlight will turn off when you release the button, no matter which mode you are in.

mdnorman wrote:How many flashlights does a man really need?

Strangely that number does not exist yet.

SilverStar830 wrote:Heh. No shipping... but it'll cost you $50 a year, each and every year (or more as membership fee's go up occasionally), just for the privilege of being able to give them your money.

No thanks.

Unless you have a Brady Bunch sized family and buy bulk all the time, you'll be lucky to see any savings above and beyond that 50 buck privilege fee.

My feeling is, as it is with all retailers I freely choose to patronize, they are the ones who should be feeling privileged to receive my hard earned money. Not the other way around.

Call me old fashioned.

True. I used to be a member, but I let it lapse. Always left there spending wayyy too much....Did I really need that 200 pack of razors?etc...

mdnorman wrote:I've got to get this flashlight because it has the flesh ripping crown. That's an extremely critical feature. Far too many times I have temporarily blinded an assailant with a super bright flashlight but then failed to cause sufficient damage with my multiple strikes to his head and face because of a smooth edge on my flashlight.

Maybe you really need to move to a different town.

The button cycles through.

The average store flashlight is 30 - 60 lumens... this thing is 160! it is insanely bright and intense, however it uses 6 batteries and doesnt last long...

I have no doubt that these work just fine - yet I have had my 1 Dollar LED mini flashlight I got from a bargain store for about 2 years now. Much longer than I thought I would have it. So - perhaps there is a cheaper alternative?

I mean if you want it to strobe - waive your hand in front of it.

Very good quality small flashlight. As one post noted, available at COSTCO in a 3-pack for $19.99. Switch on grip locks for tactical use and is a press button "round robin" style. Has a battery save feature so IF you leave it on it for an extended period of time it will battery save and the switch will blink RED to indicate; cycle the light and you're back in business. Strobe is great feature for TAC OPS, it is very disturbing when pointed into ones eye's even from a distance (read that as "non-lethal defense" for the smart alecs out there). Buy one, give the other to your wife, daughter, girlfriend or mother to put in her purse. These are great lights and worth the money. "Boog".

krugger3 wrote:This has been my experience as well, the switches went bad on 3 out of four Cree lights that I bought some time back. Although not the same model I'm hesitant to trust this brand.

I bought several LED flashlights (and 1 laser pointer) over the last few years, the weak point on ALL of them was the switch. They all seem to be very well constructed, but if the switch goes out, the light is worthless.

Is the cheek really the best place to collect DNA
samples using the Flesh Rendering front Bezel?

pik wrote:Is the cheek really the best place to collect DNA
samples using the Flesh Rendering front Bezel?

Actually I would think the forehead would yield a larger sample of DNA considering it will dig in deeper when the flesh is trapped between the bezel and the hard surface area of the skull.