I love Surefire flashlights. I had a 6P for years, and it was my go-to light. When it was stolen, along with my 25 year old D-cell Maglite, I went flashlight shopping and boy things have changed.

The Surefire lights are still high quality, and still highly priced. They also require lithium batteries. With the new LED technology, I was able to try several lights for the price of replacing my Surefire.

I tried Streamlight’s Twin Task (which at the time had two bulbs; a comparable bulb to the Surefire, and an LED bulb for conserving battery power). I liked it ok, but I didn’t like the single button for both modes, and I didn’t like the placement of the button. It also required the same lithium batteries as the Surefire. It’s worth noting here that the model I tested is pretty old by today’s standards. I haven’t tried the new Streamlight options. I generally like their stuff.

I bought an LED Maglite to keep in the truck, and it works as advertised. I probably bought this for sentimentality’s sake since I was so hacked off that someone had stolen my trusty ol’ Maglite. It’s not the brightest light I’ve owned, but it’s a good update on a classic.

I tried the Nebo Redline. I like this light. It’s small, feels durable, and it takes AAA batteries. I particularly like that it has a magnet in the tailcap so it can stick in some handy places while you’re working. It has several modes, including an S.O.S. mode which I’ve thankfully never needed. I do often dim it, at night in the woods the low setting is plenty to get around. It claims that it outputs 220 lumens on its brightest setting. I have no way of objectively measuring this, but I question that claim. It’s bright, but it doesn’t seem to be 220 lumens bright. The way the lens focuses the light seems to cut down on the brightness significantly. Lastly, it has a glow-in-the-dark tailcap, which I find completely useless unless your flashlight had been in bright sunlight immediately before you lost it in the dark. The button is a toggle only, which means you can’t tap it for a quick burst of light.

For the money, I recommend the Rayovac “Virtually Indestructable” flashlight. This thing lives up to its name. I have the AA version, which claims to output 100 lumens. If you look at the photo, you’ll see that it appears to be as bright if not brighter than the Nebo, which claims to output more than twice the light. The endcaps of the Rayovac are rubber, with a hex shaped ring around the front to keep it from rolling (a big plus for me, only matched by my otherwise located Surefire). The rubber tailcap makes for a much more comfortable bite when your hands are occupied. It has a touch-on button, as well as a toggle, which I like. It will stand up on either end.

It does not have a focusable beam. It does not have variable brightness. It does not blink in morse code. It does not have a glow-in-the-dark tailcap. It would not serve you well in a self-defense situation. To all these points: “I care not.” I think I paid about $15 for it at The Home Depot. It was the cheapest of all the lights I tested, and it’s the first one I grab every time. I’ve had it now for over a year and I love the fact that it’s simple and it works.

I’d love to replace my Surefire someday. In the meantime, the Rayovac will do everything the Surefire would do for a fraction of the price. If someone steals it, I’ll just buy another one at Lowes.

From left to right: Maglite, Rayovac, Streamline, Nebo Redline

IMHO:

-Maglite – Classic
-Streamlight – Eh.
-Nebo – Feature heavy
-Rayovac – Useful

-- Allen Watts 01/27/15