TekPicks

Its time to update our flashlite recommendation. Over the last few years the Inova T4 has emerged as our go to unit for several reasons. First, is durability. The housing is aircraft aluminum the has been hard annondized. We have beat the heck out of it around the shop and in on the job site and they still look new. Next is size. The T4 is impressively small but still comfortable to handle. Finally, we love the LED bulb that can pump out up to 175 lumens for 2 hrs before killing your battery.

The kit comes with a Lith-Ion battery, charging cardle and both AC and DC plugs.

Link:Inova T4-WB 175 Lumen Rechargeable LED Flashlight with Knurled Hard Coat Anodized Aluminum Housing, Black

Having a good flashlight is critical in our business. MagLights and StreamLights have been our favorites for both durability and quality of illumination. We prefer rechargeable models but long recharge times still keep us packing at least one disposable battery unit as backup. Enter the UC3.400.

Constructed of a durable and lightweight polymer, the UC3.400 is impact, abrasion, and water resistant; using 3 LED’s rated for 50,000 hours to produce up to 270 lumens with a run time of about 2 hours (30 minutes at peak). While those specs are well and good, at this price point ($170) I would expect nothing less. So what sets this light apart from the crowd? How about a 90 second recharge time? To Full. Yeah, that would do it.

Link: Light for Life Flashlight, UC3.400, Full Size, Black

It does not get much better than tools that are both useful and cheap. Such is the case with the Trouble Flashlight Holder. It has a strong magnetic base making easy to mount your light just about anyway. Plus the neck is infinitely adjustable thanks to the including locking bolt giving you any angle needed. Finally toss in the ability to accommodate most any size flashlight and a price tag less than $9 and we are in heaven, a well lit heaven that is.

Grab It: Trouble Light/Flashlight Holder

Another great multi-tasker from Stanely. You get a traditional 60 lumen, 3 LED light that transforms into a great tripod unit for full room illumination.

But that’s not all, the three lights can be separated allowing you to light up a large space and still have a task light for close up work all from one unit. We like.

Grab It: Stanley 3-in-1 Tripod LED Flashlight

I picked up one of these little beauties after last month’s ice storm knock out power for nearly a week. Endorsed by the Red Cross, the FR300 combines and LED light/cellphone charger and AM/Radio into one small – hand cranked – package. In our tests 60 seconds of cranking turned into about 45 minutes of power, which is pretty darn good. In addition to the standard AM/FM bands you also get 7 NOAA weather channels and a weather alert, and TV-VHF audio reception for channels 2 – 13. The spiffy red metal case is just gravy. Looking for something for the car? Check out the FR150, handheld size with the same features plus solar recharging…

Grab It: Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Red

We are firm believers that you can never have too many flashlights on hand. Our favorites are LED based since they extend our power exponentially compared to traditional bulbs. Duracell has just launched new line named the Daylite.

Despite coming in under $25 the Daylite series retains many of the features of higher end flashlights like a aircraft aluminum housing, an easily adjustable beam and a lifetime guarantee. It even comes with batteries. About the only thing we don’t like is the styling at the end of the housing, which is only a minor aesthetic annoyance.

Grab It: Duracell Daylite LED Flashlight with AA Batteries

This flexible pen light is one of our all-time favorite tools. We literally take it with us to every job. It is extremely durable with a body constructed of machined aluminum. The neck is 7 inches long and very flexible plus the light, despite being just one LED, is a nice and bright 10 lumens. For looking into electronics, computers, vehicles, appliances or anything else with small tight spaces this is the light we almost always grab first.

Grab It: Streamlight 65618 Stylus Reach Pen Light with Flexible Cable, Black with Arctic White Beam

Flashlights are an essential part of any toolkit.  We like LED units for their light weight and extended battery life.  The Surefire L7 LumaMax is a rechargeable 100 Lumen flashlight that produces 5 times the light of a bulky 2 D-cell model with run time of 2.5 hours.  The body is constructed of hard anodized aerospace-grade aluminum with a weather proof seal and comes with the Surefire lifetime performance warranty.  The kit includes two batteries, AC charging cradle and DC auto charger.

Grab It: SUREFIRE L7 Led LumaMax Kit 100 lumens Rechargeable Black