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

Mag-Lite makes some of the best general purpose flashlights around. They are durable, reliable and reasonably priced. We probably have 10 laying around the shop. Breath new life into your old Mag with this 3 Watt LED conversion kit. It’s about 1/2 the price of a new unit and since Mag-Lite’s are pretty much indestructible, we see no reason to go any other route.

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

While still a little too pricey for most of us to convert our whole houses over, LED fixtures do offer significant energy and thus cost savings over standard and even CF lightbulbs. Their benefits include lasting about 10 times longer and using 50% less power than other bulbs. Dean Kamen (the guy who invented the Segway) converted his whole three acre island including the Stonehenge replica. With the energy savings he was able to take himself entirely off the power grid.

Grab It: New Cree 6

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