Choosing the Right LED Flashlight for You Part 1

There are a ton of amazing LED flashlights on the market, so finding the right one for you can feel daunting. Hopefully this blog post will help you narrow down your choices a little bit. The first suggestion we would make is to make certain the flashlight is using a CREE LED as these LEDs can produce a powerful lumen output for less energy than other light sources. It’s also important to decide why you want the flashlight. Is it for work, camping, every day carry, hunting, or something else? Depending on your needs, certain flashlights would be a perfect fit while others would disappoint you.

So, the first four things we would advise you look for in an LED flashlight are: Size and Weight, Brightness, Battery Type, and Durability.

Size and Weight

Once again, depending on your needs will help determine what size and weight your flashlight should be. If you’re wanting something that you can carry around with you then you’ll want a smaller lightweight flashlight that can fit in your pocket or put on a keychain.

However, the smaller flashlights won’t have as large of a lumen output as some of the handheld flashlights. Many handheld flashlights are still lightweight and compact, but might not fit in your pocket as easily.

Brightness

LED flashlights have a wide range of lumen outputs from less than 1 lumen to more than 2000 lumens. If you’ll be working a lot at night then a larger lumen output would be better for you whereas if you just want the flashlight to look into your dark attic, you might not need such a high lumen output. Most LED flashlights have multiple brightness levels allowing you to pick the right brightness level for you.

Battery Type

There are a ton of different batteries out there, but we’ll be focusing on Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) versus Alkaline batteries. Alkaline batteries like AA and AAA batteries are incredibly common, inexpensive, and easy to find in almost any household. However, they don’t provide as much power as a Lithium-Ion battery. Not to mention, Lithium-Ion batteries are rechargeable. Lithium-Ion batteries are definitely more of an investment, but if you plan on using your flashlight a lot then rechargeable batteries will certainly be worth the investment.

Durability

We encourage anyone searching for an LED flashlight to make certain that the flashlight is durable and safe. Many flashlights are made with aircraft grade aluminum which helps to dissipate the heat and prevent the flashlight from overheating. Also, excellent LED flashlights will be impact resistant and water resistant so you don’t have to worry about a few drops or using the flashlight in the rain.

Stay tuned for “Choosing the Right LED Flashlight for You Part 2!”