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Best Tactical Flashlight to Keep in Truck

wegasque

wegasque

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I'm creating an emergency kit/bug-out bag to keep in my truck and need to find a good tactical flashlight for it. I'm trying to decide if I should go with rechargeable or conventional batteries. I see that the brightest lights are rechargeable but I'd like to not have to remember to recharge my flashlight every so often. I'm leaning towards being able to keep it with a spare pack of batteries in my bag. I want one that has a minimum 1000 lumens. Anything I've overlooked? What type of light does everyone have? Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.
 
Depends on what you mean by tactical. Do you mean extra little tools like a multi-use thing with window-breaker and seatbelt cutter? Or one that you can just grab and go and not too much hassle to use?
I would lean toward a headlamp.
 
When I hear "tactical flashlight", my mind hears, "a flashlight that you can also use to beat someone". That's where the old 20" Mag-Lites came in handy.
 
MateoQueFeo said:
Depends on what you mean by tactical. Do you mean extra little tools like a multi-use thing with window-breaker and seatbelt cutter? Or one that you can just grab and go and not too much hassle to use?
I would lean toward a headlamp.
Click to expand...

No, not really a multi-use tool. Tactical flashlights usually feature high output brightness, a strobe mode, a forward-throw switch for momentary-on activation, and sometimes a strike bezel. Yeah a headlamp is a good idea. I've got one in my toolbox in the garage and could pick up another for the truck.
 
Eighty said:
When I hear "tactical flashlight", my mind hears, "a flashlight that you can also use to beat someone". That's where the old 20" Mag-Lites came in handy.
Click to expand...
I concur. My sister used to be a police officer and she swears by her MAG light. Said it was the ultimate multi-purpose tool.
 
I keep a Milwaukee M12 inflator under the backseat of my truck and it shares a 6Ah battery with an M12 Spotlight.
Not exactly tactical but if you need light, it definately throws a ton of it.

milwaukee-m12-led-spotlight-hero.jpg
 
OCD Solutions said:
I keep a Milwaukee M12 inflator under the backseat of my truck and it shares a 6Ah battery with an M12 Spotlight.
Not exactly tactical but if you need light, it definately throws a ton of it.

View attachment 139856
Click to expand...
Do you plan on keeping it charged by plugging it the aux outlet in your truck or do you charge it up every month or so?
 
I have a Streamlight LED flashlight in my glove box. It was bought at least a decade ago off the Snap-on truck. I did have to order new batteries because the originals wouldn't hold a charge for very long due to old age.
 
wegasque said:
Do you plan on keeping it charged by plugging it the aux outlet in your truck or do you charge it up every month or so?
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My experience with Milwaukee M12 batteries and tools the batteries will hold a charge for quite a while if not used, and last a long time during use as well. Even if you never top off the charge, you could grap a battery that has been sitting for a year and still probably get at least 8-10 hours of constant use out of it in that spotlight.

I have a M12 jobsight radio that will go for almost three full 8 hour work days on one battery without needing to be recharged
 
HSKR R/T said:
My experience with Milwaukee M12 batteries and tools the batteries will hold a charge for quite a while if not used, and last a long time during use as well. Even if you never top off the charge, you could grap a battery that has been sitting for a year and still probably get at least 8-10 hours of constant use out of it in that spotlight.

I have a M12 jobsight radio that will go for almost three full 8 hour work days on one battery without needing to be recharged
Click to expand...
Nice. It sounds like it woud meet all my needs then and allay my concern about it being dead when I needed it. I;ve had both DeWalt and Makita rechargeable tools and they didn't seem to hold their charge long at all. In fact, after a 4 years, I can only get about 20 min of use out of my Makita cordless drill before it needs to be recharged. I can only imagine that the ambient Phoenix heat while keeping it in the garage has zapped the life out of it. So, I figured the heat in the truck would be the same.
 
I've checked it a few times over the last year and it always seems to be fully charged still. Battery tech has gotten so much better these days and Milwaukee seems to have invested in decent cells. I replaced all my old 18V stuff with M18 over the last 2 years and haven't had a single battery issue yet.

I EDC a Streamlight Stylus Pro for work and can contest to their excellence as well. i recently upgraded to the latest USB rechargeable version and it is absolutely brilliant! Double click the on button to go betwen 100 and 300 Lumen output.
$50 seems like a lot for such a small flashlight but my regular one was burning through $10 worth of Energizer Lithium batteries a month so I figure it pays for istelf pretty quick.
 
I've switched over to Olight across the board for one reason. Great pistol, rifle, and tactical lights. Love the magnetic USB charger setup and build in high cap battery. Leave it in the Truck on the charger 24x7 and it's always ready to go!
 
I carry a 4ah ryobi battery and flashlight with a LED bulb. It'll stay lit and on all night for days.
 
HSKR R/T said:
My experience with Milwaukee M12 batteries and tools the batteries will hold a charge for quite a while if not used, and last a long time during use as well. Even if you never top off the charge, you could grap a battery that has been sitting for a year and still probably get at least 8-10 hours of constant use out of it in that spotlight.

I have a M12 jobsight radio that will go for almost three full 8 hour work days on one battery without needing to be recharged
Click to expand...
Lithiums shouldn't lose a charge from sitting. It parasitic draws like the state of charge meter where you press a button and the leds light up that cause them to drain if they stick or corrode.

For lithium batteries the worst thing you can do is run them down and then let them sit, they will brick if they lose all voltage. It's really difficult to resurrect them and if you do, they greatly suffer shortened lifecycles. For emergency stuff, keep it fully charged and TEST it regularly.

I also recommend carrying a solar power bank and battery charger. It might be slow but it will give you power when nothing else will.
 
I don't keep the high intensity flashlight in my "Get Home Bag". If the situation warrants me ditching the truck and going out on foot, it is a bad day for everyone. I would not want the super bright light giving me away? I have an LED headlamp that also has red output. It has a bright strobe if needed for signaling and is handy if it is just something like a flat at night or my jar rolled under the seat in thedark. A smaller LED hand held is in there too. In addition to the pen light that is an EDC light. 3 different methods of fire starting should be there too among other things.

If it's not a crisis emergency, my butt is sitting in the truck waiting on the tow truck that I called on my cell to arrive.
 
I keep an Imalent MS12 mini in my truck. 65,000 lumens at the high setting. It is small, yet incredibly powerful when needed. It was a gift from my son.

Truckflashlight1.jpgTruckflashlight2.jpg
 
Mountain Whiskey said:
I don't keep the high intensity flashlight in my "Get Home Bag". If the situation warrants me ditching the truck and going out on foot, it is a bad day for everyone. I would not want the super bright light giving me away? I have an LED headlamp that also has red output. It has a bright strobe if needed for signaling and is handy if it is just something like a flat at night or my jar rolled under the seat in thedark. A smaller LED hand held is in there too. In addition to the pen light that is an EDC light. 3 different methods of fire starting should be there too among other things.

If it's not a crisis emergency, my butt is sitting in the truck waiting on the tow truck that I called on my cell to arrive.
Click to expand...

I wanna know more about the jar....lol
 
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