I have loved flashlights since I was a kid, but the old filament/bulb lights were very limited. Then came the MagLite flashlights with the little krypton bulb. I still have several of them scattered around the house and they still work fine! NOW, LED flashlights have opened up an entire new world! They are so much brighter, whiter, and batteries last so much longer! Years ago, I got a large four- D battery MagLite with an LED and was very impressed. It's hard to imagine the improvements that have been made with LEDs in just a few years. At the CHL class I attended, an instructor showed his Streamlight 88040 ProTac HL with 600 lumens. These lights have a bright, strobe, low mode. They sold them at the shop for $90 but Amazon had them for $60. I bought one for me, my wife, and both kids.  The only slight disadvantage was that it uses the CR123A battery, which is not as ubiquitous as AA, AAA, C, D, etc but most stores do carry them.  Â
www.amazon.com/gp/pr oduct/B007RB82CS?psc =1&redirect= true&re see their prices have gone up since I bought mine. It comes with a belt clip and a ballistic nylon pouch that will fit on your belt.I saw an ad on the internet recently about a much cheaper 300 lumen flashlight. I bought a couple of J5 Tactical flashlights V1-Pro that puts out 300 lumens with a single AA battery. It also has three modes (high, strobe, low), the angle of the light beam can be adjusted, plus it sells for only $13.Â
www.amazon.com/J5-Ta ctical-V1-Pro-Flashl ight-Original/dp/B00 V7T1YRQ/ref=sr_sc=1It's small enough to stick in your pocket/purse and it also has a belt clip.If you shine either of these lights in the face of a person/potential attacker (on either high mode or strobe mode), it can easily distract or momentarily halt them, possibly giving you time to evade or better arm yourself. When the CHL instructor demonstrated his strobe mode in the classroom, I immediately got a headache and had to put my face down and cover my eyes.....and he was just shining it at the wall! The front edges are scalloped in case you need to strike someone with it. Any decent hit to the head WILL cause bleeding. Just remember that if you strike first, YOU may be seen as the aggressor.I keep my large MagLite by my bed. I carry the Streamlight when I am CHL armed, and the little J5s are kept in my computer desk and one in the truck console.There are flashlights out there with more lumens but don't seem as well constructed... yet.Do you love flashlights? What are your favorite flashlights? 4951