redmed Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 22 hours ago, JerryNY said: That's a super nice light but totally not a comparable light. That's purely a compact long throw flashlight. The 980 lumens is for a crazy short runtime though. 0.05h and you're swapping out 4xAA's!!! That's THREE MINUTES (it'll take you longer to swap batteries)! No thank you, that would get tiring fast, even the high setting of 550L at just over an hour and a half would be annoying. To do the AA shuffle... Turbo: 980 lumens / .05h High: 550 lumens / 1.7h Mid: 220 lumens / 4h Low: 30 lumens / 31h The m12 gets 5 hours at 800 lumens albeit with a 4.0 battery but that's still almost two hours with a compact 1.5Ah battery and when it's run dry you can swap it out in all of five seconds. That and you even will have the option of slim 3.0 packs and 6.0 larger packs which would give about 7.5+ hours at full brightness. We all have our preferences, but in our household this is the most used tool in the house. It sits on a shelf in the utility room and the wife uses it more than I do. When she was cleaning a spot in the carpet I suggested she use this flashlight, that started her obsession with this flashlight. I will eventually get another flashlight for myself when I find one with a better throw and uses AA's. When our alarm goes off at night I grab this flashlight to see what triggered the alarm in the yard and it's great at seeking out the intruder. Generally the intruder is deer or skunks but coyotes are common visitors also. For those who don't know, the best rechargeable AA & AAA battery is Eneloop. I almost gave up on rechargeable AA's until I found Eneloops. Charge them and they will sit for a year and almost keep a full charge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stercorarius Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 It seemed really bulky and uncomfortable when I got it but as soon as you start using it you realize it isn't. It's just like your favorite maglites that I'm sure we all have several of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmcmillan Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 I dont think any non-rechargeable can still be considered a competitive light. You can argue their utility (but please dont) but for day to day use its an absolute pain. As far as light output this is actually one of the highest output focusable flashlights around. You really cant compare adjustable and fixed focus lights because the focusing mechanism sacrifices a lot of light plus it can't dissipate heat as well. A better comparison is Coast lights which have similar output, led lenser lights which have less, or maglites which also have less. The big question is what charging capabilities you have at work. If I had a pile of M12 batteries and a charger on hand this would be a great choice. If there was a pile of 18650s or alkalines I would use those. But in my case theres always a microusb nearby so the best choice is something with a built in charger and microusb port. Dont go bashing this because you need to buy special batteries. Its for the people who already have them and they feel the same way about the special batteries for an 18650 flashlight. tldr; if you don't like it stfu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky603 Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 I have something like 20 M12 batteries, so it's a no-brainer. Would I consider it if I didn't have any, and didn't need the job site durability and convenience? Heck, no. Surprised they even offer it in kit form. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremon Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Agreed Sparky, I imagine accounting is hoping for some conquest sales, or Christmas/Father's Day deals because those kits come across as terrible value, I dislike buying non-Fuel kits to begin with because I'd rather buy the 2.0 compacts etc. instead. I'll likely send some of my 2.0s my dads way because the 1.5s don't do a whole lot for a day of ice fishing, or early/late season Harley rides. 3.0 compacts would likely be a good bday gift for him lol, whenever they hit the market. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redmed Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 On 7/1/2016 at 5:49 PM, Craigh9916 said: This Milwaukee light is good but it's no comparison to a high end flashlight of the same cost and they are more then likely tougher in fact they are I have a few fenix lights and they are bomb proof Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk On 7/2/2016 at 3:52 PM, BababooeyHTJ said: Pretty much this. I keep a zebralight sc600 on me and an h602 in my bag. I can't see using something like this. We tried to tell them but it seems like most of these guys are hung up on stuff from Home Depot. Milwaukee makes great tools. I know cause I have a bunch of M18 & M12 tools. This light is good for a company that specializes in tools, but there are many other companies that specialize in flashlights. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboS1ice Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Diversification! Jimbo Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryNY Posted August 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 23 minutes ago, redmed said: We tried to tell them but it seems like most of these guys are hung up on stuff from Home Depot. Milwaukee makes great tools. I know cause I have a bunch of M18 & M12 tools. This light is good for a company that specializes in tools, but there are many other companies that specialize in flashlights. 10 hours ago, redmed said: We all have our preferences, but in our household this is the most used tool in the house. It sits on a shelf in the utility room and the wife uses it more than I do. When she was cleaning a spot in the carpet I suggested she use this flashlight, that started her obsession with this flashlight. I will eventually get another flashlight for myself when I find one with a better throw and uses AA's. When our alarm goes off at night I grab this flashlight to see what triggered the alarm in the yard and it's great at seeking out the intruder. Generally the intruder is deer or skunks but coyotes are common visitors also. For those who don't know, the best rechargeable AA & AAA battery is Eneloop. I almost gave up on rechargeable AA's until I found Eneloops. Charge them and they will sit for a year and almost keep a full charge. Yeah. People want different things. Eneloops are awesome, been using them for years in other electronic devices. I wasn't putting down your flashlight choice, just pointing out that your quoted lumens is really spec sheet engineering that has almost no practical use with runtimes of only a few minutes (probably bad for heat generation too). I like the fact, and I suspect many others here do as well, that I can use idle tool battery packs for a household thing like a flashlight and always have charged packs at the ready and not have to deal with swapping cells, Enloops or otherwise. I hate fiddling with individual cells and tend to avoid things where there is an alternative to have a lithium pack that slaps on while one is in the charger. It's a personal choice, it doesn't negate your choice. Heck they make flashlights that cost a fortune that are awesome but that doesn't mean they are meant for everyone either. I like the M12 flashlight and it gives me hours of runtime and has an easy swap battery pack ( underrated in an emergency IMHO). It feels pretty nice in hand, has a slick beam adjustment mechanism and has excellent CRI, probably far superior to many many lights out there. The bluish cast of many cool white LED's gets annoying, especially after you get used to a light with a better color output. I'm an LED snob admittedly. I've spent THOUSANDS of $$$ on LED light fixtures over the years for marine reef tanks and know more than I probably should about the LED industry lol. Those two LED fixtures cost $750 each and draw 130w (actual output not compared to incandescent) each through TIR lenses. Their output and versatility put my Milwaukee M12 light and your flashlight to shame but they make terrible handheld flashlights ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremon Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 1 hour ago, redmed said: We tried to tell them but it seems like most of these guys are hung up on stuff from Home Depot. Milwaukee makes great tools. I know cause I have a bunch of M18 & M12 tools. This light is good for a company that specializes in tools, but there are many other companies that specialize in flashlights. Lol. Your opinions haven't fallen on deaf ears, and certainly aren't being discredited. No one is arguing there aren't better flashlights out there, simply explaining different use cases. I have two devices in my house that use AA batteries: my wireless trackpad and keyboard for my Mac. Realistically I wish they were wired. If I replace it with a laptop at some point, then eneloops are nothing to me but "another battery platform", but one that, for me, have less utility than a power tool battery. Obviously flashlights can be subjective, they would have to be to sustain an entire forum devoted to them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnarlyCarl Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 I love reading here, I never know where the topic will lead.... Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewer Posted September 3, 2016 Report Share Posted September 3, 2016 A year or so ago I wouldn't have thought I'd say this, but for me AA's have become almost obsolete, especially out in the field. Too small for any real work, too big for a lot of modern high tech devices. It was different way back when a 2AA Maglite and a Sony Walkman were the height of portable tech, but these days I find that more stuff takes AAA's (eg head light, pen light, emergency UHF radio) and that a pack or two of spare AAA's is easier to carry and more useful. I've got high-end lights from Fenix, 4Sevens, Olight, Nitecore, Surefire etc but none of them really work for me as a system - swapping and managing batteries and never knowing how much charge is left really spoils the party. These new M12 lights are the killer product for me. Happy to pay the asking price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewer Posted September 13, 2016 Report Share Posted September 13, 2016 Ok, the light finally landed in my hand today - on my way to a job where I actually got to use it As others have said it is beautifully made, heavy, solid, well engineered, very much like a good SLR lens. It's a serious bit of kit. Love the power, love the focus range - wide flood to tight spot, easy to find a middle ground that gives a good mixture of center and spill. It is definitely the best flashlight I own. The power gauge and M12 pack is the icing on the cake. But I have to say, the shape IS a bit bizarre, and I don't get it. Why was it so important to have a round aluminum body, that they actually 'bulked out' the battery compartment so much to do it? They already have a somewhat ergonomic battery shape, why not use that?! They could have had a nice over-molded handle grip to match the battery, then have the aluminum part emerge from that - something like this (pretend the button isn't on the side): Anyway, JMHO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiltiWpg Posted September 13, 2016 Report Share Posted September 13, 2016 That's what I was eluding to earlier. The shape seems awkward. Bulking it out only to fill the void with plastic seems odd. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stercorarius Posted September 13, 2016 Report Share Posted September 13, 2016 The shape grows (figuratively) on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnarlyCarl Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 15 hours ago, Brewer said: Ok, the light finally landed in my hand today - on my way to a job where I actually got to use it As others have said it is beautifully made, heavy, solid, well engineered, very much like a good SLR lens. It's a serious bit of kit. Love the power, love the focus range - wide flood to tight spot, easy to find a middle ground that gives a good mixture of center and spill. It is definitely the best flashlight I own. The power gauge and M12 pack is the icing on the cake. But I have to say, the shape IS a bit bizarre, and I don't get it. Why was it so important to have a round aluminum body, that they actually 'bulked out' the battery compartment so much to do it? They already have a somewhat ergonomic battery shape, why not use that?! They could have had a nice over-molded handle grip to match the battery, then have the aluminum part emerge from that - something like this (pretend the button isn't on the side): Anyway, JMHO. They really needed you in on this flashlight design early on, this looks very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremon Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 Agreed, that looks way better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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