MREInfo.com

My first thought when I saw this new sub-forum was... Then I noticed Kman had cunningly inserted the word "Preparedness" in the forum name, so I'm going to make an effort to post some real preparedness stuff.

I've got some reviews I'll post soon, but first, let's start with something I'm thinking about upgrading, because I find my cheap one so dang useful...


The battery on my $2 keychain light is gradually dying, and it's never been too bright, so I'm thinking about replacing it with something higher end.

Figured anybody who likes MREs must like flashlights, so it'd be worth asking here.

Desired specs:

• small enough to be comfortable on a keychain
• very decent battery life, maybe 2+ modes (high powered & low - my current one has only one setting)
• LED (the tech is now so solid, I expect to never buy another incandescent flashlight)
• light rain proof (I don't need heavy duty water proofness - I won't be diving to 100 meters)
• a lot less than $100 - no exact range, but under $30-ish, depending on how close it is to my needs

Basic uses:

• scanning for lurking un-dead raccoons/etc (bright to about 10 to 15 meters)
• mostly lots of short on-off cycles
  (if I need a light for longer duration, I usually use the keychain light to find a non-tiny flashlight, of which I have a couple dozen)
• task light for computer quick inspections / repairs
  (close-up & bright - this is bottom of my list, but I often use my current one for quick applications of bright light (except it isn't bright enough))

In other words, nothing "tacti-kewl", just fairly routine utility and personal safety/comfort.

I'm not sure what brand & model I currently own, but will post a picture soon (yes, keychain porn!). It's the flat kind that you can pick up at Walmart and BigLots for $2.


In my intro, I mentioned that starting 3 1/2 years ago I've been on a huge overhaul of all my preps. Of all the stuff I've bought, the single item that most often makes me feel all warm, happy & safe is that $2 keychain flashlight.

In other words, brothers, this is a great gift for the women in your lives. Their first reaction might be "meh", but the very first time they have a real use for it, they will think good thoughts your way.

So, buy some cheap ones as stocking stuffers for this Solstice/Ferengi-tide, and by next year, you'll have some credibility, and can toss in some more interesting prepper gifts.

I recently had to replace my trusty 4-year old LED keychain light with a new one. I had to replace it quickly so I didn't spend any time online looking for the perfect light - I just went to Wal-mart (strike-out! they didn't have anything) and Target to see what they had. I settled on this one for $6.99:
http://www.inovalight.com/microlight/mi ... r-body.php
http://www.target.com/p/Inova-LED-Clear ... A-13039446

It has four modes - high, low, strobe, and signal - and is supposed to last up to 22 hours on low mode.

It's nothing fancy but for $7, it was a quick purchase and does everything I want it to. I did remove the little metal clip and just put it on a standard keyring.

I bought a dozen lights from Hong Kong, @ $.50 each, free shipping, last year.
Best deal I ever got, they are very bright, batterys are quite good, and did I mention CHEAP?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LED-Flashli ... 2c5febc6e7
I'm still using the first two, although I did replace the batteries once...

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/HikingCam ... hlight.jsp

Pelican VB3 LED Flashlight

$24.50 Canadian

• Weight: 30g

• Lighting Levels: 1 mode

• Beam Distance - High: 12m (~40ft)

• Boost Mode: No

• Flash Mode: No

• Light Source: 2 LEDs

• Burn Time - High: 100 hours

• Max Light Output: 9 lumens

• Beam Pattern: spot

• Batteries 2 lithium CR2032 (included) = Same type as CMOS PC Batteries for BIOS, about $3 each.

• Water Resistant Level: IP X6

I have a Nebo Luma35 flashlight attached a lanyard which also has my Bundeswehr pocket knife....
The flashligt has a very bright LED and uses one AA battery. I highly recomend it or any of the same brand.
Ahhhh, did I say they are cheap? At least mine was... $10.00 on your local Battery Plus
NEBO CSI Luma 35 Mini/Pocket Flashlight
• 35 Lumens of Powerful Illumination
• 1 LED; 35 Lumens
• LED Bulb - 110,000 Plus Hour Life
• Glow-in-the-Dark Rear Power Switch
• Aircraft Grade Aluminum Water-Resistant Anodized Body
• Size: 3.75" x .75"
• Aggressive Face - Ideal for a Self-Defense Aid
• Non-Slip Grip
• 1 AA Battery Included

dirtbag wrote:I bought a dozen lights from Hong Kong, @ $.50 each, free shipping, last year.
Best deal I ever got, they are very bright, batterys are quite good, and did I mention CHEAP?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LED-Flashli ... 2c5febc6e7
I'm still using the first two, although I did replace the batteries once...

I have one of those on my keychain and they are awesome. And yes I have replaced the battery once. I used two for maximun ilumination.

I know someone here on the forum posted this website and products company COUNTY COMM.com and I must say that since then I have really impressed with their products. Since we're talking about flashlights I have seen a few on their website. Some are about the size of a AA battery and some slightly bigger but since the dimensions are of putting one on your keychain here's one:

http://www.countycomm.com/orngled.html . They also have a similar version you can clip to your body armor or tac vest. Those come in subdued colors too. They're pretty damn cheap at just over a $1.00 and they have fast shipping. Plus they take paypal.

http://mykeyport.com/

http://www.uwkinetics.com/products/uk2a ... cket-light

I have one of these on my keyring from 3 years with same batteries. I use it daily when I need light. I gladly reccomend.