Flashlight in personal car

[Steve Paylor]

I was looking for a flashlight to put in my personal car and thought the Streamlight Litebox was a good choice. It's not cheap, but I liked the idea of a blocky lantern and knowing it would always be fully charged in my trunk. There's a lighter socket back there so wiring wasn't a problem. Mounting the charging station was a little more troublesome, but I settled on epoxy.

But I was told that it would be too much of a drain on my car's battery and kill it overnight. I don't want to get anything that will risk that, even if the car is idle for a couple weeks.

Has anyone had experience like this? I suppose I'll just buy another MagLite.

[P.P.]

Steve,

I carry a Lite Box in my van. I have never had a problem with it draining the battery.

It is always ready for use.

Stay Safe!

P.P.

[This message has been edited by P.P. (edited 12-27-2000).]

[ArmyTruckCompany]

FORGET THE DINOSAUR LITEBOX!!! Try the Streamlight "Survivor"- the one that is made at a right angle, not unlike the old GI Issue personal lights. The Survivor is 1 tenth the size and weight of the "brickbox" and puts out just as much light!! You can clip it to your coat, or onto an SCBA strap. For about $85, it comes with a slow charger, a cigg adapter and a 110 adapter. For about another $20, you can get a rapid charger.

Use it once and you'll use the litebox as a boat anchor. My volly company even switched everything over to the Survivors about a year ago.

------------------
"Loyalty above all else, except honor."

[Steve Paylor]

I like the Survivor and always try to grab one when going on a fire call, but wanted more of a lantern for my car, something I can set on the ground and shine light on what I need to do.

And in the Survivor vs. LiteBox comparo, the LiteBox delivers more light for a longer period. The trade off, of course, is size and weight.
LiteBox 8w spot = 50,000 candlepower for 8 hours
(http://www.streamlight.com/lbox2.htm)
Survivor = 15,000 candlepower for 1.5 hours
(http://www.streamlight.com/survivr2.htm)

Galls.com sells the LiteBox for $120 and the Survivor $125. Where did you find the Survivor so cheap? I should be shopping there.

Also to be considered is the Vulcan, a smaller, waterproof version of the LiteBox.

[dfwscotty]

We carry Rechargeable survivors on our rigs. Plus I keep a Sabrelight in my gear and in my POV. The Sabrelight is small, uses 3 C batteries, has a lanyard, belt clip plus I added a dog clip on the ring on it. It puts out a lot of light and is intrinsically safe and very waterproof.

[Firefighter2197]

The main concern i have as a mechinac is what kind od car do you drive
in a big car like my dads blazer or a van you would be ok
but in a car like a ford probe or mazda mitia you would kill the batt over night
2197
stay safe and have fun fighting the monster

[RescueCoFireman]

I think that the Streamlight Litebox is great. I like it's pivoting head so that you can angle the light in the direction you want regardless of how you're carrying it or how you have set it down.

All of our apparatus carry lite boxes. Survivors are worn on our turnout gear. We don't carry survivors on any rig.

If you want cheap, I carry those 6 volt everyready flashlights you can buy at hardware stores and would just clip it to my coat or use a sling. Then there is the trusty Garrity light if all else fails. I carry one in my helmet and a back up in my coat pocket.

Glen Bordas
FFII/EMT

[ceno2749]

I have a survivor light on my bunker coat.
I have a lightbox in my Blazer. I just charge it in my house every few days or after each extended use. Both are excellent lights for their respective uses. Survivor is light and compact for using in a building or on an MVA. Lightbox is good for general use or for flooding an area with light.
No problems yet!

[This message has been edited by ceno2749 (edited 12-29-2000).]

[DED1645]

If you have the room then mount the Boxlight. I have the Survivor with a one hour quick charger in my trunk of my car. And I grap it once I get to the station for a call. It has the clip and also has a ring that I have a beener hooked to. But if I'm not mistaken don't Boxlights have to be hard wired. They Survivor is a cigarette plug. I also have a Stinger in my center console with the rear button(that'a bright little light).

------------------
David DeCant
Firefighter/NREMT-P
New Jersey, USA
Career or volunteer we are all brothers. Just feel good for the good you do for others.

[Looper]

I have a Streamlight SL-20 mounted in my truck...Course thats also because I'm a cop and I sometimes have to use it for something other than illumination.

[Steve Paylor]

I called Streamlight (1-800-523-7488) and posed them this question. Without hesitation they said that it would kill the battery unless I wired it in so that it only drew current when the engine was running.

[nomad1085]

Well, I still rely on the Good Ole' 4 D-cell maglite in my truck. They put out a nice amount of light, are invincible, and can vary flood to spot. I keep a trafic wand cone with it also to use for traffic if need be. As it is a Maglite, it is useful for other things such as self defese and forced entry, when you really need it. It is a little heavyier than a streamlite, but it's what i have and I am broke.

One of my friends has the litebox and it is great too. You can set down and point the light where you want it. I'd wire it so it only charges when the vehicle is running or, put a battery maintainer on the vehicle and plug it in over night. Then it will chage the litebox and the car's battery. The streamlites, liteboxs, and Maglites all have vehicular chargers that you can put a lighter plug on or hard wire it.

Good Luck,
Matt

[fireeater650]

wirnig the light charger so that your car battery doesn't drain is a good idea. but i also noticed someone stated that their car might not be used for an extended amount of time. i just thought i 'd tell you that we have a litebox wired in our brush truck so that it doesnt drain the battery and we have encountered a problem with that. At our station we only use that brush unit for brush fires, it has no other purpose(except bad weather calls, but in NC, that doesnt happen that much) and the truck usually sites for days or weeks without even being started. I have noticed that alot of the times the lite box is dead when you need to use it. I don't know if it is b/c of the way the charger is wired or if it b/c the litebox has somehow malfunctioned, but i just thought i would put my 2 cents in.

[djohler]

I keep a 2D Maglite under my seat. It does not through the light that their "baseball bat" 4D does, but it is very handy. When ever I come up on a 1050 at night it is the first thing I grab. It is much easier to get to than my trunk, because of my bike rack. If I find that I need my small medical box, I just flip down my back seat.

[snowball]

I have a 4D Maglite under my seat as well
wired to the ignition so it only charges when I have the key on.