Since the bike specific slush fund is rather sparse right now, I need some input on flashlights that can do double duty as bike lights. Only thing is that they can only come from one of the big box retailers or home improvement centers. DX and other online sources are out, as I need to be able to "hide" the acquisition in plain sight with normal, day-to-day purchases.

last time i was at target i saw some LED flashlights in the camping section

I rode all last year with a 3 watt LED Mag light from Wal-Mart, that I used for a headlight. I am not sure how many lumens it puts out.
It does put out enough light to see with, not as much light as a Magicshine, but, enough to see with.

I understand the "hiding" thing, got the t-shirt some where.

Home Depot used to carry some lights by Coast that were pretty bright. 200 Lumen range and ran on 3 x AAA. I bought one, but have not seen them in the stores lately. Bright, but the light has some distinct rings in it.

I bought a Coleman Max or somesuch from Walmart that is around $20 and about 120 lumens. Runs on 2 x AA. Again, decent light, and a pair of them would make for OK lighting at best.

I greatly prefer my MTE SSC P7, bought used from a fellow member here.

I COMPLETELY understand the criteria placed upon the purchase.

I had bought two of the Coleman Max from Wally World. They are amazing when compared to a mag light They are low lumen when compared to the lights discussed in this forum. I got the $30 version with the blue,red white and a green, red and white LEDs for the wife. Mine has been removed from bicyle commuting service and given to the wife for walking the dog lights when it spontaneously fell apart on a group ride when the lens end of the assembly fell of. It was loosening and I didn't realize it. Now I keep it snug. I would buy it again if I couldn't mail order.

I've ordered a 900 lumen flashlight ($37) with spare smart batteries and charger thanks to the advice of the pros in this forum.

Maybe you should start a thread on how to increase your bike slush fund so you can get some of these super lights discussed here.

For instance I just tell the wife about the close altercation with a car on my morning commute and voila I'm buying enough lights
to start a grass fire. I guess she doesn't want to loose her bread winner. good luck

IIRC, there was talk here of a flashlight from either Lowe's or Home Depot. Think it was called Task Force? I got a gift card for HD with some $ on it around here somewhere, I might see what they got. I saw the Coleman Max at Wally World the last time I was there, that might be an option.

I have one LED light already-5 emitters powered by 3 AAA's in a holder. Don't have any idea what it's rated at, nor do I know who actually made it. It just has the corporate logo of a company that supplies my employer with some automated equipment (but it was free- I can live with free). No way is it bright enough by itself to be used as a bike light. It's bluish, and I'll probably use this one angled down to light up what is right in front.

And I have a good idea who that BF'er is.

Forget all the Home Depot or Walmart stuff. It's not bad, but you can do much better for bike-specific purposes.

Terralux Lightstar 220, on Amazon.com. 2 x AA, 180-220 lumens, legitimately, x 1 hr runtime. Mount with a velcro lockblock to bars, or use a rubber band to loop it to your helmet vents. It's bulletproof, definitely bright enough to see with, even at 18-20 mph, and has been used extensively by other bike folks. It's well worth the $28ish dollars.

You will not be able to get a brighter light than this one for 2 x AA regardless of price today. The FENIX is also excellent, and has better flash & mid/low settings, but costs twice as much.

P7 flashlights generally use 18650 batts. Not a big deal, but not AA, and these flashlights are noteably bigger than the AA ones. You also tend to have to get them on DealXtreme from China if you want them under $50; quality control has definitely been spotty in the long term with P7s from this company. Mine already is on the fritz and I haven't used it much.

The TaskForce is a 2 x C cell light sold by Lowes. I do not have one, but you can find reviews of it here and on candlepower forums. I will PM you the name of the guy I bought the light from, he might have something else he needs to move. Never know.

Ya, got your PM, thanks.

I did find couple of threads about that Task Force after posting the last time. Saw the beam shots comparo to the PB Beamer 5. Then saw another thread that was a comparo of the TF, a mini Maglite, and a Husky. That Husky sure was bright! But it really was an unfair comparison, as no 2 lights had the same size cells in them.

I'm going to spend some time looking at the 'virtual' stores of the ones that are local to me. Maybe find some beam shot comparo's somewhere. Also need to bone up on power supplies. I know that C and D cells are heavy, but do they hold more of a charge longer? Or that they drain that much quicker because they can put out that much more power?