I consider a flashlight a necessary tool so I always carry a flashlight on my belt, you just never know when it might come in handy. There always seems to be situations where they might be used: hearing strange noises, light bulbs burning out or some such thing that makes me pull it off my belt. If you can relate to this, you too may have an interest in a flashlight. Here are a few things you might need to consider.
Types Of Flashlights
What are the basic types of flashlights for you to consider:
- Keychain – A keychain flashlight is usually 3″ or less in length, their small size makes it easy to place them in your pocket, purse or backpack. Many attach them to their keychains so they are ready at a moments notice. While they are very handy, the amount of light produced is minimal. They are intended for use as a backup or emergency form of light, not your primary source of light.
- Utility – The utility light is what most households have in their drawers or cabinet as a general flashlight. While it works in a pinch it is not considered a serious form of flashlight. It’s usually a lightweight, plastic flashlight that gets the job done but not much more. They are inexpensive and may not last over a few years.
- Tactical – A tactical flashlight is usually used in military or law enforcement applications during low-light conditions. They are usually made of aluminum or high-grade plastics and emit a higher degree of light than most other lights. Sometimes they are attached to firearms or in conjunction with a firearm to use in low-light conditions. They are generally 3”–7” in length and are meant to be carried on your person as a self-defense tool.
- Heavy-Duty or Industrial – These are usually made of aluminum and can be rather large and heavy. They are the typical Maglite style flashlights that might be in some people’s homes or work situations. They are usually too big to fit in your pocket, they are generally 5”–14” so they are placed in tool boxes or trunks for easy access.
- Emergency – An emergency flashlight is not dependent upon batteries, they are either hand-cranked or solar powered flashlights. These are really special types of lights reserved for emergency kits.
When To Use a Flashlight
The primary purpose of a flashlight is to provide you with light in dark places. The flashlight used to be just a basic light source that served only one purpose, now with their long-lasting, high-output LED light bulbs, flashlights cannot only light your way but do even more. But with the advancement of technology in the design of flashlights, other uses came about.
The newer tactical-style flashlights are smaller, more rugged, and have a waterproof aluminum construction, they are very bright, and have high-capacity rechargeable battery. Advances in flashlight technology have changed a flashlight into a valuable tool and for this reason, they are recommended for everyday carry (EDC). While most people have a flashlight on their smartphone these days, they are not very bright and you would not want to risk draining your phone battery just to use the light, thus not having a cell phone when you need one.
Uses Of Flashlights
Used for Activities – Regardless of the activity, those of us who’ve tried running, hiking, walking, etc in the outdoors know and understand that low-light situations make it difficult to continue your activity without some type of flashlight. These situations seem to occur either in the early morning or late in the evening hours. Not only do we need to see, but we also need to be seen by motorists and other passersby. Theses flashlights for the active people are all relatively lightweight and therefore comfortable enough to wear while doing whatever you do.
Used Around the House – Flashlights used around the house have a different set of standards than those for other needs. These particular flashlights typically have a stand or a base in which they may be housed for quick-and-easy retrieval. With an around-the-house flashlight, you can easily locate and retrieve that lost item quickly and easily, before you forget its whereabouts entirely. Flashlights used for around the house are also handy for everyday activities, such as evening walks with the dog or when your parents come to visit. These portable lights are typically handheld, have a moderate-to-low output, and are rechargeable.
Used in Work Situations – Work flashlights are typically heavy-duty flashlights with long-lasting light sources that are rechargeable. Many times they may have special adaptive accessories to help with the specific jobs that they do. Mechanics lights may have magnetic bases to attach to the hood of a vehicle or Home inspectors, on the other hand, require handheld flashlights that are durable and tough yet cast a wide beam.
Good Self-Defense Tool – A good tactical flashlight is a good choice as your self-defense weapon. The extremely powerful light not only brightens up your path but will immediately cause most people to stop and cover their eyes when shined directly at a person. Additionally, many tactical lights have a strobe feature which can be even more disorienting to an attacker. If you might have to fight, it is much easier to fight someone if they can’t see you or you can use it as a striking weapon with the sharp bezeled edges and the rugged aluminum construction.
Final Thoughts About Flashlights
Now that we talked about types and uses of flashlights, it is time for you to think about whether you need to carry a flashlight or not. How many times have you pulled out your phone because you needed a light for something? And how many times have you drained your phone battery trying to get something done? There is a simple solution, get a small flashlight and save your cell phone battery. You will not regret it!
If you are interested in seeing some flashlights that you might choose from,
Go to EDC Flashlights
If you have any questions about this post or anything related to Everyday Carry (EDC), feel free to leave a comment below and I will be happy to get back to you.
All the best,
Larry
Founder of EDC Essentials
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is a thoroughly modern tactical interpretation of the Indonesian Karambit. A design collaboration between Lynn C. Thompson and the late custom knife maker Steven Likarich, the Steel Tiger was designed to possess all the best features of this iconic hooked blade and to integrate them seamlessly with modern materials and styling. The Steel Tiger’s deeply curved and needle sharp AUS 8A stainless steel blade is vacuum heat-treated and sub-zero quenched, taper ground and given a stone wash finish for maximum strength, cutting power, edge retention and performance. The 5″ durable Griv-Ex core handle fully encapsulates the tang, emerging to create the bolster, thumb-shelf and distinctive finger ring. This core is then injection over-molded with premium Kray-Ex, creating a superb, non-slip grip that won’t let you down even in when your hands are cold or wet. It has an o
is a fast, efficient, ergonomic design that has long stood the test of time. Fashioned after a tiger’s claw for those that go into harm’s way, many use the knife as an offhand weapon retention tool, to protect their sidearm against a take-away attempt. This knife is proud to serve our warriors whose job it is to protect the rest of us. The Emerson Karambit knife, aka the Combat Karambit, is the ultimate 21st Century folding knife by Emerson Knives, Inc. Along with the patented “Wave Feature”, the Combat Karambit is one of the finest personal defense weapons ever developed. Featuring black G-10 handles for a textured grip, and a beautifully designed Karambit blade- This is one of the best every day carries you can own. The overall length is 6.8 “, the blade length is 2.6″, the blade thickness is 0.125” thick and the weight is 3.6 ounces. The handle is made of G-10, and very comfortable. This is considered the ultimate folding Karambit knife for self defense.
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It is pretty easy and will get you what you need. So here goes-what you will need to make your hand sanitizer:
hear me, your everyday carry items can change with your situations. So during this pandemic, I will carry things that I may not carry otherwise. Here are some items that I make sure I have with me, either on my person, in my EDC pack or in my car or at home: Disinfectant spray, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, water bottle, alcohol wipes and a mask. 
but may be an item that I keep at home and wipe down my gear as necessary.
are handy to help with any cleanups, hand sanitizer works to keep your hands clean, but is not a substitute for good old soap and water. 
work very well too. I keep these for cleaning my glasses but they work fine on your hands as well. 
, some may like them and some may not. This item too is very difficult to find in stores. I had to find someone who could make me one, see the picture, very cool! Some people may carry rubber gloves but I choose to wash my hands rather than depend on rubber gloves. If you are looking for other EDC gear, check out my 
same thing is happening with disinfectant spray, it is being over-purchased to where it is hard to find sometimes. So let’s make our own!
Tier One Concealment which is a holster and magazine holder combined. These two are joined together using stretch cord which makes it flex with my movements. They make it fit your gun perfectly thus giving it that “snap” fit and it has a neutral cant. It also has a double belt attachment that snaps on your belt to let it ride securely on your belt. It also has a claw which fits against your belt thus pushing the gun butt in toward your side. This is a great idea having everything connected together
Muddy Rivers Tactical where the holster and magazine holder is separate. Muddy Rivers Tactical has to have the fastest turn around time of any holster company I have ever used. My order was delivered to me in one week – now that’s fast! This holster fit my Glock 30 perfectly, the cant is adjustable and it has my favorite belt loops for attachment to my belt. The magazine holder fits my 45 auto magazine very securely too and it also has belt loops for a secure attachment.
Blue Alpha Gear, its the Cobra EDC belt. For being a nylon belt, it is extremely ridgid and holds it’s shape very well. It is very easy to adjust the fit and it has a Cobra buckle that snaps together very well. The nice thing about this belt is it slides to the side very easy thus keeping the buckle out of the way of your holster. No matter what holster I wear it works well with this belt.
for Christmas. I was both surprised and excited, finally a good multi-tool to use as my EDC. The reviews on this have been really good and so many people like it. Is it the largest of multi-tools – No! Are there enough attachments on this tool to make it worth carrying – absolutely! Am I going to cram my pants full of another item? Or put it in a belt holder and put it on my belt? No! I carry the Vertx Dead Letter Sling Pack on a daily basis and I have a pouch that has the Leatherman Skeletool’s name on it. Have I used it yet, yes I have and its great to have it with me at all times. In the months to come I will review this product after I have had time to use it more.
. While I would not have purchased that for myself, it is really kinda cool and will definately come in handy. As the name implies, it has eight mini screwdriver bits that come with this screwdriver, some of them will be quite useful. It is something I will use everyday, probably not, but will come in handy now and then. Because of that, is it really a piece of EDC gear? Well let’s discuss that for a minute. I look at my EDC in terms of how often I will use something, daily use items are in my pockets or on my belt. That way they are definitely with me at arms-reach. Other items that I may not use daily, but will use a little less frequent are in my EDC backpack. So I can get to them quickly.
. This tactical pens went well beyond just being a simple writing instrument. Are there other brands of tactical pens, of course, but I really like the feel and weight of this tactical pen and it is incredibly handy for every day tasks. It happens to be one of the smoothest writing pens I have ever owned, my one gripe is that it only comes in black ink. My preference for writing pens is blue ink and I am happy to say I can order a spare ink cartridge in blue ink, now it truely is my favorite writing utensil.
to fit through a normal blue jean belt loop and that is handier than having to take your belt apart in order to thread it through your belt loops and then put it back together. When I am wearing my appendix holster/magazine combination, it is easy to slide the buckle to the side enough to fit this holster. Just what I needed! So far I really like this belt and it has changed my idea of the nylon web belts. I used to only wear leather belts and I would never even consider wearing anything else. This belt is a game changer!
knives and found the CRKT Hi Jinx Z Knife, a very nice knife. This knife is a flipper-style knife without a thumb stud to dig into my leg, the deployment of the blade is extremely smooth, and the handle is thinner then my Schrade SCH109, this is exactly what I wanted. As with my other CRKT, the blade was very sharp right out of the box and did not require any touch-ups with my ceramic stone. There is enough texture on the handle that made gripping the knife an easy thing to do. The handle was contoured enough that I had no hot spots when I used the knife. So it is an excellent knife for my needs.
. I do a fair amount of opening packages, cutting cardboard and doing things that is not the best on a knife blade. Rather then ruin my good folder I have added this folding utility knife to my gear. It has a clip to place it in my pocket or fasten it to my EDC Pack, which is really handy. But most of all I like the way it is so easy to replace the knife blade itself. Therefore you always have a sharp blade in your knife. These a very handy and very reasonable to purchase.
It is a briefcase style pack that holds 12 liters (L) of gear. That’s not a lot of space but it is perfect for my EDC needs. The thing that is nice about this pack is that it can be setup for left or right-handed people, just by moving the strap around using different buckle attachments. The stitching on the buckles is a different color so it is easy to figure out the right way to use the buckles. This pack is very versatile, you can carry it using the handle on use the shoulder strap. If you use the shoulder strap it can be configured like a normal shoulder strap for a briefcase or setup as a sling pack for either a right or left-handed person. I got mine from LA Police Gear, they had a sale going on this pack and they sent me a Vertx medium sized velcro pouch free with the pack. There is a lot of Hook and Loop panels within this pack that would fit many different Hook and Loop attachments. I added two small pouches and now I have more space for small items. With 12 L of space in this pack it is necessary to know what you are going to put in this EDC pack and then what type of pouches, straps, holders, etc. you need to utilize. This pack has a huge pocket designed for concealed carry, It will hold one or two handgun holsters, magazine holder and much more room as you see fit. This pack will even have enough room for some of the larger foldable automatic weapons. But if you choose not to utilize that pocket for a concealed carry option, it will easily fit a full-sized laptop computer. This is one of the nicest packs I have owned and it really serves my needs.
