About 7 months ago, I reported on a new Duracell flashlight called the Daylite that came in 2 configurations.
Now there is a newer version, that is suitable for new cavers to take on a flashlight caving trip. It is called "Daylite Tough." http://a1468.g.akamai.net/f/1468/580/1d/pics.Drugstore.com/prodimg/222498/300.JPG What separates this cheap plastic flashlight from the competition, is the rubber handle. It is very good. The light is well made for a cheap plastic light with a good o-ring and lots of threads to screw the lens on. That is the only point of entry of water, so it should be very water tight, and probably good enough to free-dive a short sump ( with a little silicone grease on the threads ). The lens is also the best of the bunch. Light pattern is good enough for walking size passage. And it uses 4 AA batteries instead of 2 like the others, meaning you shouldn't have to change batteries on the caving trip. The flashlight is light-weight. ( I don't know if the heat-sink on the LED is affected by this ) And to top it off, the light is sold at Kroger grocery stores, so it is easy to find. The drawback is that since it is new, the price is higher than the others. It is $ 15 plus tax. It is also takes up more space in your pack than some of the fancier more expensive lights with this much power. Once the price drops down to say $ 9.99, then this will be a great deal. In summary, I really like this flashlight and I plan to keep it. Many others that I have reported on, I took back for a refund. I might even go buy another one just to keep in the glove box. I wish I had had a flashlight like this when I first started going in caves. The only modification I would make is to wrap some water-proof tape over the spot where the lens cap meets up to the flashlight body, and some sort of reflective color on the handle, so I can easily find it in the dark. David Locklear
