Need a decent flashlight:

I have a Bell + Howell Tac Light I bought off of TV it works just fine. I also have a fancier LED flashlight I bought from a gun store, gun stores are good places to go for flashlights, I would go to one and ask them what they recommend.

 

I've still got the one my first wife gave me after I graduated from the academy.

Just as an FYI, it IS considered to be a "deadly weapon." So use it judiciously. (Mine has some teeth marks in it, but that is a different story.)

We had the rechargeable Streamlights issued at my last department. Lots of problems. For one thing, after a period of time, the chargers would no longer make contact with the flashlight terminals. So all that was good for, was to be used as a flashlight holder. We also had the wall wart rechargers, for recharging when off duty. They were a nice, bright light. But they just had no staying power.

 

There are a few very nice USB-rechargeable flashlights out there, but they're not cheap. My go-to is a Sunwayman D40A with rechargeable AA batteries. It's been used and abused and keeps right on working, though the switch has a leak so it isn't water-resistant any more. It's about as bright as those cab-mounted spotlights on trucks tend to be, somewhere I've got a few side by side comparison photos if I can find them.

Battery Junction has a nice selection of flashlights of all shapes, sizes and price ranges. That's where mine came from, though I didn't buy it (was a gift from my brother).

edit:::images
truck spotlight
flashlight (note the different beam pattern, truck spot has a much better reflector)
Beam pattern (lightsaber!)
On the job

 

Not that one, but those LED flashlights that use the 18650 type rechargeable lithium ion batteries are awesome. They are small, but insanely powerful. Avoid the ones with the 14500 battery (which is smaller, like a AA) - those are cool, but the charge doesn't last me more than 3 nights worth of pretrips (maybe 2 hours of total on-time). The 18650 is the perfect power platform for small LED flashlights, and most of them have multiple modes with lower output for extended run time .

I just did a ton of research on LED lights and found this guy who does very thorough reviews on a flashlight forum. His site is at http://www.flashlightreviews.ca . He's mainly looking at higher-end brands, but the info is solid. @Russian Rabbit - I suggest checking out his "Recommendations" page and looking at single-18650 battery lights.

Three brands the flashlight nerds always seem to mention are Zebralight, Fenix, and Olight. The Fenix PD35 is at or near the top of almost everyone's lists.

 

I've got hands-on experience with Fenix, Olight, Nightcore, and Sunwayman. My brother is a bit of a flashlight nerd... Got a Fenix headlamp around somewhere here, and had a smaller AA-powered one that I lost in a dark drop yard in Jersey (when it was OFF so I couldn't find it). All 4 brands are amazing, you'd never buy another flashlight from Walmart or Home Depot again. You get what you pay for.

 

fat max by Stanley rechargeable lithium battery ac/dc 2200 lumens nice n bright to shine in face of people that wont turn off their hi-beam headlights 50 bucks at wal-mart

 

Nebo SlideKing. Check out BrightGuy.com for lots of lighting options.

 

One nice thing that's becoming more and more common these days are the "neutral white" LEDs. Most LED flashlights are "cool white", which has a bluish, almost purple tint to it. This effect renders color in a weird way which personally bothers me. They kinda play tricks on my eyes and it's hard to see fine details.

I'd recommend the neutral white LEDs if you are interested in a higher-quality flashlight.

 

You can buy this at Costco they work great