Day 2: Shining a Light on Gift Ideas

The 12 Tools of Christmas continues! Yesterday we showed you Day 1: The Leatherman. Today we go for a tool that is absolutely essential, one you can never have too many of, in fact we have one in every single room in our house. 

Day 2: Flashlights!

One Christmas morning, many many years ago, a little Gabe opened gifts from under the tree. When what to his wondering eyes should appear, but a pack of flashlights! Some people might say, "Why do you need a full pack?" Well, this pack had different sizes and multiple functions. What more could a 10 year old boy want?!?

Several years later, and you can still usually find a new flashlight hiding as a stocking stuffer at our house. We have tiny lights, massive mag lights, lantern flashlights, rechargeable ones and even ones that stay plugged in. In case of an electrical outage, you can always find a light at our house. Here are but 3 unique flashlights that we use on a regular basis.

Coast Hx5 - The is the one we carry in our pockets. It is compact, yet the beam is bright and the width has a radius of several feet. It's like carrying a lantern in your pocket. The beam is adjustable, and it comes with a handy clip for storage on a hat or belt. (I have explained to Gabe that not everyone sees this as necessary!) It runs on a single AA battery, and we only need to replace it every few months. This light came in handy for Trick or Treating, and frequently is used for every day issues. If you are on a budget this Christmas, this is a great value for the money.

Fenix UC30 - This is our go-to flashlight for inspections. This is the best flashlight we have ever owned. It's waterproof, which we have tested on occasion. It is durable, we dropped ours on several occasions. It has adjustable brightness levels ranging from nightlight to search and rescue level brightness. The battery is rechargeable, which we love because it is turned on and off dozens and dozens (and dozens) of times during the inspections. We had a very similar light that wasn't rechargeable, and the cost of replacing the batteries frequently was really taking a bite our of our wallet. The initial investment in this light was a little high, but the saving in batteries has already made it the more economical choice overall. One battery charge lasts us almost a week, and that is with every day heavy use. Finally, in a pinch, 2 non-rechargeable batteries can be used. So if the charge doesn't last through an inspection, we have a back-up set with us at all times. Our only complaint is with the power button, it does have a little learning curve to it. But this is a VERY small complaint, we love this light!

Energizer Weather Ready - This light is great for emergency situations. In the case of an electrical outage, this little guy lights up. We have several located throughout our house so that they would illuminate key areas if the power goes out. Ours has lasted for several years now. Best of all, since it stays plugged in, it is always charged and requires no additional batteries. These make great back up lights, but the brightness is limited, so you would probably want a better flashlight for every day uses, or in the event of an extended power outage.

This is really only the tip of the iceberg on different models and uses of flashlights. We have a different light for just about everything. But, if you are just getting started, these three are definitely a good bet. Check back in on Monday when we reveal the 3rd Tool of Christmas!

Want to feel the Spirit of Christmas even more?? We are giving away each day’s gift idea to 1 lucky reader! The contest will be open through November 30, 2016. Like our page on Facebook and share the Facebook post for an entry for this gift, only one entry per gift, please. One winner will be drawn per day starting December 1, 2016. You can win for more than one day, so enter daily!
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