I started this because I didn't want to jack Craig's Costco flashlight thread.

Speaking of LE grade lights.  They still haven't made an affordable < $200 led flashlight to replace my 5 D maglite with xenon bulb however packing it around outside the vehicle is the suck. 

I used to be kind of a flashlight snob in that I thought the only good flashlight was a virtually indestructible one but I eventually learned that it's better to just have light when and where you need it than to not have it because you can't afford extras.  I have a pretty nice N cell led flashlight for my pocket and I remember this one time when we were going fishing my partner didn't have anything so he stopped and bought this cheap set of 5 flashlights and I kind of scoffed at him about it.  Later I realized there was a method to his cheapness.  He put them in ziplock bags, tossed one in the ice chest, hey we can now see what we are getting!  Tossed one in the live well...no more fishing around with your rod in one hand, flashlight in your mouth and accidentally grabbing a crab.  Environmentalists please stop reading now...he even dropped one over the back of the boat so we could see what was crossing the chum line and he still had 2 flashlights left that he wasn't worried about getting all covered with bait & chum...unlike my expensive, brighter light that I wasn't too thrilled about getting all funky.  Luckily he let me borrow the last one.

From then on...no more mr flashlight snob.