• LED lights are becoming more popular.LED image by URIO from Fotolia.com
  
  In recent years, LED flashlights have gone from expensive luxuries to affordable necessities thanks to engineering breakthroughs. These breakthroughs have allowed manufacturers to dramatically increase performance while slashing production costs. It's no longer hard to find LED lights that are brighter than incandescent Xenon or Krypton bulbs. An LED's pure, white light is more appealing than the pale, yellow glow of an incandescent bulb, and LEDs last more than 100,000 hours. For all of these reasons and more, some of the best flashlights use LED bulbs.
  
  

4Sevens Quark MiNi 123

• 4Sevens's Quark MiNi 123 penlight, about the size of your thumb, uses the brightest LED available as of 2010 to cast a 189-lumen (candlepower) beam. Three power presets are available with outputs of 3, 40 and 189 lumens. At its low setting, the Quark MiNi 123 can run for 150 continuous hours on a single lithium CR123A battery. The Quark MiNi 123 also has SOS, strobe and high- and low-beacon modes, and its rugged aluminum body is water resistant. Since its battery can withstand extreme temperatures and has a shelf life of more 10 years, 4Sevens $39 penlight is ideal for a survival kit or camping trip.
  
  

Neofab Legion II

• According to Geek Alerts, the brilliant 742-lumen output of Neofab's Legion II makes it the brightest single LED flashlight in the world. The Legion II incorporates numerous refinements and a spare-no-expense philosophy that makes it a market leader. The Legion II has five power levels and runs for 35 continuous minutes at its maximum output of 742 lumens (the longest run time in its class). As of 2010, you can find a $295 limited edition with Teflon bearings or a $179 standard edition with an aluminum body.
  
  

Edge Ultra100

• If you're a diver or fisherman, EdgeDiveTech has a waterproof light that will light up the night. This single-canister light throws an astounding 9,000-lumen, 80-degree wide-angle beam, making it the brightest LED dive light in the world. The Edge Ultra100 does all this with a single 100-watt LED light that is regulated by a Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) controller. The PWM controller strobes the LED thousands of times per second. This creates the illusion of a continuous beam while reducing wear on the LED. It also makes it easier to adjust the LED's output from 10 percent to 100 percent. The Edge Ultra100 has a two-hour run time, and it sells for $8,400 as of 2010.