My what a &&show…. really sometimes I wonder who and how they try to run things there sometimes…….
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Well, that truly looks bad.
On that topic though, I’d actually recommend a Sofirn SC31 with the UI modified by Sofirn to limit the output to 300 lumens max.
They could get a good bulk price that way.
:+1: Thanks for diverting this topic in that direction, that’s really where I’d like to see this go. The irony of me intervening on this topic is not lost on me, but I really don’t want this to turn into a bashing thread. Thanks in advance.
Neal has the Convoy S9 for $14.95. I can’t imagine getting anything that would be dependably durable for much less than that.
i cant envision someone homeless taking care of these lights,and finding chargers to use…I’d recommend a faraday light or something
This is what I was thinking too?
A simple AA light seems the most practical if any light really will be.
I can’t believe how quickly that thing escalated and how nasty it was getting too.
I have never seen usb chargers or 18650 chargers anywhere I have worked in that setting?
Maybe I am wrong though.
While I am not going to comment on the other thread, I believe there might be a market need for:
A small light that can be easily charged (internal rechargeable battery or AA), not too many parts, one switch, easy to use UI, can be charged via USB and can provide power via USB ideally, waterproof, about 300 lumens max, can tailstand or hang upside down, and shockproof.
Cost and reliability would be the main product requirements. Produced in volumes it should ideally cost less than a dollar or maybe a buck fifty (if it costs too much people might not give it away or purchase something else instead?).
Such a light could be used in emergency situations, provided in disaster areas, given to people who are displaced and/or homeless and would be an immense help in need.
Does such a product already exist?
I think the creator of that thread had the best intentions. But was, like most of us, not able to take the necessary distance from the topic. Speaking for myself, flashaholics are mainly solution oriented. So it boils pretty quick down to the question: what rechargeable Li-ion light can you advise to a homeless person.
The question should have been more something like: if a homeless person is in need of a personal light, what kind of light would you advise him/her. Starting from matches to a thunderbolt, with everything in between, and narrowing it down later.
The number of officials from the other forum that were involved in this short thread (before is was closed) makes it clear to me that the bearers of those lights do not belong to the target audience of said forum.
Keep in mind that homeless people are like you and me, but without a home…
Most of them even have a smartphone, if they can charge it, they can charge a flashlight as well 
I think we’re talking real homeless people. Not some of the people under the bridges of Paris on the menu of tour-operators. Those can say: I’m in between houses at the moment. Cause they leave for Ibiza in the fall …
Any one want to start a Gofundme for them?
Or maybe we can get a manufacturer to help out? It will be a good image for them?
I think we should at least think about the option to create such a light, if it doesn’t exist.
Even the cheapest SK68s I have seen were several dollars, and these aren’t even good lights being clones of clones.
When I got my first “real” flashlight (S2+), I was so amazed by its quality and looks that I was afraid it would scratch. For rough work or around the garage I always used “really cheap” lights that never satisfied me.
I think there is a market for a quality product that is also a cheap light.
Would it be something to revive some of the list of requirements we used for the Sofirn C01?
Including the vampyr circuit and the potting. Excluding the things that can be missed, like trits.
My idea would be a basic AA light, because people throw away millions of half-spent penlight batteries.
(no honey, we’re going on a holiday and I don’t want to risc getting stuck with an empty you-name-it).
Maybe they can get “fresh” half-spent batteries for free, every time they turn in a set of fully bled-out batteries.
If it had been me, I would have left out the entire “homeless” theme. I would have asked quite simply to recommend “a low-cost 18650 light with USB charge port that isn’t complete junk.”
Maybe. His temperament leaves something to be desired.
In any case, I don’t think people should be giving out 18650 lights to anyone they don’t know well. Especially when he’s harvesting those 18650’s from old laptops.
There are obvious safety concerns with giving people (many of whom have mental illness) unprotected lithium-ion batteries.
Then there are legal issues. What happens if some homeless person is badly burned when doing something with the battery or light? He harvested batteries from packs that specifically state they are not to be disassembled. Does that make him liable if someone hurts themself?
I suggested a basic $3 AA light and alkaline batteries. Cheap, safe, and no issues if they lose it or sell it.
He thought his idea of an 18650 light with recycled cells was so great, that any other suggestion must come only from fools.
Yep. The $2 SK68s can be bought by the dozen.
And it’s easy to find USB Rechargeable AA Ni-MH Batteries (1450mAh, 1.2V)
I picked one of those “tactical zoom” $5 lights out of the shrubbery recently, missing the battery and tailcap.
I worry a bit about a cheap cell lying out there somewhere it could start a fire.