I'm a flashlight noob - only got an old maglite my dad gave me ages ago and I am looking for something lighter and brighter. My budget is probably no more than $25 due to customs charges in the UK.
These two above are currently cheap on DD and I have been advised are both great quality.
Finally there is the Tank007 TK566 - http://www.ngshopping.com/Products-Search.aspx?qa=tk-566
this can be used with 1xAA or 2xAA with the extension tube.
Having some trouble deciding! All advice is appreciated and thanks for the help so far from kreisler and Vectrex! :)
Most companies i ordered from (manafont, kaidomain, sbflashlights) shipped the item at much lower values than i bought them for. Other sellers asked me how much they should put on the envelope for custom's declaration. So if that is limiting your budget just ask the seller :).
You like/prefer the 2x AA-size form factor? good to know! ( i prefer single cell torches. smaller, and easier to maintain. no matching of cells needed, etc. if i need extended runtimes, i'd carry a battery case with Eneloops with me )
hi there, good to know that your limit is 25$ (incl. discounts).
Chinese vendors dont ship until Jan 30th (Monday), so you have enough time to make up your mind. At that price point, you can cross out the premium brands Jetbeam, Fenix, Sunwayman, 4Sevens, Zebralight, Olight, Surefire, and even Eagtac. Their 2x AA offerings are higher than 25-30$ afaik.
So you're left with budget lights, e.g. Ultrafire C3 with extension tube, Klarus (on special sale), ..
(btw, you will notice and you should notice that the 2x AA-size is not a very common form factor anymore, especially after crossing out those premium brands. budget lights are Ch*nese lights. and they use Cree LEDs. And Cree LED's prefer, if you could ask them, LiIon cells. LiIon cells are Chi*ese too, btw. Eneloops are great but the typical cpf or blf boardie uses LiIon cells in his/her torches .. because that's the correct food for Cree LEDs)
more common for flashlight designers is to offer, e.g. 1x AA sized torch with operating voltage up to 4.2V. then it's up to you to choose between 1x 1.5V or 1x 3.7V cell.
with a 4.2V you cant use 2x LiIon cell so you must use 2x 1.5V = 3.0V cell. so my light with 1x 3.7V would be brighter than yours!
in any case, if you really need/want the 2x AA form factor, then go ahead. Not too many torches (in the budget sector) exist for this battery config as explained why. feel free to browse quickly all of (and sort after price!):
On the other hand, a single AA option does open up more choices. Output isn't significantly higher on 2xAA, mostly you will see increased runtime, and if swapping batteries is not a huge concern, carrying an extra battery for a single AA torch instead should be considered.
A XENO 1xAA torch would offer a good quality/value mark in the $30 region (i don't know the actual price) but its one of the higher quality budget models. Don't expect it to throw light as far as your maglights, but it sure lights things up in the short/medium range. I would still go for a XP-G as opposed to XM-L (puts out less light, but sends it out further instead of very short range)
I don't mind the 2xAA form factor, I just thought maybe it would be better for running times? I probably would prefer a single cell one and could carry more Eneloops like you do so please feel free to suggest single cell ones too As you already know I was looking at the Romisen RC-G2, RC-29 and Sipik SK68 originally. I'm not keen on the Ultrafire C3s as I have heard mixed reports of their quality.
2xAA more than doubles the runtime compared to 1xAA because of fewer losses in voltage-conversion. So it's not equivalent to carry two Eneloops and have a 1xAA light.
Do yourself a favor. Save up an extra $15-$20 and buy a light you will be happy with for years to come. I have several 1AA and 2AA lights. Klarus is good but the Shiningbeam Caveman is great. 270-290 lumens. Nothing that I know of in a single AA configuration will match the output of this 2AA light unless you are talking Li/ion 14500 battery.
Geht a couple Frustfire Flame 18650 cells (protected) from manafont and a cheap charger and you're off.
It IS worth spending that little bit extra.
If you wanna get posh get yourself a Zebralight SC600w
(bright, small, highly efficient power house with neutral white tint for excellent color rendering)!
You will never look back!
The reason I recommended the Klarus and Fenix is mainly their regulation over the whole runtime. 1AA budget lights often have a heavy output drop over time. The Klarus and Fenix are ones of the cheaper current regulated multi-mode lights, opposed to many PWM regulated lights. Many multi mode lights have a low visible PWM, which can be annoying outdoors. The CPF reviews should be taken with a grain of salt (or 2 tons). They often leave aside that 1 light is about twice as expensive as the other. Typical geocacher have some sort of backpack or jackets with larger pockets with them, so the 2AAs length shouldn't be a deal-breaker. As mentioned before the runtime on 2AA lights is often a lot better than 1AA since the driver efficiency gets worse the larger the voltage gap is (1.2->3.6 vs 2.4-> 3.6V).Chidwacks recommendation is a good one , but it's a whole new price category.
@ firestarter03: Do you have the possibility to take a look at a local store at any of those lights we mentioned? That might help to make a decision. Do you want max output vs. medium output with reasonable runtime? PWM or current regulated? Clip or no clip? Standard cells only (AAA,AA) or are you also considering LiIons? Tell us a bit more what you search in a light.
the P2A is hell bright (and the BA20 is even brighter). the MAIN reason why i would recommend here and now the Klarus (either P1A or P2A) is its current sale price. Klarus is a premium brand (even though they copy designs from Jetbeam and 4Sevens) and the fact that they are offered on DD (who is not known for carrying premium stuff other than Fenix) is god sent.
A retailer with a large selection of flashlight brands is HKE
Yep, the Klarus and the Jetbeam are essentially the same light. The clip position is different. The Romisen N3 or P3 might be additional candidates to confuse the OP even further. ;-)
I already have the P2A,E21 and the P1A on the way. Dino has already enough of my hard earned money. Darn those cheap prices are making me poor. I also own a Solarforce L2R and a Superfire WF-501C 2AA mod.... enough 2AAs for now.
As you already know I was looking at the Romisen RC-G2, RC-29 and Sipik SK68 originally. I'm not keen on the Ultrafire C3s as I have heard mixed reports of their quality.