"Well , for me , buying budget has always meant buying something that I expect will have an issue of some sort , it goes with the territory".
You make some good points, starting right at the top here. This is how I landed here at BLF, and what I was trying to get at in the OP. For me, it wasn't a case of "I want a lot of lights so I'll have to buy cheap and expect issues", more like "so many lights are over-priced for what they offer and I can't find exactly what I want so I may as well buy cheap".
"If you buy budget , you need to be prepared to , adjust - tweak or repair , its the price point your buying in at" ..
Agreed.
"Dont like adjusting - tweaking or repairing , then you should consider entering at a higher price point "..
That's just what I did do at first. I was (am) disappointed with the K25's wobbly tailstand largely because it's designed to be a tailstander, but on a £20 torch I'm not heartbroken. However, this issue is, according to reviews I read, even worse on Nitecore's IFE2, which I also considered buying (before I discovered BLF!) Designed to tailstand, with thumb recesses in the tail ring, it apparently won't stand unless you prop it up. And it's a £95 flashlight.
"If your not planning on being a flashaholic !"
Possibly not, but does anyone actually plan to be one? I never planned to be an alcoholic either, but that one sneaked right up on me!
"Perhaps you should buy one good AAA light , one good AA light [ single AA ] and then a good XM-L like the Jetbeam PA40 , might set you back $150 to buy 3 Good lights , that wont trouble you , but electronics being what they are , its never a 100% guarantee .. Just better odds" .
Again good advice, and pretty much what I was planning on (though now I've found BLF I may re-think it slightly). The difficulty isn't so much with finding good lights - plenty of them out there - as finding good lights which are right for you personally. And as we've discussed, as the price goes up, tolerance of personal dislikes goes down. To be honest I probably would spend £100 on a flashlight (sorry BLF!) but for that kind of dosh it really would need to be very close to my personal requirements, and since these really aren't as fussy as you may think, my inability to find such a light is all the more frustrating. For example, you suggest the Jetbeam PA40. Excellent torch, no doubt 1000's of happy customers. But it has no strobe or tailstand, both essential for me. I could maybe live without these features on a £20 torch but not on a £68 PA40. Back to why I'm glad I found BLF...
"Once you have 3 Good lights [ brand names ] , be happy !"
That's the plan, and I'll certainly try!
"I enjoy budget lights because they offer a cheap education - offer cheap possibilities for doing mods - and there cheap enough not to cry over .."
And much easier to forgive them their little foibles.
"I just think , you should not expect perfection when buying into flashlights at such a low price point , though it is nice finding something close to perfection at a bargain price .."
I don't! That's why I ended up here, (and glad I did) because I couldn't find what I wanted even at much higher prices.
"Sure is nice having a $30 or cheaper flashlight that does everything a $120 flashlight does .."
No argument from me...
"And now you can buy into XM-L at under $14 , will wonders never cease .
Well, I'm not sure exactly what "XM-L" is, (type of LED?) but from your closing comment it sounds like I've arrived at a good time.
