I just found this website on Google and joined today.
I've always had a fascination with flashlights and recently started looking at led flashlights at Staples, Fry's and other places like that. A lot of low priced lights with multiple led's. I finally decided to search dealextreme to pick up a few and that soon lead me to the more expensive budget lights (if that makes sense!)...Romisen, Tank007, Uniquefire, Ultrafire, etc. with "power led's." BessieBenny's thread on CPF was certainly one of my early sources of information. His high praise of the Romisen RC-G2 was the reason that was the first light I purchased. That was on Jan 10.
I now have the RC-G2-black, RC-G2-silver (was so impressed with the first that I had to buy another), Tank007 E07 and RC-H3-black. I also have the Uniquefire AA-S1 on the way. I obviously have a preference for single AA lights at the moment (using Eneloops) but I'm sure I'll be picking up other types. May even get a few of the more expensive "elite" lights down the line.
Glad to have you here. Sounds like you're doing a great job of researching and making good choices. It is nice when you find a light that you like so much that you buy another one. It is good to try out different budget lights and find out what features you like, then maybe try a more expensive light down the road. My first real light was a Fenix L2D which is a good light, but I use a couple of my later budget lights more often.
We're all very glad to have you here! Nice to meet you, and enjoy your hobby here!
Sounds like we have very similar preferences for flashlights, I also strongly prefer AA flashlights due to the ubiquity and affordability of AA cells. In fact I actually use disposable batteries, mainly because my favorite lights run so long I rarely have to think about batteries. But I am slowly being convinced that rechargeables might be a good option, and I have seen a couple of 18650 and CR123 lights that look really nice. I grew up with huge, heavy, plastic rechargeable incandescent flashlights, which I used almost daily. Later we bought a rechargeable Maglite. Then many years after that when I started to buy on eBay, I discovered and bought three samples of the 8-LED Xnova 1xAA flashlight. And there I had it, for a small fraction of the price, three tiny little things that produced more light that the Maglite, and ran forever. If you can believe it, those lights were actually recommended by several users on CPF, there were several long threads about them. Those lights served me well for years until they started to get a bit flickery, and I decided to look for a few more. The Xnova really was the best budget light available at that time that I bought them, but I was amazed to find how much things had progressed a few years later. Now they were using high-tech luxeon-type single LED's, and they had clicky switches. So I bought some $4 generic 1xAA clicky flashlights, which also served me very well for well over a year. Then I decided to try out DX, and my first purchase of "the more expensive budget lights" as you put it, was the Akoray K-106. That convinced me of just how much flashlight I could get for such a low price. I had also been considering buying one expensive light, such as a Fenix, but I think all of my Chinese flashlight purchases so far still don't add up to the price of one of those "elite" lights. And since CPF has definitely gravitated toward the "elite" lights, I put up this site. I think I am probably the one who has learned the most. We're lucky to have some extremely knowledgeable and above all helpful members here.
Feel free to post reviews or ask questions about anything you like here. You're also welcome to post links directly to the products you are interested in, I won't come through deleting your posts!
ROP high (2 unprotected lithium D cells) - a simple modification to a 2D Maglite - lots and lots of light for an hour. When the snow on the rural test range clears I'll do some beamshots where I've got some room to play. More info here. http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/39
Ultrafire C3 Q5 stainless steel (AA). http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26122 I love the aluminium ones but they aren't very reliable - the Aurora branded one (SH0030) is at least as bad but better made. Apparently cheaper and less good ones are being delivered now. but maybe they won't set your hands on fire
Fenix E01 (AAA). http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13005 Been on my keys for a couple of years now. Just keeps working - I change the battery once a year or thereabouts.
Welcome to the site man, you will find that this site is a lot more enjoyable then being on the other side....Mr. Admin lets you be yourself and remember theres no question too dumb, thats the reason why we join the site to learn and help out.