Best Mass Produced Flashlight For Its Purpose

Best Mass Produced Flashlight For Its Purpose

I am going with just six types here. You guys might think of more and please post them if you do. Also, please post your list of what you think is the best preferably explaining why you think so.

Keychain Light: (length must be less than 4” and should be less than 3”. Width must be no more than 1” put preferably less.)

Olight S10R

With the lights on smartphones producing anywhere from 25-50 lumens, there is almost no point in buying a keychain flashlight unless you get at least close to 100 lumens. The S10R more than does that producing 400 lumens and 341 feet of throw. After 4.5 minutes, high mode drops to 200 lumens unlike the regular S10.

I don’t get why so many people just won’t accept the S10R as a keychain light. The most common answer is the lithium battery which is absurd. As long as a quality battery like the battery that comes with the light is used, it is no more dangerous than a smartphone. My husband and I have the regular S10–L2 with an Olight 16340 battery inside on our keychains next to a butane filled micro blow torch that produces a 2400 degree Fahrenheit (1316 degree Centigrade) flame.

My 55 y/o mother in–law has an S10R. She won’t put it on her keychain because she thinks it’s too heavy in her car ignition but does EDC it and uses it frequently outdoors. She already has a heavy keychain so that is understandable in her case not to put any flashlight on it.

Not many mass produced flashlights come close to the S10 and its variants in terms of size and performance. Everyone I seen so far appears to be a knockoff. The S10R seems to be the clear winner here but any of its variants are just about as good.

Pocket Light: (length is usually around 5” but can approach near 6” and go smaller than 5” for the ideal pocket light. Width is almost always exactly 1” for gun mounting purposes but sometimes off 1/100th or 2 of an inch)

Olight S30R

This one has closer competitors but small size (4.69” length) and the micro-dok charger beat the competition on this one. Dropping down from 1000 lumens turbo mode to a sustained, more than usually needed, 600 lumens also makes this light the winner. Emphasizing flood over throw is yet another feather in this light’s cap.

If quantity of quality lights was the contest for this category, Eagletac would easily win, especially if neutral white lights had to be included, but it’s for a single model and none of Eagletac’s pocket lights seem to outdo the S30R.

Non–lithium batteries are so last decade just like incandescent bulbs are so last century. It’s halfway through the 2010s. Some people just don’t want to let the beloved obsolescent become obsolete. My husband’s 82 y/o grandfather owns an S30R. He struggles to send email but has no trouble using an 18650 lithium battery and all of this light’s functions. For this reason, I will put non-lithium battery powered lights in the only class it belongs: history class.

Vehicle Light: (This one is the biggest form factor wild card. In–light charging is pretty much a must to be a good vehicle light, preferably USB. Ideally, it should fit in the glove compartment to be in this category but I guess just about any light can do in the real world. Most people just use their pocket light for this purpose but since this was already covered, I am omitting that category as well as keychain and the next two categories from this category. I guess that makes this category a miscellaneous one.)

Olight R40 Seeker

This light is slightly too big to truly fit in the pocket light category but it is quite pocketable, especially going from a vehicle to a building rather than EDC. The 1100 lumens high non–turbo mode makes this light better than it’s only USB in–light rechargeable close competitor: Fenix UC35. Some people might be turned off by the R40’s custom 26650 but the duration of even this battery let alone some non-custom 26650’s that can last considerably longer is a worthwhile tradeoff for an emergency or work vehicle light. The Fenix UC35 does win against the R40 if an emergency vehicle light must double up as a pocket light but loses to the R40 Seeker being judged solely as a vehicle light.

Headlamp: (Self-contained power is almost a must. Separate power pack very undesirable. I am excluding deep diving and other special purpose headlamps since they deserve a category of their own that I know nothing about)

Nitecore HC90 —

If a separate power pack is acceptable, then the Olight H35 Wave at 1500 lumens easily wins this category. For most people, it isn’t so it loses by default. The Fenix HL55 could have easily been manufactured to beat the HC90 since it does have some advantages over the HC90 but Fenix failed to do so for too many reasons: Only neutral white, No RGB, No USB recharge, no variable brightness and many others. Zebralight might have been the best for headlamps at one time but like Fenix with lights in general, failed to keep up.

Flood Light: (LEDs only. Single handed operability a near must.)

Nitecore TM26

The TM26 is probably the most non–Surefire imitated light on the market.

The only thing that compares in size versus performance is Nitecore’s own TM06. Since the TM 26 is soon to be upped to 4000 lumens, it removes the TM06 from any consideration but would still lose even if the TM26 wasn’t being upgraded this year. The most common description of the difference between these two lights is the vulgar but accurate phrase, “TM06 is the castrated version of the TM26” so I won’t bother to explain it myself. Just please don’t be rude to TM06 owners by mocking their flashlight as the “Tiny Eunuch”, “Tiny Steer”…etc. It’s still a good light and has a flood, size, and price advantage over the TM26 even if it loses in other categories like throw, OLED display, No NBP2 battery pack capability and now luminosity.

If size wasn’t an issue, then I guess the Olight SR96 at 4800 lumens wins but it is twice the length of the TM26 so not very portable or single hand operable for real world use. If even a non–self–contained battery isn’t an issue either, then go all out for the Olight X6 Marauder and shine away those 5000 lumens.

Throw Light: (LEDs only. Single handed operability a big plus but obviously can’t be a must)

Nitecore TM36 / TM36 Lite

The TM36 and TM36 Lite is the same flashlight head. The only difference between the two is the battery tails which are interchangeable with each other’s head so I’ll just consider this one flashlight. There doesn’t appear to be any mass produced, handheld LED light that can out throw the 3609 feet that the TM36 can throw. The only debate seems to be which tail to use.

The next closest light is the Olight SR95S UT Intimidator which throws 3281 feet. These kind of extreme throw lights are rarely used in the search and rescue and other professions that could actually benefit from these lights so how it pleases an enthusiast is all it needs to be judged by. I apologize for sounding like Captain Obvious but a throw light is all about the throw. TM36 wins there so it can pretty much win this category solely on that but it doesn’t. The TM36 is about 1.5” shorter, has that lovely OLED display that shows meters thrown for the mode it is in, and is quite attractive looking unlike the SR95S. The TM36 Lite or simply putting a TM26 tail on a TM36 makes it a much smaller albeit top heavy light but at least you have that choice with TM36.

This is the one light my husband does not yet have but really wants. I seem to prefer the Lite version whereas he seems to prefer the NBP52 battery version. Smaller is better for me even if it is top–heavy. The Lite version reminds me of my 42” brown teddy bear and his white but otherwise identical girl twin. He has a huge head compared to the rest of his body.

When it comes to high end flashlights, the best light for every major category for better or worse are now down to just two manufacturers: Olight and Nitecore with Olight winning the EDC and near EDC categories and Nitecore winning the high and special performance light categories. I personally prefer competition at the expense of choice overload. It appears that the high end flashlight industry has become about as uncompetitive as the high end smartphone industry. I won’t go into Surefire being the flashlight analog of iPhone or Blackberry since that is a separate blog worthy topic. I hope that Fenix and Zebralight can make a market comeback, Eagletac produces a cool white light that clearly beats the competition, a competitive new manufacturer (preferably American) that actually understands the importance of marketing and its customers, and last but not least, Surefire realizes what decade it is and becomes price competitive which will probably not be until next decade, unfortunately. The biggest benefit for better competition would be price reduction. How nice it would be if flashlight building and modding were only practical for higher or special performance like what Vinh does rather than to save money.

Sounds like it ought to be in the commercial sellers section, instead of general info. My apologies. Just an very grouchy old man.

Why? I'm not a dealer and I use competing manufacturers.

I was just trying to write a blog.

Now I'm not gonna say you should buy this

I won't even insist that you try this

But if you want the best

Then forget all the rest

If you get what I tell you you'll cry less

The best key chain light i have is the Olight i2. Not sure how the button is on the S10R but the S10 button could be depressed far to easy in your pocket.

I have the H15S Wave which I like more than the newer models because the cell pack attaches to the strap and primary cells can be used when the Li-Ion poops out. Less lumens but for a headlamp, IMO, more isn’t better. The cell case tabs broke eventually (a common problem) but Olight was quick to send me two replacements, no questions asked. Kudos to Olight! For backup, I have RayOVac Indestructible.

I haven’t received it yet but I think the Jax mini C8 will make a great pocket light. To cover the other bases, Convoy C8 and S2. No keychain or dedicated vehicle light for me. For flood, I use the Costco GE lantern.

My husband has a problem with the S10 which is why he would probably prefer the S10R but I never had that problem. Then again, my keychain is in my purse whereas his is in his pocket.

I chose best rather than favorite because I guess my husband and I pretty much bought what we thought was the best in each class.

This is Budget Light Forum so I don't mind this thread being altered to be favorites rather than what you think is best. Unless it is obvious, subsequent posts should state which one they are describing.

do you earn money with your blog?

do you do aff links for Nitecore and Olight lights? :)

Hey, be fair: there are no links above. OP likes NC/Olight… nothing wrong with preferences.

(edit: fairness ^2 — there are NC affiliate program links in other posts by the OP, so one will have to make up one’s own mind.)

“best mass produced”, that is subjective as hell. Favourite, maybe. Who decides which is best? Your best surely is not my best.
And what is the point of a blog inside of a forum? Just asking out of curiosity. Certainly monetising a blog works best when it, the blog, is yours.

Thank you for seeing this thread for what it is.

No, I don't have a blog let alone a monetized one but I should. I've been accused of being a corporate shill and running a monetized blog so I'll take this as a backhanded compliment that my writing is of professional quality.

The author of a subjective writing gets to decide. It's quite the obvious opinion post. I did ask for others to post what they felt was best and to offer more categories.

What is the point? The same point as every other point: informational. I agree monetizing would work best for me. It's good to know my writing is good enough to make monetized blogs out of. Thank you for the backhanded compliment.

I’ve got the nitecore nc90 and a few smaller olight torches
the nc90 is one of my most used lights

most of the bigger olight and nitecore lights are of no interest to me, partily due to the manufacturers using battery packs in them rather than just letting us use 18650
(the packs aren’t even that great in terms of mah per cell)

Pretty short sited when most of the buyers of these sort of lights are flashlight enthusiasts.

The battery packs are pretty much obsolete technology. Self-contained is far more comfortable in real world useage. Olight makes great small EDC lights but fail on larger lights.

The flood and throw king lights are mostly enthusiasts because Chinese companies are terrible at marketing. High end flashlights could be almost as popular as smartphones if they were properly marketed. Xiaomi is probably the most intensely marketed Chinese company and it's CEO rips off Steve Jobs' marketing style as much as xxxfire lights ripoff Surefire's engineering style.

Never been a fan of th batton series myself, like the style but the UI is horrible. I use them for hosts.

This was the first light to beat my V11R for a tiny pocket carry light. Still tho, as far as mass produced lights- my two favorite are my K40M and my V11R with my BS PadMe coming in right behind them

I disagree with so much of that, I’m loving my HC50 headlamp, but have no interest at all in the HC90, and a key chain light for me doesn’t need to be super bright, but it needs multiple brightness, with a low, and a long running setting and that uses readily available AAA batteries, I think of my key chain light as for looking under sinks, or looking for a keyhole, or being stuck in an elevator, too bright wouldn’t work for me, my older version LD01 is perfect for me, with 27 hours at 3 lumen, and coming on at 26 lumens, and 72 lumens available.

That Olight S30R looks good to use as an EDC belt light for me, right now I use the PD35.

I do wish that the makers would start hiding the “Turbo”, my interest in lights is the run time for everything under turbo.

Wow, you post almost like a troll, a little less in your face arrogance wouldn’t hurt.

Hm, Olight’s and Nitecore’s, none of those are in budgetlight category…

Everyone has their own criteria for best and for me , even AAA lights are too long for my keychain and 16340’s are too thick!
On Friday I ordered a brass DQG Fairy 30 by 13 mm torch(inch and a quarter by half inch).It may not be the best keychain light , but anything bigger doesn’t even qualify , and my phone is MUCH bigger :stuck_out_tongue:

For a trouser pocket light , I have an Olight i2s and several 16340’s.I prefer your Olight’s side switch to tailcap switches,but for me , variable magnetic control rings are the best. I really do not understand how people can wander around with an 18650 torch in a waist pocket , front or back.Sitting on a 1” metal tube is uncomfortable , as is being stabbed in the stomach if you bend down :~

Jackets are different , 18650 or even 26650 are fine and sometimes you need that autonomy.Best…don’t know yet.

While reading the best thrower , I was stopped in my tracks , 3609 feet meant nothing to me.Luckily I knew to divide by 3 to get yards , and knock a bit off for meters and got 1100 , which matches Nitecore’s specs :slight_smile: .There are many people here who would have to Google that. Funny , we mix and match all sorts of units , for temperature , you use the “f” word and I use the “c” word , but throw always seems to be in meters.

I looked up the TM36 and saw the price :money_mouth_face: $500 wow.OK , it is mass produced , so it counts , but $500!Never mind best , my challenge is to beat 1100m(3609 feet :stuck_out_tongue: )with my $29 Courui big head :bigsmile: I think I’ll stop rambling now.

from my point of view, when out in the real world with a torch, built in battery packs are even worst, ok on a phone, where it will last at least 24 hours, or in a torch you use occasionally or at home or keep in the car or somewhere you have power and a few hours of not needing the torch

But out in the sticks or down a mine or out looking for someone or something, what happens when it’s flat, which in the case of some of these high power lights could be as little as an hour, what then, all you have is dead weight to carry or maybe a very expensive tent peg mallet
If it was using standard 18650 cells, you would only need to put new ones in and it’s will go for as long as you need as you would have planned and bought the required number of 18650 cells with you

As for better marketing, I do agree to a point, but they will never become anywhere near as popular as smartphones, people will happily spend hundreds of $ on a phone, for most its their whole life in a little plastic box, yet tell someone you just spent $300 on a torch and recommend they buy a quality torch too and they will look at you like you are mad

Good post though, always good to hear the sort of stuff people like and don’t like

[quote=Cereal_killer] Never been a fan of th batton series myself, like the style but the UI is horrible. I use them for hosts. !http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/Killer%20Lumens/0048A58D-C1F9-4B1B-B826-3061262447E3.jpg! !http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq247/1badv8dime/Killer%20Lumens/2E5E60CD-AE72-4AA5-9E6C-39B7382B3179.jpg! This was the first light to beat my V11R for a tiny pocket carry light. Still tho, as far as mass produced lights- my two favorite are my K40M and my V11R with my BS PadMe coming in right behind them [/quote]

That's a real interesting mod. I like it.

I can certainly understand the HC50 being more than good enough not to feel the need to upgrade to the HC90 but if by disagreeing you mean that the HC50 is actually better even when price is not being considered, I'd love to read your explanation. I can also understand not feeling the need to buy the best keychain light when looking under the sink or for a keyhole is pretty much all you use a keychain light for but I just cannot understand how 72 lumens > 400 lumens. The S10 does have lower modes including a .5 lumen mode. 400 lumens doesn't have to be shined on everything.

[quote=brad] Wow, you post almost like a troll, a little less in your face arrogance wouldn't hurt. [/quote] Just because someone easily outwits someone else, it doesn't mean they are trolling them. You, along with many other posters have been extremely angry and cynical towards my thread so when I have a witty comeback rather than condescend to that level, you just get more butthurt (to use a troll term ironically and facetiously)

As are the threads on this site for just about every non-budget flashlight that was ever produced. CPF also has threads about budget lights. The benefit of a thread like this for a positive thinker unlike yourself is to use it as an inspiration or outright blueprint for what to exceed in budget light building. A lot of pride can come from building superior lights for a small fraction of the cost.

DQG? You defiantly like your keychain lights to be as small as possible which a lot of people do. If nothing bigger qualifies, then only DQG lights can be a keychain light. Most people’s keychain lights aren’t a DQG. A 1" tube does seem awful in a trouser wandering about all day. A shirt pocket or clipped onto the pocket without the light being in the pocket would seem much more comfortable. I’ll agree that the TM36 isn’t practically priced but it is the best mass produced throw light. I converted the throw into feet for ease of the readers’ imagination not having to convert it into feet before picturing it. I probably should have listed both feet and meters.

I didn't even consider a dead battery pack when I made my OP. All the more reason to use spare batteries like 18650 or 26650 rather than a battery pack.

I should have clarified better comparing flashlights to smartphones since smartphones are necessity for most people but the power of marketing is strong. If someone told your parents when you were growing up that they would need to spend hundreds of dollars on each of the family members' phones, they'd have had at least as strong as you describe $300 for a flashlight today for common people. Most people won't spend that much but the EDC class of lights that cost $60 for an S10R and $80 for an S30R could be comparable to smartphones with harder core fanboys going for those $300 lights. Flashaholicism can easily become far more mainstream if this industry was better marketed.

I can easily see the S10R being a hit with women as well as men. It 's not like women disagree with the men in their life when they are urged to carry a flashlight. It is just usually either too bulky or too under performing to be worthwhile, especially in a street lit urban environment combined with a smartphone flash. The S10R addresses those two obstacles extremely well. The S30R is about the smallest and lightest light to give ideal lumens for night work tasks. The Micro-Dok can't be beat as the best means for non-enthusiasts to charge their lights so far.