Howdy All—
First post here, looking for suggestions from those more experienced.
My family has one of those name drawings for Christmas presents, and the limit is $50. I want a new flashlight from whoever draws my name. I have had several Nebo Redlines (around $30 each), and I love them, until they stop working, which they tend to do. AAA batteries, multiple light settings, adjustable beam, 200 lumens (haven’t measured, but they are really bright), throws a narrow beam a long way or a wider beam a shorter distance,not too big or too small. Just not dependable for very long.
So here is what I want, if it exists:
200 or more lumens
AAA or AA batteries (I know that a lot of better lights use other batteries, but I think that AA or AAA will always be easier to find in a pinch)
Adjustable beam
Multiple light settings
Roughly “palm sized”
$50 max
Dependable
Am I aiming too high, or is there really something like this out there?
Thanks in advance.
Depends on the type of pinch. When there are natural disasters or civil unrest, common batteries fly off the shelves and are pretty much impossible to obtain. The 18650 Li-ion, popular for high-output flashlights and e-cigarettes, on the other hand isn’t too hard. Vape shops and Interstate Batteries stores carry them, but they can also be scavenged from power tool battery packs, laptop batteries, USB power banks and such. Many of those items do remain available in a disaster.
If you’re just talking about everyday convenience, USB charging solves that. Just plug it in to any phone charger. Illumn currently has a deal on the Niteye EC-R26 and the related Jetbeam K0-01, both for under $50. A battery is included with the latter; for the former I’d go with the LG MJ1 button-top battery. I think using “BLF” with as a discount code for the EC-R26 will get you 10% off, but not for the K0-01 or the battery.
One 18650 has the capacity of 9 to 12 AAAs, and it’s rechargeable. Disposable batteries are so last millennium.
Thanks, guys. Someone emailed me about LED Lenser. Never heard of them. Seem to have a couple of decent youtube reviews, but I never know what to think of those.
Ever heard of that brand?
Led Lenser is a very good quality manufacturer. I have a P7 and it is built like a tank. I have every confidence that it will last me a lifetime. (Although rapidly advancing technology has long since made it obsolete, I still use it at my bedside.)
LEDLenser is a quality manufacturer, but I feel many of their products aren’t worth what they cost. Their zoom lenses seem versatile, but add bulk and weight while hurting waterproofing. Most better conventional lights solve the near/far problem with multiple modes and a lot of output on high.
I think the mass market for zoomies is explained by buyer ignorance. Most people have never seen a 1000 lumen light with a medium beam, which can illuminate a wide area and reach out about as far as a LEDLenser P7.2. Most people don’t actually desire a narrow beam; they desire a certain amount of throw.
That said, I’m not saying it’s wrong to prefer a zoomie. By all means, if that’s what you like, that’s what you should get. I’m just trying to make it clear that the near/far distance capabilities most people think require a zoomie no longer do, because of the increased output of modern flashlights. If I’m biased against anything, it’s alkaline batteries, because they all suck
I find a really bright light with both near flood and a long reach is a waste — the near field brightness overwhelms my vision.
A spotlight and a floodlight — one in each pocket — solves that problem.
So does a cheap zoomie, for most night-to-night purposes.
Younger family members have less trouble with glare at night. The aging eye gets more internal reflections and cloudiness.
Somewhat relevant aside: Those people with bright blue headlights think they’re more visible. To me, oncoming in the other lane, they’re a glowing blue-white fog bank filling the road.
I know their car, and the median, and the ditch, are in there somewhere.
i think the problem is for a consumer they only look at stats! so on a box it looks better to say a flashlight throws 300m then saying 100m! same as lumen i guess. but if you go back a few years flood flashlight where almost none extant unless you brought a flood light! even know here in Australia if i go to the shops range is very limited!
I’m kind of new to the game but I may have bought my first and last general-use zoomie, one of the more highly-regarded SK68 clones which I run on a AA alkaleak since I have plenty of them on hand. It’s my usual worklight because there I need something cheap enough to lose and it works well enough for my needs. I won’t be buying another zoomie when this one gets lost or killed at work. Something with a decent hotspot, good spill, with low and high modes serves the dual-purpose role better IMHO, and there are plenty of those to choose from at all price levels.
Standard batteries are a very limiting factor but LIon rechargables are not for the undisciplined. They are thoroughbreds which require special care and feeding at all times. It’s not that hard to handle and the payoff is excellent performance, plus there are a lot of lights which handle standard cells as well as like-sized LIons giving you both options in one light. That can be handy in a pinch and the LIon option makes 200+ lumens easy-peasy.
I’ll leave the specific recommendations to others who know more than I but until you experience what a really good LIon light is personally, you’re missing out on one of the better things in life
Li-ions are pretty easy to handle. You know all the warnings that are on most consumer batteries? I’ll quote a random NiMH I didn’t pay for:
Do not install backwards, dispose of in fire, short circuit, overcharge or mix with other battery types. Please recycle.
An alkaline I have adds:
Do not carry loose batteries in your pocket or purse.
Add “do not over-discharge” and understand that they really mean it with Li-ions and you’re good. Most lights will give you some kind of warning about the battery being low or even shut themselves off, but those that don’t will be almost unusably dim. Lights with multiple cells in series are a little more touchy, but using batteries with PCB protection will mitigate that.