Here is the context for the question. I live in Ethiopia and there are always power outages/shortages. To deal with it we essentially shine a flashlight off the white ceiling to give the room as much light as possible. It is out sometimes for hours and occasionally days. So the goal is to get the most “light” from the flashlight for the longest period at the most economical cost. I know there are other issues like how long do I need the light to shine, quality etc and at what lumen etc. but my concern is simply “most light” “longest period” at “cheapest cost” with “AAA or AA only ”. I only have AA and AAA battery options and rechargeable is not an option. So a perfect flashlight would be 50,000 lumens that runs forever on one AAA battery. You get the idea. So given that background what is the recommended flashlight under 70.00 USD
I think you will be led (no pun intended) to a multi-cell AA light, because you can usually expect more runtime than with a single cell light. Here in the US, the AA cells are less expensive than the AAA, and they have higher mah ratings. Off the top of my head (figuratively), such a light would be the Nitecore EA41. The EA41 is rated to run 30 hours at 40 lumens, possibly enough light to get by. Other lights exist, the Sunwayman D40A, to name one.
more info here:
http://www.nitecorelights.com/products/ea41-1020-lumens
This light will tail stand easily, so as not to be knocked over often. You can also buy a wand to diffuse the light.
Note: The usage time of 400 hours in the link is for one lumen output.
No suggestions from me as yet but it is helpful to know that 2AAvis more efficient than 1AA boost drivers. Even better, buck drivers are generally more efficient than boost drivers so 3AA cells in series should be more efficient than 2AA in series. That being said, initial cost of flashlight counts for something… There is an xtar 2AA light on amazon now for just over $13 US. It’s a good deal.
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Would using a headlamp be out of the question?
Why is rechargeable not an option? A few nimh AA’s and a 2 or 4 bay charger would be a wise investment and would offset the cost of buying alkaline AA’s. Have you considered a lantern like this one? Streamlight Siege Floating Magnetic AA Lantern 29.05
But if it’s a flashight you are after, try this: NITECORE MT1A 38.95
Now get some eneloops: AA
And a charger : Charger for AA& AAA NiMH 19.95
I don’t have any input on the light itself, but it seems to me, there should be a lot of sunlight available during the day in Africa… I do hear it gets fairly hot there. I would suggest rechargeable AA batteries, using some solar recharging station.
Honestly, with as much direct sunlight as most of Africa gets… why they aren’t hugely relying on solar to generate electricity is beyond me.
I would also suggest a lantern of some kind as well, as opposed to a single flashlight.
This is not strictly meeting your requirements, but may be something to consider.
There are several battery packs that have a built in solar charger. A quick search turns up this one on Amazon This has a USB output, which can be used to charge other devices (phones, battery chargers…). Many of these type battery banks also have an LED flashlight built in.
Xtar sale over
Ahhh, that sucks. Thanks for the correction.