Hi all!
Looking to buy a new 18650 flashlight in the 50-100 dollar range. What would you say is the best buy at present? Or where do you go to inform yourself?
Much obliged,
Alex
difficult to say without information what you are looking for
Throw or flood
what size do you prefer?
etc.
Nitecore EC4 if the price is $30, That’s the best value for money.
And $1X for LiitoKala Lii - 202 and 2 x NCR18650B protected.
Best value has to be a Convoy S2+, choice of drivers, tint. Great performing light. And way way way less money.
But yes, it does depend on what features you are looking for exactly.
Thanks for your responses so far, will definitely look into those suggestions.
I am using it for different purposes so I’m looking for a good allround flashlight. I am not an expert on the subject so I don’t have too many thoughts on specs.
I always carry a random crappy flashlight at night, but they never last long. And I’m starting with hunting/shooting lessons (as part of getting a permit). So I thought I’d invest a bit in a decent flashlight.
I was looking around on the internet and found this review on 18650 flashlights The first 2 look good to me in terms of size and price, but I have no idea if they’re any good (not completely sure about these recommendations…).
Hope that helps to give an idea? Appreciate the input anyways.
Regards,
Alex
There really are 100’s of choices these days. And to be honest, few of them are ‘bad’. It is more about tailoring them to what you want in terms of features and ability and price point.
You don’t have to spend lots of money to get a nice torch.
The more pricey premium torches usually offer richer User Interfaces and maybe more plush in their materials and fit & finish. But performance wise and usability wise there is often little in it.
Beam profile is probably the biggest thing to consider. Tube lights with small reflectors will tend to be floody lights, i.e. light up an area close up very well. These make good general use light and can be used for reading or looking at things close up as well as walking.
But they will lack range at anything over say 40-50 feet away. So out in the open you might want something to light up stuff further off.
Larger reflectors will give more throw, but also make the beam less useful for close up work. So it’s maybe a balance between the different needs of flood and throw.
Obviously tube lights are more pocket friendly and easier to carry. But there are always trade offs.
If you like premium lights I personally like EagleTac, ArmyTek and some of the Zebralights. Although there are plenty of others to consider.
At the budget end of the scale the Convoy range of lights are simply superb. The perform as well as anything else out there, are well made and at a really good price point. They also offer a nice range of different lights too.
Astrolux also make some really good high performing lights at a sensible price. And many of them have had their origins on this very forum, by the user community. (check out the S1 and S2).
Convoy C8 is a good all-round flashlight, I think. It’s a lot cheaper than your 50-100 dollar range. Do you really want to spend that much? If so, the lights do get better, but IMHO not as quickly as the price rises. In other words, the 100 dollar lights are not automatically 5 times better than a 20 dollar light can be. But, you can get some better overall quality, some better features sometimes, and potentially more light output or better throw.
Here are some things to think about:
- Throw Do you need a tight spot of light for super long distances, or will a larger spot and significant spill be okay, or do you want even more floody light and almost no throw distance?
- Output Do you need a high lumen output? I have a small 600lm light and a larger 2500lm light, and others in between. How much light do you actually need? The tighter the beam, the lower the lumens can be and still be effective. So, a thrower can be a few hundred lumens, and/or a flooder can be a few thousand lumens and they both look equally “bright” to the eye.
- Size How will you be using the light? Do you need it to fit comfortably in your pants pocket for daily carry? Should it be a bit bigger, but still fit in a jacket pocket? Or, does it need to be big enough to hold several batteries so it has longer run time?
- Tint Does it matter to you what tint the light is? It might, depending on how the light will be used. A cooler white light will not show colors accurately and may interfere with your night vision more than warmer tints. If you need to be able to quickly and accurately identify what you’re looking at, then High CRI helps, and those are almost exclusively available in warmer tints. If you like the look of incandescent bulb lighting, then you want warmer tints. If you want the absolute brightest light, the cooler tints will perform better in that regard. Then, there are the neutral white tints in between. The neutral white tints are supposed to look “whiter” than either the cool or warm tints. They can be very bright, yet have decent color rendering. They aren’t the undisputed “best” though. Everyone will have a preference, and yours will be different from mine.
Think about these things. Do a little bit of reading on this site and others. Make some decisions about what it is you’re looking for. Then you can receive plenty of advice here on which light to buy so that you can buy with confidence.
99% of new people are recommended a Convoy S2+, best bought directly from Simon (Convoy owner) https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Free-Shipping-Convoy-S2-Black-Cree-XML2-U2-1A-AMC7135-3-2-Group-3-5-Mode/330416_1614309086.html
You'll have no problem finding more information here if you search
Manker U11
A good allaround that is build like 50-60$ lights is the Eagle Eye X6
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Eagle-Eye-X6-CREE-XP-L-HI-V21A-1200LM-4Modes-LED-Flashlight-18650/32446517329.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.edDNVB
There are also modded BLF and Astrolux X6 in Copper ans stainless steel
But they are driven really hard so get hot very quick
Thanks a lot guys, I will look into those and most likely pick one of them.
Regards,
Alex
Convoy C8
Don’t forget to familiarize yourself with quality lithium ion cells and quality chargers. The flashlight is only half of the story
Astrolux S2 XPL-HI 1400LM EDC LED Flashlight 18650
Unique user interface. NW tint.
I just got an UltraFire C8 off eBay for £3. It will do the job and I won’t worry when my wife loses it.
I make a serious vote for the BLF A6! I’ve got three as well as pile of other lights and this one rocks. Banggood has then for like $25, and I think a code of BLF saves you another 6 %?
I’d say the moonlight mode is really awesome for “middle of the night tasks while the Turbo lights up a couple hundred yards away ”close to daylight”.
Also, as mentioned below, don’t forget a couple of Sony or Panasonic batteries and a decent charger like the nitcore digital.
See this link for a pile of reading … Code now public! BLF A6 FET+7135 Light. Short 18350 tubes and Unanodized Lights Available
For $100 I’d buy five Convoy S2+ in all available tints!
Convoy L6?
I’m very surprised this didn’t pop up earlier.
That’s my 2016 pick for value-for-money.
That or the 2X Shooter - these aren’t the cheapest but value for money doesn’t mean “cheap” 
Isnt the L6 26650?
I know there is a version compatible with 18650, but topic starter asked specific for 18650