Hi, i’m new to this flashlight world. I lives in a big city where power outage is unlikely to happened and streets well lighted. But my apartment’s power supply got hit by flood and no electricity for a month. and i just realized that i don’t have decent flashlight. Have 2AA & 2 DD incandescent energizer that i bought about 2$ (im going to buy led bulb replacement for these 2).
So i need advice on buying decent flashlight with for power outage / maybe riot scenario case:
Option 1: buy 1 x 18650 like sc31pro, which i can monitor the battery power level through light indicator and charge it only when its low (i’m interested in 18650 because of the runtime but i have no experience in maintaining the li-ion batteries). and buy another aa like lumintop tool aa for a family member.
Option 2: maybe just bought 2 single AA flashlights and stock some lithium and nimh batteries.
Either way, i will charge the batteries to full and leave the flashlight on the desk until emergency situation.
Timber, I am not sure about your budget for these lights, but here are some suggestions
For home, wouldn’t you consider the BLF LT1 Lantern? It can run up from 1 to 4 x 18650 batteries. In case you have a power outage, that will give you plenty runtime to use in the house.
As for smaller lights, AA lights, here are some suggestions:
1xAA:
Convoy T2
Jaxman E3
Lumintop Tool AA 2.0
Fenix E12 V2.0
Go for 18650s. Maybe a sc31pro and sc31b
The sp36 can run on 1 or 3 batteries as well. All have on board charging. Easy to swap batteries around as needed
i think combining the suggestions above me, i would recommend the lt1 latern just to serve to illuminate the whole rom, then sc31 pro to carry around with u
My budget is about 50$ for 3 flashlights. 25$ for main flashlight. 15$ for one AA flashlight. and i’m planning to buy manker e02 later for edc when they put in on sale.
I find that BLF LT1 and Fenix e20 are interesting. Unfortunately, it’s out of budget. I will buy either t2 or tool aa.
Yes, sc31pro is what i would buy if i pick 18650. Is it okay to fully charge it and leave it until low voltage (red indicator warning).
If you are going to use NiMh or Alky’s instead of 14500’s. Grab the Ultratac A1 instead of the Tool. Looks almost identical but, 3 modes, no memory and no blinkies. Like $16 and some change on Amazon.
I would recommend the D25S headlamp from Sofirn or 77Outdoors. Sometimes you need extra light directed at some place, but need your hands free. It’s expensive at Amazon but you can find it cheaper at Aliexpress or Sofirnlight
An alternative would be the Nicron N7 in Amazon. Not a headlamp, and not the best UI, but you can switch it from 0 to 90 degrees and the magnet makes it versatile.
Two or three Lumintop Tool AA lights and a supply of Energizer Lithium AA batteries (10+ year shelf life) would be a good thing to have in emergencies. The little Tool is plenty capable as a flashlight and also can do OK as a lantern with its supplied diffuser cap.
A bigger 18650 light would be nice, but to put things in perspective, the little pocket-sized $20 Tool and its ubiquitous AA battery puts out more light than the classic, old-school, big 4 D-cell incandescent bulb Maglite, if you're old enough to remember when they were considered a very powerful flashlight (that doubled as a weapon!).
Once you get one of the nice LED lights like the Lumintop Tool AA 2.0, you will probably get sucked into the flashlight world and end up with a few more powerful Litium-ion battery powered lights.
Thanks for all the advices and replies. After thinking over and reading about lithium safety, i think i will set on AA’s flashlight. Lumintop with 28 lumens - 12 hours is plenty enough on power outage.
Now i have to decide another aa with more lumens. I’m thinking about SP10s / 50 lumens with 8 hours runtime. Is it a good choice ? another thought is Manker e03h ii with a good floody light. 2AA with decent runtime like fenix e20 and nitecore mt2a are good too… if they had a discount.
