Hello! My name is Nick, and I’ve been lurking ’round your forum for a day or so.
I am a geologist and am becoming a science teacher (in spite of my advanced age, LOL). I like tech stuff, am fond of mineralogy and petrology, have owned and shot some nice firearms, ride a sportbike almost exclusively and love cars.
I’m a general know-it-all and pain-in-the-@55, so if I get too mouthy, you may tell me to shut it.
My request:
I’m looking for your help finding a budget EDC pocket light. Here’re my restrictions:
1. Shorter than 5” (preferably shorter than 100 mm)
2. Skinnier than 1.25” (around 1” or 25 mm and I’d be good)
3. Would like 3 modes or at least something with a memory, so I’m not “clicking through” modes to turn the darn thing off.
4. Budget is $35 or under.
5. Must tail-stand and have a button (don’t care if it’s on the back or the side), not twist-on/off.
Would be nice to have:
1. Something with twist-to-select mode. That way, I can leave it on low all the time.
2. Glass lens would be great, although I think that somebody sells aftermarket parts to replace plastic lenses.
3. Want to avoid waiting for China Inc. to ship over here on a slow boat - so USA vendor is preferred.
4. I have a preference for 18650 batteries and two chargers for same.
5. Would like to have a non-round surface so I can prevent the light from rolling.
There are a BUNCH of options, and frankly I don’t have the time to read every thread on this amazing and extensive subject.
Do you know a retailer that has something that will meet my demanding requirements?
Welcome to the forum. There is a very respected vendor/modder right there in Colorado. Member name is RMM. Here's a link to a thread for his store.
EDIT: Going 18650 with a button is going to make achieving less than 115 mm a challenge. This host with a driver and LED of your choice is all I can think of in the states. You may want to think about what tint you would like. Here is an ANSI chart with Cree's tint codes overlaid. It's from this thread.
Er, RMM is in Washington. If he was near me, I’d be over there all the time. Lucky for him, that’s not the case.
In any case, the Convoy S3 is a good choice, aside from being a bit larger than requested. Well-built, good driver, decent modes, lots of power and tint choices, fits most 18650 batteries, fairly low price. No clip though, unless you add one.
You can get a nice brass 1x18650 light from CNQG though, which fits your size specifications. However, it ships from Asia and might exceed your price limit. IIRC, mine was $29 plus $6 for a battery. For a size reference, the Convoy S3 in this pic is black with a silver clip (non-standard, I added it) and the CNQG brass light is right next to it:
Howdy and welcome to BLF, break your Budget light forum.
For a small 18650 you could try the Convoy S3 from illumination supply. Just make sure you also buy “small” 18650 batteries.
The driver is 3 modes 5% 30% 100% 2.8amps so lots of power for a small light. It also has a XM-L2 emitter. You might be able to find a clip for it, so it doesn’t roll to far on you.
I have a penchant for the Convoy S6. It’s 118 mm, has a tail clicky and works like a charm. Well made and can be modded if you desire or save that for a later date. I like it because it’s a comparatively sleek tube.
You’re gonna have to look at some of these and figure out which one appeals to you the most.
Have fun!
Edit: Sorry, missed the non-round, roll stop part. There is a product out these days called Sugru that could easily make any light fit this requirement in short time.
I have a Convoy S5 on my hip right now in a carry pouch, carry it everywhere, and a Sipik SK68 in my left pocket with a AA in it…
Convoy is the one of the BEST of the “budget” rigs in my mind…there are better…but they start getting out of the budget realm…if they cost more than $20~$25…then they go beyond budget
It has a wonderfull floody beam and the light itseld just plain looks nice. I find 18650 a bit too big for pocket carry but that Brass one from CNQG looks interesting however it’s $40. Is there a review on it?
Jetbeam RRT-01 is great and all you need.
Right now is a good time to get it here.
I got one from the same place at 50% off a few dyas ago.
I love it. If you like to use low mode, this light is for you.
Shipping is fast! 2-3 days in US.
Going with the Olight S20 Baton, and I found one with the XML Cree emitter, which (I think) is a tiny bit older than the XML2 emitter this light is currently shipping with - in other words, I will likely be buying new-old-stock… but edison-bright on eBay is located here in the U.S. and the price…
Only $38.50 with free shipping!
Rats - starting bid, and $2.99 shipping. Oh well, the auction will conclude in two days.
Compared to the S3, it’s smaller, brass, significantly throwier (XP-G2 version, anyway), and has what I consider to be better modes (2, 25, 100% instead of 5, 30/40, 100%). It’s one of my favorite lights, and I put some DC Fix (sand) on its lens to make it even better. It’s one of four lights I tend to carry regularly (the others being a DQG Tiny AAA IV on my keychain, ZL H52Fw clipped to my purse, and a L3 L10-219). My Convoy lights mostly only get used when I bike at night.
The RRT01 and V11R are best-in-class, depending on whether one prefers a clicky or not, and that’s the best price I’ve ever seen on one.
I have a RRT01 and carried it for quite a while… but I’ve found I prefer thinner lights (1xAA instead of 1x18350), longer runtime (infinitely variable tends to kill battery life), and reference points so I can know how much light it’s putting out. It might sound weird, but for some reason it bugs me to not know what level a light is at, and then I end up always setting it slightly dimmer than I need, thinking my eyes are tired. But I’ll probably swap the RRT01 back into my daily rotation again anyway, because it’s too nice to not use.
Thanks. You have a nice collection of lights. I’ve just ordered the Ultrafire H2b (cheap ZL) for working in my garage. If I find it as easy to pocket carry as my AA twisty I might choke on the cost of the ZL for EDC for the runtime, moonlight, and hands free. Why do you carry the L10 and the ZL as they seem to cover the same bases.
