My name is Jan and I’m from Holland. My girlfriend and I are going to take a camping/road trip through Norway next year in June and I want to buy a decent flashlight for this trip and for around the house. After looking around online yesterday I found this forum and I am a bit overwhelmed since I have never bought a light like this.
I was wondering if some of you here could give me some advice and some suggestions on good lights to buy. I would like to keep the total package of light + batteries under €100. For this money I want as much light as possible and since I am a first time buyer I don’t really want to have to do any modding.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or need any more information. Thanks in advance!
Hello and welcome aboard ! !
Do you want throw? If not, the BLF A6 is sufficient. Batteries u can get LG MJ1 batteries and a Nitecore D2 charger! PM M4DM4X for discounts!
Good luck ! !
I don’t think we should recommend the BLF A6 or any hot rod light for a first time flashlight buyer. This is a compact light that cannot run for more than 3 minutes on the highest setting and gets dangerously hot without any kind of over temp protection. Also this is likely going to be his only flashlight so he needs something more reliable.
If you have €100 to spend I would recommend one of the following lights, and since this is your first flashlight I think you need something that simply works when required:
-Nitecore EC4S: Very bright (2,000 lumens), runs cool, easy to use, excellent construction. But can’t be left for months with batteries inside or it will discharge them, take them out for storage. This would be my top recommendation. -Nitecore MH20: 1,000 lumens, compact, good reach, integrated micro USB charger. -Olight S2 Baton: 950 lumens, slim compact form factor, easy to use, cheaper than above. -Zebralight SC600: 1,100 lumens, ultra compact, easy to use, best temperature regulation in the market, excellent build quality. A little bit expensive but they are worth every cent.
And then get yourself an Xtar VC2 charger and a pair of Samsung 30Q batteries. Many others to choose from depending on the capacity, also comes in protected versions if you want fool-proof operation.
I do agree that BLF A6 might be a bit complicated for a first time buyer, in term of UI and heat dissipitation, but I will also suggest another crowd favourite here, the Convoy S2+, which is less complicated and more pocket friendly.
With your budget of €100, you can get the stock S2+ with 7135*3 driver for extended runtime and another with 7135*8 driver for highest lumens, some 18650 batteries and charger, and still have plenty of change.
You don’t have to do any modding with the drivers, as when you place your order, you can specify the driver to be used inside your S2+
Perhaps it might be best to first decide on a form factor to try out. I suggest keeping it simple with common, easy to find batteries to start with, and would recommend the following as suggestions to explore. Keep in mind that as enthusiasts, we will always tend to over think the problem
1xAA - Compact, sufficient for most daily needs.
2xAAA - Very pocketable with slightly higher output than 1xAA.
4xAA - Powerful enough for the woods but still uses common batteries.
There are no shortage of good choices for whatever form you decide on.
Can you get Energizer lithium primary batteries for your trip? (and is battery recycling/safe disposal available?)
Pulldown menu, choose your country: http://www.energizer.com/ Energizer Ultimate Lithium | Best Long Lasting Batteries
They’re lighter, and longer lasting, than alkaline; they don’t get weak when they’re freezing cold.
AA and AAA
Then add a few rechargeable NiMH cells the same size, and a small charger — rely on those when you can, and the primary cells when needed.
Thanks all for the advice! I’ve done some more research on what’s important for me in a light and what is easily available for me in my country.
I’m currently leaning towards the Nitecore MH20, I really like the fact that it can be charged through USB. This way I won’t have to pack any extra gear to charge it on our trip. We have a USB car charger and a couple of power bricks so it will be easy to keep it charged. I’ve found somewhere where I can buy it for 90 euros so it’s right at budget.
PM Dazed1 if you’re interested in the MH20, I’m sorely tempted to get one myself - and the price makes it well worth the time to PM him… http://budgetlightforum.com/user/8123
This is a quite flashlight crazy forum as you may have found out. So if you care for your time and money if your girlfriend cares for your time and money, go buy your flashlight and then immediately run away from here!
Haha thanks guys! And don’t worry djozz, I love enthusiast forums I was already a member at several computer and audio forums which are both also terrible for your wallet so I know what I’m getting into haha!
Anyway I got a great deal thanks to M4D M4X and I ordered myself a MH20 NW and a pair of Samsung 30Q batteries. Should be here in a week or two. Really appreciate all the help and advice I got here. I’ll post my impressions when the light gets here.
Nitecore MH20 NW is a hecka good light for your first. Nice choice!
Next on your list, I recommend a headlamp or two. For many camping purposes, including cooking, setting up a tent, or just hiking, the hands-free flexibility of a headlamp is the way to go. If you can afford them, neutral-white models from ZebraLight should be on your short list.
I too am looking for a new flashlight so i thought i would post it on the bottom of this. I also have several questions which i would appreciate some help with.
I would like to get a new light to go on my helmet when cycling. its along a canal tow path mostly, so there are no street lights and I need something decent, but not super bright Mountain bike powerful. I am currently using a cheap (£5) light i bought from ebay powered by a single 18650, its okay, but not great. I would like something brighter and if possible with in built charging, but I can do without that if it increases the price more than £10. I still want to use a single 18650 cells as I have plenty reclaimed from old laptops and a good charger. A new light would need adjustable focus as I find it really useful on my current one. I don’t mind buying off the internet and I don’t need it urgently. I need a run time of 2 hours, my batteries capacity are about 1500. (Tested rather than what they say on them!)
In Summary
£50 or less.
1 x 18650 user changeable powered.
Adjustable focus
Other questions:
What do get when paying more for a light than the £5 from ebay?
There are lots of cycling specific lights are these vastly overpriced?
How do I know if a light is genuine or a copy? I don’t mind non brand name light, but I don’t want to buy a fake of brand without knowing!
So I got my MH20 and damn I love this light haha so much so actually that I bought another one for my parents as a xmas gift. I never knew a flaslight this small could produce this amount of light…
I do have one question though, when I shake the light the battery seems to move which sometimes causes it to turn off unexpectedly. What would you guys recommend to solve this? I’ve been thinking about what I could put around the battery to make it fit tighter but I’m not sure if it will get hot or not. Also if I’m not using it should I take the battery out? It seems to drain pretty fast when it’s not in use.
Thanks again for all the advice, I couldnt be happier with my purchase! Oh and merry xmas!
I’m not familiar with the MH20 but it seems to have an electronic switch which does remain active drawing power when not in use. Most lights like this also have “tail-cap lock-out” where you can unscrew the tail-cap a turn or two removing battery contact thus eliminating the unwanted current draw.
Unscrew the tail-cap a little and try to turn the light on; if it doesn’t light then store it that way and when you need it tighten the tailcap again and you are good-to-go. This also prevents unwanted light activation which can run the cell down to zero rendering it junk, or from damaging the light and surrounding items from heat. If you ever get stuck with a dead cell somewhere, shops that sell “Vaping” supplies will have 18550’s for sale.
so much so actually that I bought another one for my parents as a xmas gift. I never knew a flaslight this small could produce this amount of light…