Ok so I was thinking of giving everyone flashlights for Christmas, 50 presents.
30 sets under 5$-
So I was thinking Sipik Clones with loops
10-15 sets in the 10-15$ Range-
Was thinking 502b but was not sure if I could get the batteries and charges that would be safe but still cheap- Any Ideas on cheap battery/chargers
5-10 sets in the 20-25$ Range-
I was thinking Convoy S2s but again with the battery issues.
So if it was up to you what would you get folks for a flashlight Christmas? Keep in mind most are used to Wallyworld lights and have not had a good led light. Let me know if I am just not going to be able to do it or if you have any ideas that would help me out.
I would be ecstatic to receive a flashlight as a gift. However, not all are. I remember sending my brother an UltraFire UF-H2b headlamp as a gift one time. Turns out I was way more excited than him about it. He could have cared less and let me know that he wasn’t into flashlights. Understandable. I think Sipik clones are the way to go!
AA and primary cell for the (as someone has said here before “muggles” of Li Ion and flashlights)
A good Sipik SK68 that blasts out the light and is very bright will make the recievee go ooh and ah and is alot more safe than handing someone who doesn’t know anything about Li Ion and hoping they don’t over discharge it and then try to recharge resulting in a vent or something
I have given away probably 18 SK68 clones [the BIC lighters of Cree flashlights] (both 3 mode and single mode) and people really enjoy them…my brother in law used his for pipeline inspection as he said most of those cheap 9 led jobbies just didn’t make the amount of lights
I third the opinion to not give Li-ion cells and chargers. Lights that can take 26650’s have enough space for a 4AAA holder. That will give more voltage for brighter light. Just solder an extension onto the holder to make up the difference in length. Those 26650 tube lights are usually around $13USD and put out a good general beam pattern that is bright on 4AAA’s.
You might also want to consider 1xAAA keychain lights like an Olight i3s or Tank007 E09. This way, people might actually have it with them when they need it, and they’ll get more use out of it.
Or the new MUCH brighter than the maglite solitaire but almost the exact same size $10 Darkvim (gives the SK68 a run for it’s money in brightness…1 mode though)
There are lots of 1xAAA keychain lights to choose from. I hadn’t seen the Darkvim before. Personally, I’d want something with a 3-5 lumen mode and a ~30 lumen mode; brighter isn’t always better. It really depends on who is receiving the gift though.