Flashlight for a college student?

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Hey Bros and Bras!

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding on a flashlight for my brother who is soon to be a freshman in college. Below are some requirements/parameters that should shape your recommendations. I've been puzzling over this for weeks and have not been able to decide what would suit his needs best. It's starting to make me go so I'm turning to the collective knowledge of BLF for help!

This will primarily be carried on a carbiner/lanyard with the usual keys, ID, etc. I imagine uses will be for finding dropped items in the dark when walking to and from classes, possible power outage use, goofing around when bored...

- Common and cheap battery source (AA/AAA)
- Sturdy construction and sturdy keychain attachment point
- Not likely to turn on unintentionally (clicky preferred, but twist "ok")
- Needs to be reliable! (Not going to school near me, so I won't be able to fix a temperamental light)
- He would prefer black/matte finish
- Should have multiple levels (decent low would be great)
- Price range: $0-$60

Okay, I think that is it. http://www.dinodirect.com/TrustFire-Flashlight-SSC-P7-2/s-103.html, I've thought of this one,but may be ...i dnno... how do you think of it. Quark Minis are obviously a possibility. I don't have any first hand experience with the ITP line of lights. Any suggestions would be helpful though!
;)Thanks

2

You can't go wrong with solarforce L2r

http://cgi.ebay.com/Solarforce-L2r-BLACK-AA-Battery-flashlight-Body-/280428612537?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item414ad90bb9

and low voltage 3 mode drop-in

http://cgi.ebay.com/Solarforce-300Lms-R2-Cree-Led-3Mode-0-8V-4-2V-Bulb-/280428612614?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item414ad90c06

High quality for reasonable money.

3

Very well made, not expensive, bright, takes AAs. There is also a P32 but it isn't that common.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35078

4

thx u guys anyway

5

Solarforce L2r is 1xAA or 2xAA and the description is wrong?

17 cm long body doesn't seem like 1xAA :)

6

2xAA

7

The P7 light you mentioned looks like a nice light, but it takes 18650 batteries and is pretty big. Smaller than a flashlight that takes 2 D cells, but a lot bigger than a mini Maglite.

At the upper end of your range ($57) is the Quark 2xAA with a nice neutral white LED. You can get 8% off with a coupon if you are interested. Free shipping. I don't have one, but if I wanted a nice light and didn't want to deal with lithium ion batteries, this is what I'd get:

http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_402&products_id=2318

If you want something really small, the iTP A3 EOS is a AAA twisty that people really like. Give him some Energizer ultimate lithiums with it and that will be a really nice light.

Another 2xAA light people like are Romisen lights from shiningbeam.com. I'm not sure if time is of the essence, but the Chinese dealers will take a couple of weeks and the choices above are all available in the US so you should get them in a week or less.

8

Guess it has all been said before, but here is my short list of recommendations:

Quark MiNi AA (1*AA)

Quark AA^2 (2*AA) small, bright, reliable. Tactical interface is also a winner.

SolarForce L2r (2*AA) bit larger, cheaper and utilizes modular construction.

9

i'm not the one who will finally possess the lights, dudes, my bro chooses this one,

http://www.dinodirect.com/RoMisen-1500-Lumens-LED-Flashlight-RC-T6/s-103.html

higher cost than my plan, but he said that deserves, alright, this is really a helpful forum, thanksKiss

10

And then to add to the cost he's going to need 18650s and a charger for them. The best reasonably priced 18650s at the moment are probably these ones.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20392

Chargers there are plenty - The Shekor from KD is often recommended but it is slow. On the other hand it actually stops charging which most of the cheaper ones don't. Leaving an 18650 on charge for extended periods is a Bad Idea. As in fire and explosion Bad Idea.

11

Hi there Skyzoe! Since you mentioned that he would be carrying it on a carabiner, I thought of this light that I've been seeing on KD:

http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=8570

http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=10729

They have it listed in about 5 different SKUs on KD, but these seem to be the two variants. One appears to claim 70 lumens of output, and the other one 110. The first one claims it has an "RT XR-E Q5" emitter, and the second one a "MAX XP-E Q5" emitter, whatever that means. But they look like quality lights.

12

College ? Give him 6 Powerlights + 6 alkaline AAs + the $40 left over.

Long runtime, alkaline AAs available anywhere, lost/stolen ? no prob, each less than $2-3. Fails ? no prob, there are 5 left over.

13

;) I like your thinking sir!

14

10 days, i got mine, i donno too much of the flashlights, my bro said he was very satisfied, nice purchase. how about your guys order?

15

What kind of charger and batteries did you get your brother?

16

I did not understand why your brother, who entered college, needs a flashlight, I think you will find all the necessary recommendations above.

17

Huh? I sure hope his brother has graduated college by now. Probably finished grad school long ago too, or already got a couple of promotions at work.

Most of those flashlight recommendations are no longer sold, anyway.

18

If he has not graduated by now he can officially be classified either a ‘professional student’ or about to be a full fledged brain surgeon. :wink:

19

So that’s what you do? Join BLF and then revive a dead thread that has no good reason to be revived, and give a grammatically challenged reply? “Who entered the college flashlight”? I’ve noticed a few strange newcomers appear in various forums with ridiculous one liner topic reviving posts… some kind of Troll wave.

20

I think he’s a spammer, or a troller like you said.