Hey there. This is my first post and I’m thankful there is a forum like this that might end my search. I’m in need of a flashlight for my son and it needs to tick a few boxes.
It’s his first decent flashlight so it shouldn’t be too expensive. Hopefully under $50.
He reads a lot at night in a room he shares with his younger brother (firefly mode)
Because he reads at night I would prefer he uses warm light over cool for a better sleep
I’m a cinematographer and a low CRI isn’t an option. I still use incandescent bulbs through the house.
He often puts on shadow puppet plays, so the light must be able to make crisp shadows at an arms length from the subject.
Output isn’t a factor. And he would prefer a battery in case of power outage, but that isn’t a deal breaker. Small size would also be appreciated, but not needed.
What do you think? Is there a flashlight out there that meets these criteria?
two options to consider: ReyLight Pineapple Mini ($35, AAA size) and LANapple ($43, AA size), available in several colors of anodized aluminum.
both use the Nichia 519a R9080 4000K LED, which is high CRI and neutral/warm CCT, and come with a rechargeable lithium ion battery. (charger not included.*)
use the programming guide to configure the modes, which can include firefly/moonlight.
(* for a beginner charger, the Xtar Ant MC1 Plus + 2.1A USB Wall Adapter is decent, cheap and widely available.)
Do you intend to mount it somehow? How far from the book? Is this when he’s laying in bed or sitting at a desk? Finding the right level of moonlight or Firefly and a beam that is wide enough and not focused on a tiny area could prove to be challenging.
If in the US this may work.
Armytek wizard pro nichia 3000k.
3 firefly levels to choose from. The lowest one is probably too low. The second level at 1 lumen may be good. The third level at 4.6 lumens may be too high. Only available in the US.
None of the above lights will offer a crisp shadow, and seem a bit expensive for what they offer.
I’d recommend the Convoy T5, which is a TIR-based AA light with warm high CRI emitter and moonlight mode. It functionally has basically everything the Reylight has, but at 1/3 the price, and a choice of even warmer CCT than 4000K–the T5 can be had in 519A 2700K. Also you can get a pack of different TIR lenses to fine-tune the beam profile, and any of them will look much, much better than the reflector that the Reylight comes with.
The T5 is a TIR-based light like the Armytek recommendation above, but with a smaller TIR (and a choice of various beam profiles) which gives you more flexibility as mentioned above, and thus a better chance of getting a crisp shadow. Also, the head can actually unscrew during operation to reveal the bare emitter, which will cast as sharp a shadow as is physically possible.
These are lights I have.
Wurkkos TS10. Very small 14500 battery light. Three 519A LEDs are high CRI. (Most say the best full-spectrum. 4500k would be good for reading, maybe even 4000k). Anduril OS, so totally variable brightness, with a firefly low (dimmer than moonlight).
Skilhunt M150 v3. AA or 14500 battery. One 519A LED. Two moonlight, firefly levels. Lowest is just a bit brighter than the TXS10.
Acebeam E70 Mini is an 18650 light. Three 519A LEDs. Moonlight is quite a bit brighter than the others, but perfect for reading. This would be the best for puppet show shadows.
I do worry that multiple-emitter lights will cast multiple shadows, which is probably not desirable. For shadow-making, nothing will ever beat the crispness of a single bare emitter.
I’ve been looking at the Convoy store on Aliexpress. I’ve found the T5 and it does look like it ticks the right boxes. It’s a confusing store. I’ve also been looking at the some of the S-series lights - the S21 and S2+. And I can’t figure out the differences in the T-series. What is the difference between the T3 and the T5?
I also have T5, but 1% is somewhat bright and mine has some non-periodic flicker, at least on AA (haven’t tried with 14500). You probably want a lower firefly, and a more stable output. I might recommend skilhunt M150 519A R9080 in 3000K/4500K.
I wasn’t able to follow the crisp shadow requirement.
There is also the skilhunt H150 (AA headlamp) that I would think, would be easier for reading so your hands are free. This also comes in 519A R9080 3000K/4500K.
