How should a beginner spend $300?

LED Flashlights – General Info
81

I’m surprised no one mentioned the Zanflare F1 yet. Damned nice design, tailswitch on/off, sideswitch for modes, built-in charging, a charging port that’s not covered by some silly easy-to-rip-off rubber flap but an actual O-ring-sealed screw-ring, blinkies well hidden so click ’til you puke and you’ll still never hit strobe by accident, etc.

My only bitchfest about it? CW is somewhat greenish, and NW is hideously yellow-green. At least the early ones were. Ironically, it’s probably because of the AR-coated lens. Using cheaper plain glass might not green up the beam so much. They might have fixed the tint on newer ones, maybe someone’ll chime in.

Truth be told, after using the CW for a while (and I’m definitely a warm-NW to WW fan), you kinda get used to it, so it’s not that bad after a while. Use a non-green beam for a while, then go back, and yeah, you need to “get used to it” all over again.

Still, it’s a damned nice light. 20bux was great, 13bux was a steal, 10bux, don’t care if I have 4 already, I’m getting a 5th. :smiley:

Picture-perfect presentation box, seriously high-class, so even if you hate its guts, you can gift it away to someone who’ll probably love you forever for it. :smiley:

The “carrying case” is a rather beautiful storage case. It’s a zip-up neoprene case that takes you a while to get the light in there, so keep that in mind. Go to FT and get a nice Jetbeam/Jaxman holster for it if you want to holster it.

High-class all the way, seriously. I just wish I could easily swap the emitter and maybe glass to de-green it, but other than that, I can’t say enough nice things about it.

82

I would not buy a $20 light unless you are planning to mod just in case the light stop working.

83

It’s even worse to buy a $120 light and have it stop working!

Rotsa ruck with “warranties”… I’ve heard enough horror-stories about that.

84

For 20$ you can get very nice and good quality lights though

85

Agree.

86

Lots of good advice have been posted just above.

Knowing where, how, from whom and when to buy is indeed some sort of hunting/waiting game that’s part of the process. If you just go straight to a site and buy a light, you’ll pay more (and sometime much more) then what you usually manage to grab if you’re wise/informed or just a BLF member.

There are a number of threads here you should have a look at or watch, that list current sales and coupons, mainly on Gearbest, Banggood, Fasttech and occasionally on some Aliexpress stores. That’s where you once in a while find some unbelievable deals, but most of the time you get some really nice discounts on a selection of lights, batteries and chargers.

That said, sometime you just want that light ASAP and don’t care for the discounts… and other times you just can’t pass an insane deal on something you already have several instances of and don’t really need more. :person_facepalming:

87

Glowing words here :innocent:
Got an F1 the other day, the only (subjective) remark I have is that its bigger than Convoys :slight_smile: got used to that size…
Convoy S9 is on its way tho, have a feeling I will prefer it over F1 :slight_smile:

88

I figure I beat up on it enough for the green beam…

Marginally. It’s probably the charging circuit that adds that extra half-inch or so.

Dunno, but what I saw of it didn’t thrill me. It seemed… meh.

I’ll have to go find the threads about it and check it out again.

I’ve still got hosts for the S3, S5, etc., that I haven’t used yet, despite wanting to. I should resurrect those ideas I had…

89

i think you’re both right …a 7$ headlamp is hard to beat …but on low it has PWM that;s irritatingly unacceptable …but like the motion detection / 18650 / the usb and the price. BUT the Skillhunt H03NW is imho a light so nice ,I bought it twice . i have 3 zebralights and think the skillhunt for about a third of the price of a Zebra is as good or almost as good …great light great prices on them at 25$ - 32$…great lights … buy both
OR a AA Manker nichia E03 :slight_smile:

90

Y’see, this is what’s so odd about PWM. I get migraines from the damned overhead fluorescents at work, and can see 120Hz flicker in my peripheral vision, yet PWM from lights like this and those that others grex about, never seems to bother me.

91

Go seek help from a doctor before the disease gets any worse. :confounded:

92

If you’re going to wait anyway - then i suggest you checkout this light also being developed by a member here and offered as a group buy - FW3A, a TLF/BLF EDC flashlight - SST-20 available, coupon codes public

93

Whoa… Not to be a Negative Nelly, but XP-G3s and AR-coated glass? Sounds like the beam’s gonna be pea-soup green.

94

The Utorch UT01 is a very nice little light. I’ve been using it as my EDC for the last few months. It is very light and compact. It’s powered by one AA/14500 battery, (output with a 14500 is noticeably higher). It produces a lot of light for its size. The beam is nice and evenly floody and has good beam distance.

It has a very small profile, it’s about the length of one and another half of a AA battery and not much wider. It has a deep pocket carry clip (99% of length of the light sits invisibly in your pocket), which can easily be reversed and used as a head lamp by clipping it onto a cap visor.

(The one thing I would add to this light is a megnatic tailcap).

I like the UI a lot:
Single - short - click always to lowest mode
Single press to toggle the 4 brightness levels; low - turbo
Long press for last mode (lowest mode excluded)
Double click for strobe
Long press to turn off from any mode
(Keep in mind, it’s a very acceptable long press).

There is a hidden mode with battery check and where you can program the different brightness levels of each mode.

And best of all, it can be had for $9.99 every so often with a coupon from Gearbest. Just lurk the deal threads and pounce when it shows up.

Definitely listen to the others who’ve posted. I’ve lurked for a while myself. Be patient, there are always deals/discounts/coupons. If you’ve missed one they are likely to come back. I’ve learned and continue to learn a lot by reading the different threads here. Most things have already been covered/asked, so search and you will find. But, most of all, the members here are incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, and willing to help, as I’m sure you already know.

95

I JUST played this game over the past 2 weeks.
I have spent approximatly what you are looking at and hope I can be of help. Plus I look forward to the feedback of the folks on here.
I have had a few various lights over the past few years, 3 1000 lumen lights for diving (Lake Champlain is cold and DARK, and a few other lights for around the house. 3 weeks ago I ordered a 2000 lumen $10 special off eBay and was very disappointed, then googling led me to this site and all hell broke loose.

I ordered:
Olight H2R Nova
Convoy L6 XHP70 3800LM Super Bright Long Range LED Flashlight
BLF Q8 4x XP-L 5000LM Professional Multiple Operation Procedure Super Bright LED Flashlight
Astrolux MF01 18x XP-G3/Nichia 219C 12000LM Super Bright LED
Convoy C8 LED Flashlight - U6 3A SILVER

XTAR VC4 Charger
4PCS Samsung INR18650-30Q 3000mAh Unprotected Button Top 18650 Battery
4PCS MECO 3.7v 4000mAh Protected Rechargeable 18650 Li-ion Battery
10pcs 3.7V 6000mAh 18650 Unprotected Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
2pcs 26650 KeepPower 4500mAh Protected Rechargeable Li-ion Battery

So far:
I EDC the H2R as I am a construction safety officer by trade and travel from site to site this thing is rugged, powerfull and versitile, plus it charges soo easy. I can say I like the Q8 Much better than the MF01, the 01 has more light but the Q8 is increadably user friendly and can toss out a shitload of light in a heartbeat. I have not recieved the batteries for the L6 yet but I also ordered a smo reflector a week after recieving the light. the C8 just seems like it will be useful at work and something my co workers would want to buy themselves.
Batteries… never enough and get a fast reliable charger. I plan on researching these this weekend and ordering soon.

SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) is convinced I am insane.

96

These sound like batteries i would STAY AWAY from… :expressionless:

97

Me to, especially the 6000mah 18650 UN-protected. :open_mouth:

98

Best way to choose batteries is to go here and compare.
HKJ has done all the work for us.

99

That’s a nice little light collection to start out with. Definitely some of the staples around here.

What are those 6000mAh 18650s? I didn’t think they exist!

100

That's how i spent my money in the past week. I made my choices after many hours of reading this marvelous forum, watched a lot of reviews on youtube too.


- Astrolux S1 XPL 1600LM (29.95$)
- Skilhunt H03 LED Headlamp (52.95$)
- BLF Q8 4x XP-L 5000LM (79.95$)
- Liitokala Lii - 500 LCD Battery Charger (25.41$)
- 4PCS Samsung INR18650-30Q 3000mAh Button Top 18650 Battery (20.88$)
- 4PCS Samsung INR18650-30Q 3000mah Flat top 18650 Battery (24.99$)


That's 234.13$ without any discount, you can easily save 100/120$ with the right discount codes.
For my personnal needs it will almost cover every possible cases. :)

I didn't order a thrower because i don't really need one, no much use for it, but the the Astrolux C8 XP-L HI 1300Lumens look nice like the convoy c8 silver with the biscotti firmware, right now i resist the desire, i'll keep it for later maybe. ^^

Astrolux C8 XP-L HI 1300Lumens (29.95$)
Convoy Clear C8 Xp-l Hi 7135x8 Biscotti firmware (25$)

And a final word for all the blf community and all the youtuber i watched, you guys rock!!!!

When i begin my quest 2 weeks ago for a new flashlight i was so lost, so many brands/emitters/tint/models/size ect ect...

I already onwed 2 basic flashlight, an old convoy s2, a 3-Mode 975-Lumen zooming LED Flashlight and a bunch of good 18650 battery from my vap collection, but searching/finding a very good new flashlight to order was really hard at the beginning, so much choices available.

But i found the blf forum and i learned so much in the past two weeks, helped me focus on some flashlights, discarded others, and finally my order was made and i'm pretty happy/confident about it.
So a big thank you to everyone around here, keep up the wonderfull work.