A two or three D maglight and a Malkoff dropin would make a good and simple to use bump in the night light that anybody could instantly figure out how to use, and it’s bright and dependable.
I am going to go in a few different directions here:
a) http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022116
This is a 900ish lumen light with extremely long runtime and pretty good throw. You can put a laundry cap over it to make a diffuser as needed.
The huge advantages of this light is that you can recharge it with just a Micro USB…just like your phone most likely. Once you buy 3 18650 batteries of the right size and shove them in, you never have to touch them again. I personally bought a 4 pack of protected Trustfire 2600mAh from amazon as they were pretty cheap, had protection, AND were only 66mm long so they actually fit.
This light is also really neat in that it has a battery indicator and can even be used to charge other devices. You can even take the flashlight head off completely, screw on a cap and just use as a device-charger.
I love this light because it is so user-friendly. No worries about buying a new charger, or taking batteries in and out.
b) A TK70 is a really good light, though more expensive. You would buy 4 rechargable D batteries that have at least 8000mAh…the usual brands are cheap rewrapped AAs with 2000mAh. Low Self Discharge preferred. You may need a universal recharger but they are handy anyways.
This light has 2300 lumens and is extremely bright. A Coffee Lid is the perfect size for a diffuser and literally fits perfectly right over it. You can even get different colors. 
It also doubles as a Club due to its large size. It is nice to use the Ds, as they have 4x the power and thus 4 times less battery swapping out. No battery holder…you just slide all 4 out and back in.
did he post a BUDGET, as in how much he wanted to spend?
because while i know Malkoff devices are by reputation wonderful devices…. “Malkoff” is Latin for “really really expensive” (not to mention the added cost of the mag lite on top of that)
and since its a “bump in the night” gun… my first inclination was a small-ish light to grab up with the handgun of the nightstand… not something large enough to be used as a club… he will have his handgun for THAT part of it…
i was thinking more along the lines of a decent C8 type, or similar, single 18650… somethin thats good to 100 yds+ right out of the box for him.
an inexpensive charger and 2 half decent 18650s, and hes good to go…
I like the idea of being able to recharge the light and NEVER having to worry about whether I have the batteries in case they run out. Even though I have never seen these “new” batteries, how hard could it be? They’re batteries for goodness sake. Not to make fun of anyone that’s had problems, I’m just teasing.
Anyway, the other night when I walked outside with my Brinkmann 6P clone and saw how pathetic it was at helping me in a situation like that, I knew something had to be done. I knew I was going to have to do some research and get the best light I could for my budget. In the meantime I went and picked up one of the off the shelf lights at Wally World, it’s the Ozark Trail 150 Lumen that takes 3xAAA. It’s a pretty nice light for $10. It does better than all the other lights I have and that only took me 15 minutes to accomplish.
I posted a similar message asking for help on one of the gun forums I hang out on and got several recommendations and as you can no doubt understand, most of the lights that were suggested were more than $50, sometimes WAY MORE. No doubt they’d be awesome lights, but I’d rather spend the money wisely and get the same performance for less money or be able to get 2 lights for what that single light would cost me, or even 3. One of the guys posted a link to Amazon where they had a CREE light for sale for something like $3.50. It said it had something like 300 lumens and I thought “no way.” Just as a test I went ahead and got it and one other that was priced at $8.50. I don’t know what brand they are or anything. One is coming from Hong Kong. I’m anxious to see how they work and how they hold up.
The lights you guys are telling me about is what I am going to use for my primary light. Those others will be “in case” lights to have in a drawer.
I also would like to ask you guys about another option. I have a Surefire 6P that is darn near BRAND NEW. I never use it. I’d like to look into upgrading it to a useful tool. What can I get to “drop in” and turn it into a REAL light?
Keep that in mind and if you don’t care, let me know what would be a good choice.
Thanks all for the help.
Nalajr
Have you considered upgrading your 6P to led? For around $15 you can get a drop in from solarforce that will upgrade it to around 800 lumens.
Otherwise I’d also agree that a C8 is a great option.
My current setup for when things go bump in the night is a winchester 1300 12ga with a solarforce l2m with a single mode drop in I built pushing 1.4 amps to an XM-L
I think your $40 budget is going to get used up in a couple of decent 18650s and a charger. The p60 drop in is a great idea, but you can get a malkoff drop in for $40 and a maglite is pretty cheap, put lithium primaries in it and it’s there when you need it ready to go.
I’d like to update this 6P I have. Might as well make it useful instead of just sitting in a drawer. What do I have to get that can drop in and make it 800 Lumens for $15?
Thanks
Nalajr
I just now realized that the drop in that you suggested was from Solarforce. I went there and didn’t see any drop in’s that were 880 Lumens, but I might not be looking in the right place. I am new at this stuff and could easily be in the wrong place on their site.
I did have someone recommend a Solarforce light to me. He swears by it and how well it is made and how long it has lasted him. It is 880 Lumens, L2 3 Model U2, XM-L T6 Cree for $24. I don’t even know what most of that stuff even means, but this guy said it’s a great light.
Nalajr
This comes up a lot. I think it would do solarforce good to fix the issue.
I believe this is the light your friend has. I have an L2 as well and love it. Fantastic quality for the price. I built my custom p60 though.
http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=LF&s=32&id=498
See the drop down menu under the title “Product / Led Flashlight”
This allows you to select various options depending on the major category you have selected.
http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product.php?sname=&s=32&t=LF
These are whole flashlights with the dropin included.
Edit:
Sorry, just noticed you’re looking for just the p60 dropin.
http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product.php?sname=&s=53&t=RB
Same little drop down box to select other options.
For about $40 max, I would recommend a Nailbender/CustomLites P60 drop-in module that will easily convert your Surefire to LED (simply unscrew the head and replace the old incandescent module with your new one). As far as P60 modules go, the Nailbender ones are quite pricey; however, they are very high quality and durable. Going this route, you can continue to use cr123a and not have to worry about buying a quality charger and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for now (if you do in the future, the P60 module will work with lots of other flashlight hosts that take lithium-ion batteries such as 18650).
If you decide on a Nailbender module, I would suggest an XP-G2 with smooth reflector, one level, and whatever color tint you prefer.
I also recommend a light from home depot called the defiant…3c sized with a XM-L
Very good thrower, large flood…and in case of emergency…one heck of a head knocker
Here is a tear down from Old Lumens (his was a 3 emitter design, the one I have has a HUGE single emitter and very very deep SMO reflector)
Here is a mod done by Old Lumens
Someone posted they were on sale for sub $10
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-650-Lumen-Flashlight-809-3771-D/204287899#.UgovkvlLOGs
Here’s what I have in my L2M that I carry every day and what should work in your 6P
http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=RB&s=40&id=492
It will gladly accept any type of battery you can cram in your flashlight because of its 2.7-9 volt input including 17650, CR123A, and 16340. At 880 lumens it is powerful enough for almost any practical application (the only time I ever use anything brighter is for showing off or on search and rescue missions). The last mode memory means that if you turn it to the lowest setting before turning it off it will come on in low to preserve your vision at night, but be only one cycle away from high. For $14.99 I’d highly reccomend it. Solarforce ships from Hong Kong, but their rates are very reasonable and they are reasonably fast. Be sure to wrap it in foil before putting it in your light since it makes a fair amount of heat on its own and the P60 format doesn’t dissipate heat very well.
aluminum foil wrap helps alot with the P60 heat dissipation problem
The batteries aren’t particularly challenging or anything… its just that you need a decent charger, which is 1 more thing you have to worry about. Nobody likes having Special Charger just for 1 thing. There are also some safety issues with Li Ion batteries which need to be considered. They tend to Vent With Flame (Bad Thing) when mistreated, so care is needed.
This is why I like the one I linked so well, no worries about charging it, its pretty compact and pretty bright. The Surefire likely takes CR123s as they are in love with them…and they get PRICEY! I much prefer a rechargable option.
Also note that you don’t have to get 3 batteries for that one. You can just get a pair of flat-top 18650s and shove in and it will work just fine. Less capacity but 3 batteries is way overkill for a single XM-L anyways.
Sorry Joe1512, but I have to disagree with you there. If you get something like the Nitecore i2 or i4 you can charge most sizes of li-ion and nimh. My i4 is the only charger I use regularly, and I would hardly call it specialized. At $20 for the charger and maybe another $10 worth of cells you will recoup your cost over CR123A primaries very quickly if you intend to use your light much. You’ll recoup that even quicker if you use it for all your other AA powered gadgets too. The price of disposable batteries is getting more and more ridiculous every day. That being said, I would still keep a few CR123As around for when you don’t want to have to remember if you charged your batteries or not, or when you left your light baking in your car all summer long.
Wait, so what are you disagreeing with exactly? We kinda seem like we on the same page…kind of. At least in the aspect that buying CR123s is a huge loser.
The nitecore charger is a good idea…great in fact. The only bummer is that if you needed an AA charger, you’d likely already have one.
I still think its better not to even have a charger, if you are just gonna have one device that needs it. Thats why I like the built-in charger solution. There are several other lights in this category.
“its just that you need a decent charger, which is 1 more thing you have to worry about. Nobody likes having Special Charger just for 1 thing”
Mostly on the same page. 
I’m not a fan of built in chargers, but I can’t argue with their simplicity and ease of use. Besides, I think you’ll probably want a charger around for something else at some point anyways. It’s up to the op to decide whats best for his situation
Convoy L4! Find the deal thread and get one.
If you decide to go with the 18650s it sounds like you don’t have a charger. CyrusAM suggested a Nitecore i2/4. I have the Jetbeam i4 Pro V3 which is essentially the same as the Nitecore (they developed it jointly) but I found it for $15.95 including two power cords (home, car) and 2 AA to D converters (not that I’ll use these). Now I see it’s $19.95 so still not a bad price when you get the car power cord also.
In the interim a Xtar MC1 is a good all purpose charger…not the fastest but one of the better chargers