I just got my first FL in about a decade which was the Rayovac Indestructible 100 lumens and I think for me they are brilliant (pun intended) so I thought I would toss a few questions out while I am introducing myself if possible.
I currently own 3 Rayovacs and one is in the car. They are all using just simple duracell batteries for now but I wanted to know if eneloops are worth the purchase for my style which is very little use. For instance the one in my car I will probably never use unless I need it and I cannot remember the last time I needed a flashlight in the car. The other two are stashed around the house for just in case moments, again very little use.
But I also picked up tonight after reading about the HD Defiant that is discontinued the replacement 493 lumen super thrower — In my life I have never seen a light this bright. I am sure you guys have easily but its astounding the light that you get for 22.00 but I seem to have piqued my interest in lights since I am already looking for more budget type lights that might out do this one. This Defiant will definitely see regular use so if you folks have any recommendations for some budget type lights I should look into please feel free to chime in. I would like to get a few more smaller size lights like the rayovac and a few more lights sized like the defiant. Its strange how much joy I get walking the dog now with this bright light in my hand - I have no idea why but I would like a few more.
If there is anything that is not too expensive that will top the defiant in any size please advise and thank you again for reading this long thread…
Welcome to BLF. Just look in the forum section as it is broken down by category to help out. Many reviews on different models/makes and types of batteries. Once you find out how small of lights you can get with such brightness your credit card will start smokin’ because you will want more .
Clearly every new flashlight owner needs a Flood to throw light
yes everyone loves their eneloops .You need them , they will never leak like alkalines and your lights will be brighter too If you're in the U.S. you can probably buy duraloopscheaper (Rebadged eneloops made for duracell) if price is an issue for you .
Welcome to BLF! Currently looking for a producer for the new BLF movie: “Honey, BLF Shrunk my Wallet!”
Edit: wow, reading that back sounds really corny…
Welcome to BLF. I would say for the one in the car just stick with what you have and check the batteries once in a while to make sure they haven’t sprung a leak. Even the famed eneloops self discharge after a couple of years three max. Basic cheepo AA’s can last for ten years if they don’t get used up.
If you are buying a light to play with then you should get one with rechargeable batteries unless you are made of money. From my forum name you should be able to guess what my favorite battery is. One of the reasons I love 18650 batteries is because for the price point they are really hard to beat and tons of flashlights use them.
As for that general price range I would suggest one of my favorite lights. The Small Sun ZY-T08 and my favorite supplier too. $23.70 with code “BLF”. This is a great flashlight for anyone. It throws a very long ways and it’s reliable. It takes two 18650’s without stacking them, which is safer for beginners.
topping the defiant depends if you want to get into lithium batteries and a lithium charger.
Its not expensive, but its different, a convoy M1 would cost about $20, a charger $5-10, and a pair of decent batteries about $12
this light would be brighter, but not throw as far
Once you get familiar and comfortable with Li-Ion cells, a nice relatively low cost flooder is the TrustFire TR-3T6. For just about $30 you get a well built light with a lot of light coming out (more light, less throw than the Defiant). Many BLF users have at least one and they are well liked.
An alternative is the SkyRay King. Brighter, chunkier, a different light, comes in gold or black. $36 at Fasttech before the ‘BLF’ coupon.
Smaller lights would be the Convoy family. I have the M1 and the C8 and both are great.
Once you get any of these, there’s no turning back. You’ll be a flashaholic. Don’t worry, it’s a good thing around these parts.
If the light u’ll never use (car, etc.) are AA or AAA go for Energizer Ultimate Lithium. Do a turn on the tail cap (loosen) so there’s no parasitic drain, and you’ll be good for years.
Thank you all for the welcome and advice. My head is spinning and my eyes burning from all the reading I have been doing so far on the site. Love it…
I walked the dog 2 extra times than normal just to play with my light, sickness… I will read up and review all that was posted. As for the batteries I have a friend who has some extra new energizer lithium ultimate that he will just give me, he has a ton extra for all his home gadgets so I am good for the time being. Alot to research in the morning so I thank you again.
I thought I loved the rayovac, now when I turn them on after playing with the defiant today I am almost saddened by how lackluster they are compared but they do serve a single purpose for me so I am all set there… Between brightness and throw I think I like more throw if that is the right way to put it or a mix of both would be ideal but I am stunned by how far I can see down my street with this light… So fun to be a noobie, right?
You might enjoy getting a SK-68 or two… They’re about $6, take a regular AA, provide around 150 lumens in flood mode, and can throw a good long way when zoomed (5k to 15k lux).
On a similar note, if you like flood-to-throw lights and want more throw, the SmallSun ZY-C10-S is a great aspheric thrower for a fairly low price (~$14). IIRC, it gets about 50k lux, several times as much as a SK-68. The beam is narrow and bright almost like a laser though. I hear the Jacob A60 is also a good cheap thrower, if you’d prefer a reflector style (spot+spill) instead of aspheric (spot only).
For a general-purpose EDC light, a Zebralight SC52 is quite versatile. Not cheap though, and not throwy (max ~2150k lux at 500 lumens).
If you’re into photon grenades, the Skyray King is lots of fun at 2000 to 2500 lumens.
The C8 style light (like XinTD C8 from Intl-Outdoor) is a nice thrower (~25k-30k lux) with a usable amount of spill, or you could go for a HD2010 for nearly twice the intensity (50k lux) at the cost of extra bulk. I like my C8; it can light up buildings four baseball diamonds away.
If you want to go past 50k lux though, you’ll probably have to get some higher-end lights. One of the most wanted these days is the Fenix TK75, but it’s probably too bright for city use and too expensive for a toy.
Really though, there’s a pretty big world of lights to explore. You might want to take a look at selfbuilt’s flashlight primer videos on youtube to get a better idea what your options are.
I agree with everything here! I got a SK68 for my cheapie EDC, it’s insane with a 14500 lith ion in it.
Got a SC52 for my work EDC, pretty expensive, but very well made, mostly flood type of light, SK68 has good flood and throw.
I also got a CNQG black SRK, insane wall of light flood…and my next light will be a TK75, any of those lights would be an excellent start
Welcome to BLF Rob! Sounds like your hooked! Before you jump on Li-Ion (14500/18650/26650 batteries) be sure to read up on their dangers, brands to trust and not trust, warnings about fakes, etc. . . They are awesome batteries, but require some special care to keep them safe. Don't want to scare you, just get you educated. Plenty of info on this forum. Be sure to read up on recommended vendors to buy from too - most will be in China / Hong Kong.
The SkyRay King is an awesome wall of light (enormous flood, with reasonable throw too). I just recently acquired one. Puts a smile on my face everytime! Can be picked up now around $37, just beware of fakes/clones giving low output.
The HD2010 is an awesome thrower but will most likely require special attention (direct drive driver can burn out the LED on a 26650, reflector can short across the LED emitter wires, etc . . .). The Small Sun ZY-T08 is more of a "ready to use out of the box" kind of light, although it's not driven extremely hard in stock form (but still very impressive). The Jacob A60 for about $14 is a well-loved cheap thrower around here too. Go ahead and pick up some SK68's since they are so cheap!
Welcome! You are in for a world of hurt (to your wallet)! I would advise that you buy lights for their usefulness, unlike the majority of us who buy something because it's different than what we already have. "Budget" lights really start to add up once you start ordering so many you can't remember which one just arrived in your mailbox.
As others have said, fasttech.com is a great "all-in-one" place to order for your first real lights and batteries. You can't go wrong with the Convoy M1 (check out JohnnyMac's review on here) and a protected Sanyo or Panasonic 18650 Li-Ion. But that won't be enough, you'll need to order more ;)
I am having a hard time buying <$40 lights as well after messing around with ThruNite, Fenix, NITECORE, and XTAR flashlights. (I blame that more on my level of flashlaholism than anything)
There are a ton of great budget lights out there currently.
Thank you folks. I am starting to think “get out while you can is right”. I have been reading up this morning on some suggestions and bookmarking links like a madman. A lot of info to digest, most I have to look up since when it comes to lights I usually put in a battery and hit a switch and if it works I am good. Will keep reading and learning. Going to take my super thrower tonight to my daughters soccer practice. A huge field and plenty of space to mess with this once it clears out. I still cannot imagine how lights got this bright and this is just a light I got in the local store? ? What else am I missing is what I keep saying to myself. Anything that is better than this one and noobie friendly I am interested in.
The whole battery issue seems to be way to much info for me right now, struggling with it the most since I have always been an alkaline (or alkaleak) user so it will take some time.
