Hello everyone, I am brand new to this forum and have little to no knowledge about flashlight specifics but I’m the sort of person who likes to take plunges if something interests me.
For some weird reason similar to everyone here, I am fascinated with having an object with the power of the sun to light my way in the darkness in my hands.
That said, I know people will have different opinions and recommendations, but what would be the best flashlight I could buy for around $50 and one for around $100?
I personally would like something with great flood, decent throw, and will last at least 2-3 hours on it’s highest mode.
Actually, I’d also like your recommendations on a good thrower at these prices too, just want to see what’s out there.
For tint I like neutral white (5000k? 6500k?), nothing too yellow or too blue.
For weight, I’ll be ok with something moderately heavy, I wouldn’t mind small and light, but I’d like to stay away from something big and bulky.
It will mostly be used for camping and backpacking so something to light up a dark forest.
I scoured this generic forum and the 18650 forum (I currently own a few super cheap chinese 18650 lights) last night for a couple of hours and people seem to really like the BLF A6 SE and it’s successor the Astrolux S1. I’ve also seen several Convoys mentioned (C8, S2), the Olight S1, and the bigger Acebeam K40M (X40?) as well.
Any opinions/advice/suggestions/recommendations would be most welcome. Thanks!
Welcome to BLF!
Surely others will have this thread filled with a whole bunch of lights for you.
You could get the Convoy S2+ and a C8 well built for about $50 total.
If you want to spent money
Get the Kronos ALU set and the CLP Italia Cometa seems promising too.
You can tweak the modes because of the Bistro firmware and would have 3 special lights, top notch, good quality and including the newest technology available for flashlights, capable of meeting almost all flashlight needs
With good charger and cells you could be done for ~$140/150
Definitely the Kronos Stainless steel/Copper version if you can find a pair. Absolutely phenomenal lights.
For $99, ZebraLight may have the flashlight you want for your $100 category. It is the as-yet-unreleased ZebraLight SC600Fd Mk. III Plus. On paper, it promises be one of the best ZebraLights ever. What makes it special is the Cree XHP50 emitter it will use. ZebraLight has selected an XHP50 that is rated at 5000K CCT and 93-95 CRI (Ra). Max lumens has not been published yet, but with an XHP50 emitter, output should be pretty good.
High output, high CRI, and neutral tint, all in a compact SC600 format. Stock flashlights don't get much better.
You can read about this flashlight in the ZebraLight Product Comparison spreadsheet. In an email to a CPF member, ZebraLight indicated that release is planned for June or July of this year.
For many camping and hiking activities, I prefer a headlamp over a flashlight. My favorite ZebraLight headlamp is the ZebraLight H600Fd Mk. III. Once again, neutral tint (5000K CCT), moderately high CRI (83-85 CRI), and moderately high output (870 lumens) are the reasons I like this model. When you want, you can remove this light from its headband, and use it in hand, or clipped to a belt or pocket.
One thing you asked for is a 2-to-3-hour runtime on a flashlight's highest setting. You will have trouble finding a flashlight that can do that. Most are designed to have a "turbo" or "high" mode that is intended for short bursts only. Those typically have runtimes on the order of an hour or less. In most cases, you can only get 2-3 hours on one of the medium modes.
I like zoomies, but my best 18650 zoomies all need some sort of modification to be there best, or are below your price range. Zoomies generally have the best flood. They have good throw but no spill in throw mode.
I still like my first 18650 zoomy, which is a Sipik SK-73, but it is way under your prices. This is a very good value https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10003915/1675300-p7-2-9407-1-r5-2-mode-240lm-zoom-cool-white-led . It is very bright in turbo mode on NiMH, but AAA cells give it limited run time.
Get in on the GB for the Thorfire S70. Mine shows over 4500 otf lumens stock and over 104kcd of throw. It’s a beast!
Best $50 Value:
Kronos X5&X6 AL Set “[link]”:BLF Kronos X6/X5 GB - Group Buy now closed.
Best $100 Value:
Kronos X5 & X6 SS/CU Set “[link]”:BLF Kronos X6/X5 GB - Group Buy now closed.
The Kronos X5 and X6 are more throwers than flooders. While their bright spill allows them to be used for general purposes, there are other flashlights that are better suited for all around use.
Best Camping
Thorfire S70 “[link]”:ENEDED
The S70 is an extremely bright (3000 lumens), floody, search light. Good for use around the camp, but the 2x26650 form is a little too big for hiking IMO.
Best Backpacking
Thorfire S50 “[link]”:ENEDED
The S50 is a very bright (2000 lumens) search light. You said you wanted to “light up a dark forest”! The 2x18650 form is about the biggest that I’d recommend for hiking.
Note: I would really recommend something more sublime to light up your path through the forest, rather than trying to light up the forest itself. Others have suggested the Convoy S2, I’d agree with that suggestion. The S2 has a wonderful beam pattern, well suited for short range tasks. Very large hot spot, smoothly feathering to a bright spill. With a 4D tint, it is my favorite beam. The Zebralight headlamp is also a very good suggestion, especially in uneven terrain.
Man oh man those Kronos sets look SEXY especially with that limited edition wood box WHOOOOWHEEEE!. But they are limited and the group buy is over isn’t it?
Is there somewhere I can look for more info on these lights? Reviews/Beamshots?
I want to see what the aluminum set looks like too.
I checked on Banggood and it looks like they are selling the SS/Cu set for $200, WTH??
Where else do I look to purchase these sexy beasts?
The Cometa beamshots make it look like it’s almost the perfect flashlight I was looking for. Should I join the GB? What was the price? 45 shipped?
Yeah, I forgot about headlamps. I should look into a good headlamp too. I think I saw a few posts on that Zebralight headlamp as well.
June/July seems a bit far off for that new light. Maybe if I’m still looking, I’ll remember to check it out.
I’ll definitely take into consideration the Thorfires as well. I heard the S70 is getting rave reviews on here and CPF.
Thanks for posting the links too dash, makes things easier and faster.
Really appreciating all the info here guys, keep it coming!
I am now holding a SmallSun T07
A freaky flashlight and I am gonna do a micro review in What is the most strange / bizarre flashlight in your collection?
As far as runtimes go, it has two separate battery tubes and works on 1 cell making it possible to put a fresh cell in while it is on lol you can get to 3 hours easy if you have the cells with juice
No just kidding it is not the best of lights.
The ALU Kronos set looks less sexy then the SS/CU but can be ordered.
I jumped in the group buy for the Cometa since it is like a modded light that is of high quality and $40 is not too much for something like that.
40+50 for three specials that cover a broad spectrum of flashlight usage seems like a great deal.
I’ll take a different approach to an answer. Whichever lights you choose, you’ll need cells and a charger. Of the many cell sizes, the 18650 gives the best ‘bang for the buck’. If you have a high-amperage light you’ll want cells equal to the task; lower output lights can perform well with less. I’d buy both lights in the 18650 format so you can make the most of your budget for lights!
And as has been noted, on “Hi” most lights go about an hour at the most (often less), but you can always use a lower mode which can still give a whole lot of light and that can give you the 2-3 hours runtime you want with many lights. Even with my tiny lights, “medium’ is what I use most as it’s almost always enough. It’s like owning a hot-rod car: the performance is there when you want to use it but most of the time you won’t. Nice to have anyway just in case!
Tints also matter. The cooler ones offer more lumens but harsher light. Warmer tints won’t seem as bright but are often more pleasant to be looking at, especially if you want truer colors. I’d recommend avoiding either extreme to start with, say 4K (warmer) to 5K (cooler). There’s more to this than just lumen output alone.
I like my A6 (same as Astrolux S1) It’s a lot of light for the money, easy to carry, and has a mode just right for every purpose. Floody but bright enough to also see quite a way off. Same size but more throwy would be ConvoyS2 (not S2+). You’ll have to spend a lot more to get a minimally better light than these and you can use the savings on the bigger light, more lights, more cells etc. Don’t worry, you can spend your whole “Budget” on lights and we’re here to help you do just that. Welcome to BLF 
Phil
Phil