I don’t mean to speak ill of anyone, but what seems trivial to us in here, might not be so obvious to a Muggle.
IMNERHO and TBBH*, of course:
You changed the criteria a little in your post, of course, but for an actual Muggle, I’d have to vote for the cheapest plastic thing (that doesn’t look stupid) on the Impulse Rack on the way to the checkout. They most-definitely won’t appreciate anything higher-end that that, even if you tell them how much it cost; and you won’t have to listen to the “How I Lost That Nice Flashlight You Gave Me” story. Plus, if they happen to notice theirs isn’t as awesome as your almighty hand-built hotness, you can set the hook by slipping in a PR-based LED upgrade for them. Then you get the “Can You Show Me?” conversation and joyful happiness begins.
A friend who still carries one of the first C8s I modded, also carries stocks of these rat-poo AA lights around with him for whenever someone asks him for a loaner. That includes his own son, who has already put three of my best C8s on the bottom of the nearby lake… Dad even quit using rechargeable AA and D batteries for himself because everyone else around him just throws them in the trash when they need recharging. And these are ALL incredibly brilliant, electrically and mechanically gifted people! Definitely not “Muggles” — able to restore a badly Sulfated car battery (e.g.), or rebuild a 6-speed Volvo transmission without RTFM; yet not able to appreciate the difference between an Eneloop and a Fruit Loop…
Some of them, anyway…
But heck, there are people even in here who have a hard time discriminating between Primary Lithium and Lithium Ion batteries, even today. No offense, as it’s unlikely we’ll find a Muggle anywhere on this forum, yet the confusion continues in thread after thread. Imagine how arcane and incomprehensible it must all be, to a Muggle…
Not much of an answer, so sorry. I’d really love to spare you the “How I Lost That Awesome Light You Gave Me” speech…
But I’m just
Dim
*(InMyNotEvenRemotelyHumbleOpinion and ToBeBrutallyHonest)
My cure for people who are good at losing flashlights —- I have a few rolls of that fluorescent-colored very thin surveyor’s flagging tape in dayglo green, pink, yellow
and I tear off a foot or so and tie that onto the flashlight I give them (and yes, it’s always a #3 or SK68, nothing fancier).
I find that to be quite fragile, but that’s a Good Idea.
I can’t get to my pixtures right now, but here’s a tutorial on how we used to protect our Butane cigarette lighters from being “borrowed”: Spiral hitching paracord (There are many tutorials, but this one shows pretty-well how simple the fundamental knot is, and the possibilities that obtain by simple variances in the method)
We used left-over brickmason cord (aka #18 Nylon twine - braided or twisted) since it was free and nearby; and I’ve covered the hand-hold area of quite a few lights with it.
If the line of kinks on the hitchery bothers you (it does me, even now) you can “Serve” the body by just wrapping cord around the handle. Tuck the starting end under the first few wraps, make sure all wraps are tight, then when you’ve gone “far enough” (YMMV), cut the cord off the spool “long enough” so that you can loosen the last few wraps, tuck the end back under them, then tighten them back down to hold it & trim the part that sticks out. This won’t take much grinding & twisting, but it will hold up to “normal” flashlight use.
OTOH, if you’re adventurous, you can put on a Turk’sHeadKnot, which is bulky and doesn’t cover length.
It’s a little-bit “Social Engineering”, as it’s harder to “just misplace” something when the giver puts “that little something extra” (i.e. the knottery) into it.
Brinyte M15 - can use a wide variety of AA size cells - from one or two Eneloops to a 14500. It has extention tube like the ED30 but should be cheaper. I’ve got mine from Myled and it has a XP-G2.
Today I saw in one of the ebay shops of Tomtop a noname that looks exactly the same - it seems to be an OEM version. Not sure if the LED and driver are the same (the XP-G on the pictures could be replaced by now) but the host must be the same: http://www.ebay.de/itm/231422693863?\_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
And the price is below $10!
Heh....muggles, I had no idea there was a term for non - flashaholic folk.They get to use my Icon rogue 1, AA format and cool looking enough to distract them.
With mod:
SS-5039, but it needs everything new
Cheap 2 x AA lights with pill from a #3 three mode cheepy zoomy filed to fit
Smiling Shark SS-100 and similar, on 3 x AAA, with Philips Luxeon color LEDs
TrustFire Mini 01
Aluminum copies of it
Maratac Copper CR123, if you have a large budget, live in the US and it doesn’t need to be purely practical.
Most 18650 lights work well, except for run time, on two CR123a cells.
I would consider (after all I read here) all lights with two CR123a cells as too dangerous for muggles - so 18650 lights only if a 3 AAA adapter fits, but that’s not an ideal solution.
(if I could find the thread again I’d suggest that for Fasttech, since TaoBao is a wholesale site.
But these little threaded LED replacements for the old penlight bulbs are hard to find, and do substitute well for people who need better light but won’t do well with a new flashlight because they’ve used the old one for 20 years ….
Once you’re buying special batteries and chargers, you might as well go 18650. When they’re not in series and you use quality cells, 18650s are pretty safe to handle. Just don’t short them and charge them when they’re dead. Most lights will tell you when they’re dead, but those that don’t become super dim anyway. Protected cells, will, of course shut themselves off.
Are there any 18650/USB lights worth having under $30? Warsun makes one; can the build-in charging be trusted? Convoy makes one, but it requires an adapter, which greatly reduces the convenience of USB.
For a lot of people, the Nitecore Tube is more than adequate. Charges from USB, fits on a keychain, beats a phone flash any day. Costs $10.
Years ago I learned to work on what people value. (not for a hobbie of course)
Maybe If “normal folks” who dont want (as in did not get one for onesself) or dont appreaciate them maybe the best thing we can do is to not get the a light.
I know it sounds crazy, but think about it,… what better way to either build an appraciation (maybe when they remimber next time they want one) or the concept of flashlight just does not show up for them (in which case wrestling over what kind to get them, is … wasted effort).
Dad even quit using rechargeable AA and D batteries for himself because everyone else around him just throws them in the trash when they need recharging. And these are ALL incredibly brilliant, electrically and mechanically gifted people! Definitely not “Muggles” — able to restore a badly Sulfated car battery (e.g.), or rebuild a 6-speed Volvo transmission without RTFM; yet not able to appreciate the difference between an Eneloop and a Fruit Loop…
Will keep looking.