Why budget lights for you?

[LEDrock]

I've only had budget lights so far and never paid past $10. I've gotten some on sale for that price that were worth more sometimes. After reading threads in the main forums about lights like those from Surefire and Fenix and 4Sevens, I have to wonder just how much better they are and if they're worth the extra money.

I'd like to ask those of you here in the "budget light" forum if you've always been into the budget lights, or were you once a fan of the more expensive ones and decided they weren't worth all that money.

I'm currently considering making the leap into something like the Quark 2AA for $60. It's the one I've dreamed of getting, but fear that I'd be kicking my self later because I spent so much money on a single flashlight--or would I say to myself, "Now I know why people like these so much!", and then view my cheaper lights as junk?

What's your experience?

 

[aivn]

This thread is going to be epic

 

[ragweed]

As long as the light meets your needs it is a good light. IMO

 

[LEDrock]

As long as the light meets your needs it is a good light. IMO

Well, all my 19 budget lights pretty much meet my needs, and I can't imagine they wouldn't meet just about ANYbody's needs. So I'm wondering if the more expensive ones are mostly for meeting wants, rather than needs. Kind of like a Rolex versus a Timex.

 

[pobox1475]

What's your experience?

You get what you pay for.

 

[LEDrock]

You get what you pay for.

Understood. But I guess what I'd like to know is whether people in this forum (budget lights) have had experience with the more expensive ones and decided they'd rather have the cheaper ones because they thought the others were just too much for what you get, etc.) or for some other reason. Both types have their fans, but I'd just like to know why.

 

[DaveyJones]

i am one of those people.
after being amazed at what cool lights i could buy for very little money, i became curious like you.
after watching reviews on youtube i decided that $50 was a reasonable price for the features that it bought.
i love gadgets in general, especially quality ones, and as it turns out that allot of high end flashlights were actually
well within my modest budget.
so i ended up buying one i thought was nice: the fenix ld20.
what it has that my cheaper lights dont:
-performance, brighter, longer runtimes
-more modes, all of my cheap ones are on/off only
-better water resistance (ipx8 vs ipx4 on some of my cheaper lights)
-more size weight efficient
-better design (tailstand, lanyard hole, access to switch, that kinda stuff)
-higher confidence in using non standard batteries (by the same token as never using cheap li-ion cells, i wouldnt put good ones in a cheap light either)
-accessories, some of the better brands like fenix and 4sevens have a bunch of really usefull ones.

this and prolly some stuff i missed are all reasons i have zero regrets buying my ld20, that i bought an additional Olight, and am looking
at several other brands atm despite the fact that im prettymuch broke atm

seriously dude, if u like cheapo lights so much u have 10 of them...
just buy the light.

 

[^Gurthang]

Bottom line for me..... I like to take stuff apart and customize it. I wouldn't spend $$ on a "good" light and then tear into it. If I really really needed a top-shelf light to stake my life on, a Sure Fire 1st time, no hesitation.

 

[LEDrock]

i am one of those people.
after being amazed at what cool lights i could buy for very little money, i became curious like you.
after watching reviews on youtube i decided that $50 was a reasonable price for the features that it bought.
i love gadgets in general, especially quality ones, and as it turns out that allot of high end flashlights were actually
well within my modest budget.
so i ended up buying one i thought was nice: the fenix ld20.
what it has that my cheaper lights dont:
-performance, brighter, longer runtimes
-more modes, all of my cheap ones are on/off only
-better water resistance (ipx8 vs ipx4 on some of my cheaper lights)
-more size weight efficient
-better design (tailstand, lanyard hole, access to switch, that kinda stuff)
-higher confidence in using non standard batteries (by the same token as never using cheap li-ion cells, i wouldnt put good ones in a cheap light either)
-accessories, some of the better brands like fenix and 4sevens have a bunch of really usefull ones.

this and prolly some stuff i missed are all reasons i have zero regrets buying my ld20, that i bought an additional Olight, and am looking
at several other brands atm despite the fact that im prettymuch broke atm

seriously dude, if u like cheapo lights so much u have 10 of them...
just buy the light.

Interesting insight! I'm glad the expensive light you referred to was the LD20, since that was almost my first dream light. Actually, the first was the Fenix LD2, the first cree of its type, only to be improved by the LD20. I hear the Quark 2AA is an improvement over even that one, which is why it would be my choice.

The real reason why I have so many lights (19) is because they were available at very special prices (such as free after mail-in rebate at Menards). It's hard to pass up a deal like that! I've been impressed with some of them, but my curiosity remains about those high-end ones, which is why I thought I'd ask. I really wish flashlights were something you could at least handle before buying. Being in packages at stores, that's not the case. It certainly isn't the case with ones found only on the internet.

 

[subwoofer]

After many years away from buying torches, I came back into it cautiously with several ultrafires and other cheap lights, then I found CPF...... These lights have been great, but got me wanting more, and I ended up spending more (not nearly as much as some).

Despite now owning torches from 4sevens, Nitecore, Fenix and Zebralight, there is still a place for my budget lights, including brands such as Aurora, Ultrafire and MTE.

My favourite torch is the Nitecore IFD2 and the quality is really noticeable, surprisingly, even non-torch people have guessed the price of the Nitecore and appreciate the quality.

The budget lights are more the workhorses and I carry the Quark AA Regular as a backup along with a Fenix LD10 or Zebralight H51. I would say the quality and performance of these lights is worth it, but the lack of worry for the budget ones makes them the ones used the most.

My most expensive 'budget' light is a xeccon 65W HID, which at £150 is only budget on the scale of what you get for the money. This is an awesome light canon with easily the 6000lm specified (it makes a verified 760lm Aurora SH-40 SST-50 torch look as if it is off) and is an example of a budget light (albeit not $10) with amazing performance and value for money.

For me it is just the same with lights as it is with anything else. Sometimes it is fine to buy something from the pound shop as it does the job, but if you want something that will really last and perform better you have to pay more.

 

[pobox1475]

Understood. But I guess what I'd like to know is whether people in this forum (budget lights) have had experience with the more expensive ones and decided they'd rather have the cheaper ones because they thought the others were just too much for what you get, etc.) or for some other reason. Both types have their fans, but I'd just like to know why.

I really wish flashlights were something you could at least handle before buying. Being in packages at stores, that's not the case. It certainly isn't the case with ones found only on the internet.

I can say an argument can be made that I have too many light and don't need them all. They fall into various price point groups. I do know that when a light is needed it better work as it is supposed to. Generally the better the quality, the higher the cost. The confidence factor and build qualities are worth it to me.

I'm not saying in any wave, shape, or form that lower cost lights are poorly made or unreliable. Just personally the mid-priced ones offer the best value to me.

Some of the light reviews in here tell way more than holding one for an hour is store would reveal ;~)

 

[gcbryan]

I received a Surefire 6P incandescent as a gift as well as a Fenix L2D or something like that (2 AAA light). I've never been all that impressed with the Surefire. I'm finally getting around to replacing the 80 lumen original bulb with a XM-L dropin. As it is...I just never use it.

The apparent quality of the workmanship and finish of both lights was good. I actually found the Fenix to be more useful. It had good throw so I left it in the car to help find street addresses at night.

Since then I've bought quite a few budget lights. They have all been brighter and with more features. They have all worked. The quality is fine. The finish in most cases wasn't quite as nice but to me that's not important. They're only flashlights after all. I don't collect or display them.

It really probably depends on how much you are into flashlights as either gadgets or how much you "depend" on them (for work perhaps).

Many people have both budget and more expensive lights. I've taken some inexpensive bodies and put more expensive dropins in them as well as replacing reverse clicky switches with forward switches.

In my case, in general, I'd rather have a few different types of inexpensive lights than fewer expensive lights. I use the light that's near me! I don't have any great need for a flashlight at all. They are just handy to have.

Budget lights are good in that you don't worry too much if you lose them or if you abuse them.

If you are really into lights including the look and the user interface then you will probably appreciate the differences in the more expensive lights.

I will say that for me the answer sometimes is somewhere between expensive and budget. I buy Thrunite drop ins rather than those from DX because I don't want all of the strobe modes. Sometimes it's hard to find DX drop ins that can take (2) CR123's without burning up as well.

I have a 3 mode single AAA light from ITP (A3 extended) that is one of my favorite lights. It was about $23. A more expensive version of that would do nothing for me.

 

[dando]

budget means different $ to different people...

 

[Mike_TX]

Since I could never justify buying an "expensive' light (I don't need one for personal defense, military, police or firefighter use, etc.), budget lights have allowed me to have some really powerful flashlights withut breaking the bank. I've ended up spending a couple hundred dollars on budget lights, batteries and chargers, but I have a dozen or more instead of the one that money would have bought me in the premium flashlight market. And all my cheapie lights work like gangbusters.

Without budget lights I wouldn't be in the modern flashlight game at all.

.
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[subwoofer]

Without budget lights I wouldn't be in the modern flashlight game at all.

Hear Hear

 

[richpalm]

I have a dozen or more instead of the one that money would have bought me in the premium flashlight market. And all my cheapie lights work like gangbusters.

Without budget lights I wouldn't be in the modern flashlight game at all.

.
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Same here... I just can't see that kind of expense for custom lights. I don't get them to just sit in a safe or for me to worry about loss/breakage... besides, the real satisfaction is with modding and building my own. Solarforce really opened this up for me... scratch it up or lose it? Get another nice host for $25.

Rich

 

[LEDrock]

Same here... I just can't see that kind of expense for custom lights. I don't get them to just sit in a safe or for me to worry about loss/breakage... besides, the real satisfaction is with modding and building my own. Solarforce really opened this up for me... scratch it up or lose it? Get another nice host for $25.

Rich

Can Solarforce "flashlights" be bought, and not just as parts? I checked out a website for them and everything seems to be parts and dropins and hosts. Are there actually assembled lights that are sold? Also, they seem to be pretty much be CR123. I was hoping to find a AA model.

 

[richpalm]

Are there actually assembled lights that are sold? Also, they seem to be pretty much be CR123. I was hoping to find a AA model.

Yes-just check at Lighthound and/or SB Flashlights for U.S. dealers, solarforcesales.com in China if you wanna wait a month.

Rich

 

[Rod911]

If something stuffs up when I do an emitter swap (I am a very noob modder), it won't be much of an issue as the replacement cost of a budget light is not much at all.

It's a good way for me to play around with my soldering iron.

 

[trooplewis]

I have a Pelican M6 that is built like a tank compared to the budget lights I own. But the budget lights are WAY brighter than the Pelican, at least they were until I dropped an XM-L into it.

To answer the OP more directly, for me at least is would be insane in this economy to spend $100+ on a light, unless my life or my job depended on it.
The cheap Chinese lights generally work well, have comparable brightness to the expensive ones. Now if I was on patrol as a cop or in Iraq, I'd probably spend all the money on the best light I could find. But since it is just a hobby, I like having a wide variety of nominally-priced flashlights that I can take apart and swap around at will.

Oh, and yes, there are several sites that sell complete Solarforce lights, I think it's about 30 bucks for one with a nice emitter.