List the BEST/WORST flashlight purchases you have made.

[allyourblood]

Things that went from really high to really low on the like list.

Inova X5
Inova X5 UV

I gotta agree with this one. The X5 ranks as my worst light purchase. I've had it for years but it's never seen much use. Cumbersome, slippery, dim (by today's standards), uses 2 CR123 cells (without much to show for it), no clip, lame holster, ugly twist/momentary action... bleh. I'll give it one thing: I've never replaced the batteries and it's still lighting up.

Best? Probably my Quark QTLC (123-1). Single cell, compact, good machining, easy to engage, comfortable, looks cool, and it's brighter than all get out (to me, anyway). For an EDC light, this one really covers all the bases.

 

[PharmerMike]

Best: Surefire G2 off of the Gander Mountain website for $25.00, paired with a M60LL marked down to $40.00 from Mr. Malkoff. Still a light that I use almost daily. This has proven to be an exceptional value.

Worst: LedBeam C-cell full size lights that had a footprint similar to a Maglite, but with a Luxeon III in it. These were getting a lot of buzz when I first joined this forum. They worked great when they worked, but the switches gave out prematurely. Eventually, I threw them all out.

 

[Grmnracing]

I have to say the worst purchase I've made is the quark X 2AA tactical light. ( Got it today) It's the most expensive light i've bought (totaling $86 US) and consequently the biggest dissapointment. Besides cost, the worst part is the fact that there are only two available modes... "TACTICAL" DUH!! I misinterpreted the reviews and didn't realize that it wasn't like every other light that you can switch between all the modes by simply clicking the switch... :green:

I have the same light but the regular UI and it's one of the best lights I ever had!

 

[Monocrom]

I gotta agree with this one. The X5 ranks as my worst light purchase. I've had it for years but it's never seen much use. Cumbersome, slippery, dim (by today's standards), uses 2 CR123 cells (without much to show for it), no clip, lame holster, ugly twist/momentary action... bleh. I'll give it one thing: I've never replaced the batteries and it's still lighting up.

Inova X5 has been obsolete for quite a few years. Downright ancient by LED technology standards. But put some grip-tape around the barrel and it becomes an excellent light for emergency use or for tossing into a BOB. Practically bomb-proof design, very reliable U.I., long runtime on one set of cells.

 

[ZMZ67]

Inova X5 has been obsolete for quite a few years. Downright ancient by LED technology standards. But put some grip-tape around the barrel and it becomes an excellent light for emergency use or for tossing into a BOB. Practically bomb-proof design, very reliable U.I., long runtime on one set of cells.

I have to agree the X5 is pretty lackluster compared to the many alternatives but like you said it still has some attributes! The older X5 is direct driven IIRC and will operate on depleted cells.There is a newer 2-mode model but I am not sure it shares the attributes of the old X5.

 

[allyourblood]

I have to agree the X5 is pretty lackluster compared to the many alternatives but like you said it still has some attributes! The older X5 is direct driven IIRC and will operate on depleted cells.There is a newer 2-model model but I am not sure it shares the attributes of the old X5.

Yep, mine's the oldie -- I believe I bought it upon its initial release. I will definitely agree with the comments about its durability and longevity. It did surpass my Maglite 3D in a lot of ways back then which I was happy about at the time.

 

[Shadowww]

Best:
JetBeam PA40NW
Solarforce L2P (with IOS 2.5A neutral drop-in)

Worst:
DQG AAA v1 (the one that had problems with chewing o-rings, squeaking threads, and battery rattle).

 

[CamoNinja]

Best: SWN V60c, Lambda varapower turbo, Malkoff Wildcat
Worst: Zebralight SC600

 

[Bigpal]

Best Lights
Jetbeam BC40 neutral - My go to light. Excellent beam, awesome throw, the size is just right and killer runtime.
Blue Solarforce L2P with Nailbender Nichia High CRI - i don't think I'll be buying many cool whites anymore.

Regret
Beamtech 4000 budget light from Ebay. A pre-educated purchase boasting 3 XM-L's with 1 x18650. :thumbsdow

'I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger' - The Faces (Ooh La La)

Shadowww - I scrolled up after I posted and saw your likes: JbNW and L2P :thumbsup:

 

[jorn]

Best:The liteflux lf2xt, Univex aaa.
Worst:lumapower edc lm21.

 

[wuyeah]

I can't speak for the best. Many to list.

Worst: Maglite 6D
Man, that thing is way too heavy and long to use. Hands and arm sore after long period.

 

[Grmnracing]

Best: SWN V60c, Lambda varapower turbo, Malkoff Wildcat
Worst: Zebralight SC600

May I ask why the sc600 was your worst. I'm thinking about buying one. I heard they break easy.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Worst: Lumapower Encore- First one shipped D.O.A. Sent it back. Second one worked great for a day. Dropped it two feet and it stopped working. Sent it back and asked for a different replacement light. They said they never received the returned light. Apparently, the postal service lost it and would not refund the cost of my insured light. It seems the insurance doesn't cover anything if they ship it to the wrong address. For the cost of paying for shipping a light three times, I could have bought another light.

Best: Surefire G2X Pro, Fenix PD30 R4, Fenix P1D Titan, PT EOS headlight, Solarforce L2 with Cree XM-L drop-in, Olight T20 R5, Inova T1 (2010), Fenix L2D Q5, Fenix P3D Q5, Fenix EO1, Gerber Infinity Ultra, Gerber LX 3.0

 

[fishndad]

BEST- RRT01 my favorite EDC

Worst-MAG 3D LED :thinking: why did i buy that light should have stuck with MAG incans.

 

[Bigpal]

Nevermind

 

[CamoNinja]

May I ask why the sc600 was your worst. I'm thinking about buying one. I heard they break easy.

To much green tint and fragile.

 

[gunga]

Best:The liteflux lf2xt, Univex aaa.
Worst:lumapower edc lm21.

Can you tell me why you hated the lm21?

 

[jorn]

Can you tell me why you hated the lm21?

Noicy in lo and med mode.
Led was way out of center AND out of axis. When looking from the front, i could see 1/2 led, the rest was hidden under the centering ring. The led was riding on top of one of the wires, so it had maby 20% contact with the pill (also made the led out of axis). Clicky is awful, worst i have felt, and i can't reach/replace it. It's really dim compared with any other aaa light i got. Pwm is slow in lo mode. So slow that ican see the pwm the second i start moving the light around at any speeds. Med mode is better, higher Hz is used. I can even hear the buzzing sound from the pwm is pitching up a tone when switching from lo to med Hi mode has no pwm that i can hear or see. Lanyard was broken on arrival (flimsy plastic clip was broken). The led is deep, deep, deep under the centering ring, and the centering ring is blocking a loooot of light from the led from even reaching the reflector. ( the beam really had a funky pattern) The tip of the dome on the led is ~ 1mm inside the centering ring.

You cant even see the tip of the dome. It's way, way deep behind the centering ring..

Shows how dim it is with other aaa lights. This is with a nichia 219. The lm21 is nr 3 from the left. Compare it with nr 7 from the left. (A 25 lumen quark p0 engine in a dqg with tir optic.) The lm21 seems to be as dim as my 25 lumen " dqg/p0 hybrid"

The only positive thing about it was, there is no treadlock. So swapping the led with a nichia 219 was a walk in the park. Also grinded down the centering ring and pill, so atleast the tip of the dome came sticking out of it. Now it's way better, but still crappy. (Cant fix the pwm issue, noice and clicky.)

 

[gunga]

Ah. Thanks for the detailed feedback!

 

[jnj1033]

Note: Some of my "worst" choices are actually really good lights- they just don't fit my requirements like I had hoped, and so I rarely use them.

Best:
*NiteIze 3-LED MiniMag dropin: My gateway drug. I was over the moon when I found it back in '06. One thing led to another, and I spent the next year obsessively reading flashlightreviews.com and eventually ended up here.
*Original P1: My first quality light.
*Fenix L1T v 2.0: This has ridden on my belt for almost 4 years now, and probably will until the form factor undergoes another quantum leap in power/efficiency. I love the simple two-mode interface and forward clicky.
*Fenix LD01 R4: This is the light the seems to have started the second wave of my obsession. Just got it this week. This is the keychain light I've been waiting for. The modes are ideally spaced with no blinky nonsense, and the amount of light on high is unbelievable.
*Liteflux LF2: Occasional flickering issue. Loved the 2-stage reverse twisty. Default modes well-spaced, nice flood beam. Also, sub-lumen mode. This is now my favorite nightstand light.


Worst:
*MiniMag Solitaire: Love/hate relationship since 1994. I really really really wanted to like this light. It was just the right size, but frustratingly weak output and unreliability/flickering issues.
*MagLights before LED's.
*LED dropin for Solitaire: The LED separated from the base on my first one. Replaced under warranty. 2nd one lasted about two months and then stopped working.
*Fenix P1D-CE: Actually a great light- just not right for me. Medium is too bright relative to high setting, didn't like blinky modes. Too big for keychain, too small for comfortable one-handed operation. Replaced w/ P2D-CE w/in 6 months and have hardly touched it since.


Sent from my phone. There are many like it, but this one is mine.