Best flashlight for under $50

[ki4hou]

I'll probably get bashed for saying this but I'd take an LED maglight any day. It's tough, battery life is great, and its very inexpensive. I've got an LED minimag I use at work daily. Put Lithium AAs in it and its lasted well over a year as opposed to a week or two with an incandescent model. I have to put it on dim to check patients eyes with it because its too bright. I Suppose if it ever does die I can grab my HID spotlight lol

 

[wingnut86]

I'll probably get bashed for saying this but I'd take an LED maglight any day.

No bashing from me...I'm in full agreement. But I also like the other models mentioned.

 

[jbrett14]

Wow, and I thought this would be easy - ha!

Just as I was leaning toward the P100C2 (or T100C2), I start reading all these posts and reviews and seeing photos of beamshots, and now I am beginning to question whether these 100C series lights have too tight of a spot (throw).

It appears (based on pictures only) that the P20C2 (or T20C2), although more money, have far better beams of light, with plenty of throw AND spill.

Although I really want good throw, I am not sure I want a light that has ALL throw and very little spill, which is what it appears to be with the 100C series. Maybe I am wrong here.

I wish I could see these lights before I buy. I would love to test them at night, outside, up into a tree. A few years back I bought a Streamlight 3AA Tasklight luxeon. It had very good throw but it had NO spill light, making it useless to me. I don't want to make that mistake again.

I would like this light to be more powerful than my Streamlight Argo headlight.

I really appreciate all the great input.

 

[drifts1]

+1 for the T100C2mkII, mine is in nuetral white w/smo reflector. Spill is not as big as my TK11R2 but i think I use it more. Anyways for under $50 I cant think of a better light :twothumbs

 

[Egsise]

The beam profile of the T100C2 MKII w/ OP reflector is very nice and much cleaner than the ringy TK20. The T100C2 throws ~40% further than the TK20, runs 2-2.5x longer on rechargeable batteries, and has higher output (220-200 versus 150). In terms of capability it's no contest, it walks all over the TK20. That's the benefit of moving from a 2xAA powered light to an 18650 powered light.

Some thoughts....

What if you happen to drop your flashlight and it hits the ground with button first....
T100C2: no any kind of protection to button
TK20: yeah of course the button is recessed and well protected against accidents like that

For hiking the neutral white led is a must.

Fenix diffuser tip aka the cone, you will find it very useful to be able to turn your flashlight in to a lantern.

Yellow rubber grip, so easy to find it when you drop it.

 

[jbrett14]

Some thoughts....

What if you happen to drop your flashlight and it hits the ground with button first....
T100C2: no any kind of protection to button
TK20: yeah of course the button is recessed and well protected against accidents like that

For hiking the neutral white led is a must.

Fenix diffuser tip aka the cone, you will find it very useful to be able to turn your flashlight in to a lantern.

Yellow rubber grip, so easy to find it when you drop it.

That is a great point, and one that came to my mind. I can't think of a reason that I, personally, would want the clickie to extend past the end of the light body. ??? Seems to me that you would want it protected, not only from falls, but from accidental engagement. Perhaps I am missing something.

Still researching. I have not ruled out the Fenix lights.

To those who own the P100C2 or T100C2: Do you feel like the light has plenty of spill?

To those who use your light for camping or hiking, etc.: Would you favor a AA or 123 battery-type light? Feel free to explain. Thanks

 

[jhc37013]

The 100 series has plenty of spill for being a throwy light. If you want more balance between throw and spill check out the Fenix PD30 or even the Eagletac P20C2 MKII although the P20C2 MKII may be more than your willing to spend.

 

[jbrett14]

The 100 series has plenty of spill for being a throwy light. If you want more balance between throw and spill check out the Fenix PD30 or even the Eagletac P20C2 MKII although the P20C2 MKII may be more than your willing to spend.

Funny you mention this. I was JUST checking both of these out before coming back here.

It appears that the Fenix PD30 is about the same cost as the EagleTac P20C2 MKII (around $65), yet the P20C2 has about 60 more lumens and slightly better runtime.

Is there any reason anyone would recommend one over the other, aside from these obvious facts?

Does anyone know where I would find the best deal for either of these lights? Any discounts for being a member here?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[wingnut86]

I can highly recommend the P20C2 MKII. The beam is almost perfect. Very bright, and and fits the hand nicely.

If your worried about the button getting damaged, included is a neat little rubber ring that acts as a tail stander and gives protection. Or EagleTac sells tailcaps specifically for that. Linked here.

It only comes out to like 65 bucks after cpf discount and shipping refund at the linked site for the light.


Oh, and a member here measured the actual out the front lumens for the P20C2 MKII to be 330 at start up!

 

[jhc37013]

Funny you mention this. I was JUST checking both of these out before coming back here.

It appears that the Fenix PD30 is about the same cost as the EagleTac P20C2 MKII (around $65), yet the P20C2 has about 60 more lumens and slightly better runtime.

Is there any reason anyone would recommend one over the other, aside from these obvious facts?

Does anyone know where I would find the best deal for either of these lights? Any discounts for being a member here?

Thanks a bunch.

Check you PM's and 4sevens is a great place to buy Fenix.

 

[jbrett14]

It only comes out to like 65 bucks after cpf discount

I'm a little behind. How exactly does one get this "cpf discount"?

 

[jhc37013]

I sent you a PM with the discount page.

 

[jbrett14]

I sent you a PM with the discount page.

Got it. Thanks a bunch!

 

[Kevin1322]

I'm surprised nobody has pointed you to the "Show Your Solarforce" thread yet. It can be seen here: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/228693

There are mixed views on the Solarforce L2, but I recommend you take a look at them. Maybe they aren't as good as the Surefire, but Surefire only makes lights for 5% of the lighting community as said so right on their site. Quality, but pricy. Fenix makes great lights too; I personally have lights from all three companies. The great thing about Solarforce L2s is that you can get a good quality light for $20 then put whatever P60 drop in you want from anywhere from $15-$90 depending on what you want (good XP-E for throw, 3 level, pushing 250 lumens for less than $20). Their are numerous ways to customize your light or upgrade it, especially the light output, which is a big one for me. As fast as the LED technology is growing, it makes sense to me to be able to upgrade the light down the road with out having to buy a whole new light each time. Plus you can have different drop ins to use depending if you want a huge amount of lumens or better run time, throw or flood, or a mixture of all. It can use CR123x2 (L2m only needs one), RCR123x2, 1x18650, or 2xAA if you use a small extension. This is what is making this light so popular. A quality light (maybe not a primium, depending on who you ask, but doesn't have the premium price tag either), with a huge amount of options and upgradability. Check it out. If you want to buy one there are places on line. I will be glad to recommend some places should you decide to go that way. Just PM me. Oh, and did I mention it comes in 3 different colors in case you don't want black?

P.S. This is a long thread. My list of Solarforce L2s is on page 27 post #781, seen here https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/228693&page=27
You will notice different switches, clips, lengths, heads, bezels, P60 drop ins, a serious throw head, a lamp head, and every piece is interchangable with other L2 lights.

 

[Egsise]

To those who use your light for camping or hiking, etc.: Would you favor a AA or 123 battery-type light? Feel free to explain. Thanks

I like to use rechargeable AA's, chargers and cells are very cheap and AA's are being used in many gps devices.
AA's could be found/salvaged from almost everywhere, CR123's could be little harder to find.

 

[joe1512]

CR123s have better energy density and their higher voltage means higher potential output of the light which is a nice option to have.

If you are going camping or whatnot, you can easily take several spare CR123s with you... they are tiny and relatively light.

 

[jbrett14]

Thanks guys.

Kevin: I will look into that Solarforce.

At this point in my research, I am thinking it would be best to narrow down the choices within each brand, then comparing my one choice of each brand with each other.

Starting with the EagleTac, I am trying to decide between these 4:

P100C2
P20C2 Mark II
T100C2 Mark II
T20C2 Mark II (I don't think I can afford this one but if somebody led me to believe it was far superior to the other 3, I might try to justify the purchase).

Again, my uses would be for hiking, general camping, and also the need to shine a bit further for spotting animals at night, or landmarks while kayaking in the dark. I do not care about any strobe features nor do I need a light with 15 brightness levels - 2 or 3 is just fine.

Also, I think I could justify going a little over the $50 mark, considering I would get a discount.

I am leaning toward the P20C2 Mark II from this group. Once I decide, I can stop considering the others and move on to compare to other brands. Yes, I struggle with making decisions like this. Money does not grow on trees at my house.

Thanks again guys.

 

[Sector7]

Some thoughts....

What if you happen to drop your flashlight and it hits the ground with button first....
T100C2: no any kind of protection to button

Eagletac dealers offer optional recessed stand-up tailcaps for the P100/P20 and T100/T20 series

Eagletac-USA

 

[damn_hammer]

I don't think you're going to beat the Eagletac P100A2 in the 2xAA format for the price they're showing w/CPF discount at pts-flashlights.com, which is well below your price cap. It's available in XP-E Q4 in Neutral making it a very good camping/hiking light to have. I have the P100A2 in cool white, and love it. It does lean towards throw, but has plenty of usable spill to the beam. I also have the Eagletac T100C2 that I'm very happy, and is good bang for buck in the 2xCR123/18650 format.

The LED multi-mode mini mag is a good deal if you can get it on sale for around the $10 like you could at Lowes, and HD awhile back, but for mag full price vs. the ET P100A2, it goes to the ET w/out question. If you want blinking modes, the MiniMag Multimode does have them however.

The Coleman Max Cree in 2xAA mentioned earlier in this thread is a good single mode light, but hard to find. Here's a thread on it ... https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/202659


I own the ET P100A2, T100C2 MKII, Minimag multi-mode, and Coleman Max. My experience with ET has been nothing but good. They provide very good quality for the price, and customer service from both PTS (dealer), and ET (manufacturer) has been great. The newer ET's with a XP-G LED are slightly above your price range, but might be worth a reach.

 

[Anak]

I'm surprised nobody has pointed you to the "Show Your Solarforce" thread yet. It can be seen here: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/228693

... The great thing about Solarforce L2s is that you can get a good quality light for $20 then put whatever P60 drop in you want from anywhere from $15-$90 depending on what you want (good XP-E for throw, 3 level, pushing 250 lumens for less than $20). Their are numerous ways to customize your light or upgrade it, especially the light output, which is a big one for me. As fast as the LED technology is growing, it makes sense to me to be able to upgrade the light down the road with out having to buy a whole new light each time. Plus you can have different drop ins to use depending if you want a huge amount of lumens or better run time, throw or flood, or a mixture of all. It can use CR123x2 (L2m only needs one), RCR123x2, 1x18650, or 2xAA if you use a small extension. This is what is making this light so popular. A quality light (maybe not a primium, depending on who you ask, but doesn't have the premium price tag either), with a huge amount of options and upgradability. Check it out. If you want to buy one there are places on line. I will be glad to recommend some places should you decide to go that way. Just PM me. Oh, and did I mention it comes in 3 different colors in case you don't want black?

P.S. This is a long thread. My list of Solarforce L2s is on page 27 post #781, seen here https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/228693&page=27
You will notice different switches, clips, lengths, heads, bezels, P60 drop ins, a serious throw head, a lamp head, and every piece is interchangable with other L2 lights.

Thank you for this post!

New guy here. Having fun learning the new vocabulary worth of alphabet soup. There's a ton of technical stuff on this site.

I like the idea of a flashlight that can run either CR123s or AAs.