Best loaner/gift lights under $15

[bykfixer]

^^ this

 

[CaptainPicard]

Personally, I would only gift lights that run on primaries to a non flashaholic, along with a pack of lithium primaries.

I gave a Wurkkos FC11 to my brother as a birthday gift last month. I think something like that with integrated charging and decent cell included is a reasonable compromise. But for the most part I agree.

 

[Poppy]

I gave a Wurkkos FC11 to my brother as a birthday gift last month. I think something like that with integrated charging and decent cell included is a reasonable compromise. But for the most part I agree.

I also agree, that's one of the reason's why I felt comfortable gifting that Dr. Prepare light. It comes with 2-18650's with built in recharging.

 

[Olumin]

My Fenix E12 v2.0 is about the minimum I would consider acceptable to give as a gift, and I obviously endorse it as it is my EDC flashlight. Regular price is $26.95, but I bought mine with a 20% discount coupon, and Fenix periodically has sales, so I paid $21.56 for it.

Ive already gifted 2 of those to family members. Just wish the tint was more neutral.

 

[krypton king]

Under $15 is a bit tricky, but if that's the cut off, I would be looking for clearance or Black Friday deals.

I picked up several Energizer and Coast brand lights (50-600 lumens) on clearance at my local ACE hardware over the summer, all for less than $8. I I got 5 lights for $20. All of them run on AA batteries.

Last year, Home Depot ran a Coast deal - two 440 lumen AAA poly lights for $20. They're really bright and I use them often - a great deal if they do it again this holiday season.

Wal Mart often discounts lights. I picked up several Mag Lite Mini Pros (330 lumens) for $8 back in March. (They were clearing out Maglite products). I also found a local seller on FB marketplace selling new ML50L (3 cell C) in blister packs - $13 each or two for $20. I've seen similar discounts for this model on eBay, etc. On the topic of MagLite, the ML25LT (2 cell C) is a popular model for $20.

Stay away from Chinese lights on Amazon. Also, I don't know much about Harbor Freight quality, but their lights have a lot of positive reviews. That might be your best deal, especially since they offer 20-30% off coupons frequently. Costco also bundles Duracell branded lights (500 lumens) for $15 when they go on sale, but they tend to only last a year or two.

Bottom line - wait for Black Friday.

Home Depot currently has flashlight deals at the front of the store. They have several Defiant brand deals and Coast deals as well. Defiant has good reviews but I've never owned one. As far as Coast, HD is selling a 1600 lumen zoomy for $20 (online it says 1400 lumens, but the in store ones are 1600); runs on 6AA. They are also bundling two 168 lumen (300 lumens on rechargeable) lights that run on a single AA battery for $20. I bought a pair and like them. Great size! Perfect as a loaner.

Coast G450 1630 Lumens Alkaline LED Handheld Flashlight 21864 - The Home Depot

The G450 Flashlight uses Coasts PURE BEAM Focusing Optic System with TWIST FOCUS to harness the light and create a superior beam quality from spot to flood. The BULLS-EYE spot beam pattern gives you a

www.homedepot.com

 

[xxo]

The G450 is a OK light for $20, but I was not all that impressed with it. Having to change 6 AA's in the carrier is a bit too fiddly and run time is kind of short on high. It's does not have much throw for a zoomy, the tail switch is awkward and there is no momentary. It is a nice looking light on the outside at least and it uses common AA batteries, so I am sure most non-flashlight people would like it.

 

[DaveTheDude]

I have what I believe is a really, really good suggestion for a giveaway light, priced well under $15.

WalMart sells a US$9.95 aluminum Ray-O-Vac USB-C rechargeable 18650 light in a 6P-type body (the dimensions are almost exactly that of a Surefire 6P). The Model No. is ROVVMHAL8H. The light is sealed, and comes with a USB-C charging cable. Recharge time is about three hours: I speculate that the light contains a 2200 or 2400 mAh cell (manufacture not identified). I wrote ROV asking about the cells' capacity and origin, but no response to date...I'll update the post if I receive a timely reply.

The light offers three modes, High-Low-Strobe, in that order. Mode control is via a single-button side switch. High is 320 lumens for three hours: I estimate the beam intensity on High is approximately 6,000cd (based on comparisons with other lights of known candela). Low is 120 lumens for four hours: low beam intensity about 2,300cd. Strobe is a fast five-per-second disco experience. The reflector is smooth. The emitter is perfectly centered.

The beam angle is 15 degrees (measured against a beam angle gauge). At one meter from the lens, the hotspot measures six inches in diameter, the corona is eighteen inches in diameter, and the spillbeam is one meter in diameter. The light appears to be designed to take maximum advantage of foveal vision, with enough of a spillbeam to prevent any tunnel vision effects. Because of the relatively high candela, to the uninitiated the light will appear to be brighter that its 320 lumen rating might suggest.

The color temp is approximately 5000K. The emitter appears to be an XM-L, or something similar. (My guess is based on the emitter's size: I'm not familiar enough with LED's to recognize the exact emitter species by sight.)

As you might expect at this price point, there are compromises. Chief among these is a plastic lens. Also, the light is completely sealed, and all non-destructive efforts to see if I could open it were unsuccessful. On the plus side, because it is almost completely sealed (except for the charge port), whomever receives this light can't muck it up too badly, and at a US$10 price, I'm comfortable giving one of these to whomever needs one. Assuming a nominal 500 charging cycles until the start of battery degradation, it will serve the recipient a good long while, and as a bonus, because of the integrated charger, the expense of an external charger can be avoided.

The natural aluminum finish is bead-blasted. The bead-blast finish has enough of a fine texture to keep it from slipping from a wet hand. The light weighs 4.7 ounces (132 grams), and can easily slide into a coat pocket or bag.

I'm of the opinion that this light will be a good giveaway light, and a good stocking stuffer. Check it out. Get one, charge it up, and toss it in your glove box or trunk. For $10 its a good deal.

 

[lightfooted]

Nitecore Tubes are still available, and like the Sofirn C01 are only $10 USD. A little more expensive but very nice is the Nitecofe TIP. I recommend the high CRI verson.

Definitely second the Tubes.