Favorite Buget light.

[Poppy]

I'm having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around olight as a budget light. They certainly fit the price range...but they make some pretty solid items.

Budget lights are getting good!!!

I agree with you. I think that "Budget" has a somewhat negative connotation, more similar to "cheap crap" than average or high end. Perhaps Budget, should be synonymous with "value" and mean lower than average cost, (of other lights in a similar category, such as size, or battery) they might be expected to come with some trade-offs.

It's hard to put a dollar amount on "budget" although to some... a flashlight is just a flashlight, and so anything over $10 is exorbitant.

Let's take an example,
1. dollar store 3 led 2D cell flashlight $1.50... cheap, but holds batteries, tail stands and shines 20-30 lumens for hours and hours.

2. Rayovac PR2 style LED 2D cell @ walmart $2.00 with batteries. bluish tint, rings in beam, but holds batteries and shines 20-30 lumens for hours and hours.

3. Rayovac LED 2D cell with 5 LEDs with a non focusing lens that makes for a nice broad hot spot $8

4. 2D - 3D Maglight with a quality LED one or two modes... $30
5. 2D rayovac indestructible with a quality LED 2 modes... $30
6. 2D 3D defiant with a quality LED 1 or 2 mode flashlight .. $30

So now the question is, is #3 at $8 mid-range, or budget?
many of the defiants are listed as budget, yet they appear from the above sampling that they are "high end"

I don't know... it's all confusing to me.

 

[Creekster]

I have a nitecore tube on its way so maybe that will be my favorite budget light...

 

[preetlove]

Here are the list of cheap and impressive lighting:
1. Schoolhouse Electric ( The Ion C-Series)
2. CB2 (The cloche Table Lamp)
3. JCP ( The charlotte Green Ceramic table lamp)
4. Urban Outfitters (Caged Pendant Lamp)
5. Habitat ( The Bobby Metal Floor Lamp)
6. Dyke and Dean ( Flat Green Enamel Shade)
7. Lamps Plus Open Box ( Euro Haroldi Chrome Pendant)
8. NUD Collection (A classic pendant)
9. Urban Cottage Industries (Red Angled Cone enamel lightshade)

 

[KeepingItLight]

Gearbest has something it calls the SK68 on a black-Friday sale for $1.99. Another SK68 goes on sale Monday for the same price.

Who knows whether these are genuine SiPiK or genuine anything. I ordered one, but only because I have never tried the SK68 before. At this price, I can handle poor tint and a ring-laden beam. The only thing that worries me is that the flashlight may break if I actually turn it on.

I'm hoping to get one of the good ones, but...

I did not bother with a tracking number or insurance on this one!

 

[bykfixer]

Some may say "$30!?! that aint a budget light!"

But the Bushnell 20223 is a pretty good light for $30. And it's $15 little brother the 20149 is a rugged low lumen flooder that is replacing my Coast HP 1 as the left pocket light.


^^ dynamic duo there



^^ Each comes with a removable pocket clip.
I removed 'em.


^^ added a lanyard to the 223.
(fitting model # for this one)

With clip removed the 149 disappears in your pocket.

^^ I considered key chain-ing it.
Just too heavy for that though.



Would I have paid $45 for these 2 lights? No. But I found a twin pack at sprawl mart for $30.


^^ shown so folks can easily spot it in the forest of lesser quality products littering the flashlight row.


Would I buy each separately now? You betcha.

 

[TheShadowGuy]

@KeepingItLight: I bought a pair of the Gearbest branded ones. They seem decent enough. Accept li-ion, focusing is holding together, one of the switches fell out but was easy to throw back in. I haven't ordered any of the others, so it's still up in the air though.
@bykfixer: Let us know how well it holds up to the rigors of pocket carry.

 

[KeepingItLight]

@KeepingItLight: I bought a pair of the Gearbest branded ones. They seem decent enough. Accept li-ion, focusing is holding together, one of the switches fell out but was easy to throw back in. I haven't ordered any of the others, so it's still up in the air though.

By setting the bar low, I hope to be pleasantly surprised by my GearBest SK68!

 

[bykfixer]

@bykfixer: Let us know how well it holds up to the rigors of pocket carry.

Will do. lol.
Impressions so far;
Removes any lint that would ordinarily remain as all those gippy knurls n grooves are like the male half of velcro.

It may come down to how well the pockets hold up. lol

 

[flatline]

I like the Eveready 1D flashlights that look like the old 2D flashlights. The kids love them and I can put whatever crap battery I like in them (I use adapters for AAA, AA, and C cells). They're 2 for $5-$6 at HomeDepot or Lowes. They are a huge improvement over the original 1D Everready which simply put a PR bulb in their traditional reflector (beam was terrible and the PR bulb was easily damaged).

 

[buwuve]

I like my Convoy C8 - dedomed the LED and you get a nice and budget thrower.

 

[LightWalker]

My favorite budget light is this 2x AAA Bushnell that I picked up at Walmart for about $20.

 

[bykfixer]

My favorite budget light is this 2x AAA Bushnell that I picked up at Walmart for about $20.

^^ I just found one similar in a twin pack with that one and a larger one for $30.

The one you show is a goody. Good Score!
The one in the twin pack was a 1aaa though.

This my new favorite budget light.
Found it buried in a crevice in my pickup today and Nite Ize'd it.






^^ you can go back if you wanna see orange.

$8 at the depot home, plus a junky ole D cell light

 

[LightWalker]

bykfixer, I saw the twin pack a couple days ago, looks like a good deal. Have you tried a 16650 in the cr123 light?
These lights have good build quality and the forward clickie has a good feel and response.

I have the 1x aaa as well, I ran it on an alkaline battery for about five hours but it was pretty dim after 1:45.

 

[Flash lighter]

I bought s15r from GB, small, cheap and efficient.

 

[bykfixer]

I have not tried any rechargeables in it Walker.

Matter of fact the only rechargeables I own are eneloops and some Nite Core RCR 123's at this time. Bought them for a G2 that has a double L Malkoff drop in because they match the yellow n black light.

But I do have an i4 charger tucked away for the day I finally take the rechargeable plunge.

 

[fishx65]

I like my Convoy C8 - dedomed the LED and you get a nice and budget thrower.

I just got the C-8 and it's really really nice!!! I went for the XML T6 4C and love the warmer tint. Think I paid around $14.00 for it.

 

[TheMocoMan]

Hands down my most used "budget" light is the Energizer® Tactical 185 Lumens from Target. Excellent quality, good throw, uses AA batteries, lanyard, what's not to like. Goes for around $23 bucks I guess.
Only con is 1 mode. ON. 185 is too bright for up close work but great for what fell behind the couch, etc.

 

[bykfixer]

^^ crap...wish you hadn't shown that.

I'm seriously trying to avoid anymore lights until Jan 1...and was going by Target to get the wife's Christmas present today...

Oh well...

 

[Fireclaw18]

I'm liking the DQG Tiny III as a mod host for small triples. Here's one I completed last week. It is dinged up because I made this out of leftover parts from an earlier mod. I dinged it up fruitlessly trying to remove the head. Eventually, I just did the mod without removing the head.





Entire light with an Efest 35a flat top installed is 87mm long x 29mm wide at the head.

The pictures show the external heatsink I added around the head. This helps absorb some of the heat while also insulating the hand from the hottest part of the head.

I used the original switch plunger in another mod. The copper plunger visible in the picture is the replacement I made from sheet copper. Around the plunger is a nickel plated brass washer that protects the light from accidental pocket activation.

The light is currently equipped with a FET e-switch driver with moppydrv firmware from Mountain Electronics. Emitters are triple XPL HI 5000K.

Currently set to mode group 7, which gives the following ouputs:
* moonlight
* 30% power - 930 lumens for 55 minutes. However as this is a FET driver, output isn't regulated and declines as voltage goes down.
* 100% power - 3100 lumens for 10 seconds followed by 1550 lumens. Again output declines as voltage drops.

I really like Moppydrv firmware as it has 16 user programmable mode groups and a user programmable turbo timer with gradual rampdown to 50%.

At full power this pill-less light gets excessively hot incredibly fast. If I wanted longer runtimes at turbo I'd have to place something over the top of the head and switch to help insulate the fingers (perhaps Duracoat paint, or maybe make a rubber cover out of Sugru moldable glue).

 

[™Caveman]

Xeno f7 v6 f8 any one actually