Re: Feit Electric 500 3 C Cell at Costco $25.00
I am a "cheap but good" flashlight junkie (probably like a lot of others around here). I was at Costco today and saw the Feit 500 lumen 2-pack for $25 (with 6 C-cell batteries). Could not resist. Opened the package. uncscrewed the cap/base, loaded 3 batteries, put a dab of Tri-Flow on the threads, and screwed the cap on. Pushed the button and it shines pretty darn good! I have a couple of inexpensive Costco units on my shelf for comparison (the 200 and 250 lumen compacts that were sold in a 3-pack for $15-$20). They were labeled "Tech Lite Lumen Master (200) and "Cree" (250). Those little buggers are my standard measure for comparisons They are bright and have a nicely focused beam. All-around very good for the price. On-par with the $40+ Coast PX45 in terms of light output and beam clarity. Build quality is not quite as good as the Coast, but very respectable. The little Costco units are brighter than the $30 MagLite XL50, although bigger and heavier. The Mag's beam is more nicely focused. All I'm trying to say is... the little 200/250 Costco LED flashlights that came in the 3-pak are pretty darn good and overall quite nice. Especially for the price. Well, the Feit 500 COMPLETELY drowns them out when shine them side-by-side. I'd say that the 500 lumen rating for the Feit is accurate (relative comparison). At the "wide" (zoomed-out) setting, the Feit is fabulous -- with a perfect circle of uniform very bright light. Zoomed-in (narrow beam) it is certainly bright, but not quite as aesthetically pleasing -- because you see the square shape of the LED on the wall. Back off the zoom slightly and it becomes a softer more pleasing shape. I have not gone outside in the dark to evaluate range, but the packaging says 978-ft. And the Feit easily outshines the 2D LED Mag-Lite ($30) that I got as a gift about a year ago (which was my brightest LED flashlight with the longest/strongest beam -- until now). For $12.50 each (with batteries) I'd say the Feit is excellent. Amazing. Of course, with 3 C-cells, it is bigger and heavier than the lower-powered units with 3 AAA's. But it is quite a bit smaller than the 2D Mag.