Most Lumen Flashlight For Around - $15

[Robear]

Greetings All!

After being 'scammed' out of a flashlight on Amazon :sigh: (luckily I got my money back, but wasted a month) I am looking for a LED flashlight for around $15 that has the most lumen's for that price point. I see ALOT of 1000LM for $5 on amazon/ebay, but I don't trust them. Any info on a good source to buy such flashlight would be greatly appreciated! :thumbsup:

 

[ven]

Hey there, maybe look at the convoy /eagle eye range of lights for around that budget. See which model may suit your needs , be it throw or more flood orientated.
Your right not to trust lm quotes, more so from budget lights at $5 or so but lm is only a part as it also depends on the LED and reflector size/depth. Deeper/larger diameter then more throw, shallower tends to be more flood.

What type of light and what uses have you in mind, will help others advise
Not sure where you are in the world, mtn electronics would be a good option.

 

[Robear]

Thanks for the info! You are right in that I should probably be more specific in what I'm looking for. I'm actually looking for two different applications.

1.) All around general light for emergencies, working under the car, hikes, etc...

2.) I'm looking for a light to make a 'ice light' (Reference: http://petapixel.com/2015/01/14/made-homemade-ice-light-less-30/ )

And since I'm not savvy in the world of flashlights, I really don't know which type of flashlight would be better for what application.

Hey there, maybe look at the convoy /eagle eye range of lights for around that budget. See which model may suit your needs , be it throw or more flood orientated.
Your right not to trust lm quotes, more so from budget lights at $5 or so but lm is only a part as it also depends on the LED and reflector size/depth. Deeper/larger diameter then more throw, shallower tends to be more flood.

What type of light and what uses have you in mind, will help others advise
Not sure where you are in the world, mtn electronics would be a good option.

 

[akhyar]

Can check the Convoy models direct from Convoy Shenzen at Aliexpress or from Banggood.
Be sure to upgrade the driver to 7135*8 to get 1000lumens as the stock 7135*3 driver is normally rated 350 to 400 lumens.

You can also order the short 18350 tubes, so that you can use 18350 cell or even CR123 in emergency.
Below is photo of my 2 Convoy S2+ with their matching 18650 and 18350 tubes for size comparison.

 

[Str8stroke]

I would shop around for a authentic UltraFire C8 or Convoy C8. Finding a authentic may be kinda hard.

I would also suggest considering the BLF A6. It is double your budget, but it is, IMHO, still the best value in budget lights right now and worth the extra duckies. At bangood they are $29.99 after a coupon code I can send you if you are interested. search BLF A6. The caveat is you can also pick the led tint color. If you are working on a car, I suggest a warmer tint. It will make the wiring colors more accurate and to me it casts less shadows under the hood. I find cool white work lights hard on my eyes under the hood or dash of a car.

 

[ven]

I would also suggest considering the BLF A6. It is double your budget, but it is, IMHO, still the best value in budget lights right now and worth the extra duckies.

+1 if you up your budget, great light

Here are 2 budget lights, eagle eye x2 and blf a6. Available in different tints to suit you, be it warm/neutral or cool and offer a good all round light. Decent throw and spill for every day uses and easy to carry due to not having a larger head size .


Both border edc size for me, in a coat no issue but the bonus of 18650 performance(output/run times)
This size


Not saying you will! But dont buy budget cells and chargers, make sure reputable shop/seller for both and stick with well known brands(not anything *****fire unless sure!)
:thumbsup:

 

[KeepingItLight]

Unfortunately, now that the group buy for the BLF A6 Special Edition has ended, the coupon code did not work for me when I tried it yesterday.

Edit: This is a false alarm! When I tried again today, the code worked fine, yielding a $10 discount. The price with coupon was $29.95.
​

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As yet, I do not own any Convoy flashlights, but based on many testimonials I have read at CPF, they are on the top of my list of budget flashlights. With Convoy, you get a quality build that uses the emitter that was advertised. With xxxx-Fire flashlights, there are so many knock-offs that you never know what you are getting.

The Convoy S2+, in red, blue, or gray, might be what you are looking for. If you want a bit of throw, try the Convoy C8. Be careful about fakes. GearBest, for instance, has recently sold many counterfeit S2+ flashlights.

In my opinion, the most reliable vendors for Convoy are its maker, Shenzhen Convoy Electronics Co., Ltd., and Mountain Electronics. Simon, the owner of Shenzhen Convoy Electronics, is offering a 15% discount on the blue S2+ to members of BudgetLightForum. Send him an email to inquire. You can find his web site on AliExpress by searching for the full company name.

 

[Phlogiston]

Another vote for Convoy. I just suggested the S2+ to someone else here:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...al-color-led&p=4771027&viewfull=1#post4771027

 

[Robear]

Thanks everyone for the ideas! I was hoping for a little more lumens, but I'd rather get a better quality flashlight and so far all the info I've looked up on these, makes me feel confident in getting them.

 

[Wolfy1776]

What size battery are you looking to use?

 

[Robear]

What size battery are you looking to use?

I have no personal preference. If the 'non-traditional' type batteries give out better light, then I'll use those.

 

[Str8stroke]

Unfortunately, now that the group buy for the BLF A6 Special Edition has ended, the coupon code did not work for me when I tried it yesterday.

As yet, I do not own any Convoy flashlights, but based on many testimonials I have read at CPF, they are on the top of my list of budget flashlights. With Convoy, you get a quality build that uses the emitter that was advertised. With xxxx-Fire flashlights, there are so many knock-offs that you never know what you are getting.

The Convoy S2+, in red, blue, or gray, might be what you are looking for. If you want a bit of throw, try the Convoy C8. Be careful about fakes. GearBest, for instance, has recently sold many counterfeit S2+ flashlights.

In my opinion, the most reliable vendors for Convoy are its maker, Shenzhen Convoy Electronics Co., Ltd., and Mountain Electronics. Simon, the owner of Shenzhen Convoy Electronics, is offering a 15% discount on the blue S2+ to members of BudgetLightForum. Send him an email to inquire. You can find his web site on AliExpress by searching for the full company name.

Strange, I tested it on the Black 5A (4K) right before I posted that. It took just fine????? Now I never got it to work with the unfinished light and I didn't try any of the other models. I also didn't try to check out, but it showed the discount in my cart. Usually they won't show the discount at all if they expire.

 

[Str8stroke]

Thanks everyone for the ideas! I was hoping for a little more lumens, but I'd rather get a better quality flashlight and so far all the info I've looked up on these, makes me feel confident in getting them.

Wait! I just read that. More lumen?? Did you see the BLF A6?? This light is a flame thrower and a real 1600 lumen. Not some bogus 5000 lumen some Chinese manufacture or reseller is claiming. This light is going to be EXTREMELY hard to beat in output for the $$.


EDIT: That is how you got scammed the first time. You may still be believing what these folks (Scamming sellers) claim a light puts out. I can't stress this enough, for a EDC general purpose light under $40 you are going to be looking a LONG time to beat the A6. Trust me, I own 100's of lights. This light holds its own with lights that I have 10x's the $$ invested in that I know are running 2000 lumen.

 

[Robear]

Alright, I'll pull the trigger on the BLF A6, even though it's more than what I wanted. I'll just have to budget in another one down the road.

Any recommended places to buy it... banggood I assume? And any preferred batteries to go with it?


Edit: apparently banggood has it for $10 off w/ code GBLFA6SE

 

[KeepingItLight]

Strange, I tested it on the Black 5A (4K) right before I posted that. It took just fine????? Now I never got it to work with the unfinished light and I didn't try any of the other models. I also didn't try to check out, but it showed the discount in my cart. Usually they won't show the discount at all if they expire.

Right you are! I have corrected my foregoing post.

Unfortunately, now that the group buy for the BLF A6 Special Edition has ended, the coupon code did not work for me when I tried it yesterday.

This is a false alarm! When I tried again today, the code worked fine, yielding a $10 discount. The price with coupon was $29.95.

​

 

[akhyar]

Alright, I'll pull the trigger on the BLF A6, even though it's more than what I wanted. I'll just have to budget in another one down the road.

Any recommended places to buy it... banggood I assume? And any preferred batteries to go with it?


Edit: apparently banggood has it for $10 off w/ code GBLFA6SE

If you like the bare aluminium looks of BLF A6, the public coupon code is "8d7e0d" bringing the price down to $27.
The previous private code which bring the price down to $23 has already expired.

Just to reiterate that Convoy S2+ can also hit 1000 lumens if you use 7135*8 driver. Sometimes Banggood also has this spec on discount which bring down the price to below 15 bucks including shipping.

 

[Robear]

If you like the bare aluminium looks of BLF A6, the public coupon code is "8d7e0d" bringing the price down to $27.
The previous private code which bring the price down to $23 has already expired.

Just to reiterate that Convoy S2+ can also hit 1000 lumens if you use 7135*8 driver. Sometimes Banggood also has this spec on discount which bring down the price to below 15 bucks including shipping.

Is it hard to replace drivers? I've never done it before.

 

[Str8stroke]

If you like the bare aluminium looks of BLF A6, the public coupon code is "8d7e0d" bringing the price down to $27.
The previous private code which bring the price down to $23 has already expired.

Just to reiterate that Convoy S2+ can also hit 1000 lumens if you use 7135*8 driver. Sometimes Banggood also has this spec on discount which bring down the price to below 15 bucks including shipping.

Oh that does sound nice too. I forgot about that one. I don't t know what it entails to swap that driver.

 

[Robear]

If you like the bare aluminium looks of BLF A6, the public coupon code is "8d7e0d" bringing the price down to $27.
The previous private code which bring the price down to $23 has already expired.

Just to reiterate that Convoy S2+ can also hit 1000 lumens if you use 7135*8 driver. Sometimes Banggood also has this spec on discount which bring down the price to below 15 bucks including shipping.

There's so many of them on banggood, which one should I get?

http://www.banggood.com/search/convoy-s2.html

EDIT: Actually, it looks like they already have the ones w/ the driver that you recommended.
http://www.banggood.com/Convoy-S2-Blue-CREE-XM-L2-71358-35-Modes-EDC-LED-Flashlight-p-994206.html

 

[ven]

Just bare in mind i bought a convoy m1 a few months back and was a clone(not genuine). So i will not buy any convoy branded lights from them........got money back so cant fault that side.

I have had a couple of convoy lights previous and those were fine and nicely made.......dont know what happened with my m1!

I would go to the recommended seller by KIL for this brand.