Under $15~ EDC

[Flashy808]

I'm looking for a very cheap under $15ish flashlight that should suit my daily needs. Of course the more lumens and modes the better. I want it to be small and slim but hey doesn't really matter for something that is that cheap! The type of battery doesn't really matter but a 18650 might be a little bit too big. Rear Clicky or Side Clicky is fine I'm more interested in the price and OUTPUT but if I had to choose I would say rear.

Lights I'm aware of: SK68 (provide a link if you recommend please), NC Tube (Not bright enough), EagleTac D25s (too $$$)

tl;dr: Criteria- Under $15 (can stretch a little $), Small, EDCable, bright!, Common batteries (AA)

Thank You for your Time!! :thumbsup:

 

[Mr Floppy]

Fasttech has a sk68 type clone but it is much slimmer than the others. At under 5 dollars, you could buy 3.

Sku 1374800

 

[Flashy808]

Fasttech has a sk68 type clone but it is much slimmer than the others. At under 5 dollars, you could buy 3.

Sku 1374800

Hmm I have been keeping tags on fasttech's SK68s.
The one you have found is very interesting do you own one of these?

Also might prefer something a little bit more brighter but without getting carried away...

 

[Mr Floppy]

The one you have found is very interesting do you own one of these?

I do. Well the single mode. I have a few but all single modes. I have the ultrafire sk68 in a 3 mode, although not from fasttech.

I do occasionally use a 14500 lithium ion but in one model that drives the led at 1.5A. It was an xp-g version. A modded one I should say. Single mode directly drive

 

[markr6]

I can't say from personal experience, but a little over your budget at $17.99 via Amazon, the ThorFire TG06 looks interesting. Fenix knockoff I guess.

kj2 also did a review on the PF01 and PF02 if you want to try AAA batteries. $1-2 over budget: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...F01-and-PF02-(1x-2x-AAA-XP-E2-100-150-lumens)

 

[more_vampires]

Under $15? Get a closeout model Solarforce P60 host. I scored one for $9, Solarforce sales is really really clunky to navigate.

You can get a cheap p60 dropin light engine for $7-$8. A quality one could run you $30-$90, but you can get a better one later as you become fully addicted to this.

Cheap and good chargers can be had for $20, but that's technically separate from the $15 light itself as well as the batteries. Panasonic protected button top, about $9 or so.

 

[leon2245]

Sorry nothing in particular to suggest per the OP's requirements (eg "the more lumens & modes the better"). I'm just here to approve of his target price- the best single EDC I've ever had was under $15; this is the longest I've ever carried one without changing up.

Too many too good options out there for too cheap, for me to ignore.

 

[more_vampires]

"More modes and lumens the better" busts 99% of the awesome options.

P60 dropin with Vinh Nguyen's DriverVN and an XPL HI S3bin emitter smokes just about everything under $15 and has tons and tons of programmable mode options. Note that it is definitely NOT $15. I paid $129 for a copper P60 triple XPL-HI S3 bin.

Afaik, there is no sub $15 light that can touch this.

 

[Flashy808]

Under $15? Get a closeout model Solarforce P60 host. I scored one for $9, Solarforce sales is really really clunky to navigate.

You can get a cheap p60 dropin light engine for $7-$8. A quality one could run you $30-$90, but you can get a better one later as you become fully addicted to this.

Cheap and good chargers can be had for $20, but that's technically separate from the $15 light itself as well as the batteries. Panasonic protected button top, about $9 or so.

Hmm you have spoken to me about the P60 but I'm not quite sure I'm quite ready to mod lights unless a monkey could do it with his eyes closed...


The Thorfire TG06 sound good (& looks good) so do you have any experiences with it or own it??
It also makes me wonder how many lumens it is...

 

[Flashy808]

Also I can only spend up to $15 this is including accessories and drop ins... But I understand modding gets expensive sometimes so I'm happy to try very hard to stretch my tight budget.

 

[more_vampires]

Kinda hamstrung by $15. Sorry. Could help more.

 

[Flashy808]

Kinda hamstrung by $15. Sorry. Could help more.

Yeah I understand it's going to be hard... But I'm definitively open to cheap light suggestions eg. Under $30!

So how's that?

 

[1DaveN]

Rayovac Indestructible 2xAA. They're about $15 from Home Depot or Amazon.

Fenix E01 or E05 - E05 puts out more lumens but busts your budget by $5.

 

[ven]

Look at the thrunite t10 ,nice AA light,the T10s is a little more expensive but stainless and looks like new months of use later.

18650 then maybe check out the convoy s2,quite a compact light and around budget. Different tint /driver options too

 

[hombreluhrs]

L3 Illumination L10C

 

[KeepingItLight]

Your focus on AA is right on target. In this price range, I would stay away from Li-ion rechargeables (like the 18650). Cheap flashlights, cheap batteries, and cheap chargers are a bad combination. Sometimes, they go...!

Late edit: I did not mean to include the Convoy among the cheap Li-ion flashlights I mentioned above. It has earned good reputation for quality. Most other Li-ion lights in the sub-$15 range have much spottier reputations. My own sense is that you need quality batteries and a quality charger in all cases. And those don't really fit in when your budget is only $15.

 

[Flashy808]

Your focus on AA is right on target. In this price range, I would stay away from Li-ion rechargeables (like the 18650). Cheap flashlights, cheap batteries, and cheap chargers are a bad combination. Sometimes, they go...!

Yeah I was thinking that too the POOF bit especially....

 

[Flashy808]

I have checked out the other light but what really caught my attention was the Thrunite T10 any ideas?

I found it small and bright. Hopefully I can go for walks with it...

Oh and any ideas on NW vs CW? Mainly in general but also for the T10.

 

[KeepingItLight]

Oh and any ideas on NW vs CW? Mainly in general but also for the T10.

This is a topic that has generated endless debate here and on other flashlight forums! The short answer is, "Try it and see," also known as, "Your mileage may vary."

At low brightness levels, it does not matter much. We humans cannot see much color at low illumination levels. At medium and bright levels, however, we can.

For general outdoor usage, many who have tried both NW and CW find that the reds and browns common in natural environments look better under a neutral-white light. That said, there are plenty of others who prefer cool white. Here is a YouTube video that has an outdoor comparison of CW and NW flashlights. The video exaggerates the difference between the two. Our eyes see just what the camera sees, but then our brains perform a "color correction" that the camera cannot do.

Indoors, you will get relatively more votes for CW.

Flashlight novices just go for brightness. On that basis alone, they select CW in large numbers. Most do not know that an alternative exists.

Are you a photographer? Many prefer NW (and high CRI, whatever that is).

More than the general population, flashaholics tend to prefer NW, but I could not say whether that is a majority. As an example, BudgetLightForums recently completed the design of a custom flashlight for a group buy that has 1000 subscribers. It is the BLF Manker A6. Out of 1000 units, 350 will be made in cool white, 500 in neutral white, and 150 in warm white. The respective tint bins for the XP-L emitters are 1A, 3D, and 5A. Most of the aficionados who have selected warm white have done so in part because they think it will counteract the slight green hue that AR coating creates. The combination gets them back towards neutral.

A more complicated answer involves a discussion of CCT (correlated color temperature), CRI (color rendition index), and a few other variables, such as brightness (i.e., lux on target), what, specifically, you are trying to see, and how far away it is.

But who cares about this mumbo-jumbo? At the end of the day, you have to just try out a few flashlights, and see what you like.

 

[Flashy808]

This is a topic that has generated endless debate here and on other flashlight forums! The short answer is, "Try it and see," also known as, "Your mileage may vary."

At low brightness levels, it does not matter much. We humans cannot see much color at low illumination levels. At medium and bright levels, however, we can.

For general outdoor usage, many who have tried both NW and CW find that the reds and browns common in natural environments look better under a neutral-white light. That said, there are plenty of others who prefer cool white. Here is a YouTube video that has an outdoor comparison of CW and NW flashlights. The video exaggerates the difference between the two. Our eyes see just what the camera sees, but then our brains perform a "color correction" that the camera cannot do.

Indoors, you will get relatively more votes for CW.

Flashlight novices just go for brightness. On that basis alone, they select CW in large numbers. Most do not know that an alternative exists.

Are you a photographer? Many prefer NW (and high CRI, whatever that is).

More than the general population, flashaholics tend to prefer NW, but I could not say whether that is a majority. As an example, BudgetLightForums recently completed the design of a custom flashlight for a group buy that has 1000 subscribers. It is the BLF Manker A6. Out of 1000 units, 350 will be made in cool white, 500 in neutral white, and 150 in warm white. The respective tint bins for the XP-L emitters are 1A, 3D, and 5A. Most of the aficionados who have selected warm white have done so in part because they think it will counteract the slight green hue that AR coating creates. The combination gets them back towards neutral.

A more complicated answer involves a discussion of CCT (correlated color temperature), CRI (color rendition index), and a few other variables, such as brightness (i.e., lux on target), what, specifically, you are trying to see, and how far away it is.

But who cares about this mumbo-jumbo? At the end of the day, you have to just try out a few flashlights, and see what you like.

Yeah I have heard this is a very controversial topic but hey at the end of the day it still works and of lower lumen lights the colour will be less obvious.