Best EDC Light?

It has probably been asked before a million times and I plan on reading many threads tonight on the topic but I wanted to personalize what I want out of the light.

Looking for a light say under 70 bucks that is a good EDC light. I'm not sure if I need LED or a normal old fashioned light. The light will mainly be used for now in my backyard at night looking for the dogs toys he leaves everywhere. But during hunting season it will be used to help me find my way to/from the deer stand and blood tracking. Also will be a night stand light for home defense.

I think I would prefer normal AA battery type light rather than an odd size battery or rechargable. But prove me wrong if i'm wrong here. Looking for the best bang for the buck brightest light with a cool UI. Needs to be rugged in construction and waterproof. Needs to be small enough to fit in hunting jacket pocket(usually good sized pockets) but would be nice if it fit in jean pocket too.

Is that too much to ask out of one light for 70 bucks or less?

So far on my radar is the NightCore D10. What else should I consider? Thanks!

Think you've largely answered your own question with the D10 - it's a tough act to beat.

If you're serious about home defence, you might also want to look at the NDI - it's a bit more aggressively styled but is slightly more expensive and the UI is slightly less 'cool'.

d10 is good as edc. i carry mine as every day carry, everywhere i go, it goes in my pocket/belt. (but i do have others in same size so i recycle them time to time, for fun)

and when i KNOW i will be needing more light and for longer time, i do take something else. right tool/flashlight for right job.

to me a edc is mainly a small one that i do like to carry all the time. the bigger ones are saved for the time of actual need.

for blood trailing and such i would suggest something bigger light that can run longer and gives out more output. but those is not really a edc kind (well maybe it is to some people, but in my mind they are too big to carry everywhere in my pockets which is my limit for edc)

so my suggestion would be to get 2 lights, a small one to carry as edc. something like the d10 is ok.
and then get something slightly bigger sized light for deerhunting, backyard hunting and home defense. something with a high output (and maybe strobe.)

i dont like strobe feature at all, so i suggest a sturdy hunting/outdoorlight without one.. look at fenix tk20. it runs with 2aa and has warm tint led that is nice when in the woods as its more "natural" tint that shows browns and greens etc better than "normal" tints.

as edc its too big (needs a holster carry or big jacket pockets) but as allrounder beater light its great option.


edit: forgot to add.. led has great runtimes and outputs when compared to old incan lights. but color rendition is little weaker. thats why i suggested the tk20 as it has the warmer tint that is more yellow than normal led white tints. green nature looks more bluish and white with normal leds.. to my eyes little eerie. warm 5a tints look better outside in my mind. led as bloodtrail light is not as good as incan. as white leds emit more blue light and red blood looks a bit washed out in them. warmer tints or incan lights are better in it as far as i imagine. (didnt have warm tint led last hunting season yet so cant be sure.. but normal white led wasnt as good as incan)

Probly too many choices to list really. Above named lights or some type of Fenix. Used Surefire lights, not many at $70 but there are some. Peaks are nice too.

How about the D20...looks like it is just a 2 AA version of the 10 and is brighter and longer of course...

+1 for Peaks, especially the Pacific in AA - a very good general purpose light and in the price range.

bacchus99 said:

So far on my radar is the NightCore D10. What else should I consider? Thanks!

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You found your answer.

+1 on what NonSenCe said:
last season i took along a d10 as back up and it did well but, that is all it was there for.... back up.
for your purpose stated we are not talking EDC. we are really talkin' about looking for toys at night in the back yard and hunting etc. this is not an EDC situation. i'm likin' the tk20 for this. no fuss... no muss... and flat out fills the roll you have for a flashlight.

Two general thoughts:

If your price limit was $100-$120, that would open up a lot more lights like some very nice multi-mode SureFires, etc.

When I got my first high-performance light, I thought that a multi-mode light (w/ high & low levels) was mandatory for high outputs plus long potential runtimes at lower outputs. I've come to think that two good single-mode lights can also be a very good solution, a full-size light (such as the SureFire G3L ($60) for high outputs), and a pocket AA or AAA light (single-mode low OR multimode with a decent low for long runtimes). This has a number of advantages, most particularly with regards to reliability (always have a backup). I seldom bother carrying spare cells, as I have at least two quality lights with me pretty much all of the time, one specialized for high outputs and one for low (with longer runtimes).

My two lumens,

Edit: Please don't flame me for suggesting that the G3L is a high-output light, it is a great entry-level LED flashlight. Later, we can get the OP hooked on the really spendy stuff that blows the G3L away.

Looks like it is between the D10 and the TK20...maybe I just get both!

bacchus99 said:

maybe I just get both!

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:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Now you're talkin'! :devil:

Edit: This has to be the CPF record, a poster says he'll get both (the CPF motto) in his THIRD post!!!

Kestrel said:

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Now you're talkin'! :devil:

Edit: This has to be the CPF record, a poster says he'll get both (the CPF motto) in his THIRD post!!!

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LOL. My wife is gonna kill me....between the firearms and holsters and now flashlights. Oh well. It will definitely be something that will see alot of run time during hunting season. My motto is to buy good gear once. I avoid buying subpar gear every season.

The best EDC light is without a doubt the Fenix TK40, It has nice multiple modes down to 9lm, runs on AA, and fits nicely in your pocket..... If you have very very big pockets.....

Seriously though, the TK20 is an EXCELLENT!! WONDERFULL AMAZING choice (I have one, and i said on a thread somewhere i want 3 more )

If you want something a lot smaller the Fenix LD01 Stainless is a good choice for a keyring torch.

Fenix PD30 its a great utility light, has very good turbo mode with a good low for walking around the house at night when alot of light isn't needed.

If you could find a secondhand Surfire E1B Backup for that price I would highly reccomend it. Very robust light with amazing throw, great two stage UI, excellent pocket clip. If you purchased a box of 12 SF 123's that would last you a long time and cut down any hassle of it using those batteries.

I noticed the D10 has an R2 edition on 4sevens.com. What is the difference in the R2 and the original. I'm guessing i should get the R2? So far I think this light for the money is cool and useful. During hunting season I plan to carry this one in jean pockets while I carry a larger light in my hunting pockets. Not sure what the larger light will be...TK20 looking good so far.

How much brighter is the D10 compared to a 2 AA regular maglite...sorry for my ignorance but i have never had a higher end flashlight. Do LED lights throw there beams long like a regular flashlight? My experience with cheap LED are they are bright but the beam goes no where.

I run my D10 on a 14500 and it is in another class than the Maglite imo!! Hard to beat the D10 especially on a Lith-ion battery!!

What is the difference in the R2 and the original.

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The R2 is slightly more efficient and perhaps a slightly different tint, although you'd probably only notice the differences in tint and brightness if you had both side-by-side.

I'm very happy with my Q5, but I see that the R2 is only four bucks extra on 4sevens at the moment, so you might as well go for the latest model.

My experience with cheap LED are they are bright but the beam goes no where.

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1. Order D10
2. Wait for postman
3. Fire it up and be blown away

Same goes for the other recommended light, the TK20.

Nitecore D10 R2. Look no further.