Lights, batteries, price........

Still a newb to flashlight "collecting", and I have been doing a lot of reading, but am still kinda confused when it comes to a lot of things.

Since I have recently started doing a lot of research into knives, and purchased me first Ontario SP-10, I have noticed a similarity between knives and flashlights. Both can have products that are WAY overpriced. There are $20 and $50 knives which are just as good in almost every way, compared to a $150 knife. And the same with flashlights. It's about functionality and reliability, not looks. Like with trucks. Not a real fan of streetx4's. There is one of my dilemmas.

So, I'm trying to find my first flashlight(or 2 or 3) that I would want to take with me to the afterlife. I know many will follow, but one or two for now. Like I said I have been reading through the forums and have much more to go, but there IS A LOT TO READ.

Not sure if I want a 2AA or 1AA light, but seriously leaning towards 2AA because of better run times and size diff is minimal. I want a light that can be quite bright, but then go down under 10 lumen or so. I would like to have a light that will last for days on low light if needed. Everybody seems to recommend different lights, which is strange. Most of the lights seem quite similar but some seem a little better as far as run times. My primary light will pretty much go everywhere. Not sure about durability, but don't want to drop a $50 light and have it break.

Next issue seems to be with battery types. From some of the charts I was seeing that L91 batteries seemed to be very similar to cr123 batteries as far as light and run times and price. Then there are rechargeable lithium's. Not sure about those since the run times don't look as good. Plus, with a light that takes AA, can't you use L91 and regular alkaline if you need to?

Man I was just reading some more charts and there seems to be more lights I should look at.

I was kinda leaning towards an LD20 or maybe a quark AA2, but now I see cheaper ones like the Romisen rd-n3 II. Brings me back to price. Is the something about lights that are 2-3x the price for fairly similar output and run times?

Any input on some of these factors and what some preferences are?

So many questions!

:welcome: themaxx69, there's a lot of knowledge here, and plenty of chances to empty your wallet too!
A 2AA light is quite a good choice because of the availability of AA batteries, but for general use many around here would recommend NiMh rechargeables, such as Sanyo Eneloops, as they give better runtimes than alkalines, and won't leak inside your light. That being said, many will point out a 2AA light can be slightly too long to carry all the time, and prefer the single AA or even more compact CR123.

Around here you will find plenty of fans of the Quark line of lights, they are very good value, and are quite durable. The Quarks are reknowned for their "moonlight" mode, which will run for approximately 30 days at 0.2 lumens, very useful for night adjusted vision. The same applies for the Fenix, but wihtout the moonlight mode. Romisen are also well liked among the cheaper lights, but I believe the difference lies mostly in durability, quality control and customer service.

Hope this helps, enjoy all the reading :thumbsup:

My thoughts...

Buy a cheap light (if you don't have one) to help you understand what you want. After doing that I have picked up a few ;-) Then, when you go to buy one have a specific reason in mind (like keychain carry) and enjoy the research to get the best/most suitable one for you in your price range.

My 2 most expensive lights are my most used. The difference in quality is subtle, but for me, makes them worth it. A joy to own & use -more than just dumping light in front of me.

AA or 123 is really a preference in shape (stubby or pencil shaped) capacities are basically the same in lithium flavour. I like rechargeables as you never worry you may have a battery with 10% left in it, and I like the idea of 'free' or near free energy.

LD20 & Quark are both nice choices.

:welcome:

Save yourself some time and buy a couple of sets of eneloops and a charger first off. Honestly, it's about the one thing on this forum EVERYONE agrees on.

When asking for a light recommendation people tend to offer up what they personally use. You know what you want which is a great start so go hunt round a few retail sites too, they'll soon let you know the listed runtimes and available modes etc. and buy what YOU think will suit your needs.

A lot of it will be trial and error and eventually you'll probably want to move on to a higher capcaity battery like the cr123.

Single cell lights are my preference and like you I try to stick to AA's but am certainly considering a couple of higher priced lights, simply because I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to. I like the shorter lights for edc purpose, I won't buy anything to be a shelf queen

Thanks for the quick responses.

So, if I were to go with cr123 light, would it be safe to say, I should get a protected li-ion? Seems like the run times are 2x the eneloops.

I'm thinking 1x 17670 1600mAh AW Protected as primary w/cr123 spares, and a single AA light w/L91 as back up light. I don't really see the point of the eneloops, when the Li-ion is 2x the runtime. Am I missing something?

Aren't there Li-ion AA size too?

With the eneloops you get a few hundred charge cycles, in the end the cost per cell when compared to L91s is waaay lower. My recommendation is a single cell AA sized light for EDC purposes, use the Eneloops, and have a few L91s around for emergency spares (their shelf life is 10yrs or so).
Then, get a P-60 sized light, and you can use 2X123, 2xRCR123, 1x17670, or 1x18650, depending on the host and the drop-in(s) you get for it. A Solarforce L2 or L2P is good to get started, and you can change the Drop-in to suit your need or mood :thumbsup:.
And yes there are rechargeable AA size batts, the 14500 LiIons.

themaxx69 said:

Since I have recently started doing a lot of research into knives, and purchased me first Ontario SP-10, I have noticed a similarity between knives and flashlights. Both can have products that are WAY overpriced. There are $20 and $50 knives which are just as good in almost every way, compared to a $150 knife. And the same with flashlights. It's about functionality and reliability, not looks. Like with trucks. Not a real fan of streetx4's. There is one of my dilemmas.

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functionality and reliability are what you pay for with quality, hence why you DON'T buy crap for "cheap". buying cheap is a false economy, you pay far MORE in the long run to get what you want/need in the end.

themaxx69 said:

Brings me back to price. Is the something about lights that are 2-3x the price for fairly similar output and run times?

Click to expand...

and do you buy a car based STRICTLY off how many horsepower it has, or how big a gas tank, regardless of ANY other aspect of the design? of course not, that's ridiculous!!

there is a laundry list of aspects of a flashlight design, and output and runtime are only two aspects of MANY more, and arguably not even the most important ones. if it was, you would simply get a hotwire powered by a giant lead acid battery.

themaxx69 said:

I was kinda leaning towards an LD20 or maybe a quark AA2, but now I see cheaper ones like the Romisen rd-n3 II. Brings me back to price. Is the something about lights that are 2-3x the price for fairly similar output and run times?

Click to expand...

The higher price may reflect better quality e.g. HA-III anodizing and better waterproofing, or better customer service and warranty.

I have a Romisen RC-N3 II that I am happy with but I do not think it will fulfill your needs because you said you want a flashlight that can do a low low mode under 10 lumens - the RC-N3 II has two modes but they are quite close together (high and higher) and not low at all. I've heard great things about Fenix and 4sevens and I will probably get something like an LD20 or the Quark AA2 in the future (I am also a fan of the 2AA form factor).

themaxx69 said:

So, I'm trying to find my first flashlight(or 2 or 3) that I would want to take with me to the afterlife.

I was kinda leaning towards an LD20 or maybe a quark AA2, but now I see cheaper ones like the Romisen rd-n3 II. Brings me back to price. Is the something about lights that are 2-3x the price for fairly similar output and run times?

Any input on some of these factors and what some preferences are?

Click to expand...

The moon mode on Quarks should be able to last till afterlife.

Romisen might be cheaper (and good value by all accounts), but it doesn't have the latest emitter R5 for efficiency, nor the warranty, nor the slim factor compare to the other 2 and nor a solid clip (don't really like wire clips).

I would personally go for Quark AA2 Tactical with no strobe/SOS/beacon to cycle through. The tactical lets the user choose 2 modes with the tightening or loosening of the head, of course if you prefer strobe, it can be one of the 2 modes. Btw, the Quark series also allows you to lego the parts.

To the OP, there really aren't definitive answers to your questions. You mentioned that you are surprised that everyone doesn't agree on the same flashlights...people don't agree on the same cars either and for the same reasons...personal preference.

For the most part this forum is made up of people who are more "into" flashlights than the average person. The average person wouldn't spend $150 for a flashlight.

It's really no different with cars (using that analogy again). Some will buy a BMW and some will buy a Honda. Both are perfectly functional, have good warranties and probably last the same amount of time. It's just personal preference as to whether you want leather seats and a seat warmer, and different styling etc.

You're not likely to take any light with you to the afterlife unless you're not long for this world. The light may still work but the technology will change.

Just buy an average well built light with the characteristics that you want and forget about those that cost 3 times more if that's not for you.

There are reasons for picking one battery over another but it's not completely one-sided so again ... it's personal preference to a large degree.

More great responses! As expected, much more to think about.

Also, when I said the afterlife, I wasn't really thinking about longevity, more overall usefulness.

The search for the One True EDC is in most cases not a path to a door, but a road leading forever to the horizon. You're going to go through a lot of phases before you can really get on track to finding your ideal all-arounder; the bright-as-possible phase, the dim-as-possible phase, the flooder phase, etc. For now, use the entirety of your budget to buy two or three quality lights, a few good lights are always the best place to start.

IMO you should get a light based on a specific and explicit need. Other than that, get your first light at a place that lets you return it if your unhappy, you will make purchases you will regret. Theres nothing like getting stuck with a 70-80 dollar light you no use for and do not need.

I will suggest that you do not look for an all-around light as it does not exist. To get the best thrower, you give up flood, to get the best flood, you give up throw. A jack of all traits is master of none.

I cannot make any further recommendation without knowing what the intended use for the light will be.

i have a quark aa2 and i love it. i love that moonlight mode