First LED light - for around the home under $50

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here off and on for some time but have found I can't seem to find a conclusive answer to what light I want from the threads here - so I would like to request some help in this decision. Knowing myself, I will probably buy more lights later and more expensive ones - but for now I would like to keep the cost relatively low at under $50. For years I have used my 2D cell Maglite, but compared to a Coast LED light my dad has along with some new tiny LED light he ordered I feel a bit outdated with my Maglite.

We commonly have storms here and power outage is an ever present risk. As of now, when stormy weather comes I have to carry around the Maglite which is a bit big. I can stuff it into a pocket but this feels awkward and doesn't hold the light real well. This is where I know an LED light could come in much more handy, small enough to fit in my pocket so I don't need to physically carry the light with me and set it down somewhere (I always think "And what are you going to do when the lights go out and you can't see where you put the flashlight?") - usually in my lap or somewhere else in the way that is easy to reach. I was sold on the Xeno E03 until I read several people complaining about flickering and noticing the plastic retaining ring - I had seen most of those people say the problem was in the switch and they either cleaned it or replaced it. I'd rather spare parts with a new flashlight be like the spare bulb on my Maglite - still tucked away, never used and hopefully not needed for many years.

Anyway, without further adieu I will answer the questions requested we answer when posting here.

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?


I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter. I'm not opposed to buying from a local store, but I sincerely doubt they'll have stuff as nice as what is available online.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!


Less than $50


3) Format:


I want a flashlight.


4) Flashlight-specific format/size:


Every day carry medium (4-7 inches)


5) Emitter/Light source:


LED (Specifically, Cree XM-L)


6) Manufacturer:


This would be my preference, but depending what the latter involves I wouldn't say I'm unwilling to try it ->I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.

-I would consider getting a light that is pieced together


7) What battery type do you want to use?

This is something I liked about the Xeno - ability to use lots of different battery types. However, if forced to choose I'd rather use the rechargeable li-ion as I know they provide the highest output in these smaller flashlights. I would like to be able to use an alternative if possible - for example, 14500 or NiMH but I don't want this to limit my choices so key thing is the li-ion battery capability. (Btw, the 14500 is random - I have no preference for battery type as long as they're not outlandishly expensive, i.e. $10 a battery)


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).


I'm probably leaning toward the prior, but if the latter is possible at this price point I'd be cool with it as long as it has a low level mode for using indoors and such
-I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
-I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.


I'd say somewhere between these - I'd prefer a little more throw over flood faced with the choice.
-5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
-30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)



10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).


Any of these is perfectly suitable for me - again a light that can run on multiple modes would be most ideal so I don't have to use up all the battery when using the light indoors.
-Up to 30 minutes (I want the brightest [and potentially smallest] light for brief periods)
-30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
-90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)



11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

Perhaps a tad less than this - I don't want it to be a cheap piece of junk if it can be avoided (Otherwise I'd go for the lowest cost possible route). The Xeno would probably be the lowest quality I'd accept but only if I can find no better alternatives.
-Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).


12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):


I don't care.



13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.


I could potentially be satisfied with either of these - at minimum it needs to have a high and low mode, but say an ultra low and medium mode would be nice if possible.
-I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
-I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)


14)Material/Finish/Coating


Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).


15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.


These are cool, but I can live without them if the light does everything I want and lacks them.
-Pocket/belt clip
-Holster
-Wrist/Neck Lanyard


Not opposed to buying from a company straight out of China, just want a light that has lots of positive feedback before I do so. Also, from looking at Xeno's website I see them talk about non-PWM and of course no flicker - but I noticed one of the flashlights (I forget now I've looked at so many on here) was PWM and it was really noticeable the flicker. I definately do not want flicker (Not that anyone does) - so I'll probably steer clear of any PWM lights. I know my order is tall for under $50 - but I honestly didn't know a good 2/3 of these flashlights existed just a few days ago before I started looking so someone may know of just the right light for me. My price range was originally $30-$40 (Perhaps the Xeno E03 spoiled my idea of pricing) but could maybe bump a bit over $50 if the light is really worth it.

Two things to consider:

1. Any rechargeable LI battery that gets recommended here will easily cost over $10 a piece. In fact, most people recommend the high quality stuff that runs $15+, as the low quality unprotected cells are thought to be potentially more dangerous.

2. I imagine it will be very difficult to come in at the $50 price requirement, but I'm also not well versed with the budget offerings and LI stuff isn't my forte anyways. For example, my first thought upon reading this thread is that a Zebralight SC600 would be a great light for you, but it runs about $85 shipped.

Take a look at the 4Seven's Quark 123, AA, or AA^2, they'll run about 200 lumens (although single AA would need a 14500), are a nice small size for pocket-able EDC, current regulated (except strobes), and is just over $50 with CPF discount, no shipping. Although you don't seem too concerned about runtime, I really like them for their focus on the low-end modes and ultra-long runtimes for camping and emergency use. One of the things that drove me crazy with all my camping Petzl and Black Diamond headlamps & lanterns was that they all started out on high, and were never low enough, killing both my night vision and wasting batts at the same time.

I maybe different than most though.... I rarely use high/max, unless I get caught out on a bicycle after dark.

Hmm, well that's unfortunate. If that's the case I suppose my requirement of li-ion battery is out the window, so my second best choice then will be something like an eneloop - maybe CR123. I definitely want to use better than just plain alkaline batteries.

You can also get AA LI primaries, ala the Energizer L91's. At that point though I'd think that the CR123A primaries would be the better choice.

Is the $50 requirement pretty strict? If not then the EagleTac G25C2 comes to mind as a good fit, but it runs about $95-$100 shipped.

Yeah, I'm going to have to stick by my $50 limit for now - I have other hobbies that I dedicated larger portions of my spare cash towards so wouldn't want to get too much tied up in a flashlight just yet. I had considered a Preon II as a portable kind of EDC light but that is a little smaller than I had in mind - I suppose if no better options exist I might just go with that. Are there any other Chinese companies or other lesser known companies that make nice lights I might not have heard about at my price point? Are any of the other Xeno models that don't have issues like the E03, or can intermittent issues be expected of potentially all the Xeno lineup?

EDIT: I just did some browsing over at 4seven's website and saw these as interesting. I was really hoping for XM-L as I understand they're much brighter than XP-G, but given what I have stated above what do you all think of these lights as potential candidates?

link removed

(I did purposely choose the high CRI version - I would actually love to get a neutral white flashlight but did not figure at this pricepoint I'd be able to get one, high CRI could work as an alternative)

link removed (AA Version)

link removed (CR123A Version - can someone please explain the benefits of this over the AA? Anything I should beware of?)
(With discount this comes out to about $65 - this is over my price limit but I suppose I could make an exception, if anyone can suggest a light as I have requested above that comes in at this price and not more I'd consider that too)

I do like that those Quarks are neutral white as well. Given the reputation and pricing I'm not sure if anything is going to top that for the same price or less.

link removed
(This is a purely hypothetical given the price is just under $80 with discount - but if I can buy one light now and not need to buy another from the capabilities I can perhaps justify this price hike. How does this light perform real world - given that I will likely not use it every day, and maybe not even every week so it will see a fair amount of idle time. Usage time will probably be on short projects that don't require high brightness, but I would potentially use it on high mode if investigating some loud noise or using it in the front or backyard to see if there is anything. Some of you on here have many legitimate reasons for owning a light...I probably don't, but I can't stand to own something second-best or that I will in the near future be dissatisfied with and want to buy an upgrade from. To be honest, the Xeno is probably just fine for me - I'm not a Flashophile [I am an audiophile though!] but if I can do better without needing to spend 3-4 times the price I'd consider doing it.)

Any lithium ion battery will be expensive and you will need a charger. This eats most of your budget so I would recommend against it.
CR123s are very expensive if not bought in large quantities.

So, I would stick with AA/AAAs if at all possible. There are a good number of 2xAA lights that can deliver over 200 lumens which is pretty bright. The latest XM-L lights do tend to be quite a bit more expensive for some reason, so they are likely out. Plus, 2xAAs really don't have enough capacity to really drive an XM-L enough to be significantly better.
But you can get XP-G emitters for fairly reasonable (around 40 bucks).


I would recommend:
Fenix LD40 (61 bucks, but at goinggear can get free shipping and 10% off with cpf2011) . 4xAA. 250+ lumens, 4 nicely spaced modes.


Fenix LD25 (50 bucks), neutral white, 2xAA,

Klarus ST20 (40 bucks), XP-G, 2xAA

itp SA2 (40 bucks) - infinite brightness adjust, neato switch, XP-G, 2xAA

4Sevens Quark AA2 - 2xAA. (40 bucks)


Hope this helps.

Thanks for the suggestions all, I settled on just trying out the Sipik SK68 - for $10 shipped it seemed worth the risk. At the worst, it'll go in the car as a backup light (Currently have nothing in there so arguably it won't be "letting me down") but at best I might carry it around with me. I've kind of sold myself on the Quark 123^2 Turbo X. It's a bit pricey for my desired spending but I do plan to get this light now at some point, I mean it's over 400 lumens, neutral white, has programmable modes, 10 year warranty - presuming this light is as good as the reputation of these Quark lights is indicating I very well might not need another flashlight after this one for several years (Truthfully I might try out some more cheapy flashlights though, but no high dollar purchases probably - maybe try out one of the Romisen lights and a few of the other interesting lights). I'm not in any kind of position to need or depend upon a flashlight so it's kinda hard for me to justify even one expensive flashlight (Well expensive relative to my budget - I know a $80 someodd dollar light isn't expensive compared to a lot of lights out there) but the Quark 123^2 Turbo X is enticing enough and not so outrageously priced that I can convince myself to get it. How much are good batteries going to cost me whenever I go to purchase that Quark along with a charger? Is there something like an eneloop in the CR123A batteries?

Hey guys, got my Sipik in today - all I can say is I'm impressed! This little $10 light is incredible, makes my Maglite look useless by comparison. Running on one little AA this thing smokes my 2D cell Maglite that I've had and loved for years. I love the weight and build of the Maglite, but this little Sipik is just incredibly bright. I'm amazed that with a light this small I was able to light up a tree four backyards away from my house. I'm not flashlight specialist of course, but this thing on flood mode seems to have great throw - lit up most of my backyard with ease. I don't really care for that yellowish cast it gets right around the edges of that square-ish beam pattern it has (Kinda rainbow effect or something?) but it's only noticeable at short range and perfectly liveable given the low cost.

Build quality seems really good on this light too, for $10 I didn't expect much but this is quite nice. Far superior to some of the cheap LED flashlights I see for sale at flea markets and the like all the time. I'm just running off a standard Duracell alkaline right now and am more than satisfied with this light. At first I was disappointed it was so small, but I actually love this small size now - my hand fits it perfectly and it easily slips into my pocket. This little light has me wanting a larger non-EDC type light I can put next to the bed instead of my Maglite which at this point I'd like to retire (Perhaps a decent last chance weapon, but I'd rather have blinding light to shine in an intruder's face than to have to hit them with my flashlight). Can anyone point me to a Chinese made light that probably runs on two or three AA or larger alkaline (And perhaps the optional Li-ion batteries) that would be similar in size/weight to a Maglite 2D for around $40 or less?

If this little guy can do this well, I can only imagine how well a larger flashlight could do. I'd like it to be similarly proportioned - not a skinny little light, needs to be this width so if I'm half-awake and go to reach for it I won't knock it off my nightstand. Also being tough enough to withstand a few falls from the nightstand on to the carpet and maybe bouncing off my wooden bed frame or otherwise would be good as I could foresee it happening at some point. More than anything I want the heft, it doesn't need to be really light weight - just bright and thick. Any suggestions?

Consider the new LightHound AA lights [rebranded Balder SE-1]. LightHound carries 3 versions, 2 w/ XPG emitters and 1 w/ XML. All are 3 mode w/ tactical clicky and will run on both single AA primary/NiMH or 14500 Li Ion. I gifted several to family and everyone loves the output and 3 useful levels. Nice light for $20 - $25 each.

If you like the Mags try one of the newer ML100 or ML125. 2-3 C cell, much brighter than the 2D incan. the 2C ML100 is shorter than a 2D and much narrower, has good throw, good runtime, low/high/strobe modes. I walked around at work with an ML100 slid down in the front pocket with the head sticking out. Wasn't exactly a Mini-Mag but very managable, much more so than a 2D.