General purpose EDC flashlights with no strobe

tangentlight

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 10, 2018
Messages
1
Hello! I'd be grateful for recommendations for general purpose EDC flashlights. Only unusual requirement: no strobe mode please, the simpler the modes the better. Thanks for your time.

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :)
____Up to $100.


3) Format:
____I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).


4) Size:
____TINY - Every day carry (2-4 inches).
____SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).
One of each.


5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
____HID (known for max output, but often at the expense of size)
Probably LED.


6) Manufacturer:
____I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.


7) What power source do you want to use?
____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Alkaline batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.
____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Lithium batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D and CR123 sized cells common to most stores (often a cold weather or long storage choice).
____I intend to use Rechargeable cells (NiMH or NiCD) based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.
Usually alkalines.


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 not a happy experience).
____I want an indoor "blackout" light (15-50 lumens)
____I want to confidently walk around an unlit/unpaved rural area (60-150 lumens).
Somewhere in this range.


9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.
____Narrow Flood: I want a sharply defined flood area that will project some distance for tasks like trail walking.
____Wide Throw: I want a beam with a noticeable hot-center for distance throw and a significant amount of "side-spill". Good for rough trail hiking, search and rescue, and general distance work.
General purpose EDC, occasional camping, peering at car engines


9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)


10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
Got a graveyard of broken LED Lensers here, very frustrating.

12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
Any of those.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
Preference for simple on/off, two levels is ok.
Must not have a strobe mode! I'm coming to you because that requirement in particular is hard to satisfy.


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 higher end flashlights).
____Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)


15) Water resistance
____IPX4 (Splash resistant)
____IPX7 (Waterproof to 1 meter/30min)


16) Storage conditions
____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment)
 

TheShadowGuy

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 10, 2015
Messages
365
Is a hidden strobe fine? There are also flashlights with firmware that lets you turn off strobe modes, such as the Biscotti firmware for the Convoy S2+.

The Thrunite Archer 2A (neutral white) is my usual recommendation for an EDC type light using standard cells. It does, however, have a strobe mode activated by a long press of the side switch while the light is on. The Armytek Prime A2 doesn't have strobe and is available in a warm tint. The Partner A2 has a tail switch, but does have a strobe that can be turned off.
The Nitecore MT06MD is a 2xAAA penlight that always comes on in low, has no strobe, and a good tint with high CRI. It won't have the runtime of 2xAAA or lithium powered lights, but may be worth looking at for the form factor, UI, and high CRI neutral LED.

4xAA lights are too large for EDC. However, 18650 batteries have about the same amount of energy and are rechargeable. There are some lights with built in USB charging (or some batteries with built in USB charging circuits), or you can pick up a couple Samsung 30q and a Nitecore D2 charger for a reasonable price. That would also open up the world of 18650 lights to you, from budget options like Convoy S2+ and BLF A6, to P60 dropins and hosts, to pocket rockets like the Emisar D4. There are a ton of cool options out there that use 18650 batteries.

A lot of CR123/16340 based lights also have strobe in some form, such as the Olight S1 Mini. You could try a Lumintop Torpedo- I have one and I quite like it, although it doesn't have a pocket clip and the switch feels a bit funky.

For a single AA I like the L3 Illuminations L11C, Nichia 4 mode option. Not the brightest or most efficient, but budget friendly and simple.
 

Keitho

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 7, 2017
Messages
781
Location
CO, USA
I might consider the Zebralight SC53 (three versions: Fc is warm high-CRI, flood, and my favorite for indoor close-up tasks; c is warm high-CRI, spot-flood, appropriate for outdoor walking-speed tasks; w is warm-ish, slightly higher output, spot-flood). On all three, you can program the light's three main modes to be any level, and any sub-mode can also be set to be any level (bad wording on my part, but it is easy to use). The UI is as simple or as complex as you want to make it, including making it effectively a "single mode" light.

At any rate, triple-click brings you to your choice of strobes: you can set it to be any one of them, and one is a brief flash every 5 seconds on the low mode (very dim). It is a way to "hide" the strobe functionality--if you accidentally triple-click, you just get a dim flash every 5 seconds, not a disco. To change it, you have to triple-click, then double-click.

It is small, but not the smallest 1xAA on the market. It is pretty efficient, very durable, and I can personally attest to the Fc and the c versions of ZL being very pleasing light to my eyes (I have a preference for warmer tints, and love high-CRI outdoors).
 
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