A simple light that would Just Work? (And some simple questions)

[rmteo]

Brad, 3 hours with 2000mAH AA Eneloops is about 670mA at 2.6V. With 2 D alkalines (about 13000-18000mAH) at 3.0V, current draw should be about 600mA so run times will be 21-30 hours - I was being conservative in my previous post. Not bad for a $30 light that comes a lifetime warranty (and pretty good performance to boot).

 

[jimmy1970]

Could anyone please suggest a "real" flashlight now, bright on its high setting and energy-conserving on its low setting (something around 15–20 hours on single charge would be excellent), and inexpensive—would $20–30 be enough? BessieBenny's roundup lists some multi-mode models, e. g. Eastward YJ-XAQ5, Ultrafire C3 P4, Mini 3W Cree, but reviews of each point out significant drawbacks, such as degradation of the LED or overheating. What would you recommend for such a one-size-fits-all light?

By asking advice from the experienced people here at CPF, you are wanting to avoid the pitfalls waiting for the newbie to fall into. One of those pitfalls is trying to buy a "real" flashlight for $20-$30 dollars. Be real, you would be lucky to even get decent rechargable batteries & a charger for that sort of money.

Best you stick with that Energizer light you bought for $20 and accept the poor performance but reasonable reliability. IMHO, the Ultrafire etc lights are poop.:shakehead You can get lucky sometimes and get a good one but on the whole, you get what you pay for. Spend around $80 and get a Novatac or a Fenix etc and you will be a happy camper. Spend money on a $20 light and be prepared to spend that $20 again + more to replace it with a proper light later down the track.

You are only just starting your Flashlight journey. Just try not to start this journey in the sewer!!

Good luck with your new purchase,

James...:thumbsup:

 

[callmaster]

I would advise saving enough money to get a good flashlight that will last you a long time. In a month or two you'll have double or triple your budget and you can get something alot better.

Certain flashlights work better with non rechargables so that's something else you need to take into consideration. But all in all, rechargables are great and cost effective.

 

[Brad]

I've been collecting flashlights since the mid 70's. I've spent thousands of dollars on lights, batteries, chargers and related items. But this is over many years. Did I start out with a $100 flashlight. No. (There was no such thing at the time that I can remember seeing) I started out small and worked my way up to the better lights a little at a time. For everyone under the age of 40, yes, those silver things are actually real flashlights. They now have LEDs in them. :thumbsup:

There is room in this hobby for everyone. I started with incans and after buying my first red led keychain flashlight I was hooked. There is still a lot I don't know about flashlights. The folks here who make all these charts still amaze me. But I come here and study these things and am trying to learn how all this works. When there's always something new to learn it makes the hobby more interesting.

I know a lot of people here buy $500 titanium flashlights but this may be out of reach for a lot of folks, especially with the economic slump we're in right now. Even a Fenix for $45 may be too expensive right now. There's always time to save up for a better light. Saving is a slow process and may take over a year to get a real good flashlight. The bad economy has hit me and my family pretty hard. I have a wife, three kids and my grandson living with me. We have a house to live in and we pay our bills, but I haven't bought a Sure-Fire in quite a while. But I can still enjoy my hobby by picking up a $20 flashlight now and then.

I think it's better to start off with a light that is affordable. One you can own right now. Today would be a great day to buy a LED flashlight.

I'm not saying to buy junk. Believe it or not there are decent flashlights that are available for around $25 dollars. Are they as good as Sure-fire or Fenix? No. While you might not win any white wall contests here for perfect beam patterns you can still turn it on and see in the dark with it.

I once bought a rebranded 2AA Rayovac 3 watt LED light at Walmart. I think I paid around $25 dollars for it. What a nice beam and tint it had. Solid and will built too. My dad liked it so much that I gave it to him. Would I buy it again? Sure. Why not.

My local ACE hardware carries the Sportsman Extreme C cell flashlight. Nice throw and pretty solid. 30 Bucks.

You can go to Target and get yourself a River Rock for 24 dollars. These are decent lights IMO. Or pick up an Energizer 2aa or 1aa for $17. The new 1aa has a cree in it.

It's a hobby (for some). You have to start somewhere. You can get started today and have a decent but inexpensive flashlight to use and enjoy right now while you're saving up for your first expensive flashlight.

Some here use flashlights as tools only. Others, like myself see it as a hobby and like to collect them (I do use all of my lights too). As soon as you buy your first light, put in the batteries and turn it on, you'll know how much fun this hobby can be.

P.S. Earlier, I recommended two flashlights that were out of your stated budget. I'm sorry. That was careless of me. I was in the wrong.



Brad

 

[Moonshadow]

. . . out of your stated budget . . .

Brad I don't think you have anything to apologise for...

rdaysky, correct me if I'm wrong but as I understood it, your original post was asking the question:

. . .would $20–30 be enough?

rather than setting an absolute limit.

....Or would it be better, in the long run, to buy a big bright expensive model once and for all?

As jimmy1970 says, those of us that answered in the affirmative to that last part and offered slightly more expensive options did so for a very good reason - because we've been down the other route before and know that it only ends up costing you more in the end !

Anyway, do let us know what you choose - and happy flashlight hunting !

 

[Toaster]

One light you should consider that will be available shortly is the Eagletac P100A2. With discount code 'CPF8' the price drops to just under $40 shipped. It's only slightly above your budget and looks to be an amazing bargain for a quality light. We'll probably start seeing some user reviews for it by the end of this week. If it does live up to it's promised specs, it should be a real winner.

 

[nerdgineer]

You might take a look at this Fenix. Hurry as it is a Luxeon (older) model closing out, but this light meets near all of your requirements for $23 shipped (if you can make $25 total to get free shipping). This is a very high quality light and was top of the line in its day.

 

[rdaysky]

Moonshadow, right you are, knowing as few as I do about flashlights, I didn't want to set any hard limits. No need to apologize, Brad. And I believe in "I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things" saying.

Prices for Fenix LD01, LD10 and LD20 don't differ that much but the latter is the most powerful, so it looks like the right choice. Overall, from all of your helpful comments I've concluded Fenix LD20 has a really nice bang/buck ratio, even though there are far cheaper alternatives. I haven't so far seen a mention of a single flaw for it in CPF reviews, except maybe size/shape, is it really that good?

I guess I won't have any problems with AA batteries, as opposed to CR123 and such which can be tricky. One more question: do those white diffusers work? I find it hard to read books with my current light, which has much throw and few flood, maybe a diffuser would solve this problem?

Also, it turned out that Fenix lights are readily available in my region, unlike others, which introduces some kind of bias .

Roman.

 

[Brad]

Here is a good youtube video showing the use of the Fenix diffusers. You may want to take a look.

Brad