Are they worth it?

[Lightboy21]

Hi. I have been thinking about getting one of the fancy flashlights that use CR123 batteries. The only problem is they are expensive. I found a Nebo Micro Redline on Amazon for $18. It even includes an extra battery and a keychain light. Would it be worth it to get this or should I get a Surefire or Streamlight? Are these expensive flashlights worth the cost? What should I know about these lights before I buy one? Also, which brand of flashlight is better?

 

[CanAm]

It depends. What are you using it for, and how often? Are you willing to get a good charger and rechargeables?
If you want a "fancy flashlight" but less expensive, more common batteries you can find some good AA and AAA lights, or lights with built-in rechargeable batteries.

So it would help if you could tell us a little more about this light. Are you using it every day on a trades job sight? Inspecting machinery or mechanical parts with it? Keeping it in a glovebox? In a hurricane kit? Using it as an EMT?

I will say, IMO, buying a cheap light that uses expensive batteries is kinda silly. If you want something good that uses AA or AAA you may want to look at Pelican's 2350 or 2360, Mag's XL50 Warm White, or Streamlight's Twin-Task, for starters. Not to say that these are the only good brands available, these are just lights I know are better than most flashlights from big box retailers, have a good warranty, and will look and feel like a "fancy flashlight" but run on common batteries, rechargeable or single-use.

PS - As far as "which brand is better", I don't know that you'll notice a huge difference in day-to-day use. I would be less worried about Streamlight vs Surefire and more worried about finding a piece of equipment that actually fits your needs.

 

[Megalamuffin]

It is worth it to have at least one good dependable light no matter what batteries it uses.

You could look into the streamlight protac 1L-1AA. It's generally under $50. It's able to use either a single cr123 battery, single aa, or even a single aaa battery. The brightness is higher with a cr123 but the ability to use multiple batteries in one light is very versatile. It's a good light.

 

[dotCPF]

Hi. I have been thinking about getting one of the fancy flashlights that use CR123 batteries. The only problem is they are expensive. I found a Nebo Micro Redline on Amazon for $18. It even includes an extra battery and a keychain light. Would it be worth it to get this or should I get a Surefire or Streamlight? Are these expensive flashlights worth the cost? What should I know about these lights before I buy one? Also, which brand of flashlight is better?

I would most highly recommend either an HDS rotary with one of the SD Samsung emitters, or a Malkoff MDC CR123 in Neutral white. My two favorite CR123 lights that are reliable as all heck, durable as possible, and just the best. Made in the USA baby!


They are absolutely worth it. I don't leave my home without one of the two. If I'm going on a trip, both come with. As well as AA and others....

Malkoff and Elzetta I would strongly encourage for CR123

 

[wjv]

Every Nebo I have bought has died within months.

You would be better off with a nicer light (ie: Fenix Eagletac... ) that uses rechargable AA batteries such as eneloops or eneloop pros.




Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk

 

[Vemice]

In my opinion, "fancy" lights are not worth it unless you plan to use them unless you just want the pride of ownership.
That describes me as I like titanium lights and they are rather pricey. Not sure why you want to use CR 123s unless you specifically want to for some reason. I never understood the attraction and I have one. I much prefer AA and AAA lights for convenience.
Be careful dipping into the flashlight pool; a very slippery slope.

 

[bykfixer]

My first SureFire was in 2014 and was a 2x123 G2x Pro that was around $55. That's like 3 of those $18 Nebos. I like Nebo lights but depend on that SureFire. Definitely worth the money. They run around $60-65 these days.
I would say however avoid buying it at Amazon or eBay since there are lots of fakes being sold there these ays.

 

[Monocrom]

When it comes to lights, you get what you pay for. Here's the thing to remember.... Bright & Cheap are easy tricks to pull off in this industry. Any company making lights can do that. Now, for some incredibly bizarre reason which I don't understand, everyone new to lights assumes that Bright + Cheap = Quality.

NOPE! Sorry, you don't get quality tossed in for free. Yet, everyone who first develops an interest in lights makes that mistake. In this hobby, although it might not seem like it at first, yes; you do get what you pay for. Quality, durability, ruggedness, reliability; all that good stuff costs a premium. None of it is tossed in for free. Bright & Cheap ONLY means bright and cheap. You get nothing else without paying for it.

 

[Dicaeopolis]

A good flashlight is worth the price, as long as you aren't prone to losing things. There are many things to consider, especially if you want to find one light that will do most things you need. I think a Malkoff MD2 with high/low ring is an extremely versatile light. Get an 18650 and a charger, 123s as backup. It is not small for EDC by todays standards, but I don't know if that is important for you.

 

[bykfixer]

Bright
Durable
Cheap
Pic two 'cause ya can't have all three.

 

[Timothybil]

If you are going to get a light that uses CR123s shop around. They can usually be found for under two dollars each, as opposed to the five or six charged in stores.
As far as using CR123s, there are only two scenarios where I find them attractive - operation at low temps, and no loss of power with extended storage. Of course if you don't want to get into the rechargeable Lithium-Ion world you are limited to CR123, AA, AAA, C, and D cells. For the last four I would really try to find lithium versions. Carbon-Zinc chemistry is worth about what you pay for them-not much. Alkalines have improved, but they still leak sometimes, and when they do they usually ruin the light. Lithium (not Lithium-Ion) C and D cells can be hard to find, but you can get adaptors (parallel) that use several AAA or AA cells instead.

 

[flatline]

When I got my HDS in...2008?...I bought two 16650 rechargeable cells to use it with and I used those cells constantly for maybe 8 years before I decided to recycle them. Somewhere in that decade or so, I realized that since most of my flashlight use is between 3L and 30L, spending $2 on a CR123 cell that I'll replace once or twice a year isn't expensive at all. Now I run CR123 cells in my HDS.

--flatline

 

[Vemice]

I think we lost the OP.

 

[sween1911]

These days, the 18650 Li-ion Protected rechargeable battery has replaced the ubiquitous (2) CR123's that were all the rage 10-15 years ago after Surefire laid the foundation.

I know we've beaten the "flashlight recommendations" to death around here, but I'll stand by my go-to: Fenix PD35 with a charger and Protected 18650's.
Portable, bright, guilt-free lumens, enough modes for flexibility without being confusing. Mine was a gift from a friend and is one of my first-tier lights. Seems to do everything well.

As to a light being "worth it" that uses CR123's, only you can answer that based on personal preference. There are so many great flexible lights these days that use rechargeables so I'd hesitate to say a CR123-only light is "worth it".

HOWEVER... I'll tell you that I carry a Surefire L1 (Gen 6) in my pocket everyday. I use only CR123's in it. In fact, it's the only light I have that I still use exclusively CR123's. I have a Malkoff, a few Fenixs (Fenii?), Olights, a Novatac, Maglites, and other Surefires that I have bored, modded, with all kinds of other features... but if I were to give up every other light I own, the L1 would be the last light. The UI is sublime, the design timeless and bulletproof, I can take it everywhere, the beam, output, and form factor are perfect for any usage I can dream up. And I have not found a rechargeable that I trust in there like a good old-fashioned CR123.