Best value for money/most durable?

[DonWerner]

Hi guys!

I'm new to this forum. This is my first post. I was wondering, what's considered the best flashlight in terms of value for money and also what flashlight is the most durable?

I myself have the Coast Led Lenser 7438 and a couple of Mini Maglite's (2AA LED and 2 AAA). When comparing price and durability I would probably say the Maglite is the better choice, eventhough it doesn't have a very powerfull beam.

 

[mdocod]

If there was a universally agreed upon answer to this question.... then obviously... there would only be one flashlight available

Welcome to CPF!!!

Durability and reliability: SureFire's with twisty tailcaps.

Value: Some of the nicer chinese lights: fenix, eagletac, jetbeam, lumapower, olight, etc etc etc... They are very reasonable.

legoing together the perfect flashlight is IMO, the way to achieve that perfect balance of value and durability.

This is only an opinion.... I'm sure you'll find there are many more!

Eric

 

[csshih]

Cheap, and somewhat durable, Romisen RC-N3 from Shiningbeam.com!

WELCOME TO CPF!

 

[Braddah_Bill]

Eric is spot on, it all boils down to your own personal opinion.

I have a number of lights to fill different needs, and for me to pick one is something I can't do..... I like em all!!!

Here is another thread along the same line you may find interesting.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=215884




Bill

 

[RobertM]

For the best value in a quality/durable light, I'd recommend the SureFire G2. For only $35-40, you get an extremely well made, simple, rugged, relatively bright, durable light.

Robert

 

[american lockpicker]

For the best value in a quality/durable light, I'd recommend the SureFire G2. For only $35-40, you get an extremely well made, simple, rugged, relatively bright, durable light.

Robert

or the 6p if you want an aluminum flashlight.

 

[CLHC]

Gretings and :welcome: Lots of recommendations and choices to make. Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

 

[Sgt. LED]

CL1H V4 w/ 3SM Cree XR-E 5A Q3 (SMO & OP) $85

Good quality host and drop-in with 3 levels and great tint!

For the price it's tough to get any better. Simple to upgrade with new drop-ins later on. Flexible package with smooth reflector and op reflector.

 

[farmer17]

I think anything Fenix makes is a pretty good value. Some Surefires, like the 6p and G2 are are great lights for the money, but most of the other SF lights are pretty expensive. The Eagle Tacs also seem to be a lot of light for the money.

 

[Sampolainen]

OMG Sgt. LED! I don't understand how I could have missed tha CL1H! It's seems perfect for me :O I'm ordering one right away! Thanks alot!

 

[Sgt. LED]

Happy to help! May it give you years of quality illumination without hitting you too hard in the wallet.

 

[MorpheusT1]

JEtbeam Military.

Or any other Jetbeam of newer production.
Inova is pretty bang for the buck aswell.



Lots of light that may fit your bill.



Add more money and the choices are many.

 

[carrot]

You may enjoy reading my flashlight guide linked below.

As for my recommendation, I think the Fenix and Nitecore lights are quite good values and fairly durable and while a lot of people find them quite trustworthy I still place more faith in pricer lights like Novatac, HDS/Ra, Surefire, and McGizmo.

I have had very little experience with O-Light and EagleTac so I cannot comment. EagleTac seemed well-constructed from the few minutes I took to handle them.

 

[CLHC]

May be "outdated" already, but how about the Streamlight 4AA ProPolymer LUX? It sure can take a beating hence quite "durable" for the money.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=115551&highlight=Streamlight+4AA+ProPolymer+Lux

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=117570&highlight=Streamlight+4AA+ProPolymer+Lux

 

[Monocrom]

For a combination of both durability and dollar-value, I'd go with Inova. (You'll also get quality that will hold up better than many of the less expensive Made in China lights out on the market).

Also, Inova's X-series of lights and their bolt series can be found at Target stores.

 

[kramer5150]

My most durable light is the Romisen RC-N3, I have dropped it a dozen or so times. Its dented, scratched and gouged everywhere... but it keeps on going. The forward clicky has worked flawlessly too. It has replaced my 6P as my EDC work light.

Its so bomb-proof reliable its almost boring-uneventful to use.

I was doing some christmas shopping at my local outdoorsman-sporting goods store (Mel Cottons), some of the staff were talking about LED lights and of course I had to chime in a little. I showed them the RC-N3-Q5 on my belt and one guy commented... "Wow... I didn't think Surefires were that bright".

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

That kind of depends on your needs. Long runtimes are a factor for reliability if you need it to stay on a long time. For some, brightness is a factor for reliability as they may need more light for survival, search and rescue, working in the military, etc. Circuits for regulation or dimming may be needed in a light for you to give you both runtime and brightness while they add another component that has the potential to fail. A push button switch also adds another piece that can fail, but may be needed for your application. Noone will agree on the best here so I'll leave a list of some good lights I consider to be good value and very durable.

Here it is:
Any current Fenix light (E01,E20,L0D,L1D,L2D,L1T,L2T,P1, P1D,P2D, P3D, etc.)
Inova X5, 2008 T1
Surefire G3, 6P
Gerber Infinity Ultra

 

[bigchelis]

The perfect choice is closely what I got and for the price it can't be eaisly beat.
1. Surefire G2 $25.01 delivered.
2. Cree R2 from DX at 12.42 delivered.

Less then $38 dollars all the reliability and dependability of Surefire with the power and runtime of a Cree R2. Need I say more.

If you think you are going to kill the Cree R2 due to heat; get a less powerfull DX cree drop-in and the set-up will cost you less money then the already super cheap $38.:wave:

 

[HKJ]

The perfect choice is closely what I got and for the price it can't be eaisly beat.
1. Surefire G2 $25.01 delivered.
2. Cree R2 from DX at 12.42 delivered.

Less then $38 dollars all the reliability and dependability of Surefire with the power and runtime of a Cree R2. Need I say more.

You mean "all the reliability and dependability of DX", no chain is stronger than the weakest link.

 

[Yoda4561]

Well, if I were shopping for my own personal "bang for the buck" flashlight, it'd be the fenix TK20. I'm generally a big surefire fan, but of all the lights fenix has made the TK20 appeals to me most. Warm, fairly high output (they claim 150 lumens, impressive on AA's with a warm emitter so I doubt that's the case) and the most ridiculously thick aluminum I've ever seen on a 2AA flashlight. The only question is reliability, but fenix has a decent rep, and the TK20 was build specifically with that in mind. It's not really EDC sized, it's a bit big for that, but for a utility light that runs on AA's, with a warm emitter it's a no brainer for me.