I am not looking for a recommendation for a particular light with this. I just want to ask all you budget hounds what light have you found to be the brightest under $20 in your experience. It doesn't matter on form, size, or battery type, just the brightest light. I don't have nearly enough lights or experience to nominate any myself, but I am curious to know what's out there.
Brightest flashlight under $20?
- Thread starter SirJohn
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kingofwylietx
Enlightened
They no longer have it listed, but I bought a Bass Pro 1 or 3 watt led flashlight over a year ago (maybe 2) for $19.99. It is a bright light, considering cost and time of purchase. It has decent throw, too.
gcbryan
Flashlight Enthusiast
If you are talking about lumens the I'd say any P60 host using XR-P R5 with a 18650 (or Cr123's).
If you are talking about lux at a particular spot (throw) then any XR-E with a battery big enough to drive it well. The bigger the reflector the better.
If you are talking about lux at a particular spot (throw) then any XR-E with a battery big enough to drive it well. The bigger the reflector the better.
jake royston
Enlightened
well i would suggest a solarforce l2 host from lighthound for $12.99 and going to dealextreme.com and buying a cree xpg-r5 drop in for $13. its a little over your budget but pretty dang bright running on an aw protected 18650 or other similar battery
march.brown
Flashlight Enthusiast
.
I would second this ... But ideally you will have to let us know what battery or batteries that you would personally prefer to use.
I prefer the 18650 but then you would need a couple of batteries plus a charger and ideally a digital voltmeter ... Do you need it to fit in a pocket ? ... My L2 is about 5.25" long and about 1.25" at the head with a body of about 1" wide ... It fits well in a jacket pocket ... I use a three mode dropin that gives low , medium and high (with no strobes).
I also carry (EDC) a single AA torch , the iTP A2 clipped into my top pocket.
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I'd say the itp A1. It is around 20 bucks, and you can buy a single CR123 for a buck fifty. That gives you 200 lumens in a tiny size.
Other than that, you can find a Romisen 2xAA or 2xCR123 light, or something on Deal Extreme in that form factor.
Other than that, you can find a Romisen 2xAA or 2xCR123 light, or something on Deal Extreme in that form factor.
This is not meant to be a request for something to buy at the moment. (I've already filled my quota at the moment and it will be a couple months before I buy again.) Its more or less just an informal survey of what people have found in their experience to be brightest under $20 light, regardless of form. No holds barred. When I get to purchasing my next round of lights I may pick up a couple of what edns up being listed in this thread just for kicks.
gcbryan
Flashlight Enthusiast
The answer is an XP-G light with 325 lumens. You can't get anything brighter than that for $20. Uniquefire L2 will fit that bill.
jake royston
Enlightened
well the solarforce l2 also has a clip that you can buy for it so you can clip it to your belt!
sol-leks
Flashlight Enthusiast
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Probably not as bright as one of the xp-g's, but probably deserves to be on this list:
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-103/X2T-Tactical-Cree-Q5/Detail
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-103/X2T-Tactical-Cree-Q5/Detail
brted
Enlightened
You guys aren't so great at math. "under $20"? I just got a Ultrafire WF-502B with single mode XP-G R5 and that is a bright light, less than $20.
For brightness, your best bang for the buck will be at Deal Extreme. Any of the XP-G lights they have will probably be under 20 bucks and be very bright if driven properly.
I guess I should mention the cavaet that brightness isn't necessarily king. You must factor in other things such as build quality, reliability of the seller, transit time, the user interface, etc.
Budget lights are more of an exercise in "cost effectiveness", not just cheapest price for the most lumens.
I realize this is a hypothetical question, but I wanted to throw that in.
I guess I should mention the cavaet that brightness isn't necessarily king. You must factor in other things such as build quality, reliability of the seller, transit time, the user interface, etc.
Budget lights are more of an exercise in "cost effectiveness", not just cheapest price for the most lumens.
I realize this is a hypothetical question, but I wanted to throw that in.
old4570
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ok read more !!! , just fishing , ok ... Increase your budget a little $2USD and start looking at the P60 hosts with XP-G drop ins ..
dx/sku.32749 / dx/sku.33549 / dx/sku.32949 / dx/sku.32720 DX
ProductId=10158 / ProductId=10068 / ProductId=10066 KD
dx/sku.32749 / dx/sku.33549 / dx/sku.32949 / dx/sku.32720 DX
ProductId=10158 / ProductId=10068 / ProductId=10066 KD
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