Budget flashlight for indoor use

[joeyboy]

That's right folks, I'm back..the thrower hasn't even arrived and I'm already considering the next purchase.

Here are the requirements, again similar budget of $25-35, I'm used to the likes of DX, KD etc.

The idea for this flash light is for indoor use in power cuts mainly, specific requirements below...

1) Ability to tail stand would be a real plus.

2) Battery type doesn't matter too much, I'm not too knowledgeable on them to be honest, but I've got AA nimh, 18650's, 14500's here. I'll buy what ever is needed for the best flashlight for my requirements.

3) Obviously for <$35 I won't get miracles. But basically I suppose I need a lot of flood right? The idea being rather then a really focused beam. Just something I can go around the house with and that I can rest on the table and it is able to light a decent percentage of the room up so I can at least see what I'm doing.

As said for <$35 I'm hardly going to get something which is going to brighten up a room like 100w bulb, but you get the general idea of what I'm looking for hopefully.

I suppose a multi-LED light would be a good idea for the flood, something like this...

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.485

but running on 4xAAA? rather awkward, multiple RCR123A or 18650's would be better!

 

[qwertyydude]

Forget that shower head light one good mc-e or p7 light will blow that out of the water in terms of brightness, light quality, runtime, quality, everything.

Here's a fairly cheap P7. Wiring this to direct drive will yield a tail standable light bright enough to light up a whole room easily. Or keep it as is and you should be able to get at least an hour of good light, which is more than can be said for a AA powered shower head where you're likely to only get about 20 minutes.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.32590

 

[joeyboy]

Forget that shower head light one good mc-e or p7 light will blow that out of the water in terms of brightness, light quality, runtime, quality, everything.

Here's a fairly cheap P7. Wiring this to direct drive will yield a tail standable light bright enough to light up a whole room easily. Or keep it as is and you should be able to get at least an hour of good light, which is more than can be said for a AA powered shower head where you're likely to only get about 20 minutes.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.32590

so that sort isn't too much of a thrower then? I have this thing for outdoors stuff...

http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=5558

just trying to make sure I don't buy anything too similar as when it comes to flash lights...I don't have much of a clue, hence asking for advice from you brilliant lot.

 

[PapaLumen]

I got this one for indoors when the lights go out - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15739

Floody, runs off 1x18650. 2 modes (although they do a 5mode version).

 

[joeyboy]

I got this one for indoors when the lights go out - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15739

Floody, runs off 1x18650. 2 modes (although they do a 5mode version).

haha that seems similar to the one qwertyydude linked too! But not identical...

His one says Aurora AK-P7-4 Cree SSC P7-C-SXO

Your link says Aurora AK-P7-5 HA-lll SSC P7-C

so...4 or 5, Cree or HA-lll and that SXO at the end.

...I don't know what any of it means, but I bet it means they're worlds apart!:duh2:

 

[mcnair55]

For indoor use you can buy virtually any light from the big sheds, also the ITP A1,A2 or A3 will serve your purpose well and I have just tried them and they make great table top lights,just cut the nipple off and they will tail stand or fashion a little tail stander out of something.

A nice Romisen will serve you just as well and you pick any that suits,I have just one so far the RC G2 and that is fine for any indoor light purpose.

The good news you need nearly no money to get what you want,just a few dollars,save the rest for something you require in the future.

Do not complicate the issue honestly any will do,you are looking for an excuse to spend money on something more than you need.

Added:- See Sol-Leks post about his new Duracell Daylite Tough LED Flashlight in the budget section,ideal for around the house and cost a 1/3rd of your budget.

 

[PapaLumen]

They are just different bodies. They both use the same emitter. I just prefer the design of the one i linked. There are plenty of others similar with different bodies.

They use cree emitters that SSC (seoul semiconductors) turn into a P7, so if you like they are all both cree and ssc. Just bad decriptions as usual from chinese.

HA-III is the anodized coating on the aluminium body. HA-III is the best. Although its probably only HA-II - they lie a lot. Still its fine.

SXO is the colour binning. Go here - http://www.seoulsemicon.com/en/product/prd/zpowerLEDp7.asp

click on the "P7 series binning & labeling" link. Scroll down to colour bins. It explains the 3 letters. SXO is a neutral/cool white.

So they are both very similar, just different designs.

 

[Lee1959]

For indoors use? Inova X5 from Battery Junction. Old technology sure, but it is a tank, has great runtime, throws enough light to light up a room well. Hard to beat, it is still one of my mainstays and along with lanterns and headlamps are the backbone of our blackout lights, and they are not going away any time soon

 

[sol-leks]

I like my romisen rc-29 and rc-c6 for indoor use although some people might consider them too bright for around the house. I think the duracell daylite tough light I just got is a nice around the house light for 10 bucks.

 

[a1penguin]

I just got a Romisen RC-G2 and I love it. It's bright and it runs on AA so I can be sure to have a steady supply of Eneloops at hand. The problem with a high power light is that it is going to eat through the batteries quickly. You won't be able to recharge batteries in a power failure (unless you have some human powered charging device available) and you might need to keep a large supply of 18650s on hand. Consider a light that has a low mode to conserve batteries.
I like AA lights because I have a lot of Eneloops and they are low discharge so I don't have to worry about when I last charged them.

YMMV

 

[march.brown]

For indoor use you can buy virtually any light from the big sheds, also the ITP A1,A2 or A3 will serve your purpose well and I have just tried them and they make great table top lights,just cut the nipple off and they will tail stand or fashion a little tail stander out of something.

I certainly agree with mcnair on the ITP torches , though I wouldn't cut the split-ring nipple off.

I just stand mine upright in an egg-cup or similar container ... You can also just use a big blob of "Blu-tac" or "Plasticene" to hold the torch in position ... You can even use a 2" long piece of metal tubing and just clip the torch into it.

With the ITP torches , you have the choice of three levels of lighting ... The low would last for ages.

You can even actually use the ITP torches for EDC ! ... My favourite is still the ITP A2 , though an A3 is on each of my keyrings ... The A2 is always clipped in my pocket.

If you want to go really cheap , check the MXDL 3W (single AAA) torches ... They get good reviews and are really cheap ... See the thread on them on CPF.
.

 

[joe1512]

I would agree that you want a P7.

An itp A series are great lights, but he doesn't want an EDC or keychain light. He wants one to light up the house during a power failure. Fumbling around for the itp isn't the way to go.

Romisens are very nice lights, but they wont have near the punch of a P7, even a DX one. This light doesn't have to be super tough or whatever, just light up the room so you don't need a Tank. He doesnt want to walk around with the light I dont think, but to tailstand it and let it light up the room. A super-candle basically.


Since battery type doesn't matter, I would definitely recommend an 18650 light. For your budget, any of the better-rated 1x18650 P7 lights will do nicely. There are enough reviews on DX to help you get a good pick. Get one with a small head and orange peel reflector to maximize Flood.
You can look for a good MC-E or SST-50 too but they are much less prevalent.

I recommend getting a multi-mode one as you wont always need full blast which is a lot of light. At least get one with 3 brightness levels. This will also help with heat dissipation if the light gets hot.

If possible, I recommend one with the glow in the dark button, and keep it tailcap side UP. That way it will be nicely charged and when the lights go out, the tailcap glow will allow you to easily find it.

Of course the switch MUST be recessed so it can tailstand. Another option is to buy some Glow O-Rings or glow in the dark stickers or paint or whatever. I got my glow rings at batteryjunction or lighthound.


Heres a 26 dollar new light that uses a Neutral White (warmer like incandescent) MC-E that ought to tailstand.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.42663



This is a 30 dollar more conventional one that definitely tailstands.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.32589


Heres an example of glow in the dark tailcaps:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22569
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22574

 

[sol-leks]

An MC-E or P7 seems excessively bright for indoor use. IMO, seems like he would be better off getting something with better efficiency and heat management.

 

[^Gurthang]

I'm in the same boat as Sol. A simple 2 mode light w/ an average emitter [XP-E] and 1or 2 AA, low mode would be like 10 mA. If the RC29 Romisen that Bryan [Shining Beam]carries had a nice low mode it would fit the bill.

 

[joeyboy]

cheers for the advice folks, does anyone know of any decent AA lights which can tail stand?

I mean I suppose this would fit the bill, bar the fact that clicky looks to protrude quite a bit so isn't going to tail stand. Can always do without that though, reviews seem very positive. Also some reviews state a positive is the reflector can be unscrewed so it can be used in "candle mode", what does this mean? I literally don't understand any flash light terms at all.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3609

Or maybe...

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909

GAH SPOILT FOR CHOICE! There's way too many lights in the sub $25 range!
Also dumb *** question but I may as well be sure.

When they say AA, are rechargeable nimh AA's ok? I usually have a mix of cheap non rechargeable and a fair few rechargeable around, just checking if both are ok? Specifically I have some of these Soshine ones

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.487

 

[Navin_R_Johnson]

The UniqueFire AA-S1 and Tank007 E07 are nice budget 1XAA lights that can tail stand. The smooth beam of an OSRAM golden dragon is nice for indoor use. The Akoray K-106 has the same basic physical design to the AA-S1. There are several posts on the forums about it.

A stock RC-G2 won't tail stand without help. But it is a nice 1XAA budget light. You can run it without the reflector/lens which could be handy for indoor use.

 

[joeyboy]

The UniqueFire AA-S1 and Tank007 E07 are nice budget 1XAA lights that can tail stand. The smooth beam of an OSRAM golden dragon is nice for indoor use. The Akoray K-106 has the same basic physical design to the AA-S1. There are several posts on the forums about it.

A stock RC-G2 won't tail stand without help. But it is a nice 1XAA budget light. You can run it without the reflector/lens which could be handy for indoor use.

cheers for the recommendations. Just discussed it and it seems a literally longer flash light then these sub 10cm kind would be preferred, you know something you can get your whole hand around sort of thing. So 2xAA basically.

Any idea if this thing would be appropriate(obviously can't tail stand)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4238

 

[sol-leks]

The romisen rc-29 can tailstand, but doesn't have a very good low mode.

The solarforce L2M could be a good choice, it tailstands and has a respectable low. The beam is very focused and quite ringy though, at least on mine. I guess it really depends on the drop-in you get as well.

If you can wait a bit the upcoming fenix e21 could be a great choice, although its predecessor didn't tailstand.

Maybe the ITP A2 or the Quark Mini AA, if you don't need a clicky.