General purpose flashlight w/super bright capability

[ConcreteRooster]

My father is asking for a flashlight for his birthday. He basically wants a general purpose/around the house type flashlight. He sent me a link to a Monster Flashlight model he liked. I did a little research, found this thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?320356-Monster-Flashlight-(Brand), which (1) turned me off to Monster Flashlight, and (2) turned me on to this forum. Now not only do I want to get a flashlight for my dad, I want to get one for myself! :) After spending more time than I care to admit reading old posts, I'm kind of throwing my hands up and asking for some suggestions.

Let's do the checklist:

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :-)
Less than $100. Of course, lower is better. $100 +/- $10 is an absolute ceiling, and the budget has to include batteries and a charger. Really under $75 for everything I need would be good, and under $50 ideal.


3) Format:
I want a flashlight.


4) Flashlight-specific format/size:
Every day carry small (2-4 inches), or every day carry medium (4-7 inches). My dad said max length of six inches, so really I'd say 4-6 inches is ideal.


5) Emitter/Light source:
LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)


6) Manufacturer:
I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.


7) What battery type do you want to use?
I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.) I'm not set on 18650, but based on what I've been reading, this seems to be a common/popular battery. We don't currently own any of these.


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
What we need is probably in the I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens) category. But after reading about these ridiculous, e.g. 600+ lumens flashlights, we want the ability to do that, even if we won't use it much.


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
Ranked in order of importance, most-important first:
(1) Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
(2) 5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
(3) 30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
(4) 50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
(5) Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
(6) 150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)
My parents live on the edge of a large wooded area. Generally this flashlight will be used for around-the-house type stuff. But if the light is capable of ridiculous output, that would definitely be fun for my parents to use for looking into the woods at night.


10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).
90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights.
Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).


12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
I don't care.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.) I'd say at least three modes would be nice: a "low" mode for general around-the-house stuff, a "medium" for e.g. checking the roof of the house during a thunderstorm, and an "obscene" mostly for entertainment purposes.


14)Material/Finish/Coating
Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today’s flashlights).


15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.
Pocket/belt clip, Holster, Wrist/Neck Lanyard. These are "nice to haves" but certainly not hard requirements.

 

[Vortus]

Right off the bat, a charger and couple 18650 batteries will be $40 give or take. Wouldn't cheap out on batteries. A solarforce L2 (or any of their P60 hosts), alone with a drop in set how you want from Vin or Nailbender. Solarforce L2 host runs 13.50. The drop in will run anywhere from 25 up depending on how you want it set up. You can get cheaper drop ins from solar force as well. And your set. Assuming you have a multimeter to test your batteries. Pretty much every name brand manufacturer has a light for your budget. Single 18650 lights easily reach your target numbers. Eagletac, Fenix, Olight, Sunwayman, Klarus, Solarforce (also has out the box lights), and probably a bunch of others I am forgetting. Many dealers offer cpf discounts as well, so your budget is easy to reach. After you have narrowed your search, check the reviews section to see if the light has been done. Many of them have, including beamshots and internal pics.

 

[alpg88]

looks like almost any 1x 18650 xml light from any reputable manufacturer (fenix, olight, eagletac, nitecore...etc) will do.

 

[ConcreteRooster]

Thanks for the feedback! Your suggestions are consistent with my conclusions after doing continued research while waiting on moderation and replies. Indeed, there are a lot of choices in this category.

After giving it more thought, I decided I wanted to start on the lower-cost end of things, or more specifically best "bang for the buck".

I've seen several mentions here and on other sites of the "XinTD C8" from Intl Outdoor as falling into the high value category. Comments?

Solarforce also seems to come up often in the good-balance-between-budget-and-quality discussions. But with Solarforce, it seems most people are going the "lego" aka build-it-yourself route. Someday I might want to do this, but for now I think I'd prefer just to have a completely assembled flashlight. (This is partially because I want something we can start playing with right away, and also because I'd like to minimize the number of vendors with which I have to place an order.) Any thoughts on getting a complete SF flashlight, such as the "Solarforce L2P HA3" available on the SolarforceFlashlight Sales website?

Thanks again!

 

[cland72]

Check out the Solarforce L2 line (L2T, L2N, L2M, L2P) and pick up a mutli mode drop in of your choice. You can run 17670s or 18650s in it, which should put you well under your ceiling of $100.

 

[Vortus]

The L2P HA3 is just another of the L2 line. All can be ordered ready to go with drop ins. Solarforce also sells complete non drop in lights like the M8 and others.

 

[greeny1]

Bear in mind if you are new to this then in you go for 18650s then you have to factor in a decent charger and a decent cell (they aren't cheap).

Alternatively you could go for something like a Nitcore EA4 or Fenix LD41 which run off 4 * AA cells. If you don't already have rechargeable AAs then you could start with primary AA cells and see how much you use the light before you get a charger and eneloops (or similar).

The problem with the EA4 is it hasn't got a low low (if you think you might need one) and the UI is more of a flashaholics UI. The LD41 is a great light but may be physically too big. To be fair if it's a light for the house then the physical size shouldn't be a major issue. The LD41 beam is on the floodier side, the EA40 is more throwy.

 

[ConcreteRooster]

Bear in mind if you are new to this then in you go for 18650s then you have to factor in a decent charger and a decent cell (they aren't cheap).

Alternatively you could go for something like a Nitcore EA4 or Fenix LD41 which run off 4 * AA cells. If you don't already have rechargeable AAs then you could start with primary AA cells and see how much you use the light before you get a charger and eneloops (or similar).

I agree... but unfortunately, it's too late. :) I got too wrapped up in all these lights. Already have the XinTD C8 on order, and am about to pull the trigger on a Solarforce L2 build. Will probably also include a Convoy S2/S3 from FastTech (appears to be same as EDC 18650 from Intl-Outdoor), and maybe a SkyRay King just because I'm curious what 2000 lumens looks like.

However, the cost of the EA4 or LD41 you gave as examples is about the same (possibly more) than buying decent 18650s + charger, and a budget light.

Kind of a gamble, I guess. If the flashlight bug doesn't take hold, and turns out to be a passing phase, then the 18650 investment will probably be wasted. On the other hand, I'm buying stuff for both my dad and myself---in other words, two people, so double the chances that one of us becomes a flashaholic.

Thanks again everyone for all your helpful feedback!

 

[campingnut]

Welcome to the world of flashlights. :)

 

[cjmorris]

I would get him a Nitecore EC25W $55 or a Jetbeam rrt01 $57. Both of those lights would impress him and you could get 2 batteries and a charger for about $75 at fastteck.

 

[nfetterly]

What would I recommend, Knowing what i know now...;
1. Zebralight SC600W (I think that's the model, it's Sx600W - not sure where the x is). Warm led for better color at night, 18650 powered - but it cannot take 2xcr123s, switch on the side like flashlights most people are used to. Multi-level brightness.
2. Sunwayman model V10a (or similar), can run on cr123, rcr123, AA (regular, lithium, 14500 (li-ion). It has a short extender for use with the AA sized batteries. I always travel with an AA powered light and these are flexible in what you can feed them - and yes with the rechargeable li-ion battery it's brighter. Multi-level brightness.

If you want to go crazy - check out oveready.com (GREAT stuff, but much higher end).

If you go rechargeable I recommend Cotton-pickers usb powered charger with the LED voltage display (available on the CPF market place - slightly separate website that you need to register separately for) and AW li-ion cells.