My first homemade flashlight; ugly, but works great.

[frank777]

I wanted a flashlight that could be turned from the off position directly to high OR low with a thumb operated switch near the head of the flashlight as opposed to a twisty or tail-cap pushbutton. It had to have a CREE XR-E and use AA batteries and have a glow in the dark part. So, here it is..... and it is one UGLY flashlight. I am, after all, just a salesman.

I took the body of a cheap 3-AA 49 LED Ebay flashlight, and removed the head. I installed a rocker switch, and hooked up to the high-setting through a resistor to drive the CREE at 1000 ma at full battery power (2 hours battery life). The low setting (bigger resistor) is 100 ma (20 hours battery life). I mounted the CREE LED on a steel tailcap from another junk flashlight, and screwed that tailcap directly onto the Ebay light. I used JB-weld on to house the LED reflector using the head from a third cheap Wal-Mart flashlight. Next I filled in the hollow area on the tail cap using a $3 bottle of glow in the dark fabric paint. Although it's my new EDC, I am embarrassed to be seen with it. Good thing I only use it in the dark.

Total cost: $48
Brightness: About 30% brighter than my M3 on high
(only my D-mini is brighter, and not by much).

If anyone knows of an off-the-shelf light that meets my qualifications from above, I will gladly replace this eyesore!

Front w/ rocker switch:

Glow in the dark tailcap:

 

[Yapo]

looks strange indeed although i have seen uglier ones on this forum lol...the rocker switch seems like a good idea but i would spray paint the silver part black as well. How's the head of it look like? and whats the blob around the head? any beamshots? and does that still use 3 AAAs or a single AA? 100 lumens with 2hrs RT seems pretty impressive on a single AA if it is

 

[Derek Dean]

Hmmmmm......... looks a little like a light saber to me. I would expect it to make a whooosh sound when you turn it on. Actually, I like the way it looks, especially knowing that 3 lesser lights gave their all to create one really good light. Excellent, and congratulations!

 

[frank777]

Lol... thanks Derek. Uses 3-AA's in a cartridge similar to the popular 3-AAA flashlights. Beam looks just like D-mini. Blob around the head is the JB weld-on holding the plastic head on to the flashlight. I am being real careful not to drop it as it probably wouldn't survive.

 

[LowBat]

I kind of like it, especially with having 3 side-by-side AA cells.

 

[rivethead147]

ugly or not, it's what YOU want and it works the way YOU want, awesome project.