Need help for bulk buy for the best in the cheap flashlights range

[insaned]

I have a pretty good idea what type of flashlight I want.
however, A good friend of mine, has a company, and he's interested in buy some 10-15 flashlights!
He requested me some help, the problem is that I'm not much into cheap flashlights, and also he demanded too many points, like beeing rechargeable, and that are in the $35 dolar price range... Obviously this is not going to lead to any end, since for that price.... well, no words needed! So I've cut myself the rechargeable part, and now I'm cooking my mind what type of flashlight would be the best for that price range... LED's is probably out of the question, at least the ones that I've looked at ever were in the $100 price range!

Hence my request for help for you more experienced guys... I'm almost tempted to say to my friend that just enter in the first supermarket!

Any ideas for a half-decent incansdescent flashlight for $30-35 ?

 

[rhuck60]

I have a pretty good idea what type of flashlight I want.
however, A good friend of mine, has a company, and he's interested in buy some 10-15 flashlights!
He requested me some help, the problem is that I'm not much into cheap flashlights, and also he demanded too many points, like beeing rechargeable, and that are in the $35 dolar price range... Obviously this is not going to lead to any end, since for that price.... well, no words needed! So I've cut myself the rechargeable part, and now I'm cooking my mind what type of flashlight would be the best for that price range... LED's is probably out of the question, at least the ones that I've looked at ever were in the $100 price range!

Hence my request for help for you more experienced guys... I'm almost tempted to say to my friend that just enter in the first supermarket!

Any ideas for a half-decent incansdescent flashlight for $30-35 ?

Sams Club Element 3AAA 1.25W LED with Sanyo Eneloops would be my recommendation. You should get 2 lights for about $25 dollars and 6 AAA Eneloops for maybe $10 more. That comes out to about 2/$35. Not a bad deal; LED, VERY BRIGHT and rechargeable batteries too.

Edit: PM sent

 

[bones_708]

We really need more info. Are they going to be used? for what? What is the needed lifespan?

 

[mdocod]

if the rechargeable requirement can be done externally, you can actually make just about any flashlight a rechargeable flashlight with "loose cells."

For good general duty rechargeable incans with a low budget, I suggest a bunch of Prinston Tec 40s, A set of Sanyo Eneloop cells for each, and a mag 4 cell xenon bulb. But I'm willing to bet you could find a 2AA LED light and buy half as many cells and spend a few more bucks on the light itself and come out about the same.... just depends on what your needs are....

Also... don't forget about headlamps.. you say he is buying them for a business or sorts.... for many situations a headlamp is much more useful for productivity than a flashlight, and there are many options out there that are very good for under $35... for example, the rayovac sportsman extreme 1AA 1W headlamp at walmart for ~$19, buy 15 of those, maybe 30 AA eneloops, (an extra cell per light for swapping between charges). A decent charger, ideally something like an 8 or more bay job of sorts, assuming you spend $75 on a good charger and $75 on 30 eneloops, and $285 on 15 of those headlamps, That's a total investment of $29 per light, not bad.

 

[insaned]

This is for a security company, but not for bit searches, just when some light is needed to watch something more or less in a close range! Altough I know that this is very far from a good option for a company like this, but that's not my call...

thks for the replies and for the help, I'll check the sugestions

 

[FlashKat]

I would consider a LED light that could take rechargeable batteries preferably 18650 batteries for long runtime. www.dealextreme.com and www.kaidomain.com carry decent lights for that price range. Only consider the lights that are $15.00 and higher in price.

This is for a security company, but not for bit searches, just when some light is needed to watch something more or less in a close range! Altough I know that this is very far from a good option for a company like this, but that's not my call...

thks for the replies and for the help, I'll check the sugestions

 

[mdocod]

I would leave li-ion powered lights out of the equation, they are great for dedicated torch users who are willing to take the time necessary to understand the safety issues surrounding them, they have a good track record, but I don't think I would want 10-15 li-ion powered lights in the hands of random individuals who have not been properly educated. If, something were to happen, someone might be held liable, I wouldn't want to be responsible for that. Sticking to NIMH, especially something like eneloops, makes charging and discharging SAFE in the hands of anyone, even when done improperly.

 

[ampdude]

I would leave li-ion powered lights out of the equation, they are great for dedicated torch users who are willing to take the time necessary to understand the safety issues surrounding them, they have a good track record, but I don't think I would want 10-15 li-ion powered lights in the hands of random individuals who have not been properly educated. If, something were to happen, someone might be held liable, I wouldn't want to be responsible for that. Sticking to NIMH, especially something like eneloops, makes charging and discharging SAFE in the hands of anyone, even when done improperly.

Couldn't agree more!! I always recommend AA lights to people, don't even bother mentioning li-ion ones. Though they always think my li-ion ones are the best.

 

[Buck91]

What about this light/battery/charger pacage from Battery Space? I almost pulled the trigger on it myself, but my MTE rebel light is doing just fine.

Hey there's anouther idea. Check out sku6162 and sku6264 on the DX; its the 1-AA rebel LED and a AA/AAA NiMH charger with 2 2300mAh AA batts.

 

[MattK]

Here's about the best deal you'll find IMO for a light with an integrated charging solution, HAIII, AC/DC, bright, good quality and $57.95 ea. : http://www.batteryjunction.com/lezrpaxetafl.html

 

[mdocod]

3.0V li-ions aren't what they are cracked up to be, IMO they are even more dangerous than a standard protected 3.7V cell because their built in voltage regulators will cause the cell to heat up more than it would ordinarily, I wouldn't own a setup like that myself, and certainly wouldn't trust it in the hands of non-flashaholics.

 

[pfccypret]

As other people have said, regular flashlights with rechargeable batteries.

You can also head to target/walmart/amazon.com and look at the cheap rechargeables. I've never owned one, so I have no idea about quality and beam strength.

Something to consider, what are the lights being purchased for? Use every day? Emergency?

 

[bestcounsel]

If it is for a security company i would not go with recharchables.

Believe me, recharging the batts is the last thing security guards will do.

Your bud is better off going with cheap batts and carring extra.

Believe me i know....

 

[sysadmn]

3.0V li-ions aren't what they are cracked up to be, IMO they are even more dangerous than a standard protected 3.7V cell because their built in voltage regulators will cause the cell to heat up more than it would ordinarily, I wouldn't own a setup like that myself, and certainly wouldn't trust it in the hands of non-flashaholics.

Do you mean 3.0V li-ion rechargeable? I thought those were the safe chemistry ones...

 

[mdocod]

Do you mean 3.0V li-ion rechargeable? I thought those were the safe chemistry ones...

some are ~3.2V LiFeP04 regulated down to 3.0V, in and of themselves LiFeP04 cells are very safe. But what is unsafe is that they require a special charger. There are at least 5 or more types of li-ion charger. 1 for standard li-ion 3.7V cells, 1 for 3.7V cells with 3.0V regulation, 1 custom configuration in someone's garage designed to only top up their unprotected "Ds" to 4.1V instead of 4.2V, one for LiFeP04 bare 3.2V cells, 1 for LiFeP04 3.0V regulated cells, .. bla bla bla...

Initially, setting someone up with some 3.0V LiFeP04 cells and a correct charger is perfectly fine... until they, uninformed, go online to order themselves some more cells or chargers or whatever and get into a situation where they have multiple chemistries and multiple charger types and lots of potential for explosive results.

Many 3.0V cells, including the ones linked to above, are NOT "SAFE CHEMISTRY" they are standard 3.7V cells with a lot of voltage being converted to heat. Just because it is 3.0V does not make it a safe chemistry cell...

The point I am making here, is that, if you set someone up with standard NIMH cells, when they, the customer, goes and tries to replace cells or get another charger, they will be much more likely to be semi-familiar with the products, knowing they can get something at walmart, and even if they pick up the cheapest stupidest timed charger nobody is going to get hurt. Picking out the wrong li-ion charger or wrong cells for a particular charger can = fire in a big way. The reality is that people (by that I mean MEN) don't like to feel dependent on someone else's instructions or advice in order to make a purchase decision. (I'm not talking about a forum setting because it's different here)... Imagine a work environment where a knowledgeable flashaholic sets up the company with a set of li-ion powered lights and chargers... the flashaholic leaves the company after 2 years, and another less informed employee is given the task of expanding the collection of li-ion powered lights, or replacing old cells, or buying another charger....? It's a recipe for disaster because of course the employee will act like they know all about it to impress the boss, hop on line for 10 minutes and do next to no research, order up some random stuff.... bleh...

 

[scott.cr]

My uncle manages a crew of about 70 security guards and tells me that the Surefire G2 is the unequivocal favorite. It's cheap ($35; the guards buy their own gear), runtime is such that they can use their lights intermittently for a week or maybe 8-9 work days, spare cells are easy to carry and only $1.75 each. These are guys on foot patrol; the Magcharger is an option, but nobody uses it.

One more comment on the G2, these guys guard U.S. federal properties, so they have to use mainly U.S.-made gear, making Surefire one of the few brands of lights they have to choose from.

 

[pfccypret]

Sorry I missed the part about Security. I briefly worked security (2 months) before I became a full time Police officer. As a guard, most of my shift mates either carried maglites or something small and cheap they found at wal-mart.

I had a few flashlights but I generally carried a mag also. We weren't allowed batons and I'd rather have a 3D mag to whack someone with instead of my Streamlight Stinger.

As the person above me said, the Surefire G2 is a decent light at around $35. Maglite LEDs ran about the same. Not the best in technology, but they work well enough.

 

[insaned]

Thks for all the help provided!

I owned some flashlights, but this task becames harder than it appears, since they are not intended for people who are used to flashlights, and even recharging it is limited to plug&play type of flashlights! So I have to agree what mdocod told.
And it is true, this guys sometimes don't even remember to charge the radios, so I must figure the flashlights will be a lot worse!

I've also considered the G2, it's a small, very easy to use and to change batteries! And if not abused will last a long time.

 

[Lightguy27]

The perfect light for you is Surefire's G2 Nitrolon.
-Very bright and durable
-Costs $36.00
-He can buy cells in bulk for everybody
-Well, it's a surefire, what else do you need to know? :twothumbs

 

[Marduke]

Ultrafire C3 with 2AA extension tube, $17.62 each shipped when you order 15. Stick an 8-bay NiMH charger in the office with a stack of rechargeables, and you're set.