new to lights

[Jok3r]

i am new to lights just learned about this sight from joe_karp on benchmadeforums.. and am asking probably the most basic question on flashlights... but honestly what is the diff on a 99cent LED butt cap light...
to a 100 dollar surefire light.. im sorry if this offends you people but as ia said i am a fresh mewbie... so please explain i am very tactically minded so dotn worry about an explination..


thank you friends..
-Jok3r

 

[Zatoichi]

$99.01 precisely.

My best suggestion is to compare them yourself. The differences should be pretty much what you'd expect them to be. Build quality, design, efficiency, beam quality, durabilty etc. There are probably exceptions to which would be 'best', ie: a little plastic Nichia keyring light might be better just for getting your key in the door at night, to carrying a huge HID spotlight for the same purpose.

Browse the forums and if possible, try out a few of the well thought of lights around $100- then try a 99 cent light.

 

[Chrontius]

Reliability, output (oh god the output!) and things like that. I don't buy expensive lights for bragging rights, I buy them because they're bright enough to make a hard task easier, while also being small enough to not get in the way so I have it when I need it.

I also have a good few $1 lights, though they've all worn out or crapped out, or have started to show signs of same.

 

[Oddjob]

Lights are like any other products out there. What makes one car manufacturer better then another? The difference is in the details. A car takes you from point A to point B but one may be more confortable, reliable, more aesthetically pleasing, better service etc than another. Any light provides light but a Surefire (for example) will survive abuse, have a better beam, be more ergonomic and be replaced if it fails. Yeah people can get by with cheap, plastic incandescent lights for sporadic use but if your job, activity, or even your life depended on a reliable light then price becomes less of an issue.

 

[Gunner12]

99 cent LED light:
Cheap
Might not work
Might break after a single drop
Usually cheap metal or plasitc
Battery might not fit
Not that bright
Lacks warrenty
Some are ugly

There are a good number of decent-good budget lights though from $15-$30 and should be brighter, tougher, better to use and overall much better then a $0.99 light. They still lack warrenty though.

Surefire is only one of many well known and good manufacturers.

:welcome:

 

[blinded_by_the_light]

Wow you are new to this, would you compare a tricycle to a ferrari?

They both get you from point A to B.

How could you ask it a butt cap light is the same as a surefire? I smell troll.

 

[Egsise]

You get what you pay for, cheap flashlight will fail sooner.
When cheapo flashlight fails and you end up in the dark, throw the damn thing away and buy a new one.
When quality flaslight fails, don't throw it away, it has lifetime warranty.

 

[dalekcommander]

Hi,

One other difference between the 99 cent light and the 100 dollar job?

Once you've had your first 100 dollar light, you'll not only want more(!), but you'll never be caught dead with one of the plastic 99 centers ever again.

I bought a NightOps Falcata about 2 or 3 years ago, then I found a Gladius (also NightOps), and a Wolf Eyes M90 and I currently have a pending order for:
6MAX HO Cree Explorer
D2A Defender Tactical
EagleTac P10C2 LED
Fenix TK10 Q5 Cree LED
Wolf Eyes 9TX Raider

all from PTS.

The thing is really, that yes, a 99 cent keychain light might help you find your door lock at midnight and it might locate your keys for the lock - but a good solid light is so much more reliable and versatile.
Some lights are very effective self defense tools, others put out way more light and for much longer than any other, making roadside repairs easier and safer.
Some people, like myeslef work in fields that require us to enter dark places at weird hours in all sorts of conditions and there are many companies that offer specialty lights for that purpose.

I warn you though - the bug is easy to catch! That list I mentioned above pales in comparison to most of the lists other members could post of what they already own. If you have even the slightest hint of an addictive personality in you, I suspect you may end with a pack full of lights before the year is out!

Good luck - and welcome to the forum!