Talk me out of the Walmart special

[rockstar]

Hi all, first post..

I'm looking for a compact flashlight, 8" or so, for use while hiking overnight and for avoiding zombies My budget is less than $50.

My requirements are:
- Have built in red and white lenses
- Use standard batteries
- Good balance between brightness and run time
- Water resistant

I saw a Coleman Max 3AAA LED Red-White-Blue Flashlight at Walmart today for $30 which seams to meet my requirements and price point.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Max-3AAA-LED-RWB-Flashlight/13029917

The product features are as follows:
- Lifetime LED Bulb - Never needs to be replaced
- 115 lumens
- Lightweight and Durable Aerospace Grade Aluminum Body
- Three settings: White for general purpose; Red for enhanced night vision; Blue for blood trails
- Rotating collar to select light color
- Run time: six hours on White, 50 hours on Red, 50 hours on Blue
- Beam distance: 66m
- Weather-resistant
- Requires 3 "AAA" batteries (included)

Hot linked image removed

 

[RedLED]

Oh by all means forget that, and get a Surefire G2 LED.

May be a little more, but you will have it for years, and it will provide you with world-class service.

You can overcome the colors, and more and more things take CR123s'

Good luck,

RL

 

[Quension]

- Have built in red and white lenses

I saw a Coleman Max 3AAA LED Red-White-Blue Flashlight at Walmart today for $30 which seams to meet my requirements and price point.

I'll let others point out specific alternatives, but one question that comes to mind is: what do you intend to use the red for?

The reason I ask is that the red and blue outputs of that Coleman are done with separate low-power LEDs mounted in the sides of the reflector -- the output has less throw and is much dimmer than the main white light, meaning it's only suitable for short-range work. You won't be able to point at an object 30 feet away on red and expect to reveal much. There's more commentary on this model here, and some beamshots here.

There's another Coleman with screw-on red and blue filters that will maintain the beam pattern, meaning you can get a red spot a reasonable distance away. Filters do, well, filter light though, so it's still going to be dimmer than white. The head-switching model you found is a bit brighter than the screw-on one on white, as it's using a newer LED.

Short-range low-output red might be exactly what you need, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of it.

I will add that I've owned a couple 3xAAA Colemans, including the screw-on filter one, and the body build quality is quite decent. Both of mine survived drops onto concrete and pavement just fine, aside from the obvious dings. The lenses, however, are some type of plastic and scratch fairly easily.

While the beam quality isn't great to begin with -- rings and strange reflections when examining it against a white wall -- do yourself a favor and go through all the packages on the rack when you're buying one. Look for the one with the best-centered LED by staring into the front. A decentered LED isn't a big deal, but it makes the hotspot part of the beam slightly lopsided and can be annoying.

 

[Moonshadow]

Hi RS - and :welcome:

In general, you should steer clear of anything that runs off 3xAAA batteries. For starters, it'll cost you three times as much in batteries (AAAs usually cost the same as AAs and you need three to get the same amount of electricity). And the 3xAAA is likely to be less reliable because there are more contacts to go wrong. It's usually an indication of a simpler circuit design too, meaning that the light is likely to get dimmer once the batteries are partly used.

For a combined red/white LED light which avoids all these problems, your best option is the Photon Proton Pro. Small, easy to use, and runs off a single AA battery.

To get you started, there is a good review here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=182920

 

[sol-leks]

Do you need the red and blue? If not there are better options out there.
If you do need them, there are probably still better options but I don't know many of them.
Check out the budget forum for lots of good lights under 30 bucks.

 

[bfksc]

Hi all, first post..

:welcome:

I'm looking for a compact flashlight, 8" or so, for use while hiking overnight and for avoiding zombies My budget is less than $50.
My requirements are:
- Have built in red and white lenses
- Use standard batteries
- Good balance between brightness and run time
- Water resistant
I saw a Coleman Max 3AAA LED Red-White-Blue Flashlight at Walmart today for $30 which seams to meet my requirements and price point.

When it comes to flashlights, you generally get what you pay for, so if you can afford it, consider spending more and get a light that performs better with better output and runtimes. I made the mistake of buying a $30 Element light at Home Depot that used 3xAAA in a cartridge that made claims of brightness, current regulation, and battery runtime that were not even close to being accurate. In fact, it appears there was no regulation at all and the runtime was more like 1 hour at good brightness and a few more hours with vastly reduced and dimming levels. I took it back to the store and got a refund, then researched here and bought a 4Sevens Quark AAx2 Tactical instead. Big difference and well worth the price.

Now your requirement for a red output makes thing tougher for your price range, but you can get a good light and add a red filter. For instance, you said you want regular batteries, so I guess that means AA cells. Take a look at this review of AAx2 lights for some ideas:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=214890

Selfbuilt also did reviews on AA and CR123 lights, just do a quick search to see more options and more reviews.

Now I'm biased toward Quark because it's the brand I chose, so I would suggest you look at the Quark AAx2 (regular or tactical version) and add the filter kit. It costs a bit more than your initial budget, but it would be well worth it as the light has REAL output of 206 lumens, constant brightness with regulated circuit, 5 levels of brightness from very dim for night reading to blindingly bright, plus special modes like strobe, beacon, and SOS. Runtime is good on a pair of alkalines, but using good rechargeables like the Eneloops or Duraloops gives longer runtimes with great performance. Quark lights include a holster, lanyard, handgrip, spare O-rings, and batteries.

This little light is replacing a MiniMag LED and a MagLED 3D as it has better overall performance than both lights combined and is perfect for hiking, camping, hunting, and general use.

You can also use a coupon code from here on the 4Sevens site (CPF8) to get an 8% discount on your purchase. And all Quark lights have a special anti-zombie mode too!
:thumbsup:

 

[AlphaZen]

+1 for the Photon Proton Pro

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

SureFire A2 Aviator with Red LEDs. Get one now, you'll eventually buy one later when you learn alot about lights... So just skip this slow learning process and buy one now.

Cheers.

 

[Flying Turtle]

+1 for the Photon Proton Pro

This is the same advice I'd give, if you think having a red option would be nice. If you really need blue, then this won't work. I've gotten away from three battery lights, just cause it's a pain to load and the lights are fat. The one "bad" thing about the Proton Pro is the ringy main beam. In actual use it's not a problem.

Geoff

 

[Yucca Patrol]

3xAAA lights are generally considered junk around here. If you must have a 3xAAA unregulated light, buy a $10 one from DX and you'll soon figure out why we never suggest such lights.

In your position, I would buy a Fenix E20 for $38 and if I MUST have a red filter, I'd buy the $6 red filter accessory. It will run for over 3 hours at 109 lumens off of 2xAA batteries. It is not the fanciest light, but it is very well built and simple and will work very well.

 

[Brigadier]

I'd say up your budget a tad and go for one of these:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/detail.asp?CategoryID=1185&product_id=2000000620

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/detail.asp?CategoryID=1185&product_id=2000000621


Or, go here:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/promotion/family2.asp

and enter 'family' and get them for 1/2 price.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

I think the Coleman 3 volt or 6 volt (123A or 2 123A) lights would fit your needs. At www.coleman.com/family type in the password FAMILY to get to their discounted site. The 3 volt light is just over $30 and the 6 volt is just over $35. Elsewhere, they can be double that. Both lights use Cree XR-E l.e.d.s and have a dial near the head (just like the light the O.P. is considering) to change colors. Has high, low, and strobe.

 

[bluecrow76]

:welcome:

Forget Coleman and get a Quark... you won't need us to do any talking you out of things then! :thumbsup:

The 4Sevens warranty alone should be enough to change your mind though:

We will repair or replace, at our option, without charge, any product or part which is found to be defective under normal use and service within 120 months from the date of purchase with proof of purchase.

The Coleman website says it has a limited warranty, but doesn't give any indication as to how long that limited warranty is. :thinking:

 

[computernut]

As the other guys have said, stay away from anything with 3xAAA batteries.

If you really need something locally I'd get an Energizer Hard Case 2AA Swivel. It's bigger than the Coleman though. It has 2-level White, separate red and green LEDs and takes regular AA's. It seems to be direct drive and lasts for quite awhile. I keep them in my Jeep for beater lights.

As RedLed suggested, get a Surefire G2L or 6PL and someday down the road get a Malkoff drop-in for it.

 

[guiri]

Rockstar, and you thought this was gonna be easy huh?

 

[rockstar]

Wowza! Look at all those replies. This definitely was the right place to come with this kind of question!

My requirement of red and white lenses is my number one requirement. I have an Army background so noise and light discipline is something I practice. A red lens is a must when reading maps at night. It will only be used for close range activities so low output when on red is acceptable and even preferred. I would prefer a light with a switch or dial to change between the different lenses rather than unscrewing a cap to put on a filter. I don't need blue or green, just red and white. I would almost prefer something that only has red and white to keep things simple

Yes I am looking for standard batteries. From what I'm reading above AA is better than AAA and stick with a light that just takes 1 battery at a time. It also seams like the CR123A is a standard battery in the flashlight world but I would imagine AA would be easier to scrounge up in an emergency.

So after doing some research and taking into account the advice above I've come to the conclusion that i and going to get an LRI Photon Proton Pro. I can't really find a downside to this light other than run time, but considering I can carry extra AA's that's a deficiency I can overcome.

I'm going to order one in the next few days so If anyone can throw a better alternative at me I'm up for it. Or if anyone knows where to get a good deal on one that would be nice. Cheapest I've found online is $40 on battery junction http://www.batteryjunction.com/proton.html

Thanks everyone.

 

[hogger]

Oh by all means forget that, and get a Surefire G2 LED.

May be a little more, but you will have it for years, and it will provide you with world-class service.

You can overcome the colors, and more and more things take CR123s'

Good luck,

RL

Smokin avatar!!!:devil:

 

[Flying Turtle]

Good choice, rockstar. I forgot to mention one other point about the Proton Pro that might be important. When you click on the main beam it will come on at the high level. Some folks, myself included, prefer their lights to start on low. It's not really so much a problem with this light since the red starts at its lowest level, preserving your night vision. Hope you enjoy this classy little light.

Geoff

 

[AlphaZen]

I think Battery Junction is the way to go. They offer a discount to CPF users. Here is a link to the list of discounts offered to CPF users.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=181841

 

[Mike 208]

I know you said that you only needed the red and white filters, but have you looked at the Gerber "Recon" D.I.A.L. light? It is a low output, single AA battery powered light designed for military/tacticle uses (I believe it is/was listed for the military's COTS program). It is an LED light with a "dial" lens that has white, red, green and blue filters. I believe they sell for about $25.00 (a version with an IR filter is also available, for about $120.00). It might be worth checking out.