What is your favorite inexpensive brand of light?

[bestcounsel]

With all this talk about SF lights and expensive lights, i thought i would start a post about ones favorite inexpensive brand of light(s).

My favorite is Dorcy....especially the Dorcy 1AAA and Dorcy's on clearance or sale...

What say you?

 

[MikeLip]

So far, Olight followed by Fenix. Haven't tried any Dorcy stuff. So I guess I'll have to!

 

[greenLED]

Maglite - love the 2AA platform
Fenix - their AAA lights are priced well for gifts

I'll choose one over the other depending on who's getting the light.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

Fenix

 

[Khaytsus]

As if there aren't enough of these type of threads..

Unless it's on clearance or a very good sale, a Dorcy/Brinkman/etc is not worth the money. I used to buy such lights and at the first drop or hard bump they stop working. I had several of the "Rebel" Brinkman's a few years ago and the tailcaps readily fell apart, then I got the "round" 3AAA from them, it also fell apart.

The only lights of that nature that have lasted at all are the Dorcy Cool Blue and a Brinkman 3AAA. The Dorcy Cool Blue is pretty tough, very dim, but okay around the house, plus the PR bulb was nice when we had an extended power outage. The Brinkman 3AAA is metal (not Al, not sure what it is..) and seems fairly tough, my 2 year old plays with it.

It's simple math for me when it comes down to it... For example:

"1W" River Rock or whatever light, $20. Outputs 30 lumens perhaps, inefficient, and fairly large and heavy.

Fenix P2D or L2D, $50. Outputs 10, 40, or 135 lumens, very efficient, small and well designed.

The River Rock falls apart in a few weeks.. Go out and buy another one. Now $10 more and you had a light that's pretty decent quality.

 

[light_emitting_dude]

Coast

 

[lctorana]

Eveready.

By the length of the straight. Always loved their products, and still do.


(I do admit to having a laugh at people thinking Maglite and Fenix are "inexpensive" brands. What it must be to be rich.)

 

[bestcounsel]

interesting greenled how you like the mags....i got a bunch of older mags myself in which i love....

However, everytime i check targets or walmarts around here for sales on mag stuff, i just cant find them....mag stuff around here is real expensive to me...it seems to always be in the 30 dollar range....with the exception of the reg-incan mini-mags...

same with fenix....they seem to average about 30bucks...if im going to spend that much, might as well put more in and go SF.

i usually get dorcy stuff at average of 10 dollars...

i might try mag stuff some more....

 

[FASTCAR]

This depends on what you each consider expensive.
Some CPFers make 1+ million a year others maybee 25 grand.


Maybee set an actual dollar amount ( I.E.) Less then 50 bucks..or somthing.

 

[greenLED]

interesting greenled how you like the mags....i got a bunch of older mags myself in which i love....

Absolutely!! I think their 2AA model is one of the nicest looking lights out there. It was my first "real" light, and I love it (I still have that one light, but it's been refinished with black HA).

Sux to be in AU sometimes, lctorana. :nana: I can get them locally for under $10. Nice looks, a lot of colors to choose from, aluminum, very well made, good protective finish, simple maintenance, etc. They make great gifts. Of course the output is not what I'd call "stellar", but only if I compare them to my other lights, who most people haven't even heard about. I've been giving minimags to people I know since the late 90's.


Recently I've bought a couple of Fenix lights (AA and AAA sizes) to give out as presents. They're kinda expensive for my gifting budget, so only close friends and family get those.

 

[bestcounsel]

my og post is inexpensive brand, not price....

 

[BSCOTT1504]

Fenix....

 

[Lobo]

I wouldnt call a 50 dollar light actually inexpencive. Normal people would probably call a light that costs more than 20 dollar expencive. It's all pretty relative.

It's a bit different here in Sweden (and I'm guessing the rest of Europe as well), we don't have the big companies like Dorcy etc. But I've been a sucker for all flashlights since I was a child. Usually some batterymanufacturer. My favorite one was an Osram 4AA with halogen bulb, smoked pretty much anything else at the time. So I'll say Osram, and Dorcy.
A couple of years ago, I asked about how to purchase a Dorcy Metal Gear in Europe, and AlCanada1, who apparently worked for Dorcy said that I couldnt buy one in Sweden and promptly sent one, for free! :twothumbs And I guess you don't forget your first luxeon.

 

[Marduke]

I'm a fan of the Rayovac 2AA Highbeam 1 watt for $20 or less.

I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the <$.47 fauxtons from DX. Almost every CPF'er has at lease one(dozen...) :twothumbs

 

[lctorana]

my og post is inexpensive brand, not price....

Care to explain what that means? I'm baffled.

 

[LED_Thrift]

I wouldnt call a 50 dollar light actually inexpencive. Normal people would probably call a light that costs more than 20 dollar expencive. ....

Hey, are you tryin' to tell me I'm not normal?

 

[Numbers]

Not normal people. Uneducated people would call a light over $20 expensive.

 

[Dr.K]

I just got a jetbeam for around $30 that is fantastic, it's small, AA, multiple levels of brightness, knurled aluminum body, rear clickie, stipled reflector, and a memory, yet still cheap vs. alot of others

 

[FlashKat]

Most of the lights that are $15.00 and up from dealextreme and kaidomain work well for me.

 

[jumpstat]

maglights