Which cheap long-life flashlight?

[bobiscuit]

Looking for a flashlight that I can leave in the car for "emergencies".

I want to spend $20 or less. It doesn't need to be very bright or compact, but I would like good battery life. And it will be unused for months at a time, so alkaline batteries are probably best.

Something with 4 AA batteries would probably be ideal. I also thought about something like a Maglite 3D LED, but that might be a big too big.

I had a look on dx.com but couldn't find anything suitable. Any suggestions?

 

[Ezeriel]

I think you will have to use lithiums, and any 4 AA lights of decent quality, are beyond your budget.

A light that fits your needs is beyond my knowledge, since I don't use lithiums, but if you check the keychain threads you might find them to be an option.


PS: stay off dx

 

[Gunner12]

DX has some decent lights, but quality can be hit or miss. Alkaline batteries can also leak, so lithium batteries might be better if price isn't too big of an issue.

If you want something more dependable without much work, something from a name brand might be better. Shiningbeam also has some nice lights at a lower cost. Thrunite is also having a sale right now, and their Ti bundle could be a decent option. The 3 Lumen low mode lasts for a good amount of time. If you are in the US, the Rayovac Indestructible could also work.

What about those lights that sit and charge in the 12v socket?

 

[AnAppleSnail]

Modern mini mag LED pro. Put energizer lithium AAs in, with a spare pair. cost you $35 and makes happy (plenty of reach, output, and 5.hours runtime with the 4.cells).