Which small cheap Flashlight?

[rydude07]

Hey guys!

I my be getting the new fenix ld20 with the 205 lumens or tk20 or quark AA2 later but want to get a cheap small light now.

Should I get a...

1) Fenix E01 $12.50

2) Streamlight Microstream $17.30

3) Streamlight Stylus Pro $19.99

or another light?


Thanks!

 

[OCD]

Check out the iTP. Great light for the price.

 

[OCDGearhead]

The ITP rocks for $20.

The Ultrafire C3 in stainless steel can be great little edc if you get a good production run & example (it can also disapoint). Last one I recieved was perfect, under $14 @ DX. Great ergonomics, but a little on the heavy side.

The little Romisen RC-C3 (CR123 & , upgraded byShining Beam is another great cheap light & is tiny for it's output. About 20 bucks.

 

[paulr]

This should probably go to the Budget Lights forum. You basically have to choose between a simple, long-running light (E01) or a more powerful one with more modes and higher battery demands (the rest). I'd go for the E01 (good backup, runs fine on low-grade batteries, etc.) since you're getting some bigger lights later. If you want a primary EDC the other lights mentioned might be a better choice.

 

[Flying Turtle]

The E01 is probably the toughest light of the bunch. But for more fun the ITP A3 or the Maratac AAA are great choices, too.

Geoff

 

[jabe1]

Go for the Maratac AAA... my SS version gets daily use and the operation is still smooth as silk!

 

[kramer5150]

+1
ITP-A3

 

[rydude07]

Man more choices :huh: This flashlight will complement my tk20, ld20, or a quark.

So the maratec and the ITP have good quality as well? They are almost double the price of a fenix e01. And is the maratec or ITP better? The maratec seems to cost a little more than the ITP after shipping.

So the streamlights or fenix are not as good the maratec and the ITP? They are MUCH more pricey compared to the fenix and the streamlights and since i will be getting a ld20 or something like that later on, is it worth it to pay this much?

Where do you even buy a maratec? Seems that countycomm has it out of stock for the cheaper one.

 

[Trashman]

The ITP provides incredible value for the price. It's really bright and well made. The EO1 is just a 5mm LED. You're not going to get much light from that, although it'll get you a lot of run time. If you get the ITP, you might want to make sure to get the upgrade model, which has three levels, versus the 1 of the basic model.

 

[hyperloop]

I personally think that everyone should own an E01, tough as nails, runs forever off 1xAAA, i use it off and on at night in my room to look for stuff and it's still on the same AAA energizer that i put in during 2008.

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

ITP A3 "Upgrade version" from ShiningBeam with CPF discount. Three levels, AAA tiny, well built and a delight to use. So easy to get batteries for. You need look no further..............

 

[rydude07]

I think going gear may be cheaper with their discount than shining beam.

Thanks guys, so i will cancel out the maratec since its more expensive.

The streamlights and fenix are cheaper than the itp though. Seems that the fenix is super cheap lol.

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

I think going gear may be cheaper with their discount than shining beam.

perhaps, but I always like to recommend ShiningBeam since he has provided me with such good service when buying ITP and Romisen torches and such fast shipping to Australia that I can't seem to stop myself from going back again and again......

I forgot to mention one other fine attribute of the A3. It comes with both detachable keychain and detachable clip.

 

[rydude07]

I will highly consider the ITP A3.

Still looking at the fenix and streamlight since its so cheap.

 

[shark_za]

Get the iTP A3 but don't feel bad if you get the E01 as well. (get both)

I have those plus the Microstream and they all serve a different purpose.
E01 is great to attach to keys, iTP A3 is awesome on a lanyard and the Microstream in a shirt pocket.


Here are some size comparisons. (get both)


The Leatherman S1 is just an upmarket clicky version of the E01 and the A1 and A2 are really just iTP A3's that use different cells. I like the A2 a lot btw.

(get both) are these subliminal messages working ? :devil:

 

[ampdude]

I received my ITP on just the other day. Great light for the money. I got the single mode version, I hate multi-mode lights. The ITP puts out an impressive amount of light for such a compact package, much better than a 5mm LED. It works really great on the spare Rayovac NiMh AAA cell I had. I would have preferred a warmer tint though. Unfortunately, that option does not currently exist that I could see. Great light though!

 

[rydude07]

How is the leatherman s1 or s2? Seems the s2 is more expensive than i want to pay.

So i guess for a small light either get the fenix e01 or the itp? SO I should rule out the microstream and stylus pro.

 

[Flying Turtle]

The Maratac has the ability to tailstand, which sets it apart from its ITP A3 cousin.

Geoff

 

[ampdude]

I don't see any reason to own a Fenix EO1, it's a 5mm LED. I can buy lights like that at the Dollar Tree.

The Maratac has the ability to tailstand, which sets it apart from its ITP A3 cousin.

Geoff

The ITP A3 tail stands, albeit precariously. The Maratac looks like a nice light, I'm not into multi-mode lights though. Too bad there is not a single mode version.

 

[paulr]

If you -really- want cheap and small, get a 10-pack of "fauxtons" from DX for $4.50 or so. They lose brightness fairly rapidly (coin cell batteries) but put out a still-usable amount of light for quite a long time. At 45 cents each you can stick them everywhere, give them to your friends, etc.

E01 is basically similar (5mm led) but runs on an AAA and is more durable. It will run for about 8 hours on a cheap alkaline AAA without dimming, and is bright enough for most short-range (e.g. indoor) uses. It's not a searchlight.

ITP is conceptually different, a LOT brighter and with a cleaner beam, but more power-hungry and demanding towards batteries. You can use an alkaline in it but it will dim rapidly. You can use an L92 lithium AAA for good performance (yet still comparatively short runtime compared with the E01), but those are pretty expensive and wasteful if you use a lot of them. So you really want to run it on rechargeables, which means you need a charging system and a certain kind of personal involvement with the light in order to keep feeding it. That in turn will affect your thoughts and dreams so you will keep buying more and more lights, posting photographs of them, building your own, etc. A person who does stuff like that is called a "flashaholic" (we hang out mostly on this forum) and if you want to become one of us or are one already, then that's great. But it's not clear what your goal is.