good <$15 light?

hey, i'm looking to get my first decent flashlight. i'm a rather frugal guy (ie: cheap *******), i want to get something cheap, but bright.

i was looking at Quality China Goods and they have a very large selection, but is this a reliable store? if it is, which light there has the best combination of price and brightness?

thanks for all the help in advance

Just wanted to say Hello and Welcome Pizzle!

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

There's a difference between 'cheap' and 'frugal'. If you're truly frugal and want to get a good value for your money, then I'd suggest visiting your local Target store for one of the specials that they're running on the River Rock 2AA, 2C, or hybrid light. One of those will probably work for you. There's also the usual 3D MAG for around the $15 price point ($20 with a MiniMag at Sams/Costco/Home Depot). And if you have a Sam's membership they have a couple of 2 packs (Cyclops and Element) that net to less than $15 each. You probably don't want to pay shipping, so going to a web site might not be your best solution, and sometimes you just don't know what you're going to get from a web merchant.

pizzle said:

hey, i'm looking to get my first decent flashlight. i'm a rather frugal guy (ie: cheap *******), i want to get something cheap, but bright.

i was looking at Quality China Goods and they have a very large selection, but is this a reliable store? if it is, which light there has the best combination of price and brightness?

thanks for all the help in advance

Click to expand...

Hello.

Take a look at www.flashlightreviews.com , and check out the lights made/marketed by Advancedmart like this one for example.

Also, check out www.lighthound.com . The are some inexpensive lights there that may interest you.

I don't own any of these, but its worth a shot.

If you want to move up a notch to a known good light thats under $30, the Streamlight Propolymer luxeon 4AA is a winner. Find them at www.fox-intl.com for $23 plus shipping.

peace

Don't forget the River Rock 2AAA at Target. Not on sale but a very capable and usable light for $10.

Sam's Club Element.
You have to buy 2 but for under $25.

Great lights for the money.

pizzle,

Welcome! Happy to respond to your first post!

I kind of feel like I'm in the same boat as yourself. The most I've spent for a light, so far, is about $40 (including shipping) for my Led Lenser 4-color recon light. I love lights, I want quality, but I'm a cheap ******* (such as yourself), so I guess that makes me "frugal".

Take a look at my "lights" link in my sig. These were all purchased for under $40 (many at $15 or less).

The multi-LED chinese lights are usually unregulated and can burn out 1 LED at a time, if left on for too long. I haven't had this happen to me just yet, but I only run them for short periods of time anyhow. This is just something that I have read about.

I second the recomendation of www.advancedmart.com for some inexpensive starter lights. If you buy several, instead of just one, it makes the shipping charge worthwhile.

I purchased these from advancedmart, all at once, and I think I only spent about $70.



Dan

What do you want to use it for? For fifteen bucks it's hard to get a light that's both decent and bright, though some of the China-made lights are pretty good (I haven't had much personal experience with many Chinese lights). My own recommendation here would be a Mini Maglite AA and a Nite-Ize LED drop-in module, both available at Walmart (and probably others) for about $15 total. It's pretty bright, but doesn't throw well (ie, illuminate things at distances).

I agree with nerdgineer, the River Rock 2xAAA works very well for $10. My Target was out of all the half-price River Rock lights.
I've also had good success with the Dorcy Metal Gear 1w 3xAAA, which has been reduced to close to $15 I believe at Wal-Mart. I did however buy a differently branded light with very similar internal manufacturing characteristics that was a total dud. So test it out before needing it.

I'll second the $10 2AAA River Rock light from Target as the best cheap, bright, small, and easily available light. Just keep in mind that the tint will most likely be VERY blue, but still functional. For $5 more, you could get the the headlamp, which is even smaller and has a high and low mode.

thanks for all the quick replies

i'll be using the light for around-the-house tasks and the occasionally night, outdoor camping trip or something.

a big question i have:
are 1 or 3 watt lights generally brighter than multi-LED ones? or is it a "mixed result" comparison?

watch the buy-sell section for deals on used lights.

I think the Dorcy Metal Gear for <$20 at Walmart is a decent mass-market LED for most general purposes. The beam is focused enough for moderate throw but the spill is still bright enough that it is still usable for close up work. Yes, we addicts need at least 2 lights to meet these needs but the Dorcy strikes me as middle of the road in both areas.

pizzle said:

. . .are 1 or 3 watt lights generally brighter than multi-LED ones? Or is it a "mixed result" comparison?

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I don't know the answer to this, but I'll tell you what I "see" with my tired eyes. I have two (2) Streamlight 4AA ProPolymers. One with the Luxeon and the other with the 7-SSLs. The single Luxeon LED Streamlight is much brighter than the one with the seven solid state LEDs. I mean WAY Brighter.

The Lux III in my modified Mini Maglites (3[M]iniMag + Mini Maglite w/DI LED) are also very bright, rivaling it's bigger 2 and 3 D Mag siblings in stock form.

Lots of responses to your question I see. . .

I say go for the SL propoly Luxeon. For your usage, it'll be perfect.
Generally, 1 or 3 watt lights are brighter and throw farther, but are more expensive. some multi-LEDs are good. They're good general purpose lights. I'd check flashlightreviews.com. The reviews rock.
WELCOME TO CPF!!

DonShock,

I have been eyeing that Dorcy Metal Gear light for some time now. But, being a "cheap *******" like our newest member pizzle, I hesitate to splurge on it.

Your comments are heared though and it may persuade me.

Thanks,
Dan

Talk about different points of view, I bought one as a cheap alternative to a $45 light. Then still bought the $45 one a week later and gave my mother the Dorcy which she loves. It was when I was researching the $45 light that I eventually ended up here and my wallet is still begging for mercy.

If you are looking for something for close up use only, the Dorcy 1xAAA is a good value for $6, I have three spread throughout the house as quick low profile emergency lights in case of power outage. In pitch black, they are actually pretty impressive, almost the equal of the NiteIze 3LED drop in for the MiniMag. The single LED with a lens produces a better spot than the 3LED's with a relatively poor reflector.

Dorcy or River Rock. Walmart or Target.

hm i'll check out these brick and mortar stores this weekend

i was looking around the forum and a lot of posts say quality china goods is a reputable store (it even advertises on this forum!).

these 2 lights grabbed my attention:
3 watt - http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/3w-mxdlreg-v2-p-315.html
and
ghost 2 - http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/12-led-ghost-ii-p-210.html

i might just buy both for the hell of it. with free shipping, thats just 20 bucks for both.

I say, go for it.

You'll be happy, even if it's just a start to your collection.

Time will tell how well those lights function. And, you will learn from the expierience.

Dan