come and tell your "cheap light" secrets

We all know the ARCs and SF and etc. are really really bright but what about what you can get for under twenty or ten or even five bucks. It would seem like they would be as dim as they are cheap however in many cases this is not true. Lies all lies you say. Well i'll start and you can chime in if you wish.

DORCY 4 AA lights- these can be purchased at the local WAL*MART and throw incredibly far. Tactile switching and durable bodies make this a fun light for your collection and at $4 it's difficult to beat.

GARRETY G-Tech - 2 d - with a clicky switch and tight beam this is another thumbs up.

MAG LITE - like it or not MAG invented the first flashlight that was consistant and durable. Previosly if you dropped your light you might as well just leave it there and keep walking. MAG brought reasonably priced bottles of sunlight to the masses. They are not to be discounted.

Did i forget anything?

I really like the Dorcy 4AA Boss myself- and it has a beam about equivalent to a Surefire 6P with the bulb (KPR103) out of a 3 cell MagLight.

And a lot cheaper to run, too.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NightSun:
They are not to be discounted.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I just needed to point out that they've *already* been discounted. Minimags were about $20 when they first came out. Now you can buy them anywhere for just $10.

Yeah, yeah. I know. It's late.

Candles are cheap....

There are some Energizer 2-d cell flashlights that come in a pack of 2 at walmart with 4 d batteries included for under $5

Now I'd call that el-cheapo

I have a 2c Mag that came FREE with a 1989 Chevy Blazer its beam is the tightest beam of any light I own even my 9P with a KT-1!

Let me guess you found it under the seat that some poor soul forgot there and is now magless


I once bought a truck that had about $40 worth of quarters in the ash tray...

one of my favorites SUPER SABRELITE by pelican 3c light, very dependable.

cheap is in the eye or pocket of the beholder,for a my cheap LED pick the brinkmann reble. yes it's to long but the reflectormakes it an awsome task light for fishing,reading picking slivers and the incandesant pick is hard to say because i WAS a mag user for to long and every thing looks good after having a mag a surge @ under 30$ is a good choice(in my opinon of course).

The 99¢ UKE 2-AAA I found at Walmart.. (4 years ago). Included was the bill-cap clip and 2 Duracell batts

My favorite cheapie is the $8 Dorcy cool blue LED flashlight that Wal-Mart sells.

3 torches for £1...unbelievable value from a "pound" shop in Coalville. 1 * 2AA, 1*2C, 1* 2D! Not exactly maglite quality but they are moulded in tough ABS. I've converted the 2AA to LED. At these prices they make ideal testbeds for LED experimentation. I work out the cost each to be 33.3p, about 42c?!

My favorite 'cheapo' is the now discontinued Walmart 'Sam's Choice' 3D. It's plastic and has the best, whitest, tightest beam I've seen in an incandescant 3D light. The main reason I keep it around though (as well as the mags) is to have something descent when someone needs to borrow a light, especially for the kids. There's no way I'm loaning out an Arc LS, Surefire, etc.. Those are only for ME and to impress others. They can look but not touch!

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Let me guess you found it under the seat that some poor soul forgot there and is now magless

I once bought a truck that had about $40 worth of quarters in the ash tray...


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No it was a new Truck the light has a Chevy Bow tie on it
Also working for an Audio Visual Company has it's advantages. Extron a company we buy a lot from, used to ship Pelican 2AAA's with some of there equipment so I have a ton of those and mini mags.

People sell stuff on Ebay all the time, mispelled.

Like, SURE-FIRE
Or

SURE FIRE

heh heh.


Others:

I still think my Arc AAA is cheap. I still haven't bought a battery for it. I used the one that came with it for something else, needed a battery...

Went to a trade show, looked for a free giveaway with a AAA

Got it, smashed it, inserted it, and it's been there ever since.

I was pleasantly surprised with the $4.14 each Lumilite 2D lights I found at WalMart the day I bought the Brinkmann QBeam Max Million. Got one each for my kids. Came with elcheapo batteries and krypton lamps. Model is 5555 but is not shown on their Web site. It has black rubber "Zebra" stripes on a yellow body. The boys like them.

Cheers,

Richard

I still have several Philips "Slider" flashlights.Each takes three AA batteries and they are nice and flat. Just slide the cover and and uncover the lens the reflector to turn it on. I also have 7.2v and a 9.6v Makita flashlights. Since I have a bunch of batteries available and charged at home and at work, they are really cheap in terms of operating cost, but have lousy beams.

We spent soo much time here recently bad-mouthing Mag-Lights, so, in their defense, I have to say Mag!

Mag-Lights offer excellent value, and robust craftmanship, and a backup bulb in every light. And you can get them everywhere.

If you were traveling, and lost your luggage, and needed to buy a light today at a Wal-mart, what would you buy?

under 10 dollars for a mini-mag, under 20 dollars for a 3-D mag, and, will last forever.

Now, given a CHOICE, I would buy the Brinkmann Legend LX, or the Princeton Tec Surge, both around 25.00. Again, good values, and the Lengend LX is at SOME Wal-marts.

Also, the Princeton Tec Attitude, at 17.00 is a good value.

I just purchased 50 2-D Eveready Lights with Batteries included, for about 2.00 each for work. Nobody is going to rav about these flashlights, but in a power outage, I have 50 lights to hand out.

I like too the Dorcy cool blue LED flashlight that Wal-Mart sells for @ $8. It is the one the kids get when they need a light for camping or school. If you consider under @20.00 cheap, then the Brinkmann LX is a clear winner.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Daniel Ramsey:
Candles are cheap....

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like candles too. I keep a few of the long burning candles around. A great area light and small heat source. I also like the dorcy cool blue. I bet it runs forever and appears much more durable than the long life's. I know its not very bright but is very nice for loaning out to people in case they loose or dont return it.