of all the high output cheap lights, which is best?

ive seen many threads on cheap lights with very high lumen output, but it seems many of them fail quickly or arrive doa, or require modding.

is there a 'cheaper' high output light that is reliable that will make a good (bright enough to impress) xmas present for a teenager 'straight out the box' that wont fail in 3 days?

$50?

there are a few great lights available for $50 i know, but id like to get something that is a little nuts with output.

350+ instead of 100.

thoughts?

i see a cree romisen for $25 @ 200 lumens @ s.b.,

anyone do better?

The R2's and Q5's are real good buys, shipped free and better than lots of others at this price point.

http://www.solarforcestore.com/serv...searchpath/18226/start/13/total/27/Categories

I would never give one of those P7 / MC-E lights at DX and Kai as gifts. I don't think any of them have sufficient thermal cooling for the non-CPF (typical) user. They'll leave it on, set it down and cook the emitter... Heck even CPF members have been known to do this.

IMHO you are better off getting something more reliable, and thermally stable. RC-N3-Q5 and a bunch of eneloops+charger (for example). If you have some $$$ left over, toss in some Primaries and give the option to EDC.

I have seen 6Ps go for a little over $40 on ebay. Add a DX11836 or 6090... both have proven to be very reliable in my SF hosts. The 6090 runs a little cooler for some reason so that would be the safer option.

It'll cost you a bit more than $50, but a Maglite with a Malkoff drop-in will impress any non-flashaholic, and last durn near forever.

I've never messed with the cooling bits on my Aurora AK-P7 2 mode and left the light on ceiling bounce til dead numerous times. So for slightly more than 50 bucks you can get those but then again batteries and charger are extra. I'd say get a decent charger, cells and a Romisen light. Out of all the brands I've bought, Romisen has consistently been the highest quality. Ultrafire is kinda a gamble their small AAA light, and stainless C3 are top notch quality but the 501b is rough around the edges and my bezel's threads are stripped after only a few pill changes.

donn_ said:

It'll cost you a bit more than $50, but a Maglite with a Malkoff drop-in will impress any non-flashaholic, and last durn near forever.

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not true, i got a romisen rc-n3 before my malkoff, altho now i can appreciate the malkoff, the romisen is still more fun, its tiny with a single rcr123 and is super bright and throws far.

i know the malkoff is a far superior product.

but this is a xmas present for a teenager,

i want some

' wow..... thats bright'

Oh yeah if you do order from DX make sure that every item is in stock or you'll be waiting far longer than Christmas for the back ordered stuff. And order now because on average it take 3 weeks to get stuff from DX.

RC-N3, or WF-606a?

waddup said:

not true, i got a romisen rc-n3 before my malkoff, altho now i can appreciate the malkoff, the romisen is still more fun, its tiny with a single rcr123 and is super bright and throws far.

Click to expand...

Ok..."not true"

Are you going to buy this teenager some RCR123s and a charger? Are you going to teach him/her about the dangers of Li-Ion cells?

Do you really think your Romisen will outlast a Maglite? In the hands of a teenager?

the wf-606a is a great bright and throwy light that uses AA's but if the teenager fiddles with it and takes it apart and assembles it wrong, without the plastic spacer, or overtightens the head the driver goes . If you get the 606A you probably want to glue the head in place. If not the Ultrafire C3 with extension is a better choice.

csshih said:

RC-N3, or WF-606a?

Click to expand...

1+

The Superfire WF1000 (actual lumens are in the 600-800 range) is around $75 and most likely the brightest light out there for that pricerange...but it is poorly made, and I personlly would never give it as a gift...I would stay with at least the Fenix quality level for any gift...

donn_ said:

Are you going to buy this teenager some RCR123s and a charger? Are you going to teach him/her about the dangers of Li-Ion cells?

Click to expand...

+1

of all the high output cheap flashlights, which is best?

Click to expand...

The three highlighted terms are mutually exclusive when grouped together.
In the automotive aftermarket industry where I am employed, we have a saying:

"You can have it - CHEAP, FAST, RELIABLE - pick two"

SolarForce L2 host with a 11836 drop-in from DX. That should be under $50 and be very impressive, but will require that this teen know where to buy good quality CR123s online at a reasonable price.

I'm never super comfortable recommending lithium powered lights for non-flashaholics, but I really need to get over myself.. there are probably hundreds of thousands of people out there with lithium powered flashlights who work for police departments or military or maintenance or security and have never even heard of this place or that lithium cells can be dangerous...

Eric

roymail said:

The R2's and Q5's are real good buys, shipped free and better than lots of others at this price point.

http://www.solarforcestore.com/serv...searchpath/18226/start/13/total/27/Categories

Click to expand...

300 lumens for $30?

anyone got personal 'hands on' experience with these lights?

are they anywhere near that bright in reality? (compared to a known lumens light side by side)

doesnt even say what kind of batteries they require?

im hoping its 2 x rcr123? or 2 x AA??

if its close to 300 (and wont melt itself in 12 minutes) it looks like the winner of this comp.

There are incredible deals out there. You don't hear about them because on CPF we want the Rolls Royce of flashlights. I have found very reliable Chevy's for under $20, some with Corvette performance. You just have to be willing to roll the dice. I could tell you that DX Sku XXXXX is a great buy and the one you get could be a dud, thats why people don't go recomending specific lights at DX.

That said, you just about can't go wrong with a P60 host style DX light (like the Solarforce.) The Chinese knock-offs have just about perfected the low cost reliable P60 style light. In particular the Romisen Rc-M4/UF 501-B.

I wouldn't recommend li-ion to anyone who didn't already have experience with it. I use li-ion lights as do many CPFers, but one does need to have some knowledge about the cells and a multimeter to stay safe and happy.

There's the Costco Leatherman Blast w/ L1T V2 kit ($50 for the pair )

The RC-F4 Q5 or,the RC-N3 Q5. You can get both at shinningbeam.com. Great customer service,and fast shipping.

OOPS! Sorry. I think I may have broken posting rule #6.