Are there any fans of cheap lights on here?

american lockpicker

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Are there any fans of cheap lights on here? I like guns and recently I've started liking SNSes so I got to wondering if any one on here likes cheap lights. For example the 2D Eveready its cheap(costs between $0.99 and $1.79 in my area) and the batteries usually cost more than the light does.
 

curlyfry562

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Depends what you mean by cheap. The cheapest light I have purchased in about 2 years is a Inova X5 for $30 at Target, and I must I was impressed, now I have to go back and get more. :D
 
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Guy's Dropper

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Well, the X5 has always been a great light, but they used to be less expensive. Even with the new price, I'd agree that they are well worth it. I just thought that they were going for cheaper at Target, especially 2 years ago.
 

curlyfry562

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Oh no you misunderstood me, I purchased the light last week. I haven't purchased a light that cheap in 2 years (I am a SF junkie).

Another cheap light that I imagine most of us appreciate are the keychain buttoncell lights.
 

mr.squatch

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I have a dora the explorer pink 2d sleeper ROP that I found at a garage sale and spent 0.99 bucks on. :D It's.... slightly brighter than it used to be. I'm a big fan of cheap, as long as it has a purpose. Everyone loves this light. lol

g
 

Mercaptan

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I bought a Surefire G2L for 70 bucks. That's a nice cheap light. About the cheapest I would trust my life with.
 

Zatoichi

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When I meant cheap I meant under $10 lights of lower quality.

I can't see me ever going for something like that. I spend more on a set of batteries lol. I'm really poor, so pennies do count, but that's one of the reasons I don't like poor quality cheap stuff. From the first time I realised there were better lights out there than Mags, I've always considered $50+ cheap for a decent torch. My last 3 were a P2D, D10 and Olight T-25, and they all seem like a steal for what they are.

Having said that I'm waiting for 4 AA led torches from DX that were only a couple of dollars each, but they're for the kids. I don't think there's anything wrong with buying these cheapos, you can have fun with them (even if most of the fun is getting them to work). :p
 

snowlover91

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For $26 shipped, my HA-III Cree light using 2 cr123 batteries is blindingly bright, roughly 200+ lumens. I have dropped it twice on a hardwood floor, no scratches to the flashlight, wish I could say the same about the floor.:thumbsup: Still works perfectly fine. Good light for the money, my favorite.

Here is a pic comparing it to a 3D LED maglite.
P1080172-1.jpg


Here is the flashlight.
P1080174-1.jpg
 
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D-Dog

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A lot of members have said good things regarding the prices vs output on lights found at a place called Deal Extreme (also known as DX here) . However, with any budget imported lights, the quality can vary very very widely between lights and even between the same model of light :p It's a "bargain" compared to some of the lights people on CPF have, however, you have to figure whether the risk is worth it (Oh yea, free shipping now too...)

http://www.dealextreme.com/
 

snowlover91

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A lot of members have said good things regarding the prices vs output on lights found at a place called Deal Extreme (also known as DX here) . However, with any budget imported lights, the quality can vary very very widely between lights and even between the same model of light :p It's a "bargain" compared to some of the lights people on CPF have, however, you have to figure whether the risk is worth it (Oh yea, free shipping now too...)

http://www.dealextreme.com/

Yep, but they do have good customer service if you get a dud. This and the Nitecore D10 are my 2 favorites!
 

Liberty1992

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i don't always buy cheap lights because their cheap, i buy lights i want, and if they happen to be cheap then i buy them, price is a secondary factor. from what i can think of, my cheapest is a Dorcy 9 LED for... 3.99 at CVS. i prefer to stay away from like Eveready because i hate how cheap (lol) plastic flashlights feel in the hand.
 

Flying Turtle

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I've always been a fan of the cheap stuff, especially if it's under ten bucks. The odd little lanterns, booklights, nightlights, etc. are very hard to resist. I do have a couple good lights, too.

Geoff
 

Liberty1992

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I've always been a fan of the cheap stuff, especially if it's under ten bucks. The odd little lanterns, booklights, nightlights, etc. are very hard to resist. I do have a couple good lights, too.

Geoff
do you collect anything that emits light? i mean like night lights and book lights like you mentioned
 

carrot

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Nope. I always keep a few around but they just don't "do it" for me anymore. To me cheap lights are always "flavor of the month" whereas the more expensive ones have a lot more thought and longevity built into them. I find myself appreciating the design and build quality all of the time whereas cheap ones I've picked up over the years I just end up shelving and loaning them out.

For instance, I just dug out my Fenix TK10 recently and I thought, wow, this is a really cool light and as I was playing around with it I realized why I never really took to it-- there's not quite enough grip for my hands and it is extremely top heavy -- don't get me wrong it's an excellent light for what it's worth but these are minor nitpicks that I have that prevent me from fully enjoying it. That, and the crenellations on the tailcap really get in the way.

There are always exceptions too-- the Fenix L1P and L2P, as well as the Inova X5 and Nitecore SmartPD's, are some cheapies that really do work for me.
 
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