Buying first flashlight

Hello!

I am looking to buy a flashlight. I want one that uses an LED light source, has a high and a low setting, is tough enough to be dropped/used as a weapon, and is small enough to clip/carry in my pocket. I would like to spend less than $75.

I would also prefer that it uses commonly available batteries such as AAA or AA, and that it has a "strobe" setting. I have heard good things about the Surefire brand, but I have also heard that they have a short battery life.

Thanks for your input!

Also Surefires only use CR123s.

Also never rely on a flashlight as a weapon, make sure that you have some training in self defense.

AAA will be too small and most don't have a clickie.

A bit more info about the light could help too.

What's a good size? (some can use a 2 CR123 light clipped just fine while others wan 1AAA or smaller)
How much output?
How much runtime?

If you want something more tactically oriented, look for lights with a forward clickie.

I'd suggest you look at Fenix, Liteflux, Nitecore, Olight, Jetbeam, iTP, RA lights, Novatacs, and the revlew threads around here.

A good light that could work is the Nitecore Defender Infinity.

:welcome:

Howdy Nasal Avenger and welcome to CPF,
There are a LOT of lights in that price range to choose from, and I'll bet with a bit of reading on your part that you will find exactly the right light. To help you get started on your quest I would suggest that you begin by reading the CPF Welcome Mat:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=172991

That will get you up to speed quickly. Now, let's continue with an excellent comparison/review thread on current 1xAA pocket lights by one of our top CPF reviewers, selfbuilt (you can find this in the review area):
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/224932

Also, while looking for a light you might start to consider how you are going to power it. Many of us here on CPF like to use rechargeable batteries, as they allow us to use our lights as much as we like without having to constantly buy replacement batteries, so be sure and visit the "Flashlight electronics, batteries included" forum to learn about rechargeable cells. You can also visit this nice site:
http://batteryuniversity.com/

Last, but not least, here are two more nice flashlight review sites:
http://www.cpfreviews.com/
http://www.light-reviews.com/

Don't be in a hurry. Spend a few evenings reading and pretty soon you will begin to see which lights might work for you. Then you can narrow it down to 2 or 3, and finally....... you'll find the right light to spend your hard earned money on.

Have fun!

JetBeam Jet-I Pro V2.0

1AA
Fenix LD10
Nitecore D10

2AA
Fenix LD20
Fenix TK20 (Tougher, brighter but no strobe)
Olight T series
Eagletac P100A2

Surefire doesnt make AA lights, and they won't cost you less than $75.

Go with Fenix, you can't go wrong. Get them at 4sevens.com

Nasal Avenger said:

Hello!

I am looking to buy a flashlight. I want one that uses an LED light source, has a high and a low setting, is tough enough to be dropped/used as a weapon, and is small enough to clip/carry in my pocket. I would like to spend less than $75.

I would also prefer that it uses commonly available batteries such as AAA or AA, and that it has a "strobe" setting. I have heard good things about the Surefire brand, but I have also heard that they have a short battery life.

Thanks for your input!

Click to expand...

+1 Fenix LD10
Also check out the Lumapower Connexion2 it also uses 1xAA or rechargeable 14500 size, can be found here. http://www.batteryjunction.com/lumapower-x2-connexion.html

richardcpf said:

1AA
Fenix LD10
Nitecore D10

Click to expand...

No strobe for Nitecore D10. I highly recommend Nitecore Defender Infinity.