I,ve been there! Searching for the best light for the buck, and I have to admit some wasted money purchasing lights I hoped would work out, but need to confess a bit of a red face and lighter wallet as my perfectionist search has cost me a couple of hundred dollars or more, purchasing lights just to find out which ones do and do not work out. Now most of them just sit in a box as I find better ones, and the first lights I brought home are give-a-ways, or just extras that will hardly be used. Yep, I have several pretty good flashlights, and a couple of favorites, and some not so good ones too. All along all I really wanted was the hard to find really good ones. So to help anyone who wants to take a short cut past this process here is what I have to share.
I guess I have searched for pretty much the same thing everyone else seems to want, that is: lots of good clean clear light, small enough to pack, a long battery life (run time), inexpensive easy to find batteries, high quality, and a reasonable price. So in case you want to know the fruits of my search here it is to share.
The latest light I found really lights me up, and I feel justifies this writing. It was procured from Superbrightleds.com for $39.95 plus $5.00 shipping, and I have been pleased to discover that it lives up exactly to the specifications that are listed with it on there website. It does exactly as it was presented, and in fact I am even happier than I expected to be. Perhaps as close to perfection as can be expected comes with this little super led flashlight. It does meet the criteria I just mentioned.
The little ITL-15 uses only one AA battery, and it pretty much blows all of the other led flashlights I have purchased away. With that I also need to state that mine is a pretty good collection which includes a pretty good list of some excellent Led Lensers, and some of the better Dorcys, and the latest Minimag light led, as well as a Niteize conversion, and some other led lights including everready's best led flashlight, and a couple of others using newer Cree led regulated chips boasting as an example 130 lumens from 2 cells.
This little torch I am raving about does it all. It comes with the latest Cree 7090 XR-E R2 LED. It will use almost any AA battery (just one cell), alkaline, or a rechargeable, or a Lith-ion 3.7v rechargeable. With the 1.5 volt battery it puts out 130 lumens on high for over an hour, and on low it will last for over 50 hours, and the low setting puts out enough light for lots of use. With the 3.7 lith-ion you will get 205 lumens all from just one cell, and from a very small light, and the light really projects out there several hundred feet, and the light you get is very clear. It puts out a well distributed very even pattern with a very nice & even bright spot, and also a bright even, broad halo.
The build quality is also excellent. It has an aluminum deflector which is orange peel finished on the bottom third next to the led, and is smooth on the upper 2/3's. It also has a tempered glass lens, and a very nice hard anodized finish, and a nice feel with excellent machining, and can be used for tactical purposes, and does not get hot.
Superbrightleds.com is not really a flashlight site. It seems to have mostly leds for auto use, and building lighting, but they do sell this one very good flashlight, that really puts the others into the spare lights box. It puts out the lumens, uses a common battery (1) and is very small, and well built. I have some other very good LED Lenser's and they are second best to this little light. The same can be said for the 3 "c" cell Rayovac sportsman that puts out 150 lumens and brags a 100 hour run time, but still it is big and heavy, and the little light from superbrightleds.com is brighter, lighter, and better. Yet the Rayovac is one site's high recommendation.
The little light I suggest you check out is model number ITL-15 (the only similar light of this type they offer). After testing it for a bit I ordered two more, and I found the other two to be exactly the same with great consistancy, and they come from the U.S. (Missouri). My search for the perfect light has slowed now somewhat. I wish I would have found this light first, but it is from a very obscure source, that is why I am sharing this info.
I still have a hard time really believing how good this little light with a two year guarantee is, both in brightness, quality, and how long the batteries last, and also how easy it slips into a pocket, along with an extra battery or two it could keep you with light for a very long time. On a hiking trip perhaps weeks. It even has a variable setting from high, very bright, to a very useful low that will really strech out the batteries, or you can choose anything in-between.
Ok,there is your free info for those of you who can use it, I hope it is found useful for someone, and perhaps let you gain from all of my search. Good luck!
at high current levels.
