Good budget flashlight?

hey guys, new member here!

Firstly I'm saying torch from now on not flashlight..pfft.

Ok so I got me a cheap torch from Argos, to sum it uo it's TERRIBLE, really cheap plastic, dim as hell even with good nimh batteries.

I've ordered one or two cheap gadgets from dealextreme and I noticed they have a very wide range of torches and the prices seem very reasonable especially for quality looking metal torches which would cost me much more at my local Argos, homebase etc.

I stumbled across a link to this forum in the flashlight(torch) sub-forum on DX and it seems you guys know a lot about torches!:twothumbs

So to make my first post asking for advice a smooth ride, here's all the info you should need:

My budget: £10-20 ($16-33 roughly)

Battery type: I'd prefer AA as I have some good Nimh rechargeables. However if torches which use Cr123A or 18650 are a lot brighter, I'd certainly consider them if you could link me to some decent batteries and a charger for them.

Needs: Basically I want a torch for general household use. Say in a power cut, or when we're doing work in our loft(has no power atm). The problem with my current cheap one is it's not bright to the extent if I shine it to the other side of the loft, I can barely make out the circler beam on the wall, I want better, I DEMAND BETTER!:laughing:

Now I have had a little look for some with good reviews/being discussed on DX. Below are 3 which sound pretty good. So if you guys could either tell me which is the best for me out of those or if you feel DX has something better in my budget by all means link that, though do explain why it is you say one torch is the best, since I have no knowledge about the spec of torches.:twothumbs

Here be links!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3607 (good reviews but I imagine not the brightest needing only 1 AA)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7999 (needs two Cr123A cells, but people seem to really like it, maybe its worth buying some of these batteries and a charger for them?)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9070 (uses Cr123A or 2xAA)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16843 (uses CR123A or 18650)

so yeah one of those or there's better for my budget do let me know, cheers, Joe.

Due to your pattern usage I think you will be fine with 2xAA lights. The "best" in DX is, probably, the Romisen RC-N3 (sku.9070). You can get the updated versions in shiningbeam (one mode, multimode, warm white or brighter).

Like vali, I can recommend Romisens as the budget fl...torches. You'll be surprised at the brightness you'll get even with a single AA, like the RC-G2 II Q5. You can get that from Shiningbeam, not the version you'll get at DX. You can even get a few % off the price with a code so it might fit your budget even with the delivery charge, but as I'm not quite sure about the policy with the codes here I won't repost it - but see here: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=181841

Try looking here at shiningbeam for a good AA light they have the Romisens. Shiningbeam has great customer service and have a good reputation around here personally I have had nothing but great experience with them. I would go their before DX but I don't know about international shipping from their.

EDIT- they do ship internationally I guess most places do these days

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/StoreFront

Everyone should own at least 1x Romisen RC-N3.

:welcome:Based on your "needs" the Romisen RC-N3 two mode as sold by Shiningbeam would be perfect. But, I don't know what shipping might be. I would think you'll find the low mode especially useful when you want log run times. They are both nice home lights. If you can get CR123 batteries easily - go for the N3 without question.

I have both these Romisen lights. Send Bryan at Shiningbeam an email about international shipping cost, maybe pay him extra to check out the light (if shipping costs are high, and if he has the time etc. - I don't know his policy on this)

I'm not knocking DX at all, but they are not known for pre-sales service.

Wow, I'm slow on the edit trigger, Sorry for repeating.

Elliot said:

:welcome:Based on your "needs" the Romisen RC-N3 two mode as sold by Shiningbeam would be perfect. But, I don't know what shipping might be. I would think you'll find the low mode especially useful when you want log run times. They are both nice home lights. If you can get CR123 batteries easily - go for the N3 without question.

I have both these Romisen lights. Send Bryan at Shiningbeam an email about international shipping cost, maybe pay him extra to check out the light (if shipping costs are high, and if he has the time etc. - I don't know his policy on this)

I'm not knocking DX at all, but they are not known for pre-sales service.

Wow, I'm slow on the edit trigger, Sorry for repeating.

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Intl. Shipping at Shiningbeam is around 5.95$ i think...thats what i paid
Romisen RC-N3 is a steal, nice light...also just sold 2 of these

My fave budget light in the AA format its the Akoray K106. There is a 3 mode programable version (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16607) and a 5 mode non-programable version (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28546). The 5 mode version its way brighter than the Romisen (RC-G2) and is has better run time, its well build, waterproof (placed mine in water for couple a minutes) and cheap enough so you dont get sad if losted.

In the 2xAA format, the Romisen RC-N3 two mode its arguably an excelent choise.

From all the (many) budget lights I bought over the last 2 years those two were the only ones I kept (Akoray K106 and Romisen (RC-N3 two mode).

ok so if i get this...

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-53/Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-CREE-Q5/Detail

will it be noticeably brighter if I use one CR123A rather than 2xAA nimh?

do CR123A come in a rechargeable format?

They should be about the same since a cr123 is 3 volts and the AA NiMh is close to 3 volts. You may even have longer runtime with the nimh not sure about that with this light though.

Good pick with the combo.

joeyboy said:

will it be noticeably brighter if I use one CR123A rather than 2xAA nimh?

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The voltage difference between a CR123A (3.0v) and two AA nimhs (between 2.4v and 3.0v if fresh from a charger) is negligible. Therefore, you won't notice the difference in brightness if you were to use AAs instead. Using AAs also has the added benefit of longer run times due to the larger capacity of rechargeable nimhs versus CR123A primaries.

joeyboy said:

do CR123A come in a rechargeable format?

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Yes they do. They're called, surprisingly enough, RCR123A. However, once fully charged, they are 4.2v and their capacity is lower than CR123A or nimhs, as such, run times will decrease. I believe the driver on this light can handle RCR123A cells, but someone who has this light might want to confirm this, along with whether the output would be brighter compared to CR123A and nimhs.

Rod911 said:

The voltage difference between a CR123A (3.0v) and two AA nimhs (between 2.4v and 3.0v if fresh from a charger) is negligible. Therefore, you won't notice the difference in brightness if you were to use AAs instead. Using AAs also has the added benefit of longer run times due to the larger capacity of rechargeable nimhs versus CR123A primaries.


Yes they do. They're called, surprisingly enough, RCR123A. However, once fully charged, they are 4.2v and their capacity is lower than CR123A or nimhs, as such, run times will decrease. I believe the driver on this light can handle RCR123A cells, but someone who has this light might want to confirm this, along with whether the output would be brighter compared to CR123A and nimhs.

Click to expand...

Tested the ones i sold with both and it was a bit brighter on 1 RCR123 than on AA, but you lose the multi-mode capability with RCR123.