Flashlight for a college student?

Hey Bros and Bras!

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding on a flashlight for my brother who is soon to be a freshman in college. Below are some requirements/parameters that should shape your recommendations. I've been puzzling over this for weeks and have not been able to decide what would suit his needs best. It's starting to make me go :duh2: so I'm turning to the collective knowledge of CPF for help!

This will primarily be carried on a carbiner/lanyard with the usual keys, ID, etc. I imagine uses will be for finding dropped items in the dark when walking to and from classes, possible power outage use, goofing around when bored...

- Common and cheap battery source (AA/AAA)
- Sturdy construction and sturdy keychain attachment point
- Not likely to turn on unintentionally (clicky preferred, but twist "ok")
- Needs to be reliable! (Not going to school near me, so I won't be able to fix a temperamental light)
- He would prefer black/matte finish
- Should have multiple levels (decent low would be great)
- Price range: $0-$60

Okay, I think that is it. I've thought of Nitecore D10, but may be too tempermental. Quark Minis are obviously a possibility. I don't have any first hand experience with the ITP line of lights. Any suggestions would be helpful though!

Thanks CPF! :thumbsup:

Heck Yeah !


The 4Sevens Q-MiNi AA would be a SPLENDID choice !




Your choice of Tint : Cool, Neutral, or Warm-white.


(i myself would suggest Neutral, but all 3 are excellent)


Good Luck to you, and yer' Brother.

:wave:
_

Thanks Burgess!

I just bought a Neutral MiniAA and gifted it to my Mom. It's definitely a light I'm considering for him.

iTP A3 would be ideal.

short list

iTp A2, a3
Quark MiNi AA in a choice of 3 tints
Quark AA R2 or R5
Fenix LD15 (only has 2 modes)
Fenix LD10
Preon or Preon2

Thanks for the suggestions dandism and photonstorm. I figured the iTp line would be recommended. I'll have to check out the Feinix LD10.

I shy away from the Preon line for two reasons. The lanyard/keychain attachment point is not particularly robust and in the case of the Preon II the clicky comes on too easily.

ITP SA1?
My brother has had one for about 9 mo and no problems.

Jetbeam E3S?
Fenix LD01?
No experience with either but the manufact. has strong following here.

No problems with my IlluminaTi either


Barry

Tiablo A1
Jetbeam sounds good
Photon Pro - really nice low
C2H - upgradeable, cr123 compatible
PN20A

-pretty much all I can think of at the moment.

+1 for a Jetbeam, maybe the Jet-I Pro V3? :thumbsup:

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll look into the JB too. Keep 'em coming!

I second the miniAA.. handy, easy to use.. and has fun strobe modes!

Hey! I'm going to be a freshman in college too! do I get a light? :nana: kidding!

csshih said:

I second the miniAA.. handy, easy to use.. and has fun strobe modes!

Hey! I'm going to be a freshman in college too! do I get a light? :nana: kidding!

Click to expand...

Lol! Maybe. We'll see how first semesters grades look first.

3.7-4.0 = LS27 or Tri-V
3.0-3.6 = Haiku or M3LT
2.7-3.5 = EN Mule or LX2
2.0-2.6 = 3 Candles
<2.6 = Solitaire

*Note GPA scale is probably totally off base and yes you have a great incentive to keep your average above 2.7.

I think a Haiku would be a good choice

what, no love for mag xl100???
great light,

new mini magled is a good one as well.

dandism said:

iTP A3 would be ideal.

Click to expand...

+1

I would go with a Preon1. It is a twisty unless you add a clicky to it. I have been carrying one everyday for over a year and the connection point has not been a problem. These are great AAA lights. Even with a clicky tail switch, lock out in just a 1/4 turn of the head. That is how I use mine--a clicky for when I am using it and a 1/4 turn twist when it is in my pocket on my keys.
One of the far and away BEST lights I have ever owned!!! and did I say it was very bright and very dim. Runtime is excellent for a AAA light, the price is good and warranty is one of the BEST in the industry. Customer service is super. The 4/7 minis are good lights but as small as they are, they are HUGE compared to the Preon1.
I don't think you could do better!
Jim

G2 Nitrolon upgraded with G8 LED, spare RCR123a 3.6-3.7v rechargeables (trustfire or ultrafire) + WF-139 charger. All set

Whatever you decide, please get him a decent charger and a handful of Eneloops or Duraloops.

Had a zombie thread that was recently brought back to life by the OP.

Turns out he got some good advice on a quality EDC light from when he originally made the topic. He recently bumped it because he put alkies in his quality light, stored it that way, and they leaked; destroying his light.

Now lets see how many of his wishes this Surefire light fullfills!!
Jim

So this light is going to be on the ring with his keys? I like smaller lights like the Fenix LD01 or iTP on my keychain, basically AAA and the really small cr123 light's made for keychain's like the Quark mini or Fenix PD10 nothing bigger. So my own opinion would be a AAA light if cr123 is out of the question, that is if we are talking keychain light.

If it's going to be carried in a pocket not with the keys there are many good AA light's to choose from. Jet-I Pro, Quark AA, Zebralight SC50. Now that I think about it the Zebralight SC50 might be a good idea, I think I could put mine on my keychain without issue.