Family lights

So my family has a godless number of crappy plastic flashlights lying around and they're largely worthless. I was thinking I might take this opportunity to ease them into the world of premium lighting. What would a good light be? I figure I need something bright, floody with lots of spill, drop resistant, waterproof, neutral-warm tint, with a simple UI that has 2-5 brightness settings. preferably CR123a, definitely not 18650. Size doesn't really matter. And of course, cheap ($15-$25).

Any lights come to mind?

Both CR123 and 18650 wouldn't be a good way to ease people into good flashlights because both are relatively rare cells to have to get in case they die. Get a AA powered light. But you're asking a lot for such little money. My suggestion would be a Solarforce L2R with a low voltage module. It'll come in right around $25 plus shipping from lighthound, and he's a supporter for this forum so it's good to get from him. He's also known for his excellent customer service. But you'll get a more throwy light but still usable spill, it'll be cool white, and only one brightness setting. The nice thing though is you can always upgrade it later to a module that fits your brightness, beam shape, and tint requirements. Obviously these upgrades will cost extra, but at least it can be upgraded and or repaired if anything does go wrong with the light.

Alphanumeric said:

So my family has a godless number of crappy plastic flashlights lying around and they're largely worthless.

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That's funny, I still have some of those, and I think they're quite useful even if they're not as nice as my more expensive flashlights. I guess we all have different standards....

Alphanumeric said:

I was thinking I might take this opportunity to ease them into the world of premium lighting. What would a good light be? I figure I need something bright, floody with lots of spill, drop resistant, waterproof, neutral-warm tint, with a simple UI that has 2-5 brightness settings. preferably CR123a, definitely not 18650. Size doesn't really matter. And of course, cheap ($15-$25).

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As you might expect, it's not easy to have all of those features at that price point, which is close to, if not part of, the "discount" range (nothing wrong with that, it just limits your options). If having a neutral-warm tint is important to you, then you might want to check out some flashlights from Romisen:

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-By-Manufacturer-cln-Romisen/Categories

They offer two "neutral" tints, 3D and 5C--the one you'd want for "neutral-warm" would be 5C. I'd also recommend AA batteries if somebody else is going to be maintaining them. Some of the above flashlights can take either a single CR123A or a pair of AAs (with an included extension tube), by the way.

These flashlights offer pretty much what you're asking for, except perhaps for a wide flood. Their beam patterns are fairly typical of most hand-held LED flashlights--a compromise between throw and flood. I haven't tried the focusable models, though--maybe they offer a wider flood. :shrug:

If the tint is not as important, then you'll have additional options. The Xeno E03, for example, is well regarded (and I'm pretty sure that it has a wider flood or spill beam). Actually, it comes in a "neutral" tint as well, if you can find one, but it's a 3C tint, which is on the cool side of neutral.

Xeno E03 is about $5 above your price range, but I've found it to be a great house light, and my wife likes it too

I'm kind of in the same boat. My mothers nightstand light has seen better days and I'm looking for a replacement. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. Good luck in your search.

It's a big jump from thinking of flashlights as objects that come in a three pack for $10, to spending $50 to $100 dollars on a light. I know it took me six months to make a purchase, However the jump from $20 to $50 gets you a giant leap in quality and ability. But one thing I noticed is that you need less if you have one or two high quality lights. I just purchased three lights for my parents and they were shocked by the lights performance and the price. However they now have three lights that cover everything they might need. Fenix HL21 headlamp,Fenix LD40,Olite I2 EOS all with AA power. replaced a couple of plastic 2C rayovac's and one 3D mag.

qwertyydude said:

Both CR123 and 18650 wouldn't be a good way to ease people into good flashlights because both are relatively rare cells to have to get in case they die. Get a AA powered light. But you're asking a lot for such little money.

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I agree that an 18650 isn't what I'm looking for since you have to be careful with them and my family could use a little more 'savvy' with their tech. CR123's aren't bad though because I use them anyway for my lights so I could easily maintain a constant household supply. Those guidelines just paint a picture of the 'ideal' light and I don't expect to meet them all.

GaAslamp said:

That's funny, I still have some of those, and I think they're quite useful even if they're not as nice as my more expensive flashlights. I guess we all have different standards....

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Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying plastic lights are necessarily crappy. But the cheap one someone tossed in the cart at Walmart with the flickering beam that chooses when to turn on and is the size of a sleeve of Ritz crackers is more of a frustration than usable equipment. It's not what I need when I'm connecting cables behind a large desk or trying to find things in my house when the power goes out.

GaAslamp said:

As you might expect, it's not easy to have all of those features at that price point, which is close to, if not part of, the "discount" range (nothing wrong with that, it just limits your options). If having a neutral-warm tint is important to you, then you might want to check out some flashlights from Romisen:

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Yep, I don't expect to get all those things, although I'd be pleased if I could. The neutral-warm tone would be a nice bonus because it'd be easier on the eyes, but is not a requisite. I figure a light leaning toward floody with spill would be more practical for general home use. Drop-resistance and basic waterproofing seem pretty standard on most of the lights thrown around in these forums, so it's not an issue. Reliability and functionality are really the key issues, although one thing I would like is at least two brightness settings, because I find that it gives a light a much wider range of applications.

GaAslamp said:

If the tint is not as important, then you'll have additional options. The Xeno E03, for example, is well regarded (and I'm pretty sure that it has a wider flood or spill beam). Actually, it comes in a "neutral" tint as well, if you can find one, but it's a 3C tint, which is on the cool side of neutral.

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Bigmac_79 said:

Xeno E03 is about $5 above your price range, but I've found it to be a great house light, and my wife likes it too

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I had glanced at the Xeno while reading through random reviews but couldn't remember the name. This is pretty much what I had in mind. The only problem is that it's a bit small, which I could foresee being an issue with it getting lost or what have you. Is there anything that's essentially this but slightly heftier?

GaAslamp said:

If having a neutral-warm tint is important to you, then you might want to check out some flashlights from Romisen:

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-By-Manufacturer-cln-Romisen/Categories

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The RC-2R4 is rather nice as well. Not very much in the way of reviews though, so it's hard to judge. Does anyone have experience with the Xeno and/or the Romisen?

Alphanumeric said:

I had glanced at the Xeno while reading through random reviews but couldn't remember the name. This is pretty much what I had in mind. The only problem is that it's a bit small, which I could foresee being an issue with it getting lost or what have you. Is there anything that's essentially this but slightly heftier?

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Hmmm... I don't currently have anything that would fit that description. I hear the old version of the Xeno E03 had an optional 2xAA extended, maybe you could come by a few of those?

Otherwise, Sunwayman has a new light coming soon, the R20A, which has similar output to an E03 on alkalines, but I don't know where the price will be. The form of the R20A looks similar to a 2xAA mag light, a pretty good shape for a house light.