Advice on buying torch please.

Hello everyone.

I stumbled across this forum while searching for a torch and found it to be an excellent resource with a great community.

I was looking for a torch for my family in Pakistan, and when I found this forum I kept wanting the more expensive torches. I finally decided to sign up and ask your advice.

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light? doesn't matter as long as it can be obtained from the UK.
2) Budget: 50USD
3) Format: I want a flashlight.
4) Flashlight-specific format/size: Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
5) Emitter/Light source: LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
6) What battery type do you want to use?
7) What battery type do you want to use? I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn)

My family are from Pakistan, and in our village we lose power a lot - at least once a day without question. The flashlight would be used as a source of light to see where you are going etc. It will not be used for small tasks such as reading etc.

It needs to be durable and it may be dropped once or twice. Considering the average salary per month for a manual worker is about 35 USD, this would be a big investment and would like the torch to last long term.

In terms of battery life, spare batteries can be charged and kept handy.

I look forward to your replies,

(this is making me want to buy a torch for myself also!)

Thank you.

i would suggest you looking for something in general battery type.. powered by two AA batteries. easy battery to find all over the world. (and if thinking rechargable.. look at low sefl discharge nimh batteries like sanyo eneloops.. they will hold their charge for months) it should be simple to use, one or two mode light (low/high), but in very dark you only need the lower settings only.. eyes adjust. fenix makes good lights like e21 might fit your budget well. or the ld25. other brand to think of is the 4sevens but they might just creep up over your budget.. the mini 2AA is under it, and that is very easy light to use, twist on and off kind. (the fenix has clicky button to turn them on) led lenser p5 or p6 are also one option. they do offer output that will not die down at once like the 4sevens and fenix lights do (they burn as long as the battery can supply the power at almost maximum output.. led lenser just dims gradually like old incan lights did) and i believe these all are available in UK too. (fenix and led lenser are for sure)

sad thing is that the long term bullet proof lights are hard to find in this price cathegory. these will last ok but they still do have electronics that may fail (compared to simple old light bulb models of the past) led gives higer output and better runtimes at that output than old incandencent lights but they also have more pieces that may fail. that said.. my few years old fenix and 4sevens lights have been used and abused alot and they have never failed me yet. so i do trust them myself.

it is rather hard to offer an light that might be considered an "lifeline" for someone, and that when to us it sounds reasonable price and to them its whole months salary. difficult task indeed. (maybe thats why no one else had answered you yet.. doing their research and then giving options.. mine are hopefully just a start.. )

this said.. any new and modern ledlight of any decent quality will simply suprise people with its power and output if they have never seen one before. (old 4D maglite incan cant compete with output of single AAA light anymore. it may run longer time (slowly dimming) and is built stronger.. but the finger sized flashlight is just brighter by good margin.

good luck with your search.

edit: idea.. for your parents.. have you considered an headlamp instead.. its more convinient to be used around the house or doing tasks.. leaving both hands free. led lenser makes those too.

I would suggest a Maglite 2AA LED style of light for low cost and ease of battery sourcing (both primary and rechargable) - you could get 2 for your budget. This light would get the job done - it doesn't sound like you need something fancy with millions of modes etc - just something that works....

Link: http://www.maglite.com/AA_Cell_LED.asp

Good luck,

James....

If the LED Maglites still have an incandescent bulb as backup nowadays, that would be handy should the LED or driver circuit fail for some unknown reason. I know that this sort of failure is unlikely but still possible. Spares availability is probably better for Maglites compared to other torches in the same price range too.

Thank you for your replies.

I shall take this into consideration and make a decision.

On the other hand, I am going to start the search to find the perfect flashlight for myself - I have a wealth of resources to explore here!

jimmy1970 said:

I would suggest a Maglite 2AA LED style of light for low cost and ease of battery sourcing (both primary and rechargable) - you could get 2 for your budget. This light would get the job done - it doesn't sound like you need something fancy with millions of modes etc - just something that works....

Link: http://www.maglite.com/AA_Cell_LED.asp

Good luck,

James....

Click to expand...

They are no low cost in Europe (in Spain at least).

.....

Check out the Inova X2. A good bit more solid than a Maglite, well made, and puts out a nice beam with a good mix of flood and throw. If you want to see what the beam looks like, search for "L4 beam shots", since the beams are pratically the same.

+1 for Fenix. They have a lot of great lights in AA and AAA format. E21, LD25, LD15, LD10, E05. The E series are the cheaper lights (although still reliable) The LD series usually have more modes and nicer lenses.

The E05 is a tiny 1 AAA light that still gives a surprising amount of light. I have one and I've gifted a couple. 4sevens.com has free international shipping and cpf8 coupon code gets you 8% off your order. The only thing about shipping to the UK is the VAT tax.

Go to UK ebay. Search for LED flashlight. Sort by price. Enter in price range. And enjoy the selection.
I do recommend common batteries, like AA. AAA might not provide enough power for lighting throughout the night. Rechargeables are an easy choice. Make sure that the battery charger is compatible with the electricity available in that area. And, you might be able to find a solar charger that can top off batteries every day as needed if sunshine is available during the day. Can't charge a battery if power is out. Search ebay for solar AA charger.

If you can't find eneloop AA rechargeable batteries, there are other options. I've used duracell and energizer low-self-discharge nimh batteries and have had no problems with them.

And, don't forget dealextreme, kaidomain, manafont..... You can get several AA flashlights, batteries, charger... all for $50.

Led lenser are your best bet,i would say they have a great selection of aaa or aa torches/flashlights.i take it your living in the UK as you call them torches the same as me,also your English is spot on
led lenser have a far better choice than maglite or any other in Europe,they're German built of great quality & the battery life is great.Most of the people are from the U.S on here & they don't get
original led lensers so they don't really talk about them much,but they're a very reliable light with spot to flood focus as well,
best of luck in your choice.:thumbsup:

Thanks for the nice hints!

I am looking for cheap, reliable and good flashlight as well.

Especialley the Fenix lights look very decent!