Recommendations for compact bright light under $100 for rainforest

hardrock · Apr 10, 2017

Hello,
im looking for a recommendation for a LED flashlight to use for nighttime hikes on an upcoming rainforest trip. I'd like to keep it under $125. My only needs are that it's bright, and won't drain batteries every hour( of if it does, a model that has easily replaceable batteries) I'm not looking for any other features as it will never really be used except for vacations.

i know this is very broad and there will be 100 different recommendations but I don't even know where to start.

thanks in advance

snowlover91 · Apr 10, 2017

What type of batteries do you prefer to use? 18650 will probably give the best balance of compact size and runtime. A light like the Zebralight SC62w may be a good option as it's compact, durable, under $70 and takes both protected and unprotected 18650 cells. One of the best 18650 lights under $100 imo, and compact.

hardrock · Apr 10, 2017

I have no preference to battery type as long as I can bring them in my luggage on the trip.

Stainz · Apr 10, 2017

If you want a well made compact light, I can suggest the US-made Surefire Titan Ultra. It runs on 1 x AAA - preferably Panasonic Eneloop Pro NimH (0.9 A-hr) cells. You can buy the light, 4 cells, and a charger for your $130. Mine was a keeper for nearly a year, at least until it found a new home Saturday night. I'm 68 and have a bunch of flashlights - that is my first lost one. It runs for an hour or more on high - which is 300L; two hours plus on medium (75L); and 8 hr on low (15L) - and that will keep you from walking into a tree! It is nickel plated brass construction with a removable pocket clip and detachable keychain.

Timothybil · Apr 10, 2017

How long is your trip going to be?
How long do you think you will be using your light every night?
How far out do you want to be able to see?
Do you want a lot of flood or just the spill from a thrower?
Are you going to have access to power?
Would solar be an option for recharging your cells?
Are these going to be solo excursions or will there be others/a group with a guide?
Will you be taking a cell phone/tablet? How are you going to power it/them?
Is this a pleasure trip, or a working one?

Those are the things I would want to know before making any recommendations, and I'm sure most of the others would too. I know you may not have answers for every question, but best guesses/plans would be helpful as well.

Remember, Two is One, and One is None. I would really want a second light along just in case anything happens to my main light. Murphy is real, and can sometimes be a real pain in the ***. A Nitecore TIP would be a good choice for a secondary or even tertiary light. It could be bright enough, but wouldn't have the run time to be a primary light.

If possible, a high CRI light would be a plus due to its better color rendition - I am sure that a rain forest can be very colorful, even at night, and the better the color rendition, the better the appreciation.

hardrock · Apr 10, 2017

Timothybil said:
How long is your trip going to be?
How long do you think you will be using your light every night?
How far out do you want to be able to see?
Do you want a lot of flood or just the spill from a thrower?
Are you going to have access to power?
Would solar be an option for recharging your cells?
Are these going to be solo excursions or will there be others/a group with a guide?
Will you be taking a cell phone/tablet? How are you going to power it/them?
Is this a pleasure trip, or a working one?

Those are the things I would want to know before making any recommendations, and I'm sure most of the others would too. I know you may not have answers for every question, but best guesses/plans would be helpful as well.

Remember, Two is One, and One is None. I would really want a second light along just in case anything happens to my main light. Murphy is real, and can sometimes be a real pain in the ***. A Nitecore TIP would be a good choice for a secondary or even tertiary light. It could be bright enough, but wouldn't have the run time to be a primary light.

If possible, a high CRI light would be a plus due to its better color rendition - I am sure that a rain forest can be very colorful, even at night, and the better the color rendition, the better the appreciation.

i can most definitely answer those questions. The trip will be 7 nights. We will be out from about 7pm to 3am every night looking for animals. I will also have a headlamp but I'd like to be able to see up in trees maybe 10-15 feet brightly.. I don't need to see a quarter mile in front of me. I'm not sure what spill from a thrower means but it would be nice to have concentrated light up close and more flood further away. We will have access to electricity so charging batteries is a viable option. I am not sure about solar just because I don't know how much light is blocked by the foliage he where we are staying. There are 3 of us and 2 guides who do this for a living. Both of the guides carry 3200 lumen lupine units with battery packs and flashlights.. they do this all the time so they won't be taking us far enough away from camp where we will have the chance of being stuck out there. No tablet but we have outlets in the building we are staying in. This is a pleasure trip, and the flashlight will never be used in normal day life as I have no use for one outside of this trip.

TMedina · Apr 10, 2017

The "spill from a thrower" means that the flashlight typically has a bright beam with a "hotspot", like a spotlight. The "spill" is the ambient light around the hotspot, enough to give you an idea what's around, but not as bright as the hotspot.

Compared to a "flood" flashlight that's just one large wall of light.

TMedina · Apr 10, 2017

If you happen to remember, I think we'd like to see pictures of what flashlights the guides are using - as we're a bunch of flashlight enthusiasts.

Are you in the US, flying out of the country? Which is my assumption, but it's always better to clarify beforehand. That might limit some of your options in terms of batteries.

hardrock · Apr 10, 2017

TMedina said:
If you happen to remember, I think we'd like to see pictures of what flashlights the guides are using - as we're a bunch of flashlight enthusiasts.

Are you in the US, flying out of the country? Which is my assumption, but it's always better to clarify beforehand. That might limit some of your options in terms of batteries.

haha I'll have to ask them but their headlights were so bright I think that was their primary light and the flashlights were just secondary. I am in the US and will be flying to Ecuador.

TMedina · Apr 10, 2017

Tough one. Looking over airline restrictions, you are somewhat limited in what you can take. (https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...fo/media/Airline_passengers_and_batteries.pdf)

My first thought was a Malkoff MD2 with a Neutral or Warm drop-in, but that's bumping right into your budget, not counting buying an 18650 or two, plus recharger.

I don't know what kind of batteries are commonly available in Ecuador, but I wouldn't count on CR123s being all that common, or cheap.

Which leaves us with something in AA, C, or D. The usual suspects: a Maglite in 2D, ML25LT also looks good (3 C batteries) - both are simple, single modes with good run times. But also large and heavy.

In AA, you have: the Fenix E20 (2015) model, the Olight S2A. Both are multi-modes, which can be useful - but not my first choice if I'm going into a jungle looking for animals.

The EagleTac P20A2 is a little pricey, but it's small(ish), runs on 2 AA batteries, has either a high or low mode, selectable by bezel twist.

defusion · Apr 10, 2017

In the document listed by TMedina I dont really see any issues with batteries, since you are allowed to bring spares as carry-on.

If you dont plan on using it for more than 7 days, I would not invest in chargers and 18650 batteries. I would suggest a light that runs on either one or two CR123's, and bring enough to cover the trip.
(ps. Consider buying a desirable brand/model due to resale value, and sell it here once you're done with it. Might give you a bit more flexibility budget wise)
Also consider matching battery type between headlamp and flashlight, whichever type you happen to choose.

For the ranges you have in mind you don't need extremely high lumen figures. You might want to get something with a nice tint and high CRI (color rendition) though.

INFRNL · Apr 10, 2017

This thread opened up a can of worms, but the op is expecting that. I think a zebralight would be a good budget minded light that would cover your needs and provides really good runtimes and easy to use and access all of the output levels. I'd recommend the SC600 MKIII HI in neutral

Or as mentioned match the cells to what your headlamp has. If you don't already have a head lamp, you could even get a zebra light headlamp that would also double as a right angle flashlight, killing 2 birds with 1 stone. there will be endless options. I personally think 18650 cells will give you the longets runtimes without worry and will provide you with a bunch of options for light brightness; which would be very beneficial in the rainforest.

Best of luck and have a great time on your trip

Also scope out the fo rsale section as you could save a bit which would fit in with your requirements. there are some good zebralights in the fs section among others

NPL · Apr 10, 2017

I would consider a Convoy flashlight to complement the headlamp.

You can get a custom built triple with higher CRI for around 70$. Zebralights are always a great choice and have a fantastic user interface.

http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=80&product_id=825

hardrock · Apr 10, 2017

INFRNL said:
This thread opened up a can of worms, but the op is expecting that. I think a zebralight would be a good budget minded light that would cover your needs and provides really good runtimes and easy to use and access all of the output levels. I'd recommend the SC600 MKIII HI in neutral

Or as mentioned match the cells to what your headlamp has. If you don't already have a head lamp, you could even get a zebra light headlamp that would also double as a right angle flashlight, killing 2 birds with 1 stone. there will be endless options. I personally think 18650 cells will give you the longets runtimes without worry and will provide you with a bunch of options for light brightness; which would be very beneficial in the rainforest.

Best of luck and have a great time on your trip

Also scope out the fo rsale section as you could save a bit which would fit in with your requirements. there are some good zebralights in the fs section among others

I appreciate it...zebralight looks like a great option for both the headlamp and flashlight, now I just need to the find the models listed in stock. I think one of the cheap-o LED lights I got on amazon uses a 18650 cell, so I have a single battery charger already as well. Time to head off to the FS section and see what I can find.

TMedina · Apr 10, 2017

If you're already good for an 18650, you might consider picking up a Malkoff MD2 and a Neutral or Warm drop-in. It'll bump the end of your budget, but buy the parts from Malkoff directly and I imagine he'd be willing to assemble the flashlight with the drop-in for you.

Best part, the warm or neutral beam will bring out the colors so much better.

Either way, have a great trip!

snowlover91 · Apr 10, 2017

If you go the 18650 route, be sure to use some good quality cells like the 18650ga or something similar. Zebralights need something that can handle the higher amp draw and inferior batteries can cause issues. I would definitely recommend something like the MK3 HI, it will give you much better throw and has a good balance of spill and a nice hot spot. The color temp and cri on it is also quite good. Bringing 2 spare 18650 cells along will get you through each night easily, just make sure they're in a case protected from water and other things to prevent any safety issues/venting risks.

INFRNL · Apr 10, 2017

I would have said malkoff too but that's getting up to far on budget, unless he skips the high/low ring. But then he is limited to roughly 160lm(m61NL)or 300lm(m61N) but both would provide great runtime.

I'm currently working on a runtime test on the 160lm m61nl on ncr18650ga panasonic/sanyo and i got 10hrs of full output, then slow gradual decline in output. I'm at 12hrs and it still has enough output to get around (roughly 100lm)

I recommend a zebralight cause it will give him at least 6 different output levels up to 1126lm down to moonlight.
The sc600 mk3 HI neutral on the same cell will provide 2.25hrs continuous on max. If he chooses a lower level for normal use looking around for animals and what not, he should get really good runtimes as well.

The malkoff if kept in great shape will bring most of his money back if he decides to sell it, not sure about the zebralight

Way too many options and good lights to choose from

TMedina said:
If you're already good for an 18650, you might consider picking up a Malkoff MD2 and a Neutral or Warm drop-in. It'll bump the end of your budget, but buy the parts from Malkoff directly and I imagine he'd be willing to assemble the flashlight with the drop-in for you.

Best part, the warm or neutral beam will bring out the colors so much better.

Either way, have a great trip!

Woods Walker · Apr 11, 2017

I would get an Armytek Wizard (not pro but standard version) in "Warm" aka NW or Fenix HP12 unless you really needed commonly available primaries like AAs.

hardrock · Apr 11, 2017

Lots of good recommendations. I like that the zebralight can be taken off and used as a handheld as well as a headlamp. The malkoffs look nice, but there are so many options and different configurations. They are deff more money but could be justified if I'd be able to get the money mostly back after the week.

snowlover91 · Apr 11, 2017

hardrock said:
Lots of good recommendations. I like that the zebralight can be taken off and used as a handheld as well as a headlamp. The malkoffs look nice, but there are so many options and different configurations. They are deff more money but could be justified if I'd be able to get the money mostly back after the week.

Zebralights also will be easily sold, anytime they pop up here on the board they usually sell for close to what was paid unless its an older model. I wouldn't go for Armytek though as I've seen quite a few reliability and QC issues with them. Malkoff is rock solid and a good option if you want to go that route as well.

Recommendations for compact bright light under $100 for rainforest

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