Looking for a bad ass flashlight, less then $40

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: vi edit
Yeh, I've got a G2 as well. Incredibly bright and has an excellent "throw distance" for all the bigger it is. Plus it's virtually indestructable. But if you turn it on and leave it on I think you only get about 20 minutes of use out of it. So it's a compromise.

LED will have better battery life, but I haven't seen one yet that has the throw of a traditional bulb. They work okay as flood lights from a few feet away, but they just sort of fall apart after that.

[edit] I'm thinking 20 minutes is the burn time for the upgraded bulb. Regular bulb is around 50 minutes)

Does that mean that you need to replace the batteries after 20 minutes, or the bulbs?

The batteries. I have a nitrolon G2 with the HO lamp, it is ridiculously bright for its size but eats batteries like candy. I love handing it to the uninitiated, their first reaction is always to point it at their face & turn it on. 5 minutes later when their vision returns to normal they are always amazed at how bright it is. At $1.50 a battery it's $9 an hour to run with the HO lamp.

There are lots of good options available in the 2xCR123 category. If I had to pick one of mine for use like the OP described I'd say the Inova XO3. It produces usable light for a very long time, & is reasonably bright with a fresh set of batteries. It's not the blinding output of the G2 HO but it's a great light.

Viper GTS

 

[adairusmc]

Surefire G2

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: mugs
I'm sure people will recommend the Surefire G2. It's a great flashlight, and it's right in your price range. I have one, and I love it. But I won't recommend it for you, because you're not a flashlight snob. Instead I will recommend the Brinkman Maxfire LX. It's a knock-off of the G2.

The main differences:
- The Brinkman only costs $16 at Target
- Replacing the bulb in the G2 requires replacement of a whole assembly that costs ~$15 IIRC. I haven't looked for replacement bulbs for my Maxfires, but you can buy the whole flashlight for the same price as the G2's bulb assembly
- The Brinkman is slightly lower quality
- The Brinkman has a clicky switch; the G2 has a twisty switch. Clicky switches might fail after excessive use.

They both have pretty much the same output, and they use the same batteries. Get the Brinkman and a supply of batteries (I get mine from batterystation.com)

I have a G2 (and a G3), but I have about 5 of the Brinkman Maxfire LXs. They're cheap enough to buy to keep around the house and in each car, etc.

Review of the Brinkman:
http://flashlightreviews.com/r...rinkmann_maxfirelx.htm

And the G2:
http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_g2.htm

i wonder how these compare to the dorcy spider light ive had for several years...

 

[CRXican]

I was going to get the G2 until I saw the black didn't come with the nitrlon housing anymore. I opted for the P6 as I didn't need a "tactical" setting. So far so good.

 

[The_Dude8]

get a flashlight that uses AA batteries, since the G2 and the brinkman use the special kind of batteries, replacement batteries could be expensive.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: The_Dude8
get a flashlight that uses AA batteries, since the G2 and the brinkman use the special kind of batteries, replacement batteries could be expensive.

That is worth considering, though 123s can he had inexpensively online. Batterystation.com has a deal for Candlepowerforums members - 50 for $50 or $1.25 apiece. 123s have a few advantages over alkaline batteries. They're 3v as opposed to 1.5v for alkalines, and they have a 10 year shelf life. To achieve the same output a flashlight would require either more AAs or reduced runtime.

Definitely, definitely do not buy 123s from a big box store like Target or Walmart. They charge ~$5 apiece. :Q

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: The_Dude8
get a flashlight that uses AA batteries, since the G2 and the brinkman use the special kind of batteries, replacement batteries could be expensive.

That is worth considering, though 123s can he had inexpensively online. Batterystation.com has a deal for Candlepowerforums members - 50 for $50 or $1.25 apiece. 123s have a few advantages over alkaline batteries. They're 3v as opposed to 1.5v for alkalines, and they have a 10 year shelf life. To achieve the same output a flashlight would require either more AAs or reduced runtime.

Definitely, definitely do not buy 123s from a big box store like Target or Walmart. They charge ~$5 apiece. :Q

Are there any good flashlights out there that run off of alkalines in that price range? I'd like to buy 2, one would be going to my parents. I worry that they might not have the right batteries around in the time of an emergency (and they'd lose whatever I give them)...

 

[Papagayo]

This is a badass flashlight!!

It's waterproof, multifunctional, and fits on your keychain..

 

[thepd7]

Maglite LED was $28 at Walmart and works great. I love Maglite's for their durability.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: The_Dude8
get a flashlight that uses AA batteries, since the G2 and the brinkman use the special kind of batteries, replacement batteries could be expensive.

That is worth considering, though 123s can he had inexpensively online. Batterystation.com has a deal for Candlepowerforums members - 50 for $50 or $1.25 apiece. 123s have a few advantages over alkaline batteries. They're 3v as opposed to 1.5v for alkalines, and they have a 10 year shelf life. To achieve the same output a flashlight would require either more AAs or reduced runtime.

Definitely, definitely do not buy 123s from a big box store like Target or Walmart. They charge ~$5 apiece. :Q

Are there any good flashlights out there that run off of alkalines in that price range? I'd like to buy 2, one would be going to my parents. I worry that they might not have the right batteries around in the time of an emergency (and they'd lose whatever I give them)...

I have these two:
http://www.amazon.com/Dorcy-Wa...qid=1234557588&sr=8-12
They're metal, and they feel solid. They're VERY bright for their size. Only problem is that they use AAA batteries, not AAs. A lot of midrange compact flashlights use AAAs as an alternative to 123s, because you can fit 4.5v into a space smaller than a C cell. Unfortunately on a $/watt-hour basis, you'll pay more for AAAs than AAs.

I bought my set of those two lights at Costco for ~$30 in October. If you go that route, you might as well pick up a pack of Kirkland AAAs (I think they finally started making AAAs). Kirklands are comparable to Duracells; they're good quality generic batteries.

(The big one takes 6 AAAs and the small one takes 3 AAAs; give the small one to your parents and keep the big one for yourself. )

 

[Kwatt]

I like this one Streamlight 3C

The price Here is a little less than ~ $ 40. NOTE I have not bought from this place! The link is at the bottom of the review site.

I won 4 of them in a drawing but if buying I would consider them.
They cast a good beam and the batteries last well.

Streamlight also make AA lights. If you are looking for something smaller.

I also keep one of those cheap shaky - shaky LED lights in the vehicle so I don't have to worry about batteries. The shake lights are only good for a last ditch effort across a very,very narrow ditch.

 

[takeru]

Originally posted by: Kwatt
I like this one Streamlight 3C

The price Here is a little less than ~ $ 40. NOTE I have not bought from this place! The link is at the bottom of the review site.

I won 4 of them in a drawing but if buying I would consider them.
They cast a good beam and the batteries last well.

Streamlight also make AA lights. If you are looking for something smaller.

I also keep one of those cheap shaky - shaky LED lights in the vehicle so I don't have to worry about batteries. The shake lights are only good for a last ditch effort across a very,very narrow ditch.

i have the streamlight 4AA 1watt luxeon. i use 4 nimh AA batteries in there, so no need to buy batteries for a very long time, its a nice size too, since its not that long, and has a lifetime warranty.

 

[merlocka]

Dealextreme lights are often good value, but the quality is often hit-or miss. A couple of the CPF favored lights would be SKU 9741 (a classic, but uses CR123 or 18650 batteries) or SKU 13977 (or the older 4568 version). The 13977 is a good value/performer in a 2xAA size.

There are many good lights at Target. I don't think they carry the Brinkmann mentioned above, they clearanced them out a while ago and every CPF nut bough a dozen at $8.

Overall, battery choice is pretty key. I would avoid 3xAAA lights, in general. The single AA or 2xAA lights are popular general purpose, and batteries are easy to come buy. But if you are a performance nut, you will start to see the advantages of the CR123 / Lithium / LiIon formats.

The streamlight mentioned above is a great reliable light, although the LED used is a bit behind the output/efficiency of some of the newer CREE/SSC units.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: merlocka
There are many good lights at Target. I don't think they carry the Brinkmann mentioned above, they clearanced them out a while ago and every CPF nut bough a dozen at $8.

Shit :| I would have been all over that.

Yeah I meant to mention that the River Rock brand that Target sells is quite good; they're generally in the $10-30 range, and many use alkaline batteries.

 

[paulney]

OP is looking for a bad ass-flashlight.

Let me see what I can do for you!

 

[lokiju]

Fenix has some really good lights for the $50 mark.

 

[Muse]

I scored a slew of Luxeons at Costco on sale. Copped 6 double packs 4 years ago. They use 2 AA's. Bright enough for most of the things I use a flashlight for:

Luxeon "1 watt". approx. 100,000 hours L.E.D. life. Shatter-resistant lens, water-resistant, impact-resistant, machined aluminum body, made in China. ITM./ART.662244, UPC 00006 62244, has sticker saying W-334-5-3.

They were regularly for $30/pair and I got them at $13/pair.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: vi edit
Are you looking for retina burning brightness, but at cost of battery life, or "ok" brightness but longer burn times?

Well, I've been exploring a lot of un-lit basements lately (looking for a new home, mostly foreclosures), so decent battery life between charges would be nice, but bright enough to fill a room would be nice.. so that I can scare away the rats, honestly!

I use the Stanley tri-pod flashlight for plumbing in crawl spaces, and what-not. Handles like a regular, or hands free. Uses 9 AA's, with a switch for low, medium, or high. LED's, seems to have a long battery life.
<---------- Looks at your post count :shocked:

 

[The_Dude8]

OP, get this light for $50

http://www.zebralight.com/inde...t_info&products_id=183

It uses a single AA battery and it's very small enough and bright enough; you can use as a headlamp for running or hiking as night also.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: mugs
A Mag-Lite is a great flashlight to have.

If you want to bludgeon someone.

exactly

 

[d33pt]

Go to home depot and get the 4watt LED 2D Husky. It's pretty badass. 200 lumens. Just got one. The 2 pack Maglight 3W LED at costco is not bad either for $30. I just picked that up too. The husky was $25. I'm kind of a flashlight addict myself.

 

[ultimatebob]

I like my Surefire G2... I got it with a flashlight attachment for my rifle, but it also comes in handy when looking for lost pets!

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: vi edit
Yeh, I've got a G2 as well. Incredibly bright and has an excellent "throw distance" for all the bigger it is. Plus it's virtually indestructable. But if you turn it on and leave it on I think you only get about 20 minutes of use out of it. So it's a compromise.

LED will have better battery life, but I haven't seen one yet that has the throw of a traditional bulb. They work okay as flood lights from a few feet away, but they just sort of fall apart after that.

[edit] I'm thinking 20 minutes is the burn time for the upgraded bulb. Regular bulb is around 50 minutes)

Does that mean that you need to replace the batteries after 20 minutes, or the bulbs?

The batteries. I have a nitrolon G2 with the HO lamp, it is ridiculously bright for its size but eats batteries like candy. I love handing it to the uninitiated, their first reaction is always to point it at their face & turn it on. 5 minutes later when their vision returns to normal they are always amazed at how bright it is. At $1.50 a battery it's $9 an hour to run with the HO lamp.

There are lots of good options available in the 2xCR123 category. If I had to pick one of mine for use like the OP described I'd say the Inova XO3. It produces usable light for a very long time, & is reasonably bright with a fresh set of batteries. It's not the blinding output of the G2 HO but it's a great light.

Viper GTS

Hahah, I love doign that with my fenix's. I use AW RCR123's though, so I let them blind themselves as much as they want.

I say OP, spend another couple of bucks and get a fenix. I love my P1d, P2d, P3d and TK10.

www.fenix-store.com

The Nitecore PD D10 is really nice too. I've been thinking about getting one...

https://www.4sevens.com/produc...ath=93&products_id=709

 

[pontifex]

I'm no flashlight snob and really don't know much about them, but I really like the Fenix I got. I think I paid about 60 or 70 or it though. They do have cheaper models.

i got the P3d CE Premium Q5.

one thing i don't like is that it can get super hot.

I kept it in my front pocket while a work. one day it must have turned on by accident and i was sitting at my desk and my leg started to itch and feel warm. i took the flashlight out and i couldn't hold it, thats how hot it was.

 

[d33pt]

i have a fenix p3d too! see what i mean by addicted? that's another great light. 100 lumens from something the size if your finger is awesome.