Best Cheap LED light?

[riffraff]

I agree. I had one that would consistently turn on when I didn't want it to, and drain the battery completely by the next time I wanted to use it.

They also only burn for about an hour, and after that--they just shut off without warning.

The only good thing I can say about Mag's LED lights is that they convinced me to start buying Fenix LED lights.

Mag essentially tried to retrofit their incandescent flashlights with LEDs. As a result, most (if not all) tend overheat and the LED goes into thermal-limiting (not enough heatsinking). So the LED ends up outputting about half the lumens it should be capable of.

There's a bunch of graphs showing this over at CPF .


To the OP: Personally, I like the Lumapower flashlights (I have the LumaHunter M1) but they may be over your price limit.

 

[ArchAngel]

Sam's was selling some at under 30 bucks for 2, don't know if they are still available but I know Pop bought some similar ones at Sam's just recently. They use AAA bateries and work great.

Sams Club now has a 4 watt, 120+ lumen model for sale in 2 packs for 28.95.
I think they have Cree emitters also. For the price point they are great. The only flashlight I own that beats it output wise is my Fenix TK 11, and that cost me 75.00.

 

[CL01]

Sams Club now has a 4 watt, 120+ lumen model for sale in 2 packs for 28.95.
I think they have Cree emitters also. For the price point they are great. The only flashlight I own that beats it output wise is my Fenix TK 11, and that cost me 75.00.

I bought the 2 pack 80 lumen light & one ended up breaking on me in short time. The other is still working. However, I picked up a 2 pack 3XAAA 150 lumen light at either Costco or Sam's Club & they're both working fine. I believe those 2 ran me $30, too. Not bad for the $ if you're looking for an inexpensive bright light.

 

[Old CW4]

I bought a little Dorsy headlamp at Sears a couple of years ago for about $9.00. It quickly became indispensable! It has three LEDs, is not super bright but does provide enough light to easily walk and do whatever at night when I go out to check on and feed livestock. Also great for doing mechanical work under a car/truck, doing something in a dark corner of the house, and so on. Uses three standard AAA cells and will light continuously for about 30 hours. Very small, light, and comfortable to wear.

 

[SilverFoxKnows]

River Rock Designs 0.5W LED runs on 2 AAA Alkaline or Lithium batteries for $9.50 at Target. Unbelievably nice for the money.

+1. I've had that exact light for two years. Brighter than you'd think for a .5W. Lasts longer on two AAA than the Inova Bolt (which really isn't that much brighter). The Inova X1 is a nice little light, though.

Frank

 

[YayILikePie]

I've got to second this suggestion. However, to add to it, I'd go with the shiningbeam version, since he replaces the P4 emitter with a Q5, outputting roughly 215 lumens. I love it so much. Only problem I've come across is that the threads could use some vaseline and that the black coating isn't as durable as other lights out there.

 

[6speed]

I like you don't want to spend $50.-- to $80.-- on these LED lights. I want a quality light with decent beam/run time and longevity for a reasonable price. I don't know if were there yet. In my research thus far I have found the following.

For a AAA lights either a Fenix EO1 $15.-- 10 lumens or the Streamlight Micostream $15.-- for 20 lumens. I ordered one it's a pen type with a clickie that will accept any AAA. Haven't received this one yet.

In 2 AA I will buy a Streamlight 2 AA LED for $18.-- that has 18 lumens. This light is safety rated and warranted in a plastic housing and runs any AA. Looks to be a decent light.

Wishes---I want AA and 2 AA lights that have two modes of operation-- low/12-18 lumens high/50-80 lumens. These should also use any AA have good run times and decent beams with quality construction. Price of $30.--to $35.-- is this reasonable?

 

[SIFU1A]

agreed,,,fenix are great knives,,

while they are pretty good lites, for the $$ the best lites imho, i dont know about the knives they have, i got one in a package deal a few yrs ago and wasnt real impressed, IIRC it was free though so the price was right anyway, i ended up giving the thing to me nephew FWIW and he loves it.

 

[GraysonK]

Sam's was selling some at under 30 bucks for 2, don't know if they are still available but I know Pop bought some similar ones at Sam's just recently. They use AAA bateries and work great.

I have this and it's awesome.

 

[tirod3]

The issue is availability, lumens, runtime, and number of LED's in the head. I view most multi LED lights as cheap ineffective junk sold to unknowledgeable consumers, and avoid them. Most of them seem to have poor amounts of light, no control of the beam, little throw, and just allow the marketer to use existing bodies out of a product range.

A good AA or AAA light is machined aluminum with anodizing. A single LED at least 1 Watt -Luxeon, Cree, or Nichia - will do in the mass market light. It should be identified as such on the clamshell packaging. Target has a great selection with Rock River and Inova, and seem dedicated to keeping them for awhile. Walmart is consistent with Maglight, and the LED conversions are finally here - about 2 years late. The Solitaire still isn't LED - but their lawyers are darned active to keep anyone else from doing it. Take that as a hint.

I recently picked up an Energizer 1 Watt AA that is really nice for less than $20. It's built by Nuwai and already discounted by Target. It's got a good working clip, a clicky tail cap, lanyard, heavy construction, good throw, a nice white beam with no artifacts or weird tint. I consider it better than the older 1.0 watt Inova.

LED's are changing so fast models don't stay on the marketplace for long. Take your best shot, live with it for a few years, and see what you like. Don't let the lumens game ruin your selection - they're already getting inflated, and high numbers equal no runtime. Lights in the 40-60 lumens range are more than enough for casual use at home, under hood, or on the trail, and at run at least an hour. A 125 lumen light becomes counter productive with it's short runtime and blinding output that ruins night vision for you and anyone within range. It's like hunting mice with a .454 magnum.

 

[Dave28210]

I'm looking for a very cheap but still decent quality LED light, I'd like to keep the price range under $30 (I'm looking to buy several) but I want something very bright as well. I was at wally world earlier today and saw a stack of these on the knife counter. the packaging claim 115 lumens and 6 hours runtime on 3 AAA's. is this a gross exaggeration or hyped marketing or what? the LED is a Cree Xlamp XR-E. does anyone have any personal experience with this light or perhaps that particular LED? if you have any other reccomendations for a decent light under $30 or so feel free to toss those around as well, thanks guys.

Edit: forgot to mention that I'd prefer something that runs on AA or AAA with as long as run time as possible, thx

I got a coleman LED at wally world, claimed 75 lumens for 8 hours, and they weren't lying. Not bad for 18 bucks at a big box superstore. On top of that a 1 year warranty, plus blue and red lenses for tracking blood and playing ninja, respectively.