Good budget flashlight brand

MattyLav

MattyLav

Joined
Jun 28, 2012
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Also im wondering if the fenix e21 is any good. I don't have a big budget for lights so any inexpensive light brand recommendations would be very helpful. I've heard of terralux lights, are they any good? Im looking for higher lumen lights in the $20 to $30 range. I'm also looking for something durable, and something reliable. If you have encountered a certain brand please say a little something. Thanks so much.
Thanks for any help. :)
 
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I just started carrying a 2AA Mini MagLite Pro (LED) this past week at work. It replaced the original Led version they came out with a few years ago. I paid less than $20 for it at one of the big home improvement chains right before Christmas. I think its rated for 226 Lumens. It is significantly brighter than the original LED model. I like them because they run on AA batteries and my company provides those batteries. I think the normal price is just under $23 at Home Depot. It includes batteries and a nylon belt sheath.

This is a single mode light...on/off using the original method of twisting the head. Like the original Mini MagLite, the twisting provides some adjustment of the light pattern.

John
 
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High lumens, low price, and sensible don't really go well together. It's easy to get caught up in the lumens war, but as most people get more into flashlights they seem to focus on other features instead. You'd be surprised at how much you can do with just a few lumens when it's really dark, and you'll save a lot of battery life by using less power too. The cheap lights with high lumens aren't built to last as much, they'll sacrifice everything just to get a higher lumen count to advertise (even if it means using inadequate circuitry or dangerously overdrawing the batteries).

The best value I've ever encountered in flashlights is the Fenix E01. It's plenty bright for what I need to do, has great runtimes, and is durable (someone threw theirs off a 5 story building and it still worked fine). For a larger and brighter light, I've been impressed with the Solarforce L2P host. I run a Malkoff dropin in mine, which would go over your budget, but you can use a cheaper dropin until you want to upgrade, and still have a light you don't regret buying.
 
Overall I like Fenix although they are certainly not made as well as Surefire or even Streamlight.

Surefire, Streamlight, Pelican and Inova are the better brands, you can check to see if they have any models that you can afford.

Below that I would recommend the old standby of maglite. I got into LED lights a long time ago and Mag was looked down upon because they didn't make any, and then when they did put LED's into the D-cell models there were issues with their design that the purists objected to. However their lights are good economical solutions for the average person, and widely available. I think the standard 2AA minimag LED is a pretty good light for the average person, but they make a model called the mini mag pro that has brightness rivaling the more expensive lights. And they make newer models such as the XL50 I think that are modern light designs with good LED's and with electronic circuits and multiple light output modes. And these are reasonably priced too.

Another economical solution is to buy an old 2AA minimag for cheap and then buy the Terralux dropin for it. I have one of these and it rivals my more expensive Fenix.

There are cheaper LED lights that use 3 AAA batteries but don't have electronics (meaning they don't have multiple output modes). These are very cheap because they are so simple tomake, but without electronics they are not able to maintain the voltage going to the LED as the batteries age and they eventually can't maintain brightness. They are OK if you really have a low budget but you will replace batteries much more often.
 
Streamlight is really hard to beat, they make some great stuff for the money.
 
Go on one of the BIG auction websites and search--"18650". I have 2 18650 300 lumen Cree lights that I paid less than $20 each with 2 batteries and chargers.
 
Rominsen lights are a very good deal and are very bright. I had given those away to countless nonflashaholics and they all love them.
 
There was one company that I picked up three 200 lumen LED lights AAA for twenty bucks. It was Lumen Master if I recall correctly. Excellent lights. All metal construction decent run time.
 
You can get a solarforce body like this one HERE and a 880 lumen drop in like THIS ONE for around $30
Very good light, reliable and super bright and various accessories are available.
 
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Costco usually has a "three pak" of lights of 150-250 lumens for about $15. Not the best overall, but well worth $5 each.
 
I bought a Fenix E21 for my sister approx. 1.5 years ago. I liked the fact that it had just had a high and low mode - multiple brightness levels and modes like strobes are a bit much for most people, especially the non-flashaholics. It's also easy to switch between the modes. She doesn't use it as heavily as I use some of my own lights but it does see frequent use and it seems to be holding up without any problems so far. The walls are relatively thick for a flashlight in this price range and it seems to be fairly water resistant (I never used it in heavy rains though). The "low" mode is more like a "medium" mode for me - I would prefer a mode a little lower in brightness, but that's a personal preference. I'm pretty happy with the purchase overall.

btw: the switch protrudes a bit so it's easy to actuate but it won't "tailstand" - not sure if that's an issue for you..

MattyLav said:
How is the Fenix E21?
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Not sure I can remember the manufacturer. I think it started with a P. Double lights heavy duty plastic (maybe unbreakable not sure) and a very nice wrist strap. This is a beauty.

1871_front_detail.jpg
 
MattyLav said:
Also im wondering if the fenix e21 is any good. I don't have a big budget for lights so any inexpensive taclight brand recommendations would be very helpful. I've heard of terralux lights, are they any good? Im looking for higher lumen lights in the $20 to $30 range. I'm also looking for something durable, and something reliable. If you have encountered a certain brand please say a little something. Thanks so much.
Thanks for any help. :)
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Fenix is great, but if you want a cheaper flashlight, I can introduce it to you. I tried Nitecore, Convoy S2 + and a bunch of cheap flashlights. By far, my favorite is actually the cheapest J5 (about $15). 300 lumens, compact and easy to carry.
 
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