"Cheap" flashlight recommendation

"Geek" was not meant to be derogatory in the least. It's just that I (and most people) aren't "flashlight geeks." "Gun geeks" is another matter entirely!
I bought quite a few lights from several different manufacturers AFTER I found the DeLight to make sure there wasn't something better in a reasonable price range. I have "sorted" the suppliers, and personally test each light that I ship.
There are lights that are better in several ways-waterproof, weapon-mountable, and probably brighter.
But sorting through them yourself can get expensive (I have flashlights everywhere, that I WON'T sell.)
So, Old Bill has done the sorting for most folks, and by putting my name and guarantee on them I hope I have done a service to those who need a light. I had absolutely no intention of getting in the flashlight business, but I found a great product at a reasonable price and decided to offer them.
 
My two most recent flashlight purchases are among my favorites (I probably have way too many flashlights.) They were each about $20:

  1. Rayovac "HighBeam". 3W LED, 2AA batteries, aluminum housing. Perfect for carrying in a coat pocket.
  2. Energizer "Intrinsically Safe Mine Safety Flashlight" (model MS2DLED). 1W LED, 2D batteries, plastic housing. This is the one that stays in my truck. The orange housing is starting to fade; the yellow model just like it (IN2DLED) might have been a better choice. Or maybe I just shouldn't have left it on the dashboard in the summer sun :rolleyes: http://www.brightguy.com/products/Energizer_Industrial_1_Watt_LED_Flashlight_IN2DLED.php
 
Form Factor

The DeLight is on sale for...They are all the light most people need. They are brighter than most high end lights, have great battery life, and have a focusable beam.
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If you visit the Candle Power Forum there are literally 100s of lights to choose from. Choose wisely.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=222462

Flashlights these days are like computers obsolete the day they hit the market, and have been in development for months. Brighter, more features, longer operation, adjustable output to match the job and are less money in some cases.

LED lights require regulation circuits, which in turn offer intensity (output) adjustability. Some are designed prone to flood, some more to spot. Some have tailcaps allowing them to standup and light a room.
Some are crenelated (jagged edges) and can serve as defensive weapons. Some have momentary on (pulsed capable) switches which can temporarily blind an adversary allowing flight or a defensive advantage.

Compact EDC lights (every day carry lights) are not much larger than the battery which powers them. Light rating (wars) should be based on what they deliver out the front (OTF) in lumens.

If you have never had a light that delivers 175 lumens or better in a form factor of two inches for around $39 delivered (and a lifetime warranty) your are paying too much or being short changed from a performance basis.

Lights are like knives, handguns, rifles, shotguns etc. there is no such thing as one that does everything and likely you will end up owning more than one. And they are improving monthly. But don't let that stop you from purchasing.

BTW most better lights these days have a brand of LED made by a company called Cree. Cree emitters, they are called. Kind of like Intel Inside. Cree dominates and is a market leader in low power/high output.

Just one user's opinion. Not a flashlight geek but an educated consumer.
 
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Don't Bother

You can get an after market push button upgrade for MiniMags. Usually found in the same area as the flashlight. I have one but now I forget what I paid, but it does work.
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I did the "upgrade" LED head and tailcap switch. Waste of money. Keep it as it is or junk it.

I lived with Maglights for years, but I'm sure glad 150 other lights came along and made them an non entity.
 
call me old fashioned but my favorite flashlites are the big everready 6 volt lights and anything from maglite. recently i have picked up a few small led flashlites sitting on the checkout counter at autozone 2/$5.00. these work well also.

I have tried a couple of the super zoom tacktikool flashlites and they have all been a disappointment. poor battery life, blown bulbs, shorting out causing the body of the light to get hot. now people have told me i just need to buy more expensive units. i think to myself if i have problems with a $30 to $60 unit why in the hell would i spend more money.
 
call me old fashioned
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Yer old fashioned!:D The last 5 years have brought incredible jumps in LED technology. The Mag and Lanterns are truly dinosaurs. It's too back since an American company could retool and compete with the quad-die guys and offer an updated icon that I'd rather own. Bill's torch might be a nice alternative.
 
The Mag and Lanterns are truly dinosaurs.
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Yes, except when they are modified by us flashlight geeks. Then you can have a Mag body with some putting out as much as a 1000 lumen's. But not the average guys cup pf tea.:)

One of my mods I like the best is my 2 "C" Mag modified for 3 CR123 or 2 re-charge lithium batteries, driving a K2 LED. Great throw and adjustable beam. Somewhere around the 200 lumen mark.
 
I understand....really, but then all you have is the shell of the Mag. I've seen overbored Mag bodies and tri-milled crescent cuts for three rows of batteries. You don't keep the plastic lens do you? Kinda like calling a NASCAR racer a Chevy. The true hot rods are the quad-dies. Imagine a set of 5 heatsinked quads on a 3_D Mag powered by lithiums. That's right up there with HID lights.
 
I just ordered some of these for my shop to replace the CR123-eaters...

Nothing fancy, just a rechargeable, 3W, Cree bulb flashlight. It's a PITA (not to mention expensive) to keep replacing CR123 batteries. The new lights will pay for themselves in a year when compared to the cost of CR123's and HAZMAT shipping fees. At least someone (me) is trying to save the taxpayers money...

I'll let you guys know how they work out.
 
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I'll let you guys know how they work out.
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I bet they work out just fine. You will love the re-chargeable lithium's. Great life between charges, great run times, and no batteries to buy....what's not to like.:)
 
no batteries to buy....what's not to like.
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And no (used) batteries to discard... You'd be surprised at the amount of regulations involved with discarding HAZMAT...

I'm trying to push rechargeable everything (lights/tools/etc) to all the other shops on my ship. I recently processed a HAZMAT discard shipment and realized just how much money we drain from our budget on senseless use of consumable HAZMAT items...

When you pay 2x more for shipment to/from the unit than the cost of the batteries themselves, it becomes counter-productive...
 
I just received 2 of the delights from Bill, They are as advertised. Very bright, small and delivery was very quick. I like the idea of AAA batteries, instead of the others and the price was right. I don't know Bill and I am not his Homer. There might be a better light out there for the price, I just don't know of it. Satisfied customer.
 
Delight

I just picked up a DeLight from Bill about a week or so ago and I have no complaints. The OP started a thread about “cheap” flashlight recommendations…people are posting links to lights that are two, three, and four times the cost of the DeLight. I own over four surefire lights that I am happy with and that I paid a lot of money for. I also own one Delight that I paid $35.00 for that is just as bright as some of my high-end lights.
 
The OP started a thread about “cheap” flashlight recommendations…
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You are correct, and I am one of the guilty parties. Flashlights are another hobby for me so it's hard to limit my conversation.

Now to stay with cheap flashlights.

I have said that I am sure the Delight is what everyone says. I also have some lower cost lights powered by 3 AAA and they work great. Now my only personal issue is I am not in love with lights that use battery carriers. It adds another device that must be loaded and can fail. I have had 3 AAA carriers fail. Then the light is of no use. NOT saying the Delight carrier will fail. For low cost operation I like AA batteries that are loaded straight in with no carrier. Not to mention higher MAH capacity with AA. Just my preference.:)

One issue is that the LED flashlight world is changing at almost every three month rate. So when the LED flashlights are discussed, you will find lots of input about different lights because so many are available that have good performance. This is mainly due to the Cree LED being available to lots of manufactures. Just the way it is.
 
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The OP started a thread about “cheap” flashlight recommendations…people are posting links to lights that are two, three, and four times the cost of the DeLight. I own over four surefire lights that I am happy with and that I paid a lot of money for. I also own one Delight that I paid $35.00 for that is just as bright as some of my high-end lights.
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I did have the intention of discussing inexpensive flashlights. But madmag, Bill, and others have provided quality posts regarding some other options without the chest pounding. If it were to go down hill with the usual "Ford vs. Chevy" garbage, I would've shut it down. However, like I said, the level of discussion has been quite informative and it would be a shame for me to get bent out of shape over the price issue.

For the record, after almost two weeks use, I finally had to replace the batteries. I never logged the time, but I'm guessing I used it for at least an hour or two per day. The light was still useable, but I need my light to be rather bright to perform quality inspections in my line of work. If not, I'm willing to bet it would have gone a few more hours. This is a wild guess in the time. However I thought it was impressive to say the least.

Coastie, that appears to be a great light. I'm not sure if brightness is a big factor or not, but the DeLight is rated at 225 lumens IIRC. Doesn't come with a charger and batteries, though.
 
Doesn't come with a charger and batteries, though.
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That's another part of the equation. You can get a cheap AAA charger and NiMH batteries and they will work great in the Delight. should give longer run times. Even-though they are 1.2V, NiMH are better at current delivery and brightness is usually as good or even better.
 
Coastie, that appears to be a great light. I'm not sure if brightness is a big factor or not, but the DeLight is rated at 225 lumens IIRC. Doesn't come with a charger and batteries, though.
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Hopefully it will be. We need "bright" lights, but not too bright. The glare of a super bright light is a hindrance in some instances as I experienced with a Browning 210L Tactical Hunter. It had a 210 Lumen output and was almost too bright.

I'm sure the DeLight is indeed a great light and I may look into ordering one for personal use. The inability to substitute consumable batteries was a big factor in my quest for replacement flashlights. I didn't want people to get lazy about having to charge the batteries and just popping in consumable ones.
 
Hopefully it will be. We need "bright" lights, but not too bright.
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I agree with that for our line of work. Sometimes, a light that's too bright causes the eye to miss flaws on the surface you're inspecting. Seems like there's good flashlights everywhere we look. Quite different scenario 10 years ago...

That's another part of the equation. You can get a cheap AAA charger and NiMH batteries and they will work great in the Delight. should give longer run times. Even-though they are 1.2V, NiMH are better at current delivery and brightness is usually as good or even better.
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That's my next quest. I have no idea what's going to be the best charger for the batteries I want to convert (flashlight and household items).
 
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