Like you, I wanted a decent flashlight. It needed to be small, bright, with good battery life, and affordable. I've got a couple, with the favorite being a Browning. The newest flashlight, and I bought it just to see if it was as good as advertised, was a Primos. It didn't cost much, though I can't remember the price (less than $70 for sure and I think it was less than $50) and it's real bright. And, it uses 'normal' batteries - AA size. So far, I'm impressed.