AA/AAA Light for gift

[morninglightmountain]

Hey all,

I'm looking to buy a light as a present for my dad:
-long throw (or adjustable with good throw and good flood)
-bright (he's only had flood-style maglites and cheap flashlights, so I'm thinking 300+ lumens
-AA or AAA batteries (multiple is fine)
-modes don't matter too mutch, but simpler is probably better
-small for EDC, pocket carry
-under $50
-quality at least decent. Finding an asbolutely top brand isn't necessary (probably impossible given my requirements), but I don't want low quality - it's hard to sort the good Chinese brands from the poor ones on Amazon. They all have really high ratings.

The SureFire G2X Pro would fit the bill perfectly if not for the uncommon batteries. Olight ST25-XML2 looks good, and takes AA batteries, but I'm worried that the "burst" of 500 lumens is an exageration and impossible with those batteries. The Thrunite Archer 2AV2 also looks good but might be a bit long for pocket carry.


My only real reference point is my Maglite XL 50. I've enjoyed that light a lot but have recently became aware of modern tactical flashlights.

Any suggestions? Do I need to adjust my requirements?

 

[morninglightmountain]

Would the Oxyled MD50 fit the bill? It sounds too good to be true at that price point.

 

[Poppy]

Look at the color of the blue tint in the third amazon review, the one by Sonia melissa.

It is NOT a light for me.

 

[Poppy]

Here is a review of the olight ST25 with comparisons to many others in the same 2AA category

 

[morninglightmountain]

Thanks, Poppy. I agree that the Oxyled isn't an appropriate gift.

The ST-25 is looking good, but now I'm also considering some combos on Amazon that include battery rechargers:
Fenix 035UE
Fenix UC30
Olight S10R

I feel that this means I don't need to ONLY consider standard batteries.

Also, any thoughts on the Fenix LD-41? It's 54 on Amazon and takes AAs.

 

[Poppy]

here's a review of an older version.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?341521-Fenix-LD41-Review-4-AA-XM-L

The newer one has an upgraded LED the XM-L2 which typically give 10-15% better performance

 

[Mill321]

What about one of the zebralights, such as the sc5 or sc52? I think they meet most of your criteria (with the controversial exception of the User Interface). Some people find it simple and some don't However, they are usually robust, compact, good throw and flood balance, nice beam color options and deep carry pocket. clips. I actually did gift and sc62 to my dad, so am a bit biased.

 

[morninglightmountain]

What about one of the zebralights, such as the sc5 or sc52? I think they meet most of your criteria (with the controversial exception of the User Interface). Some people find it simple and some don't However, they are usually robust, compact, good throw and flood balance, nice beam color options and deep carry pocket. clips. I actually did gift and sc62 to my dad, so am a bit biased.

Thanks, but it looks like neither of those models are currently available. Home Depot has the Coast HP7 on sale for $25, so I might go with that.