Daily Use Flashlight Help

[Tivius]

Hello all.

I just bought a J-5 Hyper V. I thought it was great until the belt clip broke not even 12 hours in (and literally the first day I took it to work). The zoom in option is kind of useless for me as well and seems like it would just loosen in time.

So, I am in need of a quality, durable pocket flashlight that takes regular batteries. Not really interested in rechargable flashlights or rechargable batteries even though I understand how much more powerful they can be. Would like AA or AAA, but willing to consider C123 batteries. I thought I should sign up to see what my best options are. Would like to keep it under $35 as I'm not really a collector or anything, just in need of a durable, everyday, reliable flashlight.

Criteria:
- must have a glass lens
- must have a quality belt clip
- must reach minimum 200 lumens (on high mode) with alkaline batteries.
- max 3 AAA or 2 AA.
- aluminum body
- decent flood/throw

Would likes but not deal breakers:
- bezel crown
- tailclick button
- cool white (i think that's the brighter one right?)
- strobe, ..although I question my ability to actually be able to get to strobe fast enough in that kind of situation anyways (They say strobe is good for defense purposes).
-memory feature (probably the least important thing on the list though)
-as waterproof and shock resistant as possible

May edit if I can think of anything else..but really my main goal it to find a budget light that will last a lifetime of use, is reliable, and very bright.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

 

[Poppy]

You might look at the Mini Maglite Pro +
it is a twisty, and I think it has a hidden strobe and sos. (At least mine does but it is a few years old.)
They now put out 245 lumens.

The knurling on it is delicate/refined, I like the way it feels. It comes with a holster, I am not sure about a clip. It's too heavy for a shirt pocket, for me. For a shirt pocket carry, I'd go with a single AAA light. And if I wanted 200 lumens, in a single AAA light I'd go 10440 LiIon. I don't know your preference.

 

[tex.proud]

The Klarus Mi7 claims 330 lumens from a single AA and much more from the Li-ion 14500 that you don't care for. But it's at $40 on Gearbest.

The ThruNite Archer 1A V3 has 200 lumens with a single AA at $43 on Gearbest

Both a few bucks above what you're looking for, but could fit the bill.

 

[Str8stroke]

Welcome to the forum. Wish you would have landed here prior to purchasing the light you did. Just for your knowledge, those are about $3.99 or so out of China or $7 on Amazon.
That being said,
Check out:
Maglite Minimag Pro is a great idea.
Nitecore MT2A (great light in your budget)
Foursevens Quark Click (my favorite, yea its around $50 but it is great will KILLER product support)
Streamlight Pro Tac

See what you think.

 

[Poppy]

Str8stroke... Foursevens Quark Click


LOL... Now you're talking!

 

[glockboy]

Jetbeam JET - I MK on sale at gearbest, it take 10 to get to the US.
Or $6 more at Amazon.
It's a great AA/14500 light.

 

[ronniepudding]

Since you're not interested in rechargeables, and since it sounds like you plan to use your light at work, I'd ask whether your employer will be providing you with batteries... And if so, what formats are available? If you can indeed get free CR123s, I'd pick up an EagleTac D25C Clicky Nichia 219 from Illumn.com for $30 plus shipping. I know you said you want cool white, but that light meets your 200 lumen requirement, and does so with a nice tint to boot. It's one of my favorite lights, and I think it meets most of your criteria.

If you have to buy your own batteries, do some reading on the 'evils' of alkalines, and the benefits of Lithium Primary cells. Energizer L91 batteries cost pretty much the same as CR123s online, so either may work for you. But without knowing more about how you'll be using the light, how much output you need and for how long, etc., and what battery type you prefer, it's hard to make an informed recommendation.

 

[LeanBurn]

....

The ThruNite Archer 1A V3 has 200 lumens with a single AA at $43 on Gearbest

Both a few bucks above what you're looking for, but could fit the bill.

Weird...Amazon has them for $34

 

[LetThereBeLight!]

Nebo Tool's $19.95 "Little Larry"-- durable 250-lumens light that runs on 3 AAA's, second mode is 90-lumens, last is blinking red and it has a strong magnet on it. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Tivius]

Thank you for all the replies/welcome guys!

The problem with maglite is I think they all have a plastic lens, at least the xl200 I had did. They are easy to find though so that would be a solid choice.

I like the klarus, Jetbeam looks nice, and it seems the thrunite 2a v3 is only $5 more than the 1a..both look nice. (looking at the photo, the belt clip seems kind of in an awkward place in the middle of the body..any experiences? Doing a little searching myself the olight S1a baton looks nice but is a little more than i'd want to spend at $50, and not sure I'm a fan of the head facing up when in pocket.

My reasoning for regular batteries vs rechargable boils down to the fact that I can just replace dead regular batteries and I dont want to wait for a recharge/have to find an eventual replacement down the road..if they even would make the battery I need in say 10 years.

definatly some nice choices though, if there are others please input. I'll mull it over for a few days and see what would suit me best and let you guys know what I decided on.

also, in response to ronniepudding: My work unfortunately does not supply batteries. I technically don't "need" a flashlight but it would make what I do (maintenance) a whole lot easier at times. Given the fact that sometimes I'm there outside late I figured high lumens could help as far as defense purposes go, but idk if that's just a sell point for some companie. That is why I want high lumens, but I also feel like medium mode is a must (and probably will be more used). I'll also take your advice about reading up on alkaline batteries before i make a decision.

 

[Poppy]

Thank you for all the replies/welcome guys!

My reasoning for regular batteries vs rechargable boils down to the fact that I can just replace dead regular batteries and I dont want to wait for a recharge/have to find an eventual replacement down the road..if they even would make the battery I need in say 10 years.

I really don't understand your reasoning. About having to wait ten years, or wait for a recharge.

After re-reading your post, I think, you don't realize that eneloops, or Duracell rechargeables come in AA and AAA sizes, and lights that run on them can also run on alkaline cells.

Even if you buy only ONE pack of four NiMH AAs, and if your light takes two, you'll have two fresh fully charged batteries to swap in when needed. Later that day, you can recharge the ones you pulled at home, or at work... what ever. If you know that you used your light for a bit one day/night, even before they NEED to be recharged you can top them off, and always have a fully charged set of batteries in there, with fully charged replacements in your tool bag.

If you use alkalines, most of the time you'll have batteries that are at least 30% depleted.

I'd suggest that you visit HKJ's site
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonAAcomparator.php

and compare an alkaline AA to a NiMH AA at one amp, and two amps load, and you'll see how poorly the alkalines compare to the rechargeable NiMH batteries.

 

[Tivius]

I really don't understand your reasoning. About having to wait ten years, or wait for a recharge.

After re-reading your post, I think, you don't realize that eneloops, or Duracell rechargeables come in AA and AAA sizes, and lights that run on them can also run on alkaline cells.

Even if you buy only ONE pack of four NiMH AAs, and if your light takes two, you'll have two fresh fully charged batteries to swap in when needed. Later that day, you can recharge the ones you pulled at home, or at work... what ever. If you know that you used your light for a bit one day/night, even before they NEED to be recharged you can top them off, and always have a fully charged set of batteries in there, with fully charged replacements in your tool bag.

If you use alkalines, most of the time you'll have batteries that are at least 30% depleted.

I'd suggest that you visit HKJ's site
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonAAcomparator.php

and compare an alkaline AA to a NiMH AA at one amp, and two amps load, and you'll see how poorly the alkalines compare to the rechargeable NiMH batteries.

No, I Understand that. NiMH AA are completely an option because worse case scenario I can always use alkaline if need be. I'm talking about lights like the convoy S2, where it takes a special kind of rechargeable battery or nothing.

 

[xxo]

Take a look at the streamlight pro tac 1L-1AA, this is a "dual fuel" LED that runs on either a 123 lithium or a AA battery.....has a pocket clip and a glass lens (I think?), strobe too but I wouldn't use this for self defense.

 

[maglite mike]

The entire maglite line up can be fitted with glass lenses.

Thank you for all the replies/welcome guys!

The problem with maglite is I think they all have a plastic lens, at least the xl200 I had did. They are easy to find though so that would be a solid choice.

I like the klarus, Jetbeam looks nice, and it seems the thrunite 2a v3 is only $5 more than the 1a..both look nice. (looking at the photo, the belt clip seems kind of in an awkward place in the middle of the body..any experiences? Doing a little searching myself the olight S1a baton looks nice but is a little more than i'd want to spend at $50, and not sure I'm a fan of the head facing up when in pocket.

My reasoning for regular batteries vs rechargable boils down to the fact that I can just replace dead regular batteries and I dont want to wait for a recharge/have to find an eventual replacement down the road..if they even would make the battery I need in say 10 years.

definatly some nice choices though, if there are others please input. I'll mull it over for a few days and see what would suit me best and let you guys know what I decided on.

also, in response to ronniepudding: My work unfortunately does not supply batteries. I technically don't "need" a flashlight but it would make what I do (maintenance) a whole lot easier at times. Given the fact that sometimes I'm there outside late I figured high lumens could help as far as defense purposes go, but idk if that's just a sell point for some companie. That is why I want high lumens, but I also feel like medium mode is a must (and probably will be more used). I'll also take your advice about reading up on alkaline batteries before i make a decision.

 

[KeepingItLight]

Sure, we all know about alkaline goo, and the fact that NiMH does not leave a gooey mess.

Same thing with cost. We all know rechargeables are far cheaper in the long run.

What is sometimes overlooked is performance. Compared to NiMH, alkaline blows. If you need your flashlight to get dim fast, you should use alkalines.

By the way, the Fenix E20 flashlight is a 2xAA model that you might find worthy. It costs a bit less than its E25 sibling. That's because the E25 can run on both Li-ion 14500 and AA, while the E20 only runs on AA. By AA, of course, I mean alkaline, NiMH, and non-rechargeable, lithium primary (a.k.a. L91 Energizer Ultimate Lithium).

 

[jorn]

Jetbeam JET - I MK on sale at gearbest, it take 10 to get to the US.
Or $6 more at Amazon.
It's a great AA/14500 light.

Its a great aa light. The pwm kills my urge to use a 14500 in it. No pwm on a aa.