Definition of a Budget Light?

[JohnnyMac]

To me, budget depends on the number of cells and the emitter(s). For a single cell, single LED light $20-$30 is budget but for an XHP70 light the Thorfire S70, at $70, is a budget light as well.

 

[morsecodelight]

Factor in battery cost too. Lion aren't exactly cheap but you can get a lot out of them. Charger, thread grease..

 

[luxstone]

I would say that it depends on the value of the light. A $150 light for $50 would be a real budget light .

 

[billcoe]

The Light Forum that has Budget in the title had a light put together that you could buy for $25 (Bare or Ano) - it's $40 now on the Chinese sites. I bought a couple so when my co-workers want to buy a light from me I can fix them up with that one....

For me that's a great budget light.

Agreed! I think budget can include a great deal. For example, the BLF Q8 is going to be produced and they're are saying it should be @$40. $40 for a flashlight would seem like a lot of scratch to most normal folks for a flashlight, but an enthusiast would recognize that is radically underpriced for the power you get. If you can get a $150 flashlight for $40, that's a Budget Light despite it costing $40.

 

[dgbrookman]

"Budget light" = any light that my wife won't take exception to if she finds out how much I paid for it.

In practice around $20 or less. Cheap lights have gotten so good that the average person who doesn't have a specialized use doesn't need to spend more than that.

I differ from some here in that I don't think "budget" necessarily equates to "value for money spent." Sure, if you're an enthusiast you might consider a $50 or even $100 light a "bargain" in terms of what it does for the price. But that's not a budget light. Just like you can argue that a Porsche Boxster is a great value for the money -- but it's not an economy car.

 

[bigbob76]

To some extent I agree with the $30 and under price as a budget light but $20 or less is really what I would be looking to find in that category.

Most of my life I bought unusual flashlights with no concern for performance. Now I am amazed at the performance available for $3-$20. Having said that I would spend $100-$200 for a light that filled a specific need.

 

[bykfixer]

^^ Same here bigbob. Still do if it does a specific task no others do. I still scour certain stores who carry items like book reading flashlights or pop in auto part stores I keep driving past thinking 'hmmm I wonder if they have a telescoper'...


Those are budget lights in terms of $20-30 price range. But they are worth their weight in gold when used for their specific role.
Some have been used for several years with no issues.

In the past I'd occasionaly buy a flashlight for parts as the battery(s) and bulbs it came with would cost more to purchase than the whole flashlight. $2 6 volt lanterns for example. And if you ever needed switch parts or a spring...you got 'em.

I figure the Wal Mart test is like this...
Everything at eye level near the Maglites would not be seen as a budget light by the masses. The further you go left or right from there, and the lower it is on the shelf the more 'budget friendly' the lights are. Aaaaaaall the way to the far left is your buck 99 Eveready lights, with a few $6 Rayovac lights to make folks ponder "well it's $6, it must be better"...

I go for the Ozark Trail that catches my fancy. The Bushnell are pretty good but way over priced vs a similar quality Ozark Trail. But the Bushnell have that 'tacti-cool' look that all those Yeti cooler crowd dig on. Notice they are next to... the Maglites.

To this flashlight junkie, those are the traditional budget lights.

But these days with Asian factories churning out millions of flashlights per day, a whole bunch of budget lights are being churned out by a whole bunch of companies posing as premium lights based on price and features. But that's another subject for another time.

 

[-JP]

That last paragraph really hit home. As a newb to collecting I suddenly realized this after reading much on this forum but most don't realize that unfortunately. Anyway budget to me is all relative to individuals. I don't think I can come up with a definition other then what I feel comfortable spending.

 

[leon2245]

[h=2]Definition of a Budget Light?

[/h]

deciding which lights get assigned or reassigned to this subforum, its usually by brand, and generally the brands commonly found in big box, hardware, discount warehouse stores, and the ones imported by all those big chinese electronics warehouse importers. I don't care for drawing this line. Some budget brands will have an occasional higher priced model, and there are lower end models by brands discussed in the main forum. I miss out on some good ones that only get discussed here. And ultimately is a false distinction, because the definition of a budget light is entirely dependent on anyone's particular budget.

 

[bykfixer]

Check out wimmer21 post count. Over 12

 

[ven]

Check out wimmer21 post count. Over 12

I am at 13.3


:laughing:

 

[NiTyson]

My definition of a budget light is one that has "economy". In other words, good "bang for the buck". My Convoy S2+ is a good example. It's bright, small, has decent runtime, and built well, all for around $20. You could spend a LOT more for a 1X18650 light, and get a flashlight that has few PRACTICAL improvements over mine. I don't care if the body is made of rarest unobtaneum, gold plated, has a diamond lens, and runs off unicorns, I care about how good it is at being a flashlight for the money. That means an expensive flashlight to me is one that cost too much for what your'e getting. A CHEAP flashlight to me is those rubbishy plastic-y ones you find in a dark aisle in Walmart. Those are terrible, and I do not consider them budget because you will end up spending more on them in the long run.

 

[smokeyeager]

To me the epitome of budget light is the 27 LED Portable Worklight/Flashlight that sells for $3.99 + tax at the stores around me. It has 1 push button that activates 2 modes of light, either a 3 LED "flashlight" or a bank of 24 LED lights that make up the "work" light. It has a built in hook that rotates and a magnet on the backside. It runs on 3aaa and can be used in many places for many reasons. I keep 2 in my BOB in the place of a lantern. Placed on the deck or hung from a tree it lights up a decent area while not weighing a lot at all. The real "best bets" for budget friendly would be any decent light that runs aa. There are a lot of nice lights that run not so common batteries, aa can be found just about everywhere.

 

[dmattaponi]

Under $50

 

[Fman]

Hello all, I'm new here as a member but have looked to this forum over the past few years for good info. I would call a budget light anything between the $20 mark on the high end, down to the free Harbor Freight lights. At one time I had 12 of those freebies. That may have been the first signs of a flashoholic.

John

 

[Loomun]

Everyone has a different meaning of budget

My guess is that for those that are not a flashaholic they probably feel that a budget light is 5 to 10 dollars.

 

[Fman]

The most I've spent for a flashlight, so far, is $35. I have three that are at that price point, a Coast HP7 (my first), Astrolux S1, and Nitecore EC20. Considering the output that can be had for the money maybe my challenge will be to not pay more than that and see how much flashlight I can get for no more than $35. We shall see.

John

 

[eraursls1984]

I think it depends. If we're talking AAA I'd say budget is under $20. For single cell 18650 lights I'd say under $50.

 

[Mr Baz]

I reviewed a MyCarbon MF19 that was a budget 18650 light and was pretty good overall price was about £27 so probably around $35

 

[sbslider]

Thrunite Archer 1Av2 in neutral white $29.95 Such a bargain I just ordered a second to put away as a backup.

Ahhh, I could not resist commenting on this post. I was planning on making the Archer 1A V3 my second light purchase, (fenix ld01 being my first) but somehow managed to buy a nitecore MT1A instead. The MT1A is not too bad, but I already dislike the presence of the strobes in the "main" lineup. It did come in handy today as I found myself in a cave, and if performed admirably in there. Back on topic, I would agree with the $30 line as the max for the "budget" light.

Matt