dirt cheap, single 18650, flood/throw, and color temp <4000K?!

[das_blinkenlighten]

Is this a low-rent unicorn I'm looking for? I am looking for a single cell 18650 flashlight that can do both flood and throw and has a color temp between 2700K and 4000K (lower is better). And it needs to be CHEAP. I'm going to end up giving it away after a few camping trips (mostly car camping) so it doesn't need to be super durable. And I don't care about low/med/high/disco modes, simple on-off is fine. I am trying to optimize for cost. I would seriously be fine in this case with one of the crappy $10 flashlights you can find on Amazon with a lens that's basically a ball of glass where you slide the head up or down for flood vs throw, I just would really prefer a warmer color temp.

Sorry if I don't know all the terminology, I'm not a flashaholic and forum regular, probably because I'm too poor :shrug:

 

[terjee]

Clarification question: Do you need the flood/throw to be selectable (zoom), or would you be okay with both at the same time? (Spot with spill)?

Also, a popular recommendation is Convoy S2+. It can be found for around $10, and comes with various different versions, including warm emitters. No zoom though.

Might be something to consider still?

 

[das_blinkenlighten]

I'd prefer zoom, but for the right quality and so forth at the right price, I'd forego it, especially since I won't have these much longer than next season if that. They are going to my housemate when I get better ones.

Thank you for the recommendation! Where is the best place to look at the S2+ options? It seems much higher on Amazon.

 

[ven]

Another s2+ vote, check convoy themselves at aliexpress. The man is Simon , ordered a few times from him and never had an issue.

 

[das_blinkenlighten]

Ordered one with the 3000K emitter. What can I say, I'm old school Wish it would get here faster than 12-20 days though.

 

[ven]

Great stuff, should be happy! Bang for buck it is a great light, holds its own against lights costing 3 or 4x as much imo.

 

[terjee]

As a quick apropos to the original question... Should you want to, you could get a full 18650-based platform pretty cheaply. Nitecore F1 for example, can be had for $8 or so, and will both charge the batteries, and allow you to use them to charge USB-devices like cellphones. Couple of batteries and cases for them, and you've got a pretty useful setup.
The batteries do require a bit careful handling not to short, but other than that it can be a quite useful setup for power failures and emergencies, etc.

Not everyone is aware that you can get a full platform on a limited budget, so just wanted to quickly mention.

 

[das_blinkenlighten]

Thanks for that info. I did receive my S2+ and found I do prefer zoomable flashlights, however, the S2+ is still great for its use (kept in my bookbag for everyday carry even though I don't use it often). The 3000K emitter is very yellow, I would say it's more like a yellowy 2700K. When I use it at night it seems to have a bit much green in it compared to (for example) a halogen lamp. My personal preference for flashlight color would be perfect emulation of halogen lamp, which as we know is not happening in a high efficiency emitter.

Anyway, after getting used to it a bit it's actually a damn good product for the price. I do wonder if using a 3400mAh Panasonic cell in it is problematic on maximum output, perhaps the drain is too high? It's a protected cell and it doesn't cut off, but of course gets quite hot.

 

[martinaee]

I should get a Convoy S2. It may not be quite as good in the build department, but it's nuts that a small 1 18650 light with that kind of output can be had for that price. It would have been insane to see something like that 10 years ago, but that's how tech advances!

 

[soaponarope]

The Sofirn 1080 from amazon fits your description, the review by adventuresportflashlights on youtube is a good example of this light and it was tested to hold up pretty well for a 25 dollars

 

[supersport327]

Another in for the S2. Can't beat the price for what you get.

 

[puglife]

no one recommends the sofirn sf36w ? :duh2: