Favorite budget light 2021

[InvisibleFrodo]

I don't know if this qualifies for a "budget" light, but there is a Milwaukee brand 2 AAA light that has what they call TRUEVIEW high definition (it's high cri) at 100 lumens for $20. It looks to my eyes to be 5000K, very nice clean beam pattern.
Pelican brand "correct color" lights are extremely nice.
Mag lite has a line of specialt lights that includes a warm white that is great.

 

[flatline]

I got a light at Home Depot...I'm not sure the name of it...it looks somewhat generic...but it actually puts out a very bright beam of light. I'm sure others here have seen them. I will try to get the details and post pics of the light output and size, but I think when I got it, it was under the name "DEFIANT"

I think Defiant has made some excellent budget lights over the years. I have a 1xAA Defiant light that I bought for $4 several years ago. It gets a ton of use at night because it's a battery vampire and I have a stack of "dead" cells to use up.

--flatline

 

[flatline]

I recently bought the Energizer Hardcase 1AA angle-head light. It's a decent little work light. I especially like that the magnet is on the clip and the clip can be rotated, so you can aim the light in any direction (2 degrees of freedom).

--flatline

 

[xxo]

I have a defiant armor max headlamp that is very nice, unfortunately these are no longer available.

 

[bykfixer]

I bought the Husky bendable work light that has a light on each end of the horse shoe body with one side having a flooder and the other a strong magnet. USB rechargeable and each lamp is dimmable by holding the power button. The flood lamp operates independent of the flashlight(s). $24.97.

 

[kelmo]

Maglight AAA, AA, and XL50.

 

[Dave_H]

I think Defiant has made some excellent budget lights over the years. I have a 1xAA Defiant light that I bought for $4 several years ago. It gets a ton of use at night because it's a battery vampire and I have a stack of "dead" cells to use up.

--flatline

I like the Defiant 3xAAA UV flashlight which costs $7 in Canada. Near UV and uses 5mm LEDs but nice, and takes an 18650.


Dave

 

[flatline]

I've been carrying the Energizer Vision 1xAA described in the OP for a couple weeks now. I had to remove the clip because it kept catching on things (I'm not a fan of 2-way clips for this reason), but I've come to appreciate having 130L in my pocket during the day. During the night, it's a bit too much light, but I'm already in the habit of swapping flashlights when it gets dark, so that's no problem at all.
Thanks for making me aware of this light!

--flatline

 

[greenpondmike]

Has anyone tried the 80 lumen everready 3aaa flashight at walmart yet? It's just under $5 and it has the special checkered reflector in it. It also comes with batteries.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Has anyone tried the 80 lumen everready 3aaa flashight at walmart yet? It's just under $5 and it has the special checkered reflector in it. It also comes with batteries.

I don't really find 3AAA lights a good thing for someone on a "budget" myself. In the long run you pay for it being cheaper on batteries. I would be more inclined to buy the cheap $6 Defiant 1AA light at I think 60 lumens at HD.

 

[Dave_H]

I don't really find 3AAA lights a good thing for someone on a "budget" myself. In the long run you pay for it being cheaper on batteries. I would be more inclined to buy the cheap $6 Defiant 1AA light at I think 60 lumens at HD.

...unless the 3AAA will take an 18650, some do, others are too short. For the latter, 18500 should work though not a commonly available "free" from salvaging. I managed to get some cheap LiFePO4 18500's which work for this purpose; their 1000mAh capacity matching low demands from the 1W light (BTW from Dollar Tree for $1.25 CDN, a very decent 3AAA at the low end).

Dave

 

[Lynx_Arc]

...unless the 3AAA will take an 18650, some do, others are too short. For the latter, 18500 should work though not a commonly available "free" from salvaging. I managed to get some cheap LiFePO4 18500's which work for this purpose; their 1000mAh capacity matching low demands from the 1W light (BTW from Dollar Tree for $1.25 CDN, a very decent 3AAA at the low end).

Dave

Having access to cheap 18500s does make the 3AAA format a lot more useful for sure but you can't blindly buy lights based on the format as some of them cannot handle the extra power of lithium ion especially cheap dollar lights often they are made without current limiting components.

 

[Dave_H]

All low-end 3AAA flashlights I've checked (including Dollar Tree items) use some form of current limiting (**), therefore should not overheat using rechargeables with low internal resistance. Lack of proper current limiting in any light using 3AAA or larger is dodgy design. I'd leave as-is or toss if that's the case. The DT 3AAA mentioned works fine with 18500 LiFePO4, no heat, just a bit lower output.

One small 4xAAA COB mini worklight (Westinghouse branded here) has a 4.7 ohm, 5 watt wire-wound resistor in it!

Dave


** That is until now. A metal 3AAA light, older design with 14x5mm LEDs (showerhead) but takes an 18650 and plenty bright, is now down to 3 working LEDs after light use for a year or so. No sign of limiting resistors anywhere. It is still being sold locally by a store with "Dollar" in it (not DT).

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I wouldn't buy anything that uses 4AAA if I could help it but I do have a label maker that uses that format.

 

[bykfixer]

The HDX cob light mentioned in post 29 gets a thumbs up for water tight ability. On my deck the Mrs and I have been working on a piece of furniture under the shade of a portable gazeebo. I had an HDX cob magnetized to one of the legs. The other afternoon a wind gust picked up the gazeebo and twisted it about 90 degrees and set it back down. Unknown to me until later that incident hurled the light into a slight valley near my house.

I had not cleaned my house gutters after the oak trees finished their pollenation ritual this year. The kids are grown, which means my monthly gutter cleaners have moved away. That day we received some 3" of rain in about an hour, and another in and a half early the next morning. The tree debris clogged the inlets to down spouts. That caused a water fall into the slight valley where the HDX cob was laying. A day later another inch of rain fell in about 20 minutes. Again, the waterfall. So Saturday I got out my leaf blower and 10 foot long gutter cleaning tube and cleaned the gutters. That's when I found the HDC cob laying in what had been a puddle.

I shook it off half expecting it not to work and to my surprise it did. Upon inspection, the inside was bone dry. It easily met the ipx4 rating.

 

[stephenk]

Convoy S2+ is still my favourite budget flashlight. In the last 6 months I've purchased all the CSLNM1 emitter options (red,green,blue,and white) and LH351D is 2700k and 5700k.

 

[meddlecho]

Convoy S2+ is still my favourite budget flashlight. In the last 6 months I've purchased all the CSLNM1 emitter options (red,green,blue,and white) and LH351D is 2700k and 5700k.

Convoy S2+ are awesome budget lights. I've really been enjoying building my own.

I also really enjoy Thrunite's W1 for a budget option.

 

[3_gun]

Year to date my biggest surprise is the Klarus EP10 I just got in the last 2 weeks or so. I've seen it on eBay for a BIN of $10 w/o battery, shipped. 30/200/1000L claimed & to my eyes it seems to match up. I got mine w/battery; a claimed 2000mah 18650 which seems to perform well past that rating. Can self charge the 18650 by usbA-c. I've run it on high for approx 40min with no step down that I could see. As the battery dipped you keep 3 levels but each dims as you dip under 50% charge. High taking a harder hit than Med or Low but all seem to dim. Ballpark guess @50% high was in the 400L range, Med about 100L & Low slightly off its baseline. More throw than flood the hot spot is hot while spill is useful but softer. They claim 200m but I'd walk that back about 25% at least. Seems robust, it's not a pocket light (for most) but only time will tell how it holds up. My next planned test will be as a bike light.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

I don't know if this qualifies for a "budget" light, but there is a Milwaukee brand 2 AAA light that has what they call TRUEVIEW high definition (it's high cri) at 100 lumens for $20. It looks to my eyes to be 5000K, very nice clean beam pattern.
Pelican brand "correct color" lights are extremely nice.
Mag lite has a line of specialt lights that includes a warm white that is great.

For $20, I'd go for the Milwaukee 2AA 300 lumen floodlight instead.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

For $20, I'd go for the Milwaukee 2AA 300 lumen floodlight instead.

Not sure I would blindly recommend this light..... a lot of negative reviews pertaining to switch problems and battery cap problems that render the light inoperative on several websites selling it. Also seems to not like nimh batteries and shuts off when alkaleaks get a little bit used in reviews. I can't say if these things are rare happenings or just a poor design to begin with. Some people are complaining eneloops only work on low mode?