Guidance please!

Rholder

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Messages
4
Hi all. I've joined this forum because I'm in the market for a flashlight that offers best value for money, in the under £100 range. There's so much on the market, and as a full newbie I need expert guidance.

In the coming months I'll be traveling to Mexico & Greece where me & my son will be doing night walks surveying the local amphibian and reptile populations. We need a durable, rechargeable, waterproof flashlight that's not too small (I'm always losing stuff). Was leaning towards the Fenix RC11, but so many others are distracting me from making the transaction.

Help would be greatly appreciated.
 

Chad Varnadore

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Messages
84
Location
United States
I'd suggest getting something sooner rather than later, so you have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the light, not to mention test it out properly against production defects. I don't know how 100 pounds/franks or whatever that is relates to dollars, but I'm guessing the more reliable brands like Surefire are probably out of your price range.

Since you're posting using a non-US currency, I'm also guessing that the selection you have available where you're at might differ from the US. And, considering how you can routinely buy Blu-ray sets that go for over $100 at amazon (US), for as little as $25 at amazon (UK), I imagine your costs might be a lot different from what we'd have to pay in the US too.

But, if durability and waterproof ratings are of significant importance, the only real game in town that's still relatively affordable would appear to be Armytek. No other light manufacturer that I know of claims 10-30 meter impact resistence (10 meters for headlamps, 30 meters for most everything else) and 10 meter/30minute waterproof rating, and claims to back it up with a 10 year warranty. Some of your custom makers and such are said to be just as durable or even moreso. And Surefire is known for their trouble-free warranties. But, from what I've seen they're a lot more pricy too, and the best warranty isn't of much use, if you need a light NOW, rather than waiting on a repair. Most light manufacturers only quote the industry standard for impact and waterproof ratings, which is about 1.5 meters impact and 3 meters waterproof. Many don't even quote that, and I wouldn't trust any of them to actually survive a 1.5 meter fall, nor their manufacturers to fix them if they don't. Some light manufacturers are not even set up for repairs. If the product clearly fails within the warranty window, they simply ship you a new light. But, that only covers clear manufacturing defects. If the light went out due to being dropped or drowned, it's not covered, regardless of whether you claim it happened within the resistance window. Armytek and more expensive brands being the only exceptions I'd trust, and I haven't had to deal with Armytek's support as yet, so I don't know how well I can trust them for certain. I only know that people who actually live in Canada have praised their post-purchase support.

Of course no flashlight maker is immune to manufacturing issues, so the safest way to go, is to bring at least two lights, should something happen to one, which might mean buying an even cheaper brand, like Convoy, which is one of your best value for the money light makers, especially when they're on sale.
 
Last edited:

Rholder

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Messages
4
Chad, thanks very much for the advise, very wise words. £100 equates to around $140 so the Surefire brand is a budget breaker, I will however turn my attention to the Armytek which looks spot on. Thanks once again, really appreciate it.
 

Keitho

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 7, 2017
Messages
781
Location
CO, USA
There are a couple of cpf threads on dive lights--if small size isn't important, then you might find something that fits the bill there.
 

Bazsy

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 2, 2017
Messages
37
Chad, thanks very much for the advise, very wise words. £100 equates to around $140 so the Surefire brand is a budget breaker, I will however turn my attention to the Armytek which looks spot on. Thanks once again, really appreciate it.

I don't know if you find some good retailers offer armytek in the EU but nkon (Netherlands) has a good lineup of them for I would guess good prices as they usually have for other stuff.
 

edje

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 25, 2016
Messages
17
Hi all. I've joined this forum because I'm in the market for a flashlight that offers best value for money, in the under £100 range. There's so much on the market, and as a full newbie I need expert guidance.

In the coming months I'll be traveling to Mexico & Greece where me & my son will be doing night walks surveying the local amphibian and reptile populations. We need a durable, rechargeable, waterproof flashlight that's not too small (I'm always losing stuff). Was leaning towards the Fenix RC11, but so many others are distracting me from making the transaction.

Help would be greatly appreciated.
De Phoenix Which build in micro USB Charger is very convenient And A Very Good light
If You buy some Good unprotected cells You are set to go for 80€

If you want to buy a separate Charger Fenix pd35 is also a nice option
Greetings from the Netherlands
 

Rholder

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Messages
4
Thanks all, this has given me loads to think about, and is exactly the kind of direction I need.
 

arKmm

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
340
Location
UK
Armytek would be a good choice. Flashaholics sell them in the UK.
 

LeanBurn

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
1,355
Location
Alberta
As with any brand, do your due diligence and look up reviews on CPF as well as other sites before you purchase as there are many attributes such as initial quality, warranty support and shipping that can be just as important as the initial performance specs you read.

Consider other models as well such as the Thrunite TC12 or the Thrunite Neutron 2CV3, Olight S30R or Olight M2R Warrior lineups, Nitecore MH20GT and Nitecore MH10 are just some others.

You might not want to put all your eggs in one basket so-to-speak, maybe spend your allotment on 2 good lights instead of 1 pricey one that may be more that you need. This keeps the mantra of "1 is none and 2 is one" in practice.
 

gravelmonkey

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
735
Location
UK
Why not a headlamp to free up your hands? Have a look at zebralight H600w. The user interface looks complicated when you're reading it but once you've tried it a few times, it's pretty simple
.
You'll need a couple of 18650 rechargeable cells and a USB charger but it'll give you a good runtime with retina searing brightness if you need it.
 
Top