# List the BEST/WORST flashlight purchases you have made.



## stallion2

I've been wanting to start this thread for awhile now. It's nothing more than another attempt at dissemintating information in a concise manner that is centered around one simple piece of criteria. Think of the lights you own or have owned and which ones really stand out as having exceeded your expectations, and for that matter list some lights that you feel were a waste of money. I'm a hippocrate for asking this but try to keep any explanations you wish to offer as short as you reasonably can. PM's are probably the best way to get more information w/out cluttering this thread too much. 
Obviously I'll go first:

LIGHTS THAT I REGRET:
-*Nitecore Smart PD20 (R2 version)...*the UI is awesome but its pretty heavy for its size and mine just doesn't seem to be very bright, 200lm...no way.
-*IncenDio V3...*great build quality but runs pretty hot, smaller than it has to be to EDC, i just don't use it much.

LIGHTS I FELT WERE WORTH MORE THAN I PAID:
-*LX2...*its my EDC, as close to perfect as any light i've used, a bargain, even at $200.
-*4sevens Quark 123^2 Turbo...*this light turned out to be amazing, beam quality is unbelievable, actual output seems considerably higher than they claim.
-*Fenix LD20...*very light, very bright, best beam i've seen w/ an XR-E
-*my Dereelight DBS's...*so many great lights from a small collection of different parts, its like i've been able to fit 10-15 different lights into a 1150 Pelican case
-*Olight M30...*best use of an MC-E...my go-to BRIGHT light.
-*Energizer Night Strike, Swivel Light....*makes an awesome utility light.


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## carrot

Worth more:
- *McLux Ti PD-S Mizer*... if you judge a light by how much it gets carried and used, the PD-S is my best
- *Olight M30 Triton*... didn't pay a cent for it, instead traded useful information for a light, also now my favorite light cannon
- *Surefire C2*... or 6P... most upgradeable light I own
- *Surefire Saint*... finally a headlamp with the UI a headlamp deserves, and better yet, dual fuel capable
- *Quark 123 Mini*... are you kidding, under $40 for a top notch light that performs with the best of them? how can it not be on my list

Worth less:
- *Fenix P1D*... the jump in size from the P1 changed it from a desireable pocket/keyring light to being unpleasantly bulky, not to mention the annoying strobe/SOS modes.
- *Maglite Solitaire*... who are we kidding, even before Surefire, Arc, Fenix, 4sevens, the Soli was still a terrible light. At least the Minimag had its good days, but the Soli? Never.


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## saabgoblin

From Your Sig Line,

"The lights we own end up owning us." so very, very true in my case. Personally, I am having a hard time choosing my worst lights because I have found them all to be useful tools and the ones that I don't particularly like have taught me something but I love them just the same.

As for my most EDC'd and therefore my most liked I will have to say would be my;
Peak 3 LED Matterhorn-xxx
Peak7 LED McKinley
Peak 3 LED Red Shasta
Peak 1 Led Cyan Shasta
Peak Caribbean
Lunasol 20-xxx
Surefire E1B-xxx
Surefire E1E
Jetbeam Jet 1 Pro warm emitter

The three xxx=most EDC usage, others are in rotation and or preference for how am feeling at the time.


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## mrartillery

I love about all of my purchases, hadnt had to many regrets so far, but i guess the one that sticks out the most was the Pila GL4. I bought a couple years ago when i was really getting into flashlights and the 550 lumen figure enticed me. I kept it for about a month and got rid of it, reasons being is mainly because it was the ugliest light i had ever seen, too big to carry, which is the main reason i wanted it and the brightness ddint live up to my expectations. Oh well, live and learn!


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## kramer5150

Best:
Surefire, Mag, Eagletac, ITP, Gerber, Zebralight, Solarforce, HID spotlights, Romisen, Fenix, DX junk for DIY modding... its all good by me:twothumbs

Worst:
This thing I paid $25 for:thumbsdow






Second worst:
This Dorcy 3AAA, flood to throw... YUK





To think I paid almost $40 combined for these last two turds:sick2:

Some surprises along the way:
These 3AAA Dorcy showerheads have been surprisingly useful. They run forever on alkalines, survived a load of laundry and my 2 destructive kids beat them to he11 and back. I am NOT a fan of 3AAA lights in any way, shape or form:sick2:... but these have surprised me. I have several scattered throughout the house.





This Joby, 3AA, Cree XPE has been surprisingly useful. Infinitely variable dimmer switch, regulated output, ~50L OTF, magnetic mount feet.


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## don.gwapo

I love my LL P7, X2000, LL K3 and my Solarforce L2M SS SE lights except for one. Worst, my maglite AA incan is almost no use now.


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## wingnut86

Best Purchase
*Surefire G2*...A _$40_ thing of beauty.

Light I was not too Happy With 
*Fenix TK20*...A _$60_ disappointment.


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## JaguarDave-in-Oz

My biggest regret was the Fenix TK20. Huge waste of dough for me. Wouldn't buy it again even if it was only ten bucks. I hated the browny yellow tint, hated it. I also detested the fact that it was shaped like a Colonel Sanders drumstick and had a wierd balance in the hand plus a clip in an absolutely useless (to me) place. A shame because it probably had the best fit and finish and the best shaped beam with the best reflector of any torch I ever bought.

My best has been my new MkII p20c2 with OP, a beam just so smooth and bright and a superb UI. I do hate that straight ribbed knurling though, looks like a hack job and feels like a hack job. My Led lenser p17 cost a lot but does its job of looking a lonnnng way downrange very well too. My Quark 123 R2 is pretty darned useful too.


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## Kestrel

Best purchases:
For virtually unlimited upgradeability, a *SureFire C3* ($57 on Ebay) and a *SureFire 6P* w/ McC2S Z41 tailcap. Also the *SureFire L1.* Oh, and a *SureFire G3 LED* ($50 on CPF/MP). Hmm, there seems to be a common theme in this list...

Worst purchase by far: 
The *Maglite Solitaire* (a very long time ago). I still don't know how they get away with selling these things.


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## LupinIII

Best purchases for me have included the bulk of my lights, from my first nice torch (a few years ago) - Fenix L2D - to my latest - Surefire E1B. In between there have been more Fenix and Surefire in addition to some Nitecore and Jetbeams.

In between, I've also had a few lights that were not my cup of tea. So, my relatively worst purchases were a Quark 123 and Fenix P1D. Don't get me wrong, these are nice, but the Fenix is not rechargeable friendly and the Quark feels fragile.

I've been pretty fortunate, and it helps that I do at least an hour of research before any purchase.


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## jabe1

Ive been happy with all of my purchases except my 2xAA Mag LED, first generation... utter garbage!, It currently sits in a drawer so as not to infect my other lights.


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## apete2

Best: 4D mag for ROP mod (can use mag 6 cell bulb, ROP low/hi, $4 6v Everready lantern at Lowes + 2.99 mag 4 cell Xenon bulb, minimag AA with streamlight bulb, dorcy 220 until I left it on a bench by accident, B&D 6v halogen spot light

Worst: many $1 2D cell incans that only lasted a few days, streamlight twin task rechargeble (too floody on bulb for me), AAA minimag (threads way too loose)


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## csa

Best: anything made by Arc., McGizmo, Surefire.

Worst: Anything I bought before I got to CPF


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## Darvis

Good: Almost too many to list, but my Electron Guru/Malkoff 6P's, Peaks (all of them), Dereelight CL1H V4 and DBV3, and Orb wee NS lead the way. The Jetbeam M1X get an honorary mention.

The bad: I've had bad luck with Nitecore; D10's with really fast ramping, a DI that hates 14500's, and an EX10 that has a terribly hard to use piston. The Ti Preon was also a bummer, crappiest threads EVER!!! ugh, it makes my teeth hurt just twisting it. (think nails on a chalk board)


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## Yucca Patrol

I most regret wasting my money on the EagleTac M2CX4. While it performed well, the selector ring was terrible with the accidental strobing.

My best purchase was my Serv-Light caving headlamp.


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## flashfan

Best purchases probably would be my SureFire lights...although I am pretty happy with most of my lights.

Off the top of my head, the worst purchases likely would include the Trek 7 and Trek 19 lights (bet most of you young 'uns never even heard of these lights). They were nice lights, rather expensive and sort of cutting edge at the time (about 9 years or so ago)...probably couldn't give them away now (to flashaholics anyway). Sigh.


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## LightJaguar

Best for me would be my Surefire C2 with an M60. an Honorable mention would also have to got to the Skyray SR 5 from DX. The quality is as good as Solarforce and at the moment its my brightest single LED flashlight even surpassing my Malkoff (similar beams also). All that for around $20.
My worst would be a Brinkman AAA flashlight that I bought years ago. It never truly worked and my frustration with that light led me to CPF.


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## duboost

Yucca Patrol said:


> I most regret wasting my money on the EagleTac M2CX4. While it performed well, the selector ring was terrible with the accidental strobing.


The strobe issue irritated me with this light too. Luckily there is a fix. Just unscrew the head and adjust where the screws are mounted in this pic and voila! no more strobe!

For my list...
*Best:*
ITP A3. For the price, size, and brightness, this one is tough to beat

TK20. Im surprised to see this one on some people's worst lists. At ~$50 its a great light for the money imo. Nice tint, good grip, good throw, and built like a tank.

Quark MiNi123 Ti. Tiny, bright as heck, and titanium for <$70?! Actually all my quarks I feel are great lights for the money.

Olight M30. While i have other MC-E lights that are brighter and will out throw this one, the difference in size is priceless. Compared to my other "big" lights, this one feels so compact and it still gives off a wall of light.

*Worst:*
Just about every light i've ordered from DX.


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## leukos

kramer5150 said:


> This Joby, 3AA, Cree XPE has been surprisingly useful. Infinitely variable dimmer switch, regulated output, ~50L OTF, magnetic mount feet.


 

Which light is that? Looks great for working on the car.


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## LoM

My worst buy it is not 1, but 3.



Few years ago bought a great led flashlight (3 x AAA) at the local chinese shop. Was impressed how much brighter it was than my old minimags. 



Used the cheap chinese light for a week or so until it got wet in the rain and then puuufff. Not happy with it, bought a second unit that last as much as the first one. Being hard to learn, bought a third one that ended just as quickly as the first two. No need to say, those 3 were the worst buy I have ever made.

My best buy are 2

Finally understood that cheap chinese lights were not the solution was looking for. Found CPF and bough a CMG (?) Infinity + Fenix L1D. Although I gave away the infinity to a friend (still regret that error) both lights are running strong and used almost in a daily basis. 

Today I have brighter and more expensive lights but always regard those two as the best buys have ever made.


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## Ksailork

Best purchases would include my Surefire G2, Olight T20, and a Petzl Arctic headlamp. Many years ago, Maglite brought a robustness and quality into the flashlight world so I have to add my first Maglite, a 2C.

Worst would have to be any and all of the Princeton Tec lights that I purchased. They hold the record for the only flashlights that I've actually thrown in the garbage. Three complete failures out of four.


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## Black Rose

I am a frugal flashaholic so my list doesn't contain the higher priced, big name players.

Best:
Rayovac Sportsman Xtreme 2xAA 1-watt.
iTP A3 EOS Upgrade & iTP A2 EOS
Solarforce L2* 
Surefire G2
MG L-Mini II
Gerber Infinity Ultra
2D Rebel Mag (a $20 thrower)

Worst:
The utterly useless Mag Solitaire
2D incans bought from closeout bins that can't be modded.


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## Brian321

Best:
*Romisen RC-N3 NW:* Awesome light for the money, plus you can use AA or 123a's.
*Surefire 6P w/ M61:* Awesome light,good throw and spill.
All my other Surfire's
*Zebralight H501: *Great all around light.

Worst:
*Dereelight DBS V3:* The light output is good but i cant stand the threads and o-rings on this light(they just feel cheap).
*Mag solitare:* Was my first light and is garbage.


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## McAllan

Best:
Fenix LD20 (1. version) without doubt. My most used light so far with great balance between output, run time and size :thumbsup:

Worst:
Mini MagLite 2AA LED non mode (2006) version. Nothing really wrong with it technically I'd just expect it's output to be far more considered the horrendous price and the "3 watt" advertising on the package. Yeah right it doesn't even deliver 1 w to the emitter. So price/performance is really bad. I feel robbed :scowl:
MTE C3-1 Stainless from DX. But only the 2. one I bought. The first one very nice but 2. one was noticeably lower quality :thumbsdow


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## rookiedaddy

Best purchases so far:
*SureFire* E2DL - Simply awesome
*ZebraLight* H501/w - Simply useful
*EagleTac* T100C2 - Simply KISS

Worst purchase:
Fenix LD05 - this was purchased to compare with Preon II, heavy, green tint, PWM and tight clip, simply one of the worst release from Fenix!


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## ejot

leukos said:


> Which light is that? Looks great for working on the car.


Yes, x2. Where did you get that? 

Speaking of lights I regret, I have the exact same host as this, except it's the multi-angry-blue-5mm version and it really *sentence terminated to avoid vulgarity*. Purchased before my CPF days. Hmm, mod time I guess. :thinking:

I haven't been truly disappointed in anything since learning of CPF. Closest candidates would be:
Ti Quark - :green: tint really spoiled an otherwise nice offering. Would have gladly given up some efficacy for a reasonable stock tint @ low drive. 
EX10 - It's so close to being fantastic, but behaves erratically on occasion, even well maintained. 
Illuminati - Dunno why, but just didn't have any appeal when I opened the box. Not sure if I even turned it on. I'll stick with my LD01 SS, thank you. 
iTP A3 - F'n useless split ring hole.  I'll stick with my LD01 SS, thank you.
Maratac AAA - Meh. Uninspiring. I'll stick with my ... OK, you get the point. 


The true gems [FONT=&quot]—[/FONT] with respect to value:
Zebralights (several varieties) - What needs to be said? More useful than my left thumb. 
"User" classic 6P with 7A LED drop in - Timeless, elegant design. Perhaps the prettiest mass-produced light of all time. A little rough around the edges, not afraid to put it through some hard use. Awesome, useful tint. (Thanks carbine15).
SureFire U2 with tailstanding tailcap - The best UI, bar none. 18650 + SureFire goodness. Yep, put 'er on the list. 
LD01 - There are fancier, smaller, lighter, brighter, and far more expensive keychain lights. But there's just something about this light, next to a micra with my keys... can't put a finger on it. 
JetBeam M1X - Versatility, ridiculously useful beam pattern

I feel terrible leaving so many other lights off the list. I almost always feel they're worth more than I pay.


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## Launch Mini

Excluding my SPY's

Best
Surefire E1B. Really amazed at the light out of this guy.


Worst
Streamlight 4AA. Bought this a few years ago, thought it was great at the time.


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## 325addict

ooomphh... this is gonna be a hard one 

The better lights:

Surefire C3 Centurion HAIII (with P90, I LOVE it!!)
Megalennium (the way the SF M6 should have been... on 3X 18650s!)
Wolf Eyes M90 Rattlesnake (2-cell, standard lamp, as well as 3-cell)
MagCharger (good throw, bright, rechargeable...)
Wolf Eyes Sniper MC-E (BRIGHT! Bright! Did I mention it is BRIGHT??)
Surefire C2 Centurion HAIII (smaller brother of the C3)
Modified Surefire A2 (REAL warm white LEDs, match incan perfectly)
Surefire U2, new version (one of the most versatile lights I have)
Maglite AA incan: the PERFECT light for in a tent... neither too bright, nor too dim
Fenix LD01: a very versatile EDC. It is always on me.
Fenix P3D: even RCR123s work forever in this light. Bright and small.
Modified SF E1E: with LF LA, guilt free lumens and BRIGHT for the size!

The ones that disappointed me more or less:

Surefire L1 LumaMax (new version): really NO spill at all!! TIR is not for me.
Ultrafire WF501B, C or D: either bent body(!), loose threads, switch that broke down, or JUST too narrow to house 18650s... or just too LONG to make contact with unprotected 18650s!!

I'm sure I forgot loads of lights, let this be my start 

Timmo.


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## jugornot

I have no regrets for any of the lights I have bought. I use CPF to research before I buy. Even the lights I bought before CPF have lasted well and served the needs of the times. Including 3d, 2c and mini mags. Favorites for me include q mini aa and 123 for edc. ITP C8R for work. Love the TK20s for a great all around 2xaa lights. A Dereelight Javelin a favorite for trying stuff out. Do the research make wise choices and have realistic expectations.


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## rooster.5

Best: Surefire E1e, my EDC for several years now. Surefire E2e,Surefire G2, Surefire G2L, Minimag after LED upgrade. Worst:Minimag before LED upgrade,Mag soli before and after LED upgrade,eGear PDL-1,this light was o.k. but I paid too much for it.


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## Locoboy5150

Best - Fenix TK40 - I was leery about spending that much on a flashlight but all it took was turning it on in high mode for the first time and then I knew that it was money well spent. Then I kicked it up a notch into turbo. 

Worst - Yep, add me to the list of Maglite Solitaire haters. I bought one when they first came out and even back then as a kid I was less than impressed with its dim, yellow light output. Keep in mind that this when my 2 AA incandescent Mini-Maglite was my light output measuring standard! The Solitaire looked so cool too. It was and still is the king of the poser lights because it still looks great...until the power is turned on. 

At least the Solitaire was cheap for me. Those things are *so* bad, even my mom, the furthest thing from a flashaholic - believe me, doesn't like them!


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## kramer5150

leukos said:


> Which light is that? Looks great for working on the car.



My sister in law got it at REI I think. link HERE

Its way too throwey, but I use scotch tape to diffuse the beam a little. I stick it on my drill press to light up my workpiece. I kind of wish it were brighter though. An XPE can do 100L easy without overheating.


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## GarageBoy

That mag clamp light is made by Joby, the makers of the gorilla pod camera tripod 

Best: Nautilus - love the looks, the UI, the construction, the output levels. It rides with me daily

Worst: Surefire G2- only cause I paid $50 for it...


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## Robin24k

Best - Maglite XL100: Lots of features for $40, rather smooth beam (after fiddling with the head), just a little iffy on AAA, although it gave me an excuse to buy 4 AAA Duraloops so I could put the 2 AAA that I had to use. 

Worst - Nite-Ize 3-LED Mini Maglite upgrade, very blue in color, but it was the only LED upgrade available at the time. At least my old Mini Maglite is somewhat usable as a loaner/spare now.


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## saabgoblin

Actually, I think that I need to thank Doug, AKA Quickbeam once again for putting the Flashlightreviews website together because his information helped me not spend a lot of money on lights that I might not like. I must say the he didn't really save me any actual money in the long run because it led me here but my spending is my own fault and Doug can't really be blamed for my lack of control.

Even though it is a little outdated by today's standards, I still love my Nuwai Qlll!:twothumbs

Actually, I have a Maglite Solitare as well but but since I don't remember buying it, I guess that I can't claim it as a regret.


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## Cataract

*:thumbsup: BEST* (I don't use half of them half as much as they deserve)
M1X
TK40
TK11
TK20 (apparently wanting a neutral is a pre-requisite)
PD30
HP10 (combined with the Fenix Headband)
Quark RGB
Quark AA neutral
Malkoff M60 MCE W 
Strion

*:ironic: WORST*
*Gerber* ... squidlamp?? It's got 8 leds, each on foldable appendages (3 red LEDs) for a grand total of about 5 lumen at a price of 50$ (thank god I got it at half price)

Anything *Dorcy* (2 years ago, I returned 3 of them for my money back) :shakehead

*ZebraLight H50* (sorry fans, this one attracts bugs like it says "Bug Zapper" on my forehead, but I do use it for reading in the tent and finishing off old batteries, it's at least good for that. I might change my mind if I ever put my hands on the neutral version)


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## vtunderground

Best: Surefire L4 with a few of AW's 17670 Li-Ion batteries. I've had the light for almost five years, and it still impresses me.

Worst: Princeton Tec Impact XL, when it was first released. What a dim, purple beam it had! I threw the LED module in the trash the day I got it, and have used a 3-cell Maglite bulb on 4xAA NiMH in it ever since.


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## DimeRazorback

*Best:*
McGizmo; Haiku XP-G, Haiku XP-G BB, SunDrop XR-U.
Surefire; M6's, LX2's, E2DL, Z3, Z2 & C2.

*Worst:*
Anything that wasn't made by the above manufacturers.
Worst being that of the Olight T10.


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## space-time

*Best:*
* Mag 3-AA LED (underpowered now, but great buy at the time)
* iTP A1 E0S SS upgrade. It just works.
* The cheap-o 9 LED 3-AAA lights 2/$3 at Harbor Freight and Northern Tool, for mechanical work lights. Bright as heck - don't have to worry about loosing or destroying them - and one is even rubber-covered waterproof.


*Worst:*
* Streamlight Twin-Task 1 cell lithium. What was I thinking? The light didn't do either LED _or_ incandescent well. And what made me think LEDs mounted on the side of the reflector would be a good idea. :shakehead This thing is now taking up space in the city landfill.
* The only thing worse than buying one Mag Solitaire over the years is buying 3 when I couldn't remember where I put them.  _I'm so ashamed._


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## HeadCSO

Best

Nitecore DI
Fenix LD10
Olight T25


Worst

Eagletac P10A2


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## RTTR

HeadCSO said:


> Best
> 
> Nitecore DI
> Fenix LD10
> Olight T25
> 
> 
> Worst
> 
> Eagletac P10A2




What did you like about the Eagletac? Do the issues you had with it translate to the newer models?


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## Egsise

Best:
Fenix TK20, best finished, most durable, used and user friendly light that I have.


Worst:
MG PLI MC-E warm white, no QC:
The led star was poorly heatsinked, it was glued to it's place with heat conductive paste which was full of air bubbles.
I desoldered the led star and cleaned the old thermal paste, applied some new paste and epoxied the star in it's place.
According my lightbox readings the brightness increased ~25% and now the head clearly heats up.

Bezel threads were ruined, had to epoxy the bezel in to it's place.

Head and body were not aligned, the flashlight looked like a banana. I corrected the alignment and used epoxy to attach head to body, prayed that it holds.

Fugly camo paint, just have to live with it..

_As MG PLI is my only warm white flashlight, it is used very much and after those repairs it is my second best flashlight.
Why did I buy it in the first place? Fenix T series diffuser tips fit like a glove.
I have dozen unprotected 18650's and MG PLI has built-in overdischarge protection.
Warm white, gotta love it.
_


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## jhc37013

Best hands down is my *Zebralight 501*, because I sit in my TV/Flashlight room in darkness with my laptop just so I can mess around with my lights at night inside so it get's tons of use.

Second best would be the *Eagletac P20C2 MKll*. It's bright and throws well for a XP-G.

Next the *MG Mini II* a very small 18650 light can be used as flood for medium range with standard head or turbo head for great throw at a budget price.

Worst probably my *Nitecore EX10's *although very nice quality I always turned them on accidentally in my pocket so they eventually became useless to me.

Last but certainly not least my Surefire light's, expensive yes but worth every penny


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## GarageBoy

DimeRazorback said:


> *Best:*
> McGizmo; Haiku XP-G, Haiku XP-G BB, SunDrop XR-U.
> Surefire; M6's, LX2's, E2DL, Z3, Z2 & C2.
> 
> *Worst:*
> Anything that wasn't made by the above manufacturers.
> Worst being that of the Olight T10.



What was wrong with the O light?


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## stallion2

man...all this Maglight Solitaire hate is cracking me up. and then i remembered i had bought one two summers ago. i never really expected much from it, just something for my keychain...then i got a Streamlight Nano a few weeks later and turned the Solitaire over to my mom. she couldn't have cared less if it was that or a Liteflux.

i certainly don't regret the purchase...it was the pink breast cancer awareness edition. since i'm a big fan/supporter of breasts and my mom also overcame it 3 years ago, i still feel it was money well spent.
GO BOOBS!!!!:thumbsup:


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## rayman

*Best:* EX10, Jet-III Pro I.B.S., Maglites after modding.

*Worst:* Maglites before modding .

rayman


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## fisk-king

Best:

McGizmo: Ti Pd-S Mizer and Haiku XP-G; 
Modamag: AlTin Drake
Quark: Mini 123 
Ra Twisty 100 (runner-up is the Clicky)

Worst:
:thinking:
Gerber Infinity Ultra- ( had purchased 2 before coming to CPF) After 3 years of pocket duty the light failed to come on after twisting the tail. I would have to hit the head of the light a few times for it to come on. The other, *unused*, I gave to my mother which now resides in her purse. Maybe the CMG's are better?

Streamlight 4aa polymer- Did not purchase one of these directly (came out of check). There decent (LED model that is) but the runtime is kinda lacking. My Quark 2AA Neut. Tactical replace this light for work.


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## chaoss

Best would easily be a McGizmo SunDrop XR-U, Bitz aluminum, LiteFlux LF3XT and last but not least a Milky L1 'floodmaster'.

Worst would be an Arc6 but only because of their pathetic customer service .


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## CaseyS

Best: Malkoff MD2/M60-WLF, Quark Ti 123


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## tadbik

Best:

Inova Inforce white

I don't know why this light isn't mentioned often. It's versatile, tough and easy to set the setting you want, even by touch.

Worst:
Tiablo A7

I just can't consistently change the mode settings and now just leave it on high. Great lanyard though!


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## CLHC

In my case and for what I use it for, the "_best_" cheap flashlight I bought is the MegaBrite wind 'em up LED flashlight. 

Worst was a rubber[ized] Garrity flashlight. :huh:


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## DimeRazorback

GarageBoy said:


> What was wrong with the O light?



A few things.
The ano started to wear out in the first day (my E2DL did the exact same duties for two months and still looks brand new), I don't like the reverse clicky, the beam was average, the tint was *very* blue, and I didn't like the stobe modes.


:thumbsup:


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## HeadCSO

RTTR said:


> What did you like about the Eagletac? Do the issues you had with it translate to the newer models?


 

I had an older P10A2. Dropped it on the floor and the lens shattered. Got that replaced and got the lens modification from Eagletac. Dropped it on a carpeted floor and the lens cracked. Gave up after that.


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## snaf

best flashlight purchase for me is a surefire 6p, it's incredibly versatile and moddable. 
worst would be some 3 dollar flashlight i bought at an auto store a quick task, i junked it not too long afterwards


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## Ian2381

BEST:
Quark MiNi AA in Titanium - Great EDC but I prefer it as my shelf Queen. :thumbsup:

Worst:
TIGER brand LED light bought at ACE Hardware, Powered by 4xAA but my Fenix E01(1xAAA) is much brighter.


----------



## pounder

being a newbie to lights and having a small collection..it is as follows..

best- 

SF L2..wow love this light
mini magled 3aa..pretty good spill and very pratical around the house..
energizer hard case headlamp..damn good headlamp for 30 bucks..
4D maglite..love this bat for self defence on the job..will put in an Led module eventually..

worst - 

streamlight twin-task 3aa and twin task 2D..if it weren't for my kids these things would hit the garbage..absolute junk..


----------



## MarNav1

Some of the best-
SureFire U2A w Leef body- this thing is deceptively bright
My beloved Milky L1's (old style head)
iTP SS A3- Great keychain light
SureFire E series (lego) Aleph mix
NiteCore EZ CR2w This light grew on me quick

Worst
Mag 2aa incan and Solitare (my modded Mags are great)
Led Lenser have mostly been uninspiring for me


----------



## Rocketman

Worst flashlight purchase I have made: Surefire LX2 for 195 dollars. Don't ask why because I don't want this thread to be closed.

Best purchase: Surefire LX2 because I sent it back to Brightguy for a Fenix TK40 and a PD30. The surprising thing is that not only are they functionally outstanding but the workmanship is everything I was hoping for in the Surefire but didn't get. Wow, do I love those lights.


----------



## DM51

Rocketman said:


> I don't want this thread to be closed


You need have no worries on that score. The way you are heading with your recent posting record, you'll be gone from the thread long before it is closed.


----------



## fixitman

Happiest purchases
Maratac AAA
Quark MiNi AA
Eagletac P10A2 warm
Zebralight H501 warm
Fenix LoDce (replaced by the maratac, but was a great light for several years)

Biggest disappointments.
Nightcore EZaa
About half the DX lights I bought sucked.
Every incan Ive ever owned.
Every 5mm based light ive ever had to use. I really, really hate angry blue lights


----------



## chenko

Best: Zebralight H501w (so practical and useful!)

Worst: Terralux mini-maglite AA dropin (dim, horrible tint, flickering, fragile and unreliable)


----------



## wingnut86

DM51 said:


> You need have no worries on that score. The way you are heading with your recent posting record, you'll be gone from the thread long before it is closed.



:whoopin: >>>>>>>>> :welcome:


----------



## Quickstrike

Best:

Fenix P3D Premium Rebel 100 - I love the size, interface, run times, tint. It has been an excellent EDC light.

Fivemega 1450L M*g 2.5D - Amazing light. The balance between flood + throw is just about perfect [IMO]. I love the cross machined body & reanodized gun metal finish. It's my most expensive light, so I baby the thing. The run time is also pretty decent - for me, it was the best compromise between total light output and run time.

Worst:

Solarforce L600M - I love floody beams, but this one just doesn't have enough power to scatter the light as much as it does. 
There seems to be a problem with the contact points.. the light will often turn off intermittently. 
Doesn't seem like it is anywhere near 600 Lumens. The hot-spot/usable light isn't all that different from my 200 lumen Fenix P3D because of all the faint light projected every which way.


----------



## loszabo

WORST purchases:


2x AA Fenix, I gave to my dad: problems with the electronics.
2x CR123 4Sevens light, I sold: troubles with one setting. Also, disappointed that the box said something about parts made in China.
Streamlight Sidewinder: cheap LEDs.
Pentagon MOLLE light: yawn...
That, my friends, is the reason I throw out everything not made in USA or Japan... (Though my NiteCore EX10 was excellent!)


----------



## bedazzLED

Best:
===
Love my Fenix TK10, TK11, TK20, TK30, TK40
Diablo A10G for throw is just fantastic
Thrunite Catapult
Most of my other purchases I'm happy with.

Worst:
====
By a country mile and stand-out winner, the Ultrafire WF-606B.
Followed closely by the AKoray 103 and 109 - Please never use the word bright in the same sentence with these two lights. Maybe I should call them 'dims' instead of 'lights'.


----------



## defloyd77

kramer5150 said:


> My sister in law got it at REI I think. link HERE
> 
> Its way too throwey, but I use scotch tape to diffuse the beam a little. I stick it on my drill press to light up my workpiece. I kind of wish it were brighter though. An XPE can do 100L easy without overheating.



Are you sure it an XP-E and not an XP-C? From the GT website "Ultra-bright CREE LED provides a maximum output of 65 lumens/1 watt." Either way that's one awesome light!

My best is definately my 1AA neutral tactical Quark.

Worst? Well I'm not going to include my impulse purchased multi 5mm, 3AAA direct drive without resistor lights. Solitaire, but it wasn't because of it's mediocre output and runtime, at the age I had it, I should have never owned a light that small. I actually liked it, kind of a novelty thing really and was handy when I needed 2 free hands.


----------



## Nyctophiliac

Cataract said:


> *
> Gerber ... squidlamp?? It's got 8 leds, each on foldable appendages (3 red LEDs) for a grand total of about 5 lumen at a price of 50$ (thank god I got it at half price)
> *


*

That would be the Gerber Inferno. When I first saw this thread - or indeed any thread where the phrase "worst flashlight" is used - I always think of my Gerber Inferno.

To add to what you said, Cataract, this is a completely useless piece of junk which had no business getting off the drawing board to prototype let alone letting people spend their hard erned cash on it. It must have been designed by the Managing Director's son and it's faults overlooked. What made it worse for me was that I had to order it from overseas and pay a hefty customs charge for it. The first time I put batteries in it, a big piece of plastic fell off - rendering the battery pack loose and rattleing. 

I defy anybody on these forums to convince me that there is any use for this abomination that includes use by a sentient being, me included. Especially since gerber had already wowed me with a couple of Sonics and Infinities. A bit like going to a Gordon Ramsey Restaurant and be served up with a pile of horse manure at more than your previous meal of Fois Gras!!! At least horse dung will make your grass grow.

Quite unbelievably the worst light I have ever owned including the 99P cheapies from poundstores. 

The Best?

Raw SS - hands down.
Ra Twisty 85 Tr - hands down.
ARC +4 - hands down.
Quark AA - hands down.

I appear to be running out of hands...*


----------



## leukos

Nyctophiliac said:


> Especially since gerber had already wowed me with a couple of Sonics and Infinities


 
Gerber did not design those two lights. That was a small company named CMG that Gerber purchased and rebranded their lights. I have no idea where the rest of their lineup comes from. CMG made good lights though.

As for me, I have made a lot of "worst" purchases. I think these mostly had to do with items that were off ebay, off the shelf, or just had little or no warranty service. UK 4AA e-LED was one that I regret simply because they refused to service a faulty switch. I have also made plenty of high-end purchases that just did not suit me, but others were happier with them on B/S/T.

I think my best purchases are lights that I get a lot of satisfaction out of modding. Surefire is a nice platform for this. I really enjoy all the custom products out there to make my lights unique, perform better, or more to my liking.


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## Cataract

Nyctophiliac said:


> That would be the Gerber Inferno. When I first saw this thread - or indeed any thread where the phrase "worst flashlight" is used - I always think of my Gerber Inferno.
> 
> To add to what you said, Cataract, this is a completely useless piece of junk which had no business getting off the drawing board to prototype let alone letting people spend their hard erned cash on it. It must have been designed by the Managing Director's son and it's faults overlooked. What made it worse for me was that I had to order it from overseas and pay a hefty customs charge for it. The first time I put batteries in it, a big piece of plastic fell off - rendering the battery pack loose and rattleing.
> 
> I defy anybody on these forums to convince me that there is any use for this abomination that includes use by a sentient being, me included. Especially since gerber had already wowed me with a couple of Sonics and Infinities. A bit like going to a Gordon Ramsey Restaurant and be served up with a pile of horse manure at more than your previous meal of Fois Gras!!! At least horse dung will make your grass grow.
> 
> Quite unbelievably the worst light I have ever owned including the 99P cheapies from poundstores.


   :twothumbs Couldn't phrase it better... 

I personally nominate it the most expensive piece of crap in the worst design AND worst construction categories. If the goals was to make the worst flashlight ever, it alone would make any dollar store light completely obsolete.


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## f22shift

best
*dorktac aa *(just so useful with the widerange of output and smart programming)
*maratac aaa*(cheap, small, easy to edc)


worst
*pob hid*(just not useful for me, maybe if i lived in a rural area)

in my mind, best/worst means usefulness in actual application and life


----------



## USACelt

Best for the money has to be my Quark 123 R5, followed close by my Quark Mini.
Worst, besides cheap disposables, has to be a Surefire 6P.
The Sf is weak, has an ugly beam, horrible run time and is over priced.


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## defloyd77

Nyctophiliac said:


> That would be the Gerber Inferno. When I first saw this thread - or indeed any thread where the phrase "worst flashlight" is used - I always think of my Gerber Inferno.



You know I'm going to go out on a limb here (it's the limb this poor cephalopod is missing btw) and say I do see some potential with this lights flexible stalks, give it better construction, some Nichia GS's and something really creative on the tail end (nothing really comes to my mind as of now) and I can see a light that I can get all sorts of creative uses out of.


----------



## choombak

Best lights:
* Peak Matterhorn 3-LED UP Brass Lug body - this is a gem, a real gem. I simply cannot let go of this anytime.
* Arc-AAA GS
* Fenix L2T v2.0 - creamish beam, and good build
* EagleTac P10A - good UI.

Worst:
* iTP EOS AAA - it whines, and feels plasticky and cheap. I will stick with my Peak 3-LED.
* Olight T15 - the 5 modes never worked well! :-/

-Amarendra


----------



## John_Galt

Best:
HDS EDC B42XR with SSC P4

very nice light... Definitely a candidate for an XP-G upgrade (as soon as we get some warmer tints available).

Worst: (kind of, please let me explain)

Ti Quark AA :duh2:

Yes, I know it's titanium... And it is a very nicely made light! It's just not for me... I dislike all the extra flashing modes, and while the moon-mode helps make up for it, the extremely visible PWM (on moon, low and med.) give me a headache after a while. This is my first Shelf Queen... And I'm not sure I like it that way.

Most Recommended to noobs:
Fenix LD20

Sure, it's not the brightest, or the most efficient, or the tacti-coolest, or shiny, or perfect... But it's the best light I've had. It is an extremely reliable light (in my experience), with a very easy to grasp UI, not too many unnecessary modes, has good output, and a great beam pattern! It works well with alkalines (except Turbo; runtimes are extremely short), and is a relatively inexpensive light. It's a very good value, and I would happily buy another (if I could)...


----------



## Nyctophiliac

defloyd77 said:


> You know I'm going to go out on a limb here (it's the limb this poor cephalopod is missing btw) and say I do see some potential with this lights flexible stalks, give it better construction, some Nichia GS's and something really creative on the tail end (nothing really comes to my mind as of now) and I can see a light that I can get all sorts of creative uses out of.



I actually agree - there may be a useful and fun light to be had by placing different 5mm coloured leds on flexible stalks with a well thought out and reliable UI and construction. But ther is only a superficial similarity between the Gerber Inferno and what I just described. 

BTW the flexibility of the stalks also sucked - they had limited bendy-ness and would not stay in the position you wanted. Also because of the design of the body - there was no way to free stand the light. What a piece of felgercarb!!!!!

(Calm down pills required........)


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## defloyd77

Nyctophiliac said:


> I actually agree - there may be a useful and fun light to be had by placing different 5mm coloured leds on flexible stalks with a well thought out and reliable UI and construction. But ther is only a superficial similarity between the Gerber Inferno and what I just described.



Actually I'd like to to be like the old Photon Proton with 6 whites and 1 red in the middle and maybe different changeable tail ends with a tripod, magnet, carabiner etc. No ideas as far as the switch goes however.


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## Databyter

LIGHTS THAT I REGRET:

All the supermarket 2D cell flashlights I've ever bought that weren't all that bright to start with and quickly became containers for acid and corrosion


LIGHTS I FELT WERE WORTH MORE THAN I PAID:

P1D CE - I saw carrots comment about bulkiness compared to the P1 But I've mostly carried this on my belt, not in my pocket, I don't consider it a keychain light, although it pockets comfortably by itself. I do consider it the best most useful light I have ever owned, and it was my entry into light fascination with it's incredibly bright perfect beam from a form factor the size of my thumb that lasted weeks of daily use before needing a new batt.

TK-40 - Yea!

P3D - Bought it used on this forum and never regretted it, quite useful and powerful, I like the low level especially.

All My Mods, these are my most expensive lights when you consider parts and shipping etc.. But they pay me back in enjoyment and awe, and utility. And in most cases I learned stuff I didn't know before making them.

Wish List

I'm looking at some 4 Sevens stuff. I want a good tactical light with moonlight mode and programmable levels, I was checking out the AA2 tactical (the 2 is supposed to be a squared sign don't know how to do that).


----------



## bc62010

My best lights are in no particular order.
Fenix LD10, Fenix LD20, Fenix TA21.

My Worst lights are.
Gerber M1 (Clicky has gone bad), Maglite 2D Cell light) Not worth putting batteries in)


----------



## Robin24k

bc62010 said:


> Maglite 2D Cell light) Not worth putting batteries in)


I see that you haven't checked out the Homemade and Modified Flashlights board.


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## bc62010

Robin24k said:


> I see that you haven't checked out the Homemade and Modified Flashlights board.


Thanks for the link, I'll visit the Homemade forums if I ever get an itch to hotwire my Mag 2D. :devil:


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## Robin24k

No problem!


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## ecallahan

Of what I have owned:

Best

Surefire G2's and 6P's (modded with Malkoff and Nailbender dropins)
RA Clicky wwcn
Draco
Quark Mini AA
Runner Up - L4 mod with MC-E, which would rank up near the top if it had variable output
Worst (that I can still remember)

D10 and EX10 - had one of each and had no luck with the piston drive, ranks down here because of the price
Terralux drop-in for Mag 3D
I know I would have many more but my memory is shot
I have many in between these two 'extremes'.


----------



## corvettesR1

I think we are all pretty blessed with the large choices of fantastic flashlights today.

Its hard to pick but I think a few favorites of mine have been,

LiteFlux LF3XT/ just a great light to operate.

LiteFlux LF5XT/ great switches on them.

Quark Turbo/ a nice strong powerhouse for the size.

IPTC8/ very dependable and a great bang for the buck.

Novatac 120T/very well built and seems pretty bullet proof.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Least Favorites:

Coleman 3aa/greenish beam -Coast 5 LED/too large and too weak.


----------



## Egsise

Yes don't just put the best and the worst flashlight in the reply, but make it a 100 to 0 list of all your flaslights.


----------



## mbw_151

Best Lights:
Surefire 6P, 9P, C2, C3, Z2, Z3 with Malkoff M60Wxx
HDS EDC B42 with Milky High CRI Seoul upgrade
Quark AA and 123 Warm
Zebra H30 and H501

Worst Lights:
Inova XO2 version 1 and T2 version 1
Gerber Trio

Flashlightreviews.com and CPF provided me the info to avoid buying really bad lights. These were only bad because their performance level became obsolete too soon after I bought them.


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## kramer5150

defloyd77 said:


> Are you sure it an XP-E and not an XP-C? From the GT website "Ultra-bright CREE LED provides a maximum output of 65 lumens/1 watt." Either way that's one awesome light!



Wow good catch. Peeled back the scotch tape and sure enough it is an XPC. The two look very similar, aside from the smaller die surface. Guess that explains the spot throw of the beam


----------



## stallion2

kramer5150 said:


> Wow good catch. Peeled back the scotch tape and sure enough it is an XPC. The two look very similar, aside from the smaller die surface. Guess that explains the spot throw of the beam


 
thats a pretty cool setup, i've seen one similar from Stanley but i don't know if it has magnetic feet. i may buy one of those tripods but w/out the light.

i bought this one made by Cooper lighting for my Dad this Xmas. they call it Might-D-Light or LED 130. compact, magnetic, rechargeable and too bright!!!!! thats its only drawback, it has one mode, nothing else...but no less an ingenious design.


----------



## Dances with Flashlight

Before CPF, I must admit to having acquired I don't know how many lights that in retrospect were suitable for little more than hunting nose hairs. 

In the years since then, however, having become more and more discriminating, the next light has always seemed to have become the favorite. One light, though, really stands out more than any other as the happiest purchase: the Peak AAA/10440 Eiger in polished brass.


----------



## lisantica

Difficult to decide as I REALLY like flashlights.

A couple that come to mind that I think are a terrific value and never disappoint are:

*BEST*
*Dereelight Javelin* - simply wonderful and on AA no less. I could be a spokesperson for this light! I may be buying several to give to family members.
*iTP EOS A3* - I first had the one speed, and now I have the upgraded 3 speed. This one takes AAA and I cannot believe the brightness and at a wonderful price-point!

A couple that come to mind that fall short of my expectations are:

*WORST*
*Streamlight Sidewinder * - just didn't care for the design or output on this one. I didn't give it much time though, bought and sold it possibly too quickly.
*Liteflux LF2XT* - the user interface is difficult for me to figure out and it whines quite loudly, but despite these drawbacks, I can't bring myself to sell it.


----------



## waddup

favorites :are my quality AA lights : ndi, connexion, d10 etc. use em all the time, variable output, always have a cell, they fit my head strap.

worst : i got a couple showerheads from e bay before i found cpf. they can suck cells dry in 3 minutes.


all the popular lights ive bought here have proven to be excellent.

but i dont dismantle them as soon as they arrive,

if it works.... i dont fix it.


----------



## Cataract

Nyctophiliac said:


> I actually agree - there may be a useful and fun light to be had by placing different 5mm coloured leds on flexible stalks with a well thought out and reliable UI and construction. But ther is only a superficial similarity between the Gerber Inferno and what I just described.
> 
> BTW the flexibility of the stalks also sucked - they had limited bendy-ness and would not stay in the position you wanted. Also because of the design of the body - there was no way to free stand the light. What a piece of felgercarb!!!!!
> 
> (Calm down pills required........)


 

+1 The basic idea of the light was good. The construction totally sucks and the LEDs where obsolete even before the day I got it. With patience and good machining, it could be a good candidate for heavy modifications (or complete rebuild, keeping less than 10% of the original parts) and make it the most original custom light.


----------



## ekengle

Lights that are well worth the money I paid are:

Quark AA, Quark MiNi, Surefire 6P. All of them have exactly what I am looking for in a torch.

Lights I am not happy with are the Solarforce L2P. I love the finish and build quality on it but there are things I don't like as well. First is the switch, on mine it is difficult to click on/off due to how it's recessed in the housing and the stiffness. Second, I can't use the belt clip with it because of the lack of a gap between the tail cap and body. Other than that it's a nice light. If I had to do it over I would just get the regular L2 instead and save the money. This light with an R2 will be gifted at the end of the month.

I have mixed feelings about my Kobalt from Lowe's. I bought it when they first came out and thought it was just awesome. It is the light that started me wanting something better than a stock Mag. Now I know what is really out there and a little more about how they are built and run. My wife has adopted it and is very pleased with it.

Lights I wish I had never bought are all of my Maglights. They are all built well, they just really suck for output and runtime without modification. I can't even find a friend who I can give them to. Everyone says they don't want them because of the size, weight, low output and the fact they eat batteries. I also hate the Fenix E01 I bought. It is fairly dim and has a very cold blue beam. I put a L92 in it and hung it on the lampshade in the bedroom for emergencies only so I can find a better light.


----------



## defloyd77

kramer5150 said:


> Wow good catch. Peeled back the scotch tape and sure enough it is an XPC. The two look very similar, aside from the smaller die surface. Guess that explains the spot throw of the beam



I watched a video on this light, I do have to say the beam I saw is pretty nice, but not for something like this. I think these lights would definately benefit from an XP-G upgrade, forget about the fact that you'd get a huge output boost, I'm thinking strictly beamwise how much the 'G would widen the beam up and make it more suitable.

Wow I'm suprised that ekengle's post is the only one to mention the E01.


----------



## Black Rose

defloyd77 said:


> Wow I'm suprised that ekengle's post is the only one to mention the E01.


With the influx of the iTP A3, Maratac AAA and the other mainstream AAA lights that have arrived on the scene in the last year, I think a lot of folks have forgotten about the E01.

I officially retired my E01 from active keychain duty last week and replaced it with an iTP A3 EOS. 
I have another E01 that has never come out of it's box  

My wife still uses her E01, but that's mainly because I haven't swapped the E01 for the iTP A3 EOS I bought her yet.


----------



## Moonshadow

I know this might sound weird but I'm going to nominate the same light for both BEST and WORST - the *Quark RGB*

*Best:* - Because it fills a niche not occupied by any other light. No messing about with filters, and the colours are so much purer. I also really like the flood - quite unlike any other light I have and far more useful than I thought it was going to be. It's compact, versatile and really cool.

*Worst:* - Because of the horrible UI. The reverse clicky I could just about put up with in exchange for the colours and the well-chosen levels. But why couldn't the strobes and blinkys be hidden away Preon-style ? 

And worst of all is the four-second delay, which means that you end up changing modes all the !&%@$£*ing time . . . if I _want_ to change modes then a quick half-press on the reverse clicky would do it: half a second would be more than enough. :hairpull: 

It would have been much better with far fewer modes and a simple foolproof way to quickly flip between high and low without all the other nonsense in between.

So 10/10 for innovation and a unique product - but it could so easily have been ten times better.


----------



## carrot

I agree with you, RGB would have been better with disco modes tucked away. Otherwise... I love it.


----------



## defloyd77

Black Rose said:


> With the influx of the iTP A3, Maratac AAA and the other mainstream AAA lights that have arrived on the scene in the last year, I think a lot of folks have forgotten about the E01.



I meant for worst, there's a lot of people that complain about it's beam and it's output and what not. I for one personally rate the E01 toward the top of best lights. As for other AAA lights making it forgotten, nobody has seemed to forget about the Solitaire...


----------



## heckboy

Best light:
Photon Proton Pro. I carry it everyday at work and haven't found anything that is better for my use.

Worst:
A couple of Inova lights I bought at Target a couple of years ago. I was so disappointed in the beam brightness and quality that I returned them both.

later,
HB


----------



## Hooked on Fenix

Best: Surefire 6PL, all of my Fenix lights (L1D Q5, L2D Q5, P2D Q5, EO1, L1T v. 2.0, P3D Q5, TK11 R2, PD30 R4, PD10 R5 Titan, HL20 headlight), most of my newer Inova lights (T1 2008, XO, X5, X1), Princeton Tec EOS headlight (50 lumen version), Gerber Infinity Ultra and LX3.0, ITP A3 EOS

Worst:
Lumapower Encore- first one DOA, second one dead the first day after I received it after a two foot drop, Postal Service lost the second one in the mail (which I insured) and they refused my insurance claim. Paid shipping three times, and insurance twice to end up with nothing.

Streamlight Polypro 4AA 7 l.e.d.- L.e.d.s popped one at a time starting with about the second battery change (and lower voltage NiMH batteries were used exclusively).

Black Diamond Spot headlight- not waterproof (nor "stormproof"), too fragile for any practical use (lens cracked, stress cracks developed all over the light, the light was never dropped once- it was babied)

Any light with plastic columns in the middle of the springs- this is a sign that thin, flimsy springs were used. Eventually, the springs bend and cut through the plastic columns causing poor electrical connections.

Petzl Tikka XP 2- Functions great, and I have nothing against the build quality, but it has no medium setting which is what I use mostly, and the low has the worst pulse width modulation I've seen. It's a $55 light and the only setting I can use is the setting I tend to use the least, high.


----------



## mxrider32

Best light is my warm Quark 123. Has the two modes I use the most easily accesible. Loosen for moonlight and tighten for max. The tint is perfect, I also really like the size of the light. Other good lights I don't regret; l1d, mini aa warm, itp a6, jet iii pro warm, romisen rc-h3, maratac aaa, preon black kit, eo1.

Worst light I have is the solitare. I never expected much from it though. I am probobly most dissapointed with my nitecore d20. It doesn't seem that bright, the tint is on the blue side, it is heavy and bulky. I much prefer my l1d with 2aa body over the nitecore.


----------



## Rod911

I don't have that many lights, thinking that my bases are covered, but here goes.

*Best*
This was a real surprise. I recently purchased an UltraFire C2 MC-E (2-mode) and I really like it. It has a two stage clicky and the low is well balanced for its run times and output. I also sanded down the lens to make the light more 'suburbia-Melbourne' friendly. The light is no longer a thrower, and produces a diffused hot-spot that lights up distances of less than 10 metres very well.

*Worst* 
I don't have it listed in my list of lights, but I have a no-name-brand 3-AA 5-LED (Nichia) flashlight-cum-lantern light. Its 'lantern' feature isn't of any use at all. It doesn't throw well and I think my Quark on low beats it hands down. The only redeeming feature it has, is that it does have the ability to suck every last bit of juice out of the batteries if you let it.


----------



## rikvee

My best purchases would have been the ARC-LS lights I bought from the Hong Kong based Supreme Co around 2003/4.
Since I am still using them now, 7 years later, they are a winner! Nice Shape and really, really reliable.

The other one I'm still happy with is the ROP Lo Mag 2C: 20 bucks, with a little bit of radiator hose, 3 CR123A's/2 x AWP18500's and a Pelican 3854L bulb, that's a nice bright light, again, love the shape, beautiful design those C-size MagLites: good to hold, nice to look at!

Honorable mention goes to the Zebralight H501W "warm white" and the "neutral" 1AA Tactical Quark by 4Sevens, both of these are getting a lot of use at the moment.

The whole rest of the spectrum is just about learning "what's what" I guess, I put it all down to experience; happy for a while, lose interest, or something slightly better comes along etc.
Most of the lights I try out are given away eventually, unless they are Surefires, then they don't get given away, they get sold, 'cause non-flashaholics just think you're stupid spending that much on a FLASHLIGHT......

Worst: anything that works is bound to make somebody happy, I've given friends those 3 AAA 9 LED lights in nice shiny metallic colors, that's enough to cheer them up already
Moral of the story: no worst really, a light is always a good thing


----------



## tucolino

Black Rose said:


> With the influx of the iTP A3, Maratac AAA and the other mainstream AAA lights that have arrived on the scene in the last year, I think a lot of folks have forgotten about the E01.
> 
> I officially retired my E01 from active keychain duty last week and replaced it with an iTP A3 EOS.
> I have another E01 that has never come out of it's box
> 
> My wife still uses her E01, but that's mainly because I haven't swapped the E01 for the iTP A3 EOS I bought her yet.



correct,that´s for me my best purchase (or purchases,cos i got like 5 of them,not counting how many i bought just for presents)
also, once i found a clip for it, my quark mini aa.

worst:don´t know yet.all flashlights i have got something special


----------



## m3flies

Maybe I'm easily impressed, but I like all of the lights I've bought. Though it's only a few. Fenix PD30R4, EagleTac T20C2 MarkII, Quark 123 R5 Tactical and 123 mini, With a ra Clicky tactical 170 on the way (can't wait to see how this one performs) I just totally enjoy how these lights perform. Different lights for different functions.


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## ebow86

Although I've only owned it for a few days, I can say, without question, my new Surefire A2 aviator with white LED's is my best flashlight purchase. Worst purchase, I don't know, to be honest I've never really bought a light I didn't like or had remorse about.


----------



## Monocrom

*Best = *Milky modded black KL1 head running a single-mode P4 emmiter, on a black E2E body and E2D tailcap. Over 200 lumens. (Put together from three seperate purchases.) It's the light you'll usually find clipped to my pants pocket.

*Worst = *3D Maglite that literally fell apart in my hands are carrying it under the driver's seat of my car for 3 years.


----------



## photonstorm

*BEST*

Fenix LD20 - very good all around usable light and UI
Versati ET10 - outstanding efficiency and run time
Quark MiNi AA, 123, CR2 - nice beam, good value and UI
iTP A2, A3 Ti - excellent performance and incredible value
Preon 1,2 neutral - great form factor and performance
Fenix Tk40 - brightest AA flashlight
Fenix TA30 - well built with a nice smooth beam and brightness
Solarforce L2 - great host with lots of options and accessories

*WORST*

Romisen rc-b12
MiniMag 2AA


----------



## jacktheclipper

Best : My iTP SA2 , Particularly after I broke off what I considered to be a poorly designed clip . I then tied a Turk's Head lanyard on it around the slender part of the body tube . This mod allowed me to use the light much better in a cigar hold , as well as aiding me in snatching the light out of it's well designed holster when I use it for night fishing ; in the high mode and in a momentary fashion to locate channel markers and canals . I also use this light as my bike light , usually in medium mode , strapped to the handlebar with a Twofish lockblock . Since I have several uses for this throwy little gem and it does what it needs to do very well this is my favorite . 
My iTP A3 EOS single mode : Bright , durable , simple , and the form is perfect for pocket carry . I've bought 5 of these so far as gifts and everyone likes them . 

Worst : My Mags Before CPF 
Now that I have modded all of them I don't have any lights that I regret .


----------



## yowzer

Best:


Nightcore D10 R2. This baby's barely left my pocket since I got it shortly after it came out. A near-perfect EDC light.
Zebralight H501w. Perfect headlamp for around camp.

Worst:

Quark Mini123. Just too small to comfortably use, and loose threads that make changing modes way too tricky. I have to unscrew the head one full rotation to stop it from coming on accidently.
Maglite 2AA with a crappy Nite-Ize dropin that I used before finding out about real flashlights.


----------



## KiwiMark

yowzer said:


> Best:
> 
> 
> Nightcore D10 R2. This baby's barely left my pocket since I got it shortly after it came out. A near-perfect EDC light.
> Zebralight H501w. Perfect headlamp for around camp.




 
Ditto on the D10 for me. Momentary on mode means I don't have to worry about accidental activation in the jeans pocket.

Also:
Zebralight H60w - like my 501 but more light and longer runtime.
Jetbeam Jet-IIIm warm - great light, incredible low to preserve my night vision, good high.
Surefire A2 - seemed nice enough when I got it, then I took it camping - that incan sure can throw!
Maglite ROP - Wow! Just wow!


Flashlight related purchases:
fivemega 2" deep reflector - I got 2, one on my Mag2D ROP high and the other on my Mag2D ROP low. Great throw and nice looking beam. I like to take at least on of these ROP Mags when I go camping.


----------



## m3flies

Haven't really had a worst purchase yet. Totally happy with my Quark 123 R5, Fenix PD30 R2, and EagleTac T20C2 Mark II. All work well for the different situations they're needed. Really enjoy having all of them.:twothumbs


----------



## Flying Turtle

I suppose my best purchases as far as value at the time were the Arc LS and AA. For current lights I'll include my LiteFluxes and Quark Mini's. Can't really single out a worst purchase. Mostly I like them all, though I sure have plenty more than I need.

Geoff


----------



## yowzer

KiwiMark said:


> [/LIST]
> 
> Ditto on the D10 for me. Momentary on mode means I don't have to worry about accidental activation in the jeans pocket.



I've seen a few people mention that recently, but accidental activation's never been a issue for mine or me. Other lights, now... but not the D10.


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## KiwiMark

yowzer said:


> I've seen a few people mention that recently, but accidental activation's never been a issue for mine or me. Other lights, now... but not the D10.



I've had a Jet-1 turn on in my pocket - I noticed the warmth, I used to loosen the tailcap to lock it out after that. Then I got the Nitecore D10 and using momentary mode is much better than locking out the light - because that way the light is still immediately usable without having to tighten a tailcap first.


----------



## Ray_of_Light

Being a collector, a flashaholic and a modder at the same time, it doesn't help to compile this list. Some horrible lights make perfect hosts and some perfected lights doesn't allow easy modding (think of an Arc 4).

The best light I bought:

- SureFire L4, which I modded "ad infinitum" until my preference for ring-controlled lights definetively took control of me... I EDCed a modded (recently, multilevel with Cree or P4) SF L4 for almost four years. Now the main EDC is JB RRT-0 and NC IFE1).

- SureFire M3T with a clickie. Together with the M4, it is the best light ever for walking at night, and for distant recognition tasks in general.

- MicroFire K3500R; just a bit bulkier than a 2D flashlight, it is both a sleeper and outdoor "utility" lights with its balanced beam and 3500 lumen of light flux.

- Olight SR90; too big to be good for any daily use, not bright as an HID, but it is a marvel of engineering and the best balanced thrower I ever had.

- ITP A3; simply the light with the best reliability / price relationship.

The "worst" lights I managed to buy lately:

- An Olight M20 Titanium, which I bought for its advertised 500 lumen in 2x123 form, and I found to be scorching hot in operation, producing only a third of the advertised lumens, and going out of regulation at 4 Volts, nothwithstanding it was specified for operation with a 18650.

- The first generation MagLED 2AA. Too long, no lanyard attachement, reflector is tailored for the Lux so the light is not a direct swap for the LED.

Regards

Anthony


----------



## march.brown

*Worst.*
9 LED , 3AAA torches ... Cost about $2 each ... They do work OK and the Grandchildren like them.
3W single AA torches ... Cost $1-37 each ... Work OK and the Grandchildren like these too ... They like all freebies though.
My first Mini-mag 3AA LED because it wouldn't stop flickering no matter what I did ... Replacement was OK for the kitchen.
Old Mag 2C ... Very poor output so was temporarily put away in a cupboard ... See also in Best flashlights.
Romisen RC-U4 ... Now lives in the car ... Don't like it , can't think of a good reason ... Just don't actually like it !

*Best.*
Both Solarforce L2s fitted with Three mode dropins as I didn't want the dropins with the SOS and Strobe .
Solarforce L2i fitted with single mode dropin ... Modified to take 18650 battery ... Brilliant for every-night slug and snail hunting.
Trustfire F20 ... Superceded by others but now in the car ... Still a very nice torch.
iTP A3 titanium , EDC on car keyring.
iTP A3 stainless , EDC on house keyring.
iTP A2 stainless , EDC in jacket pocket.
iTP A2 black , spare EDC for jacket.
iTP A1 black , bedroom use ... I mean toilet visits not other things.
3W 3AAA MXDL cheapies off Ebay , amazing value for money at £5-48 for three ... Too good to give away ... I have five.
3W CR123 cheapies off Ebay , amazing value for money at $3-98 (£2-58) each though they are available cheaper ... Wife took one ... Other two hidden from kids.
Old Mag 2C with a Fusion 36 LED dropin , using two 18500 batteries ... So amazing that Wife keeps it in the kitchen along with the replaced Mini-mag 3AA LED.

There are others that I have given away that were also OK , but they were also cheapies though in the $10 to $15 range ... Given to the children to keep in their cars as they were too good for the young Grandchildren.

Son-in-Law keeps the two boys equipped with replacement Eneloops on an almost daily basis which is OK as I supplied the two chargers plus batteries initially ... Grandaughter pestered me a few times a year for recharged batteries as her Mother apparently didn't get involved in battery chargers ... Solved by giving Grandaughter four Eneloops plus a charger ... I can now keep track of all my batteries without wondering where the good ones are.
.


----------



## vaughnsphotoart

Best: Eagletac T100c2 mk II, warm. Simple, consistent, and reliable at a great price.

Worst: Jetbeam RRT3. My first one quit after only a couple weeks. After waiting several weeks for a replacement, finally got it and during its first test run out of the box, the reflector becomes stained with smoke apparently coming from the emitter. Hardly "tactical", it cant take the rigors of my living room. Hoping to get my money back since I got two lemons in a row. For the cost, and for expectations vs reality, definitely the worst value in a light purchase I've made.


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## angelofwar

BEST: Don't know if it qualifies as a "purchase", but I traded my CFP-90 Pack for a brand new SF M962XM07. If not, then my old school 3 flats C3.

WORST: [email protected] AA's...even the drop-in's were fidgety, and would only work occasionally.


----------



## Ny0ng1

Best: SureFire L1 cree and any McGizmos i own

Worst: CMG Sonic, spoiled within a couple months
some regret: Inova T3, sturdy but too big and feeling like a waste everytime i turn on a double cell lights. Rexlight 2.0... i hate reverse clickies...


----------



## stallion2

i have a couple recent additions...both excellent choices:

Ra Clicky 170, Ti bezel, flush button
>i can't believe how long this thing lasts w/ that kind of output

SF's M3LT combat light 
>this thing is a g*ddamn battery vampire that producs a light beam that all other light beams aspire to be like. ...no joke, this beam is absolutely perfect!!!!!!!


----------



## tolkaze

Worst: I don't think I have any truly horrible lights, but I guess all the reverse clicky, cheap as chips UF's I have bought, nothing really wrong with them considering the price, but even a $25 light will probably have better QC. Also in the list would be supermarket lights, and maybe even the Mini123 for the sloppy threads.. I really wanted it to be good, but the CR2 is just so much better.

Best: at the moment, I just sold a lot of good lights, and gave a lot away too, so starting from scratch. Sure there is a best in there somewhere, but not yet found it


----------



## Cesiumsponge

Things that come to mind as worthy of mention:

-Maglite 5/6C with a good drop-in, crenelated bezel and "bustacap". Keep in the car, great for roadside use or extrication in an accident. Perfect size and weight as a weapon, trained with it in combatives. The 5/6D and too heavy to swing effectively.

-SureFire M952XM07 Millennium Universal WeaponLight. There might be three or four vendors that do weapon lights so it's not a big market. Integrates well, not cheesy like some universal rail adapter clamps. Soaked up thousands of rounds from 5.56mm to 12ga and has withstood everything. Never had a problem with the XM07 tailcap or the pressure switch which are solid as a rock (tried the chinese knockoffs out of curiosity, heavily disappointed). I sold it as a part of an AR15 package and regret never having the chance to try an LED drop-in.

-Surefire L4 lumamax w/ TAD gear crenellated bezel gets a vote because it spent years as my EDC with very little wear and never a single problem. It replaced a 6P (only because I wanted a pocket clip). Nothing fancy but I could count on it, which is worth something.



Worst: 

-Maglite Solitaire. Looks like many others feel the same way.

-Titanium Innovations IlluminaTi CA1 LED. Almost no wall thickness on the lug that retains the keychain ring (it's going to eventually wear and tear out completely). Squeaky threads. I should have known better since I work with titanium. It uses grade 2 titanium is commercially pure and soft...wouldn't want another titanium light unless it was 6AL-4V or Beta-C. Maybe someone will make a light out of an exotic like inconel, A286, or Stellite.


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## nanomu

Best:
Maratac AAA - An excellent little light that's been getting a ton of use.
Surefire E2L - Been EDCing this for years. Perfect size for me, and has survived a good bit of abuse.
Surefire 6P - My go-to rock solid light.

Worst:
Surefire LX2 - The UI drives me nuts, a little too throwy for my taste, and I'm too afraid I'm going to break the clip again.

Hey! I rather like my Maglite Solitaire.


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## angelofwar

nanomu said:


> Best:
> Maratac AAA - An excellent little light that's been getting a ton of use.
> Surefire E2L - Been EDCing this for years. Perfect size for me, and has survived a good bit of abuse.
> Surefire 6P - My go-to rock solid light.
> 
> Worst:
> Surefire LX2 - The UI drives me nuts, a little too throwy for my taste, and I'm too afraid I'm going to break the clip again.
> 
> Hey! I rather like my Maglite Solitaire.


 
Should be getting my E2L back today! I didn't list it cause I don't have it on my person, but yes, MY favorite all-round SF by far. Money well spent!


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## nanomu

angelofwar said:


> Should be getting my E2L back today! I didn't list it cause I don't have it on my person, but yes, MY favorite all-round SF by far. Money well spent!



Even better after I managed to crack open the head and focus it to my liking.


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## RWT1405

Worst:
Any of the SF TIR lights. Unless you have a use for all throw/ no spill, trying to use them for work/EDC, they do nothing but blind me. 

I see very limited use for them, unless you have a REAL/TRUE use for a "thrower". Seems most use them for "play/showing off". Sorry, but that's not what I carry a flashlight for.

My .02 FWIW YMMV


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## bjt3833

The only light I regret is my quark mini 123. It has just short of a half a turn before I can't squeeze it on any more. That's too loose for me. If the threads were tight it would definitely be my go to necklight. 

Quark turbo 123 is definitely my favorite out of the lights I own. A close second is my rrt-0. Love both of those light and 9 times out of 10 I have them and an itp A1 EOS SS on my neck lanyard.


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## Tomcat!

Worst keychain light I ever bought was a Mag Solitaire. Waaay back in the dim and distant past, when Mags seemed great and flashaholics were still in the 'display case', I had a collection of one of each size from the MiniMag to the 6D. I felt it was natural therefore to have a Mag on my keychain. Wrong. As much as I've always been fond of the 2xAA MiniMag and thought of it as Mag's 'signature' light, the Solitaire is the gimp of the family. A good keychain light should sit unobtrusively on the bunch, day after day absorbing the constant battering of the keys, and yet be ready for instant action when you really needed it, whether that is every night or once in a blue moon. My Solitaire did none of these things. It rarely worked reliably, most of the time fresh batteries were already dead when I really needed light, and the bulbs lasted barely a month. When I did get light, it would flicker like a candle and have to be hit to stay on, but would still die after 10-20 seconds. I often felt the urge to give up and bury it in the ground somewhere, giving back to Mother Earth the resources that had been squandered making this useless POS.

Later I replaced it with a Gerber Sonic I'd got free with a model 600 multi-tool. This was like a quantum leap in technology. My first LED. I didn't even know anyone who owned such devil's magic. The Sonic worked first time, every time. It was reasonably bright too. Well compared to a Solitaire, darkness is bright! My Sonic was bare aluminium so it even looked pretty good after a few months battering. (It's funny how chipped anno looks more unsightly than scratched metal.) The only problem with the Sonic was a critical design flaw which showed up after the threads had worn in. The Sonic body would slowly unscrew itself in my pocket, so when I arrived home late and needed light to open the front door, I'd pull out my keys and watch as the Sonic body and battery would shoot off in different directions into the night, leaving me with just the tailcap. I've lost count how many times that happened to me. The light never suffered any damage but still, aerobatics are not a desirable feature in a light.

Thankfully by the time the Gerber Flying Display Team had really become a permanent fixture, I had discovered CPF. At the time hardly any of the brands mentioned were available over here, and Surefire's were so astronomically expensive that no one in their right mind would pay that kind of money for a torch. (So I bought two straight away!:twothumbs) Then Fenix arrived on these shores and I have to admit I went a little crazy, buying pretty much everything they had to offer, and then changing it all when new emitters came out. Eventually I calmed down and gave away some of the excess lights, but the one gem that I held onto was the P1D CE. I was blown away by how much light I could get out of such a small package. I also liked the hefty bullet-proof feel of the thing so despite it being rather chunky, I put it on keychain duty. I figured that if I ever walked out of the house with just my keys, I wanted something more substantial than a cheapo 5mm LED. (Little did I know that between CPF and EDCF I would be lugging around a Maxped Vulture II as my EDC pack of choice!) Since then I've moved on to the Rebel version and currently a Q5. Each P1D CE has worked flawlessly and shrugged off damage from keys and being dropped quite often. I feel I can rely on this light without thinking about it. Obviously I have more than one light in my coat and pack when I go out, but when I have occasionally gone out 'ultra-light', I don't have any fears that this light might crap out on me. Yes the P1D CE is old news now and there are greater lights out there, but I'm happy and won't be changing it any time soon.


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## KarstGhost

*The worst: *In my pre-CPF days (what sad, dark days those were) I bought a light at Sportsman's Warehouse that was actually their own brand, or at least it had their logo on it. It had *THIRTY *seperate emitters on it! (Which is why I thought it would be super bright). If I had to guess they were probably the small 5mm's that put out the angry blue tint. It had two modes, the first mode activated 15 of 30 LEDs and the second mode activating all 30. But the crazy thing is that it was exactly the same brightness with the 15 LEDs as when you turned on all 30. I've since lost it and wish I could find it just because of how ridiculous it was!

*The best:* The High CRI clicky from HDS and several other neutral tint lights. +The O Light M30 Triton is a great flood light even though I don't care for cool tints.


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## Locoboy5150

KarstGhost said:


> But the crazy thing is that it was exactly the same brightness with the 15 LEDs as when you turned on all 30.



Hehe, you just gotta "love" those showerhead lights with a million 5 mm Nichia LEDs!  The funny thing about those things is that they have been out for quite a while now but they never ever get any better through the years. They just get more and more pathetic.


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## KiwiMark

I have one of these:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12933
It has 24 LEDs and doesn't put out nearly as much light as any of my 1 LED lights. But I wouldn't rate it as my worst flashlight purchase or even as a bad flashlight purchase. The truth is that it works pretty well and is quite handy at times. I did pay $4.60 and I see that it has now dropped to $4.32 - it is a neat little light for hanging by its hook or attaching to something ferrous with its magnet but it is good that it costs less than $5 because it certainly wouldn't be worth $10. The truth is that for under $5 you get a light that is worth what you pay for it.

Luckily my more expensive lights have been worth it and my less impressive lights have been fairly cheap. The only light I have bought that I consider a bad purchase is a Nebo 8 LED torch + Laser Pointer - it works OK but I paid about $20 and really it isn't worth more than $10. It also uses 3 x AAA which is probably my least favourite power option (I prefer 1 x AA or 2 x AA or any Li-ion). A 16340 cell is smaller in diameter & shorter than 3 x AAA and has just as much power, an 18650 is smaller in diameter and a bit longer with 3 x as much power. The light comes on when you push the button and release, then the laser when you push & release the button again and then off after another push and release - you can't have the laser without first turning the LEDs on then off and you can't turn it off from the torch function without first clicking to the laser.
I wish I had bought this instead: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3248 it is probably as cheap and crappy, but it costs less than 6 bucks which is more like what my Nebo one (bought elsewhere) is worth. I did get some free alkaline batteries, but I have enough rechargeables anyway.
For what I paid I could have gotten an ITP A3 - far better value.


----------



## Vesper

Best: Malkoff MD3 M60LWF hi/lo (solid workhorse, great beam)
Worst: EagleTac T20C2 (the original one. Just hate the beam and UI)


----------



## Bloke

This is my very first week of flashaholism so I'm reasonably uneducated. Bear with me please

I have this week a Led Lenser M1 (gift from my boss) Fenix PD30 R4, and Jetbeam RRT-02

I love all of them!!

But my favourite so far for the few small things I do around my rural property http://members.dcsi.net.au/gronk62/gronkos_stuff/My_Joint.html is the Led Lenser. Only because I love the simplicity of its quick focus and size. It lives in my pocket most of the time.
Yeah I know it's not a quality light like the Fenix and Jetbeam, but for a quick and simple EDC (around home) it's a bloody ripper!

Worst torch is without a doubt my mag solitare. It was a gift from the Groom at a wedding I was best man. Came in a box with a tiny swiss army knife/nail file. Great gift and I'm very appreciative, but it really is a crappy torch


----------



## Bloke

Oh and if there are any "local" Vicrtorian CPFer's that want to go somewhere out of the city to go nuts with their light then I'm open to host a get together.

Plenny O cowz ta fry wif dem broight loights!! 

Cheers


----------



## red02

I paid about 30 bucks for a S&W 13LED Galaxy. Because I was too lazy to read up on lights on CPF before, there seemed to be way too much info. Started reading very aggressively after that...


----------



## eebowler

I have to say the worst purchase I've made is the quark X 2AA tactical light. ( Got it today)  It's the most expensive light i've bought (totaling $86 US) and consequently the biggest dissapointment. Besides cost, the worst part is the fact that there are only two available modes... "TACTICAL" DUH!! I misinterpreted the reviews and didn't realize that it wasn't like every other light that you can switch between all the modes by simply clicking the switch... :green:


----------



## eh4

Worst was a Coast focusing flood to throw led light. It isn't the worst light I've ever purchased by a long shot, but for the era, considering what I could have gotten for the 60+$ it is the worst purchase I've ever made in the flashlight department.
Runs on 3 AAAs, not particularly waterproof, cool white, enough said.

I would have much rather had a spare Zebra Light for another 10$ had I known better.

Focusing lights are really neat, I wish that Coast/Lenser (whatever) wasn't sitting on the patent.

Best light I've gotten in the current era is ZL H51Fc, fantastic work light.
Honorable mention goes to HDS Rotary High CRI which I'm sure will be a true game changer when it eventually arrives.


----------



## Getnlwr

Best: There are a few that I really Love and wouldn't part with. 

My Surefire Lego M3 Bez, M4 body, XM tailcap W Nailbender single mode drop in. 
G3 with generic ebay LED drop in (see's most use as of recently) I like the slightly longer flashlights. 
9P with A21 extender with LED drop in
RIP: My Maratac AAA polished Stainless that was lost in my motorcycle accident. Maybe it'll be found one day. 
M4 Devastator (un-modded). 
I have turned into a surefireaholoc. I just love the simple moddability of these lights, they were made to be legos, and I am having a blast building a lego light box. 

Worst...
Mag solitare (why joke around, this thing IS the joke)
Surefire E1E, Dim and useless. 


Things that went from really high to really low on the like list. 

Inova X5
Inova X5 UV


----------



## chaparral

Best: Sunwayman V10 and LED upgrades for my 25 year old AA Maglites.

Worst: Any one of those little lights with 9 or 15 or so 5mm leds and no reflector. A Protec 80 lumen weapon mounted light is also pretty awful because of reliability issues due to poor electrical contact.


----------



## H-Man

Best purchase: Intelligent charges for my LI-ions and Nimh cells, and eneloops to go in the lights.
A light is only worth as much as the battery inside of it.
Worst purchase: Dumb timed battery cooker charger that got 10 cycles out of a battery before it went bad.


----------



## allyourblood

Getnlwr said:


> Things that went from really high to really low on the like list.
> 
> Inova X5
> Inova X5 UV



I gotta agree with this one. The X5 ranks as my worst light purchase. I've had it for years but it's never seen much use. Cumbersome, slippery, dim (by today's standards), uses 2 CR123 cells (without much to show for it), no clip, lame holster, ugly twist/momentary action... bleh. I'll give it one thing: I've never replaced the batteries and it's still lighting up.

Best? Probably my Quark QTLC (123-1). Single cell, compact, good machining, easy to engage, comfortable, looks cool, and it's brighter than all get out (to me, anyway). For an EDC light, this one really covers all the bases.


----------



## PharmerMike

Best: Surefire G2 off of the Gander Mountain website for $25.00, paired with a M60LL marked down to $40.00 from Mr. Malkoff. Still a light that I use almost daily. This has proven to be an exceptional value.

Worst: LedBeam C-cell full size lights that had a footprint similar to a Maglite, but with a Luxeon III in it. These were getting a lot of buzz when I first joined this forum. They worked great when they worked, but the switches gave out prematurely. Eventually, I threw them all out.


----------



## Grmnracing

eebowler said:


> I have to say the worst purchase I've made is the quark X 2AA tactical light. ( Got it today)  It's the most expensive light i've bought (totaling $86 US) and consequently the biggest dissapointment. Besides cost, the worst part is the fact that there are only two available modes... "TACTICAL" DUH!! I misinterpreted the reviews and didn't realize that it wasn't like every other light that you can switch between all the modes by simply clicking the switch... :green:



I have the same light but the regular UI and it's one of the best lights I ever had!


----------



## Monocrom

allyourblood said:


> I gotta agree with this one. The X5 ranks as my worst light purchase. I've had it for years but it's never seen much use. Cumbersome, slippery, dim (by today's standards), uses 2 CR123 cells (without much to show for it), no clip, lame holster, ugly twist/momentary action... bleh. I'll give it one thing: I've never replaced the batteries and it's still lighting up.



Inova X5 has been obsolete for quite a few years. Downright ancient by LED technology standards. But put some grip-tape around the barrel and it becomes an excellent light for emergency use or for tossing into a BOB. Practically bomb-proof design, very reliable U.I., long runtime on one set of cells.


----------



## ZMZ67

Monocrom said:


> Inova X5 has been obsolete for quite a few years. Downright ancient by LED technology standards. But put some grip-tape around the barrel and it becomes an excellent light for emergency use or for tossing into a BOB. Practically bomb-proof design, very reliable U.I., long runtime on one set of cells.



I have to agree the X5 is pretty lackluster compared to the many alternatives but like you said it still has some attributes! The older X5 is direct driven IIRC and will operate on depleted cells.There is a newer 2-mode model but I am not sure it shares the attributes of the old X5.


----------



## allyourblood

ZMZ67 said:


> I have to agree the X5 is pretty lackluster compared to the many alternatives but like you said it still has some attributes! The older X5 is direct driven IIRC and will operate on depleted cells.There is a newer 2-model model but I am not sure it shares the attributes of the old X5.



Yep, mine's the oldie -- I believe I bought it upon its initial release. I will definitely agree with the comments about its durability and longevity. It did surpass my Maglite 3D in a lot of ways back then which I was happy about at the time.


----------



## Shadowww

Best:
JetBeam PA40NW
Solarforce L2P (with IOS 2.5A neutral drop-in)

Worst:
DQG AAA v1 (the one that had problems with chewing o-rings, squeaking threads, and battery rattle).


----------



## CamoNinja

Best: SWN V60c, Lambda varapower turbo, Malkoff Wildcat
Worst: Zebralight SC600


----------



## Bigpal

Best Lights
Jetbeam BC40 neutral - My go to light. Excellent beam, awesome throw, the size is just right and killer runtime.
Blue Solarforce L2P with Nailbender Nichia High CRI - i don't think I'll be buying many cool whites anymore.

Regret
Beamtech 4000 budget light from Ebay. A pre-educated purchase boasting 3 XM-L's with 1 x18650. :thumbsdow

_'I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger' - The Faces (Ooh La La)
_
Shadowww - I scrolled up after I posted and saw your likes: JbNW and L2P :thumbsup:


----------



## jorn

Best:The liteflux lf2xt, Univex aaa.
Worst:lumapower edc lm21.


----------



## wuyeah

I can't speak for the best. Many to list.

Worst: Maglite 6D
Man, that thing is way too heavy and long to use. Hands and arm sore after long period.


----------



## Grmnracing

CamoNinja said:


> Best: SWN V60c, Lambda varapower turbo, Malkoff Wildcat
> Worst: Zebralight SC600



May I ask why the sc600 was your worst. I'm thinking about buying one. I heard they break easy.


----------



## Hooked on Fenix

Worst: Lumapower Encore- First one shipped D.O.A. Sent it back. Second one worked great for a day. Dropped it two feet and it stopped working. Sent it back and asked for a different replacement light. They said they never received the returned light. Apparently, the postal service lost it and would not refund the cost of my insured light. It seems the insurance doesn't cover anything if they ship it to the wrong address. For the cost of paying for shipping a light three times, I could have bought another light. 

Best: Surefire G2X Pro, Fenix PD30 R4, Fenix P1D Titan, PT EOS headlight, Solarforce L2 with Cree XM-L drop-in, Olight T20 R5, Inova T1 (2010), Fenix L2D Q5, Fenix P3D Q5, Fenix EO1, Gerber Infinity Ultra, Gerber LX 3.0


----------



## fishndad

BEST- RRT01 my favorite EDC

Worst-MAG 3D LED :thinking: why did i buy that light should have stuck with MAG incans.


----------



## Bigpal

Nevermind


----------



## CamoNinja

Grmnracing said:


> May I ask why the sc600 was your worst. I'm thinking about buying one. I heard they break easy.



To much green tint and fragile.


----------



## gunga

jorn said:


> Best:The liteflux lf2xt, Univex aaa.
> Worst:lumapower edc lm21.



Can you tell me why you hated the lm21?


----------



## jorn

gunga said:


> Can you tell me why you hated the lm21?


Noicy in lo and med mode.
Led was way out of center AND out of axis. When looking from the front, i could see 1/2 led, the rest was hidden under the centering ring. The led was riding on top of one of the wires, so it had maby 20% contact with the pill (also made the led out of axis). Clicky is awful, worst i have felt, and i can't reach/replace it. It's really dim compared with any other aaa light i got. Pwm is slow in lo mode. So slow that ican see the pwm the second i start moving the light around at any speeds. Med mode is better, higher Hz is used. I can even hear the buzzing sound from the pwm is pitching up a tone when switching from lo to med  Hi mode has no pwm that i can hear or see. Lanyard was broken on arrival (flimsy plastic clip was broken). The led is deep, deep, deep under the centering ring, and the centering ring is blocking a loooot of light from the led from even reaching the reflector. ( the beam really had a funky pattern) The tip of the dome on the led is ~ 1mm inside the centering ring. 






You cant even see the tip of the dome. It's way, way deep behind the centering ring.. 





Shows how dim it is with other aaa lights. This is with a nichia 219. The lm21 is nr 3 from the left. Compare it with nr 7 from the left. (A 25 lumen quark p0 engine in a dqg with tir optic.) The lm21 seems to be as dim as my 25 lumen " dqg/p0 hybrid"

The only positive thing about it was, there is no treadlock. So swapping the led with a nichia 219 was a walk in the park. Also grinded down the centering ring and pill, so atleast the tip of the dome came sticking out of it. Now it's way better, but still crappy. (Cant fix the pwm issue, noice and clicky.)


----------



## gunga

Ah. Thanks for the detailed feedback!


----------



## jnj1033

Note: Some of my "worst" choices are actually really good lights- they just don't fit my requirements like I had hoped, and so I rarely use them.

Best:
*NiteIze 3-LED MiniMag dropin: My gateway drug. I was over the moon when I found it back in '06. One thing led to another, and I spent the next year obsessively reading flashlightreviews.com and eventually ended up here.
*Original P1: My first quality light.
*Fenix L1T v 2.0: This has ridden on my belt for almost 4 years now, and probably will until the form factor undergoes another quantum leap in power/efficiency. I love the simple two-mode interface and forward clicky.
*Fenix LD01 R4: This is the light the seems to have started the second wave of my obsession. Just got it this week. This is the keychain light I've been waiting for. The modes are ideally spaced with no blinky nonsense, and the amount of light on high is unbelievable.
*Liteflux LF2: Occasional flickering issue. Loved the 2-stage reverse twisty. Default modes well-spaced, nice flood beam. Also, sub-lumen mode. This is now my favorite nightstand light.


Worst:
*MiniMag Solitaire: Love/hate relationship since 1994. I really really really wanted to like this light. It was just the right size, but frustratingly weak output and unreliability/flickering issues. 
*MagLights before LED's.
*LED dropin for Solitaire: The LED separated from the base on my first one. Replaced under warranty. 2nd one lasted about two months and then stopped working.
*Fenix P1D-CE: Actually a great light- just not right for me. Medium is too bright relative to high setting, didn't like blinky modes. Too big for keychain, too small for comfortable one-handed operation. Replaced w/ P2D-CE w/in 6 months and have hardly touched it since.


Sent from my phone. There are many like it, but this one is mine.


----------



## ganz-lite

Ok, my list:

Worst Lights in my house:

An Energizer 2D flashlight, MASSIVE flood... but about 10 feet of throw... useless outside of the house (or even outside of a small room)
A Dorcy 2D "worklight"... yes, if your work requires a dark orange spot, no flood, and less than a 10 foot range
Sad part: Total they were about $25

Most Underrated Light:

A Dorcy Searchlight that has a flexible head... it's great for working on cars or having to shoot light in a direction where you can't stick an entire light in... it's incandescent but I'd like to make it into a 2D LED conversion.

Best Light:

My Malkoff XML'd Maglite with a 9AA to 3D Conversion rack from mdocod. Lightweight due to 9 Lithium Batteries, strong and consistent light that doesn't fade too quickly due to heatsinking, and over a quarter-mile range of visible light (ie: i can clearly see everything that far away)... trees visible from over 300m / 1,000 feet away. All around great light.

Jason


----------



## amham

An Absolute steal:

Techlite 200, 3 for $20 at Costco. Three AAA, two levels plus strobe, small and very bright. How does Maglite stay in business????


----------



## Atakdog

Worst light purchase I ever made was my first led light.

I got a $10 light that had 9 LEDs with no reflectors and took 3 AAAs, probably produced 5-10 lumens, one mode.
I at first liked it because it was brighter for its size than an incandescent light, but then got a dose of reality about the piece of Chinese garbage.
I reached for it one night on my bed stand and knocked it about 3 feet onto the floor. I picked it up and it didn't work.
THE THING FAILED AFTER FALLING 3 FEET ONTO CARPET!!!


----------



## JohnnyBravo

Best: Surefire 9P, LED Maglites, Energizer e2 Ultimates, 1970s circa Eveready Captain, and a 3C LifeGear.
Worst: Trustfires, Ultrafires, 9 LED AAA (dollar stores), and some multi pack LED from Home Depot - which I returned.


----------



## Adobo

Worst: Zebralight SC51Fw.. I HATE it turning on in my pocket whenever I forget to loosen the tailcap.. a horrible design flaw arrrgggg
Best: Zebralight SC51Fw... im really really really in LOVE with the flood and colour rendition of this thing and I cant let it go.

Its complicated.


----------



## ScottFree

Most, well, nearly all of the flashlights I've bought over the years have been some of the best purchases I've made. In terms of a list it would be.

GOOD: HDS 200T, HDS 120T, 4Sevens Quark 123, 4Sevens Quark Mini 123, Fenix PD20 R2, Fenix PD20 Q5 (second-hand), Surefire G2 LED, Surefire G2X Pro + Tactical, Fenix E01, Fenix E11, Fenix TK15

All of the good ones are still ticking and working fine. The G2 LED has a _slightly _cracked lens from a three foot drop from my kitchen counter but since my lights are all working lights unless the glass has come out of the head I really don't care. In terms of abuse the Quark 123 probably had received the most drops, cracks and whacks during my time with it until I retired for a HDS but I still have that stored someone in my Maxped Jumbo. 

So hardly any major problems.


----------



## CMAG

wuyeah said:


> I can't speak for the best. Many to list.
> 
> Worst: Maglite 6D
> Man, that thing is way too heavy and long to use. Hands and arm sore after long period.


Some of the neighborhoods I worked nights in my 6D mag was my best friend, Ok that was 30 yrs ago


----------



## ScottFree

CMAG said:


> Some of the neighborhoods I worked nights in my 6D mag was my best friend, Ok that was 30 yrs ago



I remember some of the early Maglites when my dad was a LEO in the UK. They were heavy as hell, but at least if the torch broke or ran out of power you could throw the D-cell batteries as a last resort.


----------



## CMAG

Never thought of that, I just use it as a bat


----------



## Adobo

I still see some old school cops use 6D mags with the tonfa adapter.


----------



## funkymonkey1111

Best: Malkoff Wildcat 2 with MD3 body;

Worst: Leatherman 3aa light from costco--stainless body--very slick, poor battery life, not super bright. same size as a 6p/G2 family. it was only $29, but the thing never could hang with any good lights


----------



## Lou Minescence

It's hard to list best and worst. It depends on the context. I'll try.

Best - Inova X5 - in it's day it was dependable & small with long battery life.
Today's best is my Sunwayman V10R Anniversary Edition w/extender. Yes, the V10r is way better than the X5

Worst - some of the old 2 D cell carbon battery flashlights of the 70's. Metal or plastic junk. Point it at your eyes it worked, point it any other way it quit. That was if you were lucky.


----------



## lampeDépêche

my biggest disappointment:

a Fenix TK40 that was totally unreliable. From one minute to the next, the switch either would or wouldn't work.

I liked the output--on the floody side, since it was an MCE--and I liked the use of AAs. I liked the levels and options.

But the danged thing wouldn't switch on! Then I would clean all of the threads once again, and it would turn on. Hurray!

Until a minute later, when it wouldn't.

I never have figured out what's wrong with it.


----------



## Kitchen Panda

My worst flashlight purchase really wasn't the flashlight's fault. 

A couple of years ago I was taking an introductory astronomy evening course (really basic naked-eye stuff, names of constellations, etc.) and they recommended you have a dim flashlight for looking at sky charts. I picked up a pair of "Econo-pack" 2-for-$8 lights at Canadian Tire and used some stoplight lens repair tape to make them dimmer and redder. However, even a PR2 bulb on two D cells is still a lot of light; I had to put two layers of tape over the lens and they were still a bit bright. I also found that enough light got through the head (and reflector!) that I had to wrap the head end of the light with electrical tape. 

In retrospect, I should have got a pair of AA penlights or something even dimmer, or some red keychain LEDs. Maybe this was the job for a Solitaire. 

Best purchase has got to be the TK70 - by jumping in at the deep end right away, I've saved hundreds of dollars on slow upgrades. 

Bill


----------



## Jaiofspam

best flashlight purchase so far? hmmmmm thats a tough one... but i would have to say:

zebralight sc60w, hds edc-t1b-120 & jetbeam rrt-0 for all around edc lights
crelant 7g5 v2 w/ aspheric/collimator head for the most fun in the fog
surefire c2-ha w/ malkoff m61w & mcclicky switch for being bomb proof

worst purchase? i think 90% of you may know this beam profile/pattern ... this is unedited straight from my camera phone lol.


----------



## Bobpuvel

Best: Fenix LD10, Zebralight H51w
Worst: Hellfighter X15

I would probably recommend the fenix LD12 over the 10 now because of increades brightness and knurling on the body(LD10 completely lacks knurling)


----------



## LightCrazy

My worst was probably that Solitare as well. I forgot the beam looked like Saturns rings


----------



## Jash

Best light: TK40, it gets used all the time and despite being dropped many times, even from over two metres onto concrete, it just keeps working. Also for those with the malfunctioning switch, try a little electrical contact cleaner. I had a problem with mine until I hit it with some Inox. Haven't had a problem since.


Worst light: Anything from Nitecore. I've had three out of four fail, and the one that remains is a little iffy as well. I'll never buy another Nitecore - EVER!!! Overpriced rubbish fit only for landfill.


----------



## Monocrom

Jash said:


> Worst light: Anything from Nitecore. I've had three out of four fail, and the one that remains is a little iffy as well. I'll never buy another Nitecore - EVER!!! Overpriced rubbish fit only for landfill.



I only own 1 Nitecore model. Can't comment about overall brand reliability. But my Original EZAA model has been very good. Minor issue with occasionally having to give the head a 2nd quick twist to get high-mode switched on. But love the simple as dirt U.I.


----------



## smithd003

*sometimes best is worst*

I'm new to this flashlight obsession, and I've liked all my flashlights so far. The one I use for my EDC is a 4sevens Quark AA2. I was impressed with it and its 205 otf lumens untill the day after I got it and found the new version online with 280 otf lumens--for the same price!!!


----------



## Monocrom

*Re: sometimes best is worst*



smithd003 said:


> I'm new to this flashlight obsession, and I've liked all my flashlights so far. The one I use for my EDC is a 4sevens Quark AA2. I was impressed with it and its 205 otf lumens untill the day after I got it and found the new version online with 280 otf lumens--for the same price!!!



No worries . . . Considering the way the human eye works, the difference would literally seem much less to you than those two numbers indicate. Enjoy your light.


----------



## davyro

*Re: sometimes best is worst*

My best purchase was my first HDS,it made me edc a light all of the time,i just wanted it with me

Probably the 6D Mag i bought thinking something this big would be like a car headlight,how wrong i was.


----------



## ficklampa

Worst one I bought myself was the Klarus Mi10. Promised much, didn't deliver on a lot. Sure, it was bright and light weight. But the operation was fiddly and construction not really good. The spring was a piece of bent metal and some foam behind the pill. The pill had to unscrew pretty far not to accidentally turn on when compressed. Also quite expensive for what it is. 

Second place, a Maglite MiniMag LED 2xAA. Dirty light pattern, fiddly operation and the tailcap (or the tube) is not flat, so there's some space between the cap and the tube. Also does not seem to be anodized any more, I guess powder coat?

Best light so far is the Sunwayman V11R

Surefire 3BL legoed to a 3P, shares second place with the solarforce L2m.


----------



## jdb2

Best purchases
Lights by Mr. Bulk (especially LionHead)
Olight T15
Pelican M6 LED
Icon rogue
Elecktrolumens (unfortunately lost during move)

Worst purchases
Maglite (especially Solitaire)
Original Photon Keychain light


----------



## ganymede

Best purchase - Surefire C2 (because that's the flashlight that started my addiction) :thumbsup:
Worst purchase - Surefire C2 (because that's the flashlight that started my unstoppable addiction)


----------



## Monocrom

ganymede said:


> Best purchase - Surefire C2 (because that's the flashlight that started my addiction) :thumbsup:
> Worst purchase - Surefire C2 (because that's the flashlight that started my unstoppable addiction)



I've got one of those. Actually, the inca. C2 was my very first SureFire. I have to agree. It's a horribly fantastic light.


----------



## run4jc

Best - hands down - Spy 007 with stonewashed gunner grip finish, cool white

Worst - Lumens Factory Ti Seraph


----------



## T45

Best Purchase - There are 2, A Surefire M3 that I found on Craigslist for a great price. Loved it then, love it even more with a Malkoff MD10 LED; and the Surefire G2 I found on Ebay. Recently upgraded with a Malkoff M61 LLL Warm. 

Worst Purchase - The $20 I spent on a Dorcy 2AA


----------



## batman

Best purchases: Surefire E2e, M6; 4Sevens mini Cr2 and Preon 2.
Worst ever: various assorted Fenix lights, Surefire L1 (65 lumen edition) & Surefire M3 turbo.

My incans are timeless classics...like the mercury fillings in my teeth, like wooden furniture, like metal framed Revo sunglasses with glass lenses.

My LEDs don't have any character or nostalgia, just like plastic. No nostalgia at all to them. Plastic is nothing but a functional, textureless material with no tactile sensation that has never nourished anyone.


----------



## cland72

Best: Surefire 6P. Got me into Surefires and the endless possibilities of the P60 format.

Worst: Fenix LD20. It gave me problems after it fell 3 feet onto some gravel, and eventually quit working altogether. Of course, it was outside of the warranty period so I was SOL.

Bear in mind I paid about $55-60 for each, and the Surefire is still living on with a Malkoff M61 in it.


----------



## Jerrycobra

best purchases
the *Jetbeam BC40W*, everytime i use it people are always impressed by it, I get questions about it occasionally 
a *Craftsman LED worklight. *the output is like very low, 5-20lumens? but it has always turned on, worked, and never lets me down, plus the battery life last centuries, got it in 2007 or so, and still on the 1st set of energizer AAs
*Shiningbeam Blaze *which i just got, my 1st pocket rocket, much more edc friendly than the bc40. it is plenty powerful, has useful and simple interface, built well

so-so purchases
a *Aspheric lens* zoom Chinese cheapo off amazon, i payed too much for it, not terribly useful, but i find it fun showing off an LED shaped beam, it think it has a XR-E emitter
numerous *showerheads *around the house for emergency uses, they are useful sometimes at night
the famous *costco tacticals*, which also belongs in worst, but these things got me into the flashlight hobby, and introduced me to high powered LEDs.

worst 
again *costco tacticals, *bad beams, useless adjustable beams, varying tints, and worst the horrible parasitic drain on the "smart" switches
lots of *showerheads *that sometimes turn on, flicker, and just plain don't work, made with paper or something


----------



## peterkin101

Here's my list for what it's worth.

Best purchases

1) Mini Maglite AA Incandescent in 1991. Back in its day I LOVED it. Beam on a par with torches many times bigger.
2) 2D Maglite-another gateway torch. Loved its then bright beam and durability. Was even better when I used a MagNum Star bulb.
3) MagCharger-for me back in 1993 the ULTIMATE! Great beam, fabulously made,rechargeable. Went everywhere with me. Sold it in 2010 for the Version 3 which was better still.
4) Fenix TK41-the most cost effective torch I've ever owned with easily the best beam.
5) Modded Maglite Mini Maglite AA Incandescent. Upgraded via TerraLUX Ministar 2, TerraLux Rear switch, Optical glass and 2 x Sanyo Eneloop AA XX 2500mAh LSD NiMH cells.
6) Maglite 3 AA LED Mini Maglite-Loved this torch. Beautiful blue-white beam and well built. However my ex's grand daughter asked if she could have it. How could I refuse?

Passable

1) Maglite Solitaire, the one which started it all.
2) LED Lenser P14, almost there but let down by not having a regulated supply nor waterproofing.
3) Maplin unbranded 5W LED torch purchased back in 2004 for £49.95. Good for its day but soon became obsolescent.
Good beam for then equivalent of a 6D Maglite but biggest shortcomings was scratch-prone body and power supply 3x CR123a batteries.
4) Maglite 6D-Big, heavy and powerful for its day which was back in 1992 for me. Delivered until I bought a Maglite MagCharger.


Most disappointing

1) Inova T4, perfectly OK, nicely built but blown away by the Fenix TK41 which costs less.
2) Maglite Mini Maglite AA Incandescent- 21 years later in 2011 it ain't the same. Being modded as above changed it completely. Now 85-90%
as good as the best available anywhere else in its class. 
3) Fenix E15-good beam but too fiddly and the so called Type III HA coating is wearing as bad as my Maglite AA Incandescent. 

WORST

Duracell 2 D Tru Beam LED torch-Truly AWFUL! Worst torch I ever purchased. Dreadful beam, shoddy scratch prone surface coating. Paid £30 via eBay and sold it for less than a fiver. And I was glad to be well rid.


----------



## nathan225

best would have to be my hds high cri and hds 170 love both of them and my quark mini I love it and carry it every where 



worst would have to be my minimag and solitaire


----------



## Tiresius

Best: Surefire U2A for $100USD that I bored out to an 18650 (2years ago)/Mac's Custom SST-50 EDC [email protected]
Worst: ITP A3 with 3 modes that took a crap on me in the 2nd week after using it conservatively.


----------



## jellydonut

Best: Polarion PH40. It stopped my quest for 'moar light' as it is the pinnacle of handheld lighting.

Worst: Can't say I've made any bad purchases, but I've bought more Surefire and Malkoff lights than I will ever need. I should have stymied my addiction more, instead of ending up with a dozen identical lights..


----------



## ABTOMAT

Best value
Magcahrger with WA01160--cheap, durable pile 'o lumens. Used it for years and years.
Streamlight Scorpion incan--this was my EDC for years, until I got the U2. Never burned out a bulb.
Surefire U2--I use this thing almost every day. 100 lumen max doesn't matter since I rarely turn it all the way up.

Worst value
Streamlight Stylus AAAA--dim and those crazy expensive batteries.
Surefire G2--didn't like the construction, and a used 6P is nearly as cheap.
Surefire P2X Fury--nice light, just not appealing in any way to me. And I paid close to market price for it.

I suppose there are other lights I've bought that are a questionable value (Is a UB3T _really_ worth $300+?) but I like them enough to not care.


----------



## skyfire

best:
all my surefire L1s. especially the 1st gen L1 i found at a "buy it now" price of $65.
yellow G2 - ive wanted one ever since i handled it years ago in a store. i was kicking myself for not getting it sooner when i finally did get one a few months ago. i really dont know why i like it so much, maybe its the yellow? maybe its the solid plastic construction? maybe cause theres a malkoff in it? probably a combination :thumbsup:
oveready C2 - because i found a work light that made all previous work lights obsolete.

worst:
photon freedom, because it didnt even make it through half a week on my keys.


----------



## bobbar

My worst light was a nebo redline...haha
Best has been my preon 2


----------



## think2x

Worst: Streamlight Nano. I dislike button cell lights, especially when they turn on in your pocket and die the first week you get it.

Best: Surefire U2 Ultra. One of my favorite lights and I grabbed the first one for UNDER $95 LNIB.


----------



## Nicrod

The best: 

Quark 123*2 regular, BNIB for $50.00 from a small town pawnshop. It was my first "premium " light purchase. 
Surefire 6P w/M60, mcclicky, Cren6 xeno ring, the best upgradable light ever made IMO. 
Last but not least was my HDS 170T GDP. This light made me feel giddy when I got it. 

The lousiest lights:

Maglite solitaire. A waste of resources, energy, and time to produce. 
Most other lights i bought before finding CPF.


----------



## Flask

CamoNinja said:


> Best: SWN V60c, Lambda varapower turbo, Malkoff Wildcat
> Worst: Zebralight SC600


Kind of surprised you would say that about the SC600, I have one and think it is Awesome.


----------



## cland72

Best: 4Sevens Quark Mini123. I carry it with me every day, at all times due to its compact nature.

Worst: AA-based Fenix lights (LD10, LD20, E21). The LD10 buzzed on higher modes, the LD20 flat out died about 4 years of owning it, and the E21 was unreliable. To be fair I've both a P1D and TK10 (CR123 based) and they never gave me any problems.

Honorable mention to the rest of my collection which is almost exclusively Surefire. If they made a Mini123-sized light, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. When I'm not restricted in size for my EDC, I always grab one of my Surefires.


----------



## HaileStorm

Best:
+ My 6C Maglite. My dad's gift to me when I was 10 or something. Still on its first bulb, always worked like a charm. I hated the beam, though and how the tailcap spring would come loose when there arent any batteries. 
+ My Romisen rc-i3. Bought it ~ seven years ago, been to numerous trips and still sits on my night stand. 
+ My Romisen T602. Bought after my 100lm i3. Never knew LED lighs have come this far. 
+ My Klarus xt11 and xt2c. My first lights which were truly waterproof and ui is fantastic. Build quality is great, too!

Worst:
- Mag Solitaire. I hated how near-useless the beam was. It's a shame though coz I loved the size and the way they looked. Despite it being my worst, I kept buying one whenever I'd lose it. Still a classic, though. 
- Flashlights which had built-in radios and clocks. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## mauiblue

Best - Zebralight H600 because of the UI, small size, quality workmanship, and great output
Worst - Thrunite TN11 because of the UI, sharp edges on the grip, and poorly made finish.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## FPSRelic

cland72 said:


> Honorable mention to the rest of my collection which is almost exclusively Surefire. If they made a Mini123-sized light, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. When I'm not restricted in size for my EDC, I always grab one of my Surefires.



A bit OT, but isn't the Titan such a light?


----------



## cland72

FPSRelic said:


> A bit OT, but isn't the Titan such a light?



True, but at over 5 times the cost of the mini123, it is in another category as far as my wallet goes. 

Posted using Tapatalk on my HTC Evo


----------



## thatjeepguy

By far, the worst is a tie between the Blackhawk XP-6 Legacy or the Streamlight Sidewinder.

The Sidewinder was fine for a short while but eventually the switch just gave up the ghost. The Blackhawk was a last minute "we need another flashlight for the trip" purchase at WalMart before we went camping. It wouldn't turn on right out of the package.

Best.... so far my 6 D-cell Mag. Hopefully we can change that soon!


----------



## Jbirk

thatjeepguy said:


> By far, the worst is a tie between the Blackhawk XP-6 Legacy or the Streamlight Sidewinder.
> 
> The Sidewinder was fine for a short while but eventually the switch just gave up the ghost. The Blackhawk was a last minute "we need another flashlight for the trip" purchase at WalMart before we went camping. It wouldn't turn on right out of the package.
> 
> Best.... so far my 6 D-cell Mag. Hopefully we can change that soon!



Won't be hard to beat your 6D Mag light... Just get a tiny JetBeam BC10 that takes a single CR123 batter and is not much bigger than the Mag LIght Solitaire and it will throw 270 lumens!

Where your 6D MagLight really helps you is as a cop. A friend of mine got in scuffle back in 1995 and his 6D Mag Light probably saved his life... he used it as a baton! Suffice to to say most modern lights don't have that advantage anymore.


----------



## HighlanderNorth

Jbirk said:


> Won't be hard to beat your 6D Mag light... Just get a tiny JetBeam BC10 that takes a single CR123 batter and is not much bigger than the Mag LIght Solitaire and it will throw 270 lumens!
> 
> Where your 6D MagLight really helps you is as a cop. A friend of mine got in scuffle back in 1995 and his 6D Mag Light probably saved his life... he used it as a baton! Suffice to to say most modern lights don't have that advantage anymore.





^The Fenix TK-60 does! It runs on 4-D batteries, so its a club.

Anyway, the worst flashlight purchase was easily the Lumapower D-Mini EX-2. I cant even begin to tell you how bad their QC must be that they'd let this thing make it out the door! Its threads were way too loose, its o-rings were cheap, and of the wrong size, so they would just fall out, and they were too thin. The emitter was off center, the beam quality was bad, because it had all sorts of rings and artifacts in it. Its tint was the worst I've seen. It was almost pure blue! There were more problems but I have forgotten them. From the time I got its box out of my mail box, til the time I had repackaged it and dropped it back off at the post office for return/refund was about 2 hours!

I opened a thread all about it the day I got it, and its in the archives here.


----------



## HighlanderNorth

jorn said:


> Best:The liteflux lf2xt, Univex aaa.
> Worst:lumapower edc lm21.




^I see my bad Lumapower light wasnt the only one...


----------



## gunga

Hey. Lumapower has been around a long time, many people like em, myself included. You and someone else got terrible samples. It's not great but it happens. Stop trolling.


----------



## TOJ

Of my modest collection (in signature), I wish I could un-buy these: 1xE01, iTP A3 EOS, and E40.

Instead I'd buy another E21 and a D25C2 mini.

The E40 is a great light, but it turns out that I just do not need it. I've found out about myself that I prefer smaller lights. Don't really need the epic throw of the E40. Also, the E01 and A3 were failed attempts at satisfying my keychain EDC needs. The Mini-ML is now on that job. 1xAAA is just meh. E01 is great for night house duty, so I'd keep one.

Best is the mini-ml for sure. Love my E21s, but they're general purpose and get used less. The Mini ML is with me always so it gets plenty of use and appreciation. Love the form factor.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Best: surefire backup / Mcgizmo mule.

Worst: college branded red LED squishy keychain light.


----------



## domx

Wolfeyes and Maglites have been the worst purchases. Wolfeyes Rattlesnake and Raider. Fairly soon after purchasing both dimmed and have had a strong orange tint since. Not bright at all, compared to when I first bought them. Also the batteries have always rattled about inside both. Clicker switches are fairly tough to depress and coating sheds quite easily. Maglites have been too dim and I have given many away. Klarus Mi X5 AAAA (4A battery) stays on keyring so gets the most use. I usually use my Nitecore TM15 when getting stuff from my shed at night. Nitecore TM15 is one that I wouldn't want to get rid of. If the TM20 is as small and brighter I would consider getting that to replace it.
Would be happy to replace the Klarus for something as small but brighter.
Forgot to mention that a couple of Fandyfire and Ultrafire lights from DX have surprisingly been of much higher quality and very much cheaper than the Wolfeyes. They haven't dimmed and I use them fairly often. The only issue is that some batteries (18650) have a rather tight fit in them.


----------



## Albert56

In terms of usefulness, I'd have to say my 4 Sevens Maelstrom X10. I paid only $63 for it on special and I use it every day at work. For a light it's size, it really has great throw, good output and a simple, straight forward UI, all in an EDC package.

On the dazzle 'em output and throw side, I'll go with my JetBeam RRT-3 for flood and Thrunite TN31 for throw. 

I'm also quite happy with my Klarus XT10, Fenix TK15 and Olight SR51.

For a compact back up pocket light, my Olight S10 Baton really kicks butt. I especially like being able to go to moonlight mode in one push, even if it was set higher when last used. The output for such a tiny light is impressive, too.

The only light that I disliked enough to return was the Elektrolumens SST-90 Search and Rescue. I could very well have gotten a bad one, but I was really under whelmed by it and I never got anywhere near the kind of output I'd expected from such a monster (handily out-thrown by my SR51).

In the end, I don't think I'll ever find the 'best' or 'perfect' flashlight... It's all in the hunt!


----------



## xian13

I hate to say it, but my worst purchase was a Fenix PD32(I forget which LED version) I picked it up one day after owning it for 6 months and using it 20 times, only to find it dead. 18650 was still charged, fresh one- still dead. Oh, well.


----------



## Quiksilver

BEST: HDS Rotary

WORST: Surefire 6PX Pro (redundant and inferior to modded 6P)



If light failures classifies as worst, then my Fenix LD20 and Fenix LD05 were failures. They were purposeful however, and the onus was on them. The worst purchase was the 6PX Pro.

I've also bought some really cheap showerhead lights, the kind with the 3xAAA magazine. Apparently they had a parasitic drain as well... That was a bad purchase. But they were intended to be hand-out lights in emergencies and were very cheap so ... Nah, the only strategic "worst purchase" is the 6PX Pro.


----------



## jamie.91

BEST - Quark mini 123, except AAA light or keychain lights its the easiest to carry, it even lived on my keychain for a while and only got replaced by my Vinhnguyen54 modded LD01 SS last week 

WORST - well, I've not really had any really bad lights to be fair, I choose wisely and carefully, I suppose if I had to choose if say I was most disappointed with my lumapower lm31 new version, my dads old lm31 is bomb proof, the new versions switch is almost child like and I don't believe it's 300+ lumens with a 14500 either


----------



## silver_bacon

Best:

Muyshondt Aeon- I have never had it fail me yet. I have had to replace the foam washer, but I am only on my 6th battery since I bought it. Only complaint is that the brass tarnishes more quickly than I would like.

Nightstar- Reliable. Not overly bright, but it works without fail and costs nothing to operate.

Maglite XL50- Works great. I really can't complain about anything.

Worst:

Maglite 3AA- It was never reliable. Had to hit it against a hard to surface to keep it going.

Inova X1 (gen3)- Complete garbage. From the low runtime to the low output. When the battery would run low it would blink rapidly. Finally dropped it on a concrete surface and it blew apart. Never did find all the parts.

Unbranded dyno light- A newer version of the dynamo flashlight using a fly wheel. Still used an incandescent lightbulb. Had a single ring for light... no hotspot at all. Incredibly noisy. Lasted a few months. Maybe 10 minutes of total usage.

Cheap shake light- I don't know the brand of the shake flashlight. It is a hybrid version that uses 2 coin cells on the first click, capacitor on the second. It still works but has the 2nd most useless beam in a light I have ever seen (2nd only to the dyno light above) and is getting brittle. Dimmest flashlight I own and the beam is so tiny it is impractical for pretty much anything. The Nightstar blows it away in every way.


Interesting that the Maglite Solitaire is so strongly disliked. I never hated the solitaire, but it wasn't worth the money. I plan to buy the LED version as soon as it is available.


----------



## cland72

I wouldn't call it the "best" purchase, but a darn good one was a Surefire M6 with a PhD battery pack for guilt free lumens. 

This weekend I was shining it at a friend's deer lease, and someone asked me what I was using. I told him, and he made a comment about the batteries only lasting an hour. He mentioned that LED lights can put out 225 lumens with much longer run time. We then compared his 200 lumen LED against the M6 for throw, and the M6 put it to shame. 

I told him that while LEDs are much better than incans for battery life, the incans still throw MUCH better than a comparable lumen-rated LED.

Worst to date? I haven't liked my Fenix purchases for the most part, but probably the worst money I spent was buying a Surefire P60L drop in. For the money you're better off going with a Nailbender or Vinh drop in.


----------



## Dietz

Best: Fenix LD20 R5. Bought this one coming from a Mini Maglite, and never looked back. It's a very good performer all around and I use it almost every day.

Worst: Some no name "ULTRA" 3AAA led flashlight I bought from a outdoor gear store on a trip a long time ago. Not bright at all, and didn't last very long. The worst part is I think I paid 30$ for it.


----------



## 1pt21

*Best =* SureFire M6 (hey just being honest LOL)

*Worst =* Novatac Storm (by FAR)

Customer Service - non-existant; the only _real_ light that I actually took pleasure in throwing in the trash after weeeeeeeeks of trying every so-called fix in the book.

Thanks for reading!


----------



## busycokos

Got my Supbeam K40 flashlights a few days ago , a new brand , but very impressive , it is really a bargain


----------



## zespectre

*The Best* :rock:
* -Magcharger...*when a light has more than 15 years of regular service and is still useful you know somebody did something right.

*-Surefire 6P...*awesome light when it came out (especially with the optional P61 bulb assembly) and now the base platform for a wide variety of upgrades. TOUGHEST DAMNED LIGHT EVER!

*-HDS EDC Basic 60...*It feels like I've had this light forever. Built like a tank and very versitile. It's not even in the "lumen race" anymore but it is still one of my favorite campsite lights.

*-Inova T4 (1'st generation)...*The charging cradle for this light was mounted in my Jeep and I have to say that I put this light through absolute hell and it took it and kept going for several years. I accidentally killed it a while ago and I'm still seriously considering buying the updated version for the Jeep.

*The Worst* :sick2:
*-CMG "Reactor"...When a light from 2003 is STILL your biggest disappointment you know it was a stinker! *On paper this was an amazing light. Way brighter than anything else at the time and about Mini-maglight sized. In reality the lumens were way overrated and many (including mine) had a Hideous "mold green" tint that eventually turned to a bright emerald green. They also had a Weird rotating head switch that usually failed in short order. Mine crapped out mid-camping trip and really pissed me off.

*-Streamlight PT2AA...*Crap regulation with NiMH, parasitic drain, and my switch is...erratic. I probably need to just send it to Streamlight and have them check it but for what I paid I was really disappointed at the problems.

*-Maglight Solitaire... *See Carrot's post (#2) and add a big +1 from me. The Solitaire never lived up to expectations.


----------



## smoggyusa

The best purchase so far is my surefire A2, I just love this thing.
as far as worst purchase-I dont own a mag solitare so im good.:twothumbs


----------



## Southpaw1925

Albert56 said:


> In terms of usefulness, I'd have to say my 4 Sevens Maelstrom X10. I paid only $63 for it on special and I use it every day at work. For a light it's size, it really has great throw, good output and a simple, straight forward UI, all in an EDC package.
> 
> On the dazzle 'em output and throw side, I'll go with my JetBeam RRT-3 for flood and Thrunite TN31 for throw.
> 
> I'm also quite happy with my Klarus XT10, Fenix TK15 and Olight SR51.
> 
> For a compact back up pocket light, my Olight S10 Baton really kicks butt. I especially like being able to go to moonlight mode in one push, even if it was set higher when last used. The output for such a tiny light is impressive, too.
> 
> The only light that I disliked enough to return was the Elektrolumens SST-90 Search and Rescue. I could very well have gotten a bad one, but I was really under whelmed by it and I never got anywhere near the kind of output I'd expected from such a monster (handily out-thrown by my SR51).
> 
> In the end, I don't think I'll ever find the 'best' or 'perfect' flashlight... It's all in the hunt!



How do you like the beam on the fenix tk 15? Pretty concentrated due to the throw? Is it easily pocketable?


----------



## Cerealand

Best? Surefire 6p and c2 + malkoff drop-ins.

Worst - A "blueberry" tint flashlight from Sharper Image.


----------



## jorn

gunga said:


> Hey. Lumapower has been around a long time, many people like em, myself included. You and someone else got terrible samples. It's not great but it happens. Stop trolling.


Idon't think he is trolling. For me, it's just the worst light i have bought. simple. Expecting a 2-300 lumen 10440 light, and gets around 30 and 100 on a 1,5 and 4,2V batt. The part's on the lm21 dident even match up so the led is focused inside the reflector. Even the cutter led on 2mm board was way to thin for the led to be close to reaching up to the reflector (when the reflector was resting on the outer side of the pill). Design flaw... Buy one , pull it apart, and see for yourself. You are shining the light trough a keyhole with a reflector on the other side.. Dident like one single thing about it. The noicy pwm, the slo pwm, the switch,the output etc.


----------



## koenfm

Best: Fenix LD01 R4, I carry this light around my neck and love it. Nice medium for general use, nice low for close up work and very bright when I need to look a bit further. Also, very good runtimes, and a keychain attachment that allows it to be on a lanyard without being in an awkward position but still tailstand. 

Worst: Olight i3, I just don't like it. It's runtime on medium and high is half of that of the LD01, it has a terrible purple/blueish tint, and I always have to twist it twice as it comes on on low with is fine for reading but too low for general use... Oh did I mention that the keychain attachment is always stressed if you use it and the clip is too tight...


----------



## Risky

xian13 said:


> I hate to say it, but my worst purchase was a Fenix PD32(I forget which LED version) I picked it up one day after owning it for 6 months and using it 20 times, only to find it dead. 18650 was still charged, fresh one- still dead. Oh, well.



I have one and it's probably been the most reliable light I own. Don't let one dud turn you off from one of the best lights out there.


----------



## reppans

BEST: Zebralight SC52 - Brightest, great efficiency, great UI, small, great build quality.

WORST: Zebralight SC52 - Sorely short of its listed specs - no where near twice as bright, nor twice as efficient as a comparison of listed specs suggests. Worst warranty, weak stats on reliability polls, and horror customer service stories.


----------



## eh4

That is easy.
Worst, 60+$ for a 4 AAA powered, unregulated, 2 mode Lenser... Was it a P7? Bought it because I didn't know any better, it was Bright, the zoom optic, and it was right there on the shelf.
Best, HDS HCRI Rotary... Had to wait as long as it would have taken to gestate a human child! Ridiculous but no regrets, I'm so glad that I didn't blink and pull out of the deal... Amazingly great, all purpose light.


----------



## G8tr

I'm lost. So is this a love hate relationship?


----------



## G8tr

reppans said:


> BEST: Zebralight SC52 - Brightest, great efficiency, great UI, small, great build quality.
> 
> WORST: Zebralight SC52 - Sorely short of its listed specs - no where near twice as bright, nor twice as efficient as a comparison of listed specs suggests. Worst warranty, weak stats on reliability polls, and horror customer service stories.



Sorry this is what I was confused by


----------



## reppans

G8tr said:


> I'm lost. So is this a love hate relationship?



Yes, exactly - it's an awesome product brought down by the policies choices of the manufacturer.... just in IMHO, of course, YMMV.

I'll still buy them on occasion for my own personal use, but choose not to gift or recommend them to friends or family which happens to be significantly higher volume.


----------



## cland72

I really good recent purchase was a Nailbender Nichia 219 P60 drop in. I put this in a Solarforce host I've had for a couple of years, and now I have a HCRI, low budget beater light that I love to use because of the color rendition. 

It's not the brightest, or the longest lasting, but it is my favorite flashlight at the moment.


----------



## G8tr

reppans said:


> Yes, exactly - it's an awesome product brought down by the policies choices of the manufacturer.... just in IMHO, of course, YMMV.
> 
> I'll still buy them on occasion for my own personal use, but choose not to gift or recommend them to friends or family which happens to be significantly higher volume.



Thanks. I've thought of considering Zebralights but am totally unimpressed with their warranty


----------



## herosemblem

My worst was the Lumintrash TD15, which had faulty circuitry and was a nightmare to deal with in more ways than I care to describe using a tablet to type.

My best lights were/are:
-Surefire LX2, which lasted a respectable 2 years before the tailcap started giving me issues. UI, brightness/throw were worth the price. -JETBeam RRT01. Love everything about it.
-(for now; time will tell) CoreoftheNight EA4 neutral. It is perfect for my needs.


----------



## 127.0.0.1

*worst ?* peak Vesuvius. it worked sort-of... but dented all batteries, qtc was crap, and fit and finish was grade-school shop class level
I was disappointed in the fit and finish. [it was embarrassing to show the light off...]

*best ?* there are 4 items: 3 custom and 1 production
1) KuKu 44DD Ti with Ukmidnite anodize (the anodize_* refuses*_ to wear off on my keychain!!)
2) McGizmo Haiku XML 
3) Flucero28 5-speed high-cri LE upgrade for the McGizmo

1 is best, but 2+3 beats 1

and 

4) Klarus XT11 comes in as best -normal- flashlight

I dropped over 3K on lights this year, obtained around 54, and boiled it down to these as best.


----------



## Forward_clicky

Worst for me would be all of the cheapy plastic ones bought from local stores back before I decided to become a flashaholic.
I think my updates of my Maglites would be considered poor. The Terralux upgrade of my AA Maglite is the most disappointing (very blue and not much output over stock). The upgrade of my 2D Maglite was better.
Since coming to this site, I research extensively in order to purchase the best of the best.
My 4sevens, Olight, ITP etc in my sig have all been based on reviews mostly on here.
As of now I am very happy with all of my torches (although I am considering a thrower soon).


----------



## cjmorris

Best: eagletac ti d25c thrunite tn11

Worst: mosterlight I bought 2 of their pos lights before I found cpf.


----------



## novice

Best: I've been fortunate to have enough good lights that I don't really have a 'best' amongst what are mainly Surefires, although my Fenix P2D gets the most pants-pocket time.

Worst: I bought a Princeton Tec Amp 4 online, and on sale, for what I thought might be my first DIY led upgrade. Not very bright for 4xAA; not much difference between high and low, and when I took the head off to see if I could get to the solder points, I didn't see an easy way to get at them (I'm a klutz), and when I put it back together, the led was now off-centered. This is a light that would have been overpriced at full MSRP, and was not much of a bargain at significant savings. I would happily loan it out to someone known to be completely careless and irresponsible.


----------



## 1313

Best: Klarus Mi10... was skeptical about the output and the user interface but i love it, for its size its very bright and its so much smaller than others, had it 6 months and rarely carried my mcgizmo pd since. Crazy huh?

Worst: 2AA maglite led. Only because it took a crap on me when I was on a night hike years ago, very dark night too it wasnt a fun walk home.


----------



## SherlockOhms

Best 
1. Black and Decker Clamp lights (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?296784-Black-amp-Decker-360-Clamp-Light-Review) Extremely useful and getting them for $5 each from Woot makes it even better.
2. The Olight i3 Eos I got a few days ago. I almost didn't get it because I've not been really happy with twistys before, but this one is easy to use. It's cute and the clip works perfectly for pocket carry. 

Worst 
A dreadful shake light I got from Target several years ago. Useless for lighting up anything, at least it was clear so you could see the coil and magnet inside. I threw it out anyway. And I *never* throw out anything that still works, I didn't even consider this worth donating to Goodwill.

I've really been pretty happy with everything else. Some are out-moded by today's standards, but at the time, I was pretty happy with them.


----------



## kestrel140

Best: Fenix TK22, LD12, and my Petzl tikka 2 headlamp. Absolutely love the TK22, it's output, feel in hand and the build quality.

Worst: a 3 aaa no- name I bought before getting educated here on CPF lol.


----------



## yearnslow

Best: PD30, Gerber recon. They are always with me and both have taken some serious abuse.
Worst: Nitecore D20. It kept draining the AA's without being switched on, and I have no idea why. I sent it back and got another, but gave it to my brother as I'd had enough by then.


----------



## jh333233

Best: LX2/E2DL
Worst: Crapbeam PC10


> Ive bought a PC10 withh MSRP, it has a comparable price with Sunwayman or even Surefire incan
> But then it doesnt worth such price, the HA layer is almost nothing(ive already mentioned it), the factory pocket clip has been scratching the light even with slightliest movement and during installation
> A slight drop on brick even dinged the bezel heavily
> C'mon, so called "military" light, couldnt even compete with "civvie" sunwayman
> And finally, the pocket clip which was made with stainless steel, could even be broken with moderate force during installation
> Jetpimp's poop? Not now, not ever, i rather to save my $ for real military lights
> Yeah im really pissed off by their product
> Some more to mention is the deceiving lumen rating


----------



## danielash1990

i am looking for some advice for the best flash light and to consult any of flash lights..


----------



## Bullzeyebill

danielash1990 said:


> i am looking for some advice for the best flash light and to consult any of flash lights..



Hello and welcome to CPF. Please start your own thread with this question as it is off topic in this thread. Also, if you read enough here on CPF/CPFMP you will get some ideas, and even some good ones from this thread. Go to Recommend Me A Light for... forum.

Bill


----------



## markr6

Best: Fenix PD32UE (Impossible to choose just one! I really love my Zebralights too)

Worst: Petzl Tactikka Plus = JUNK!


----------



## jh333233

danielash1990 said:


> i am looking for some advice for the best flash light and to consult any of flash lights..



Impossible for one flashlight to suit every situation so your "best" should be defined, there is a guideline on how to consult for your dream light, on the sub-forum mentioned by mod


----------



## IMSabbel

Worst: Feilun 2D60 (or something like that) SST-90. Just badly designed and crap, especially considering that it was a couple hundred bucks

Best: Hard to say. But I really liked the Nitecore rrt-01 (enough that I bought it again after I lost it. Too bad I misplaced it AGAIN, damn). For the big guns, the Firefoxes FF3 is just a joy to fire up outside in the dark


----------



## Rafael Jimenez

Best- My Malkoff hound dog, wildcat and MD2. And my Varapower turbo 2.

Worst- My surefire 9AN commander. Makes me mad that SF discontinued it instead of making a led conversion for it, so I will sell it and maybe get another Malkoff.


----------



## gradio

Best - at a toss plus been buying new lights that still haven't got much time on them. My ole friend is my SF E2D but I'm really digging my little RRT-01

Worst - Damn .89 cent pumpkin head plastic Halloween light for taking the young one out once on Halloween. Dropped it on a lawn and that killed it. Tossed it in their garbage... wasn't worth bringing it back home.


----------



## Monocrom

Rafael Jimenez said:


> Worst- My surefire 9AN commander. Makes me mad that SF discontinued it instead of making a led conversion for it, so I will sell it and maybe get another Malkoff.



Bit confused . . . Is it the light itself or just that SF chose not to update it? (I have one too. I thought it would be the size of a 9P when I bought it. Surprised at how big it was when it arrived.)


----------



## jph0200

I dont think I've found my best yet but for worse def the coast hp7 and px 25

Sent using Tapatalk


----------



## DAN92

I started with a Surefire 6P and I still like it.

best:

Surefire 6P/Torchlab H3c V4.0.
Surefire E1B, LX2, A2L, ED2L
Xeno E03 V3 HDE
Nitecore IFE1 XPG

Worst:

Mini Maglite AA, bulb dies at the wrong time.


----------



## JCD

Best: DuravisionPro XLT-1300 less than $11 shipped with two new SF CR123A cells. It has a neutral-warm emitter and an optic that provides a reasonably nice, smooth beam. Also pretty much every Surefire P/C/Z series light I've purchased has provided good bank for the buck.

Worst: Fenix P3D, PD30. I gave away the P3D, and will probably eventually do the same with the PD30. The tint is too cool, and the UI is awful. It has too much spill to throw well, and the hotspot is too bright for the spill to be very useful. In fairness, the PD30 lives in its holster attached to my backpack, so it's technically my EDC light, though it _rarely_ gets used. (Honestly, I'm more likely to use the flashlight app on my phone.) I keep it there in case I forget my bike lights. It's not very good as a "to see" light, but it's more than adequate as a "be seen" light, which is enough to keep me legal.


----------



## Kabible

BEST: 
Liteflux LF2XT selected from a list of beam shots on Kuku427's early interest thread (former EDC due to it's value).
ZL SC31 (EDC)
JB RRT-01 (nightstand light). 
Lummi Raw NS 20/100 (wish I still had it). 
SF C2 bored w/McC2s (host for drop-ins).
ARC LSL (My first EDC. The light that started my flashaholism).

WORST:
Olight S10 Baton (decent UI, worst pee-soup green tint ever. Tried two of them. Sent one back. Gave the other one away).


----------



## Kokopelli

Best : tiny but a Thrunite Ti. Ok, maybe an EagleTac T20C2, small, elegant, has modes, throws well and efficient. 

Worst : Fenix LD40. Pin sharp beam, plastic body, huge, unbalanced, squashy buttons. Oh and a Fenix E15. Misaligned led, modes skip and flicker, doesn't accept a rechargeable, starts on medium. 


---
Kokopelli, Istanbul, Turkey


----------



## geisto

Best - Malkoff MD2 - Well-made in the USA, bright, can take primaries or Li-Ion, modular, and Gene's awesome customer service. 

Worst- I normally don't buy cheapos but back then I thought the Mag Solitaire would be a good light and gift...pffft...gave CMG Infinity Ultras as gifts instead as to keep my reputation.


----------



## Frijid

best would be any of my mag lites

worse would be the led eveready 1 d cell flashlight.


----------



## neutralwhite

best; alpha light 

worst; maglite


----------



## bietjiedof

Best: I'm really enjoying the Crelant range (I bought them all!) Love the UI, they all tailstand and are available with neutral white. I think LED-Lenser get a bad rap - still keep all mine handy (I have a few) for when I need an even, adjustable beam (and to give my AAs and AAAs something to do).

Worst: Life was very frustrating for this flashaholic before LEDs - I have a box full of old incans that never delivered on their promises...


----------



## WilsonCQB1911

Best: HDS clicky or A2 Aviator, although I wouldn't recommend the A2 now. It's old tech, but I've had mine for close to a decade now and have a sentimental attachment to it. 

Worst: Eagletac D25A - no moonlight and preflash


----------



## JJohn

WilsonCQB1911 said:


> Best: HDS clicky or A2 Aviator, although I wouldn't recommend the A2 now. It's old tech, but I've had mine for close to a decade now and have a sentimental attachment to it.
> 
> Worst: Eagletac D25A - no moonlight and preflash



On the D25A, what do you mean preflash and I thought it had a moonlight setting of .5 lumens? Please explain as I was thinking about getting one of these.


----------



## BillSWPA

Best: Surefire L4 and E2DL. The L4 was my EDC for years, and was replaced a little over a year ago by the E2DL. Edited to add: FourSevens Mini MLR2, which my wife and I carry on our keychains daily. The size efficiency of this light is simply incredible. FourSevens Quark 123^2 Tactical, which I bought off the clearance page of the FourSevens website for $27, and which quickly replaced my SureFire EB1T (see below) as my EDC. 

Edited to add: Middle of the road: Surefire EB1T. This light carried well in the pocket and had excellent throw. In theory, the user interface was perfect. In reality, the light would sometimes give me low on a second or subsequent full press of the tail switch rather than high if I repeated the switching too quickly. Depending on your use, that may or may not be an issue, but it was a definite issue for me. A trip to Surefire failed to correct the problem, and two subsequent telephone conversations with Surefire revealed that the problem could not be corrected. For what Surefire charges for a flashlight, failure of the light to perform as advertised is absolutely not acceptable. The light was sold on another forum with full disclosure of the issue.

Worst: The original LED flashlights (cannot recall the brand) that had multiple LED's, no reflector, and no regulation. All flood, no throw, and would drop below useful light levels long before the advertised battery life was over. Overpriced junk. Edited to add: the brand was Lightwave.


----------



## WilsonCQB1911

JJohn said:


> On the D25A, what do you mean preflash and I thought it had a moonlight setting of .5 lumens? Please explain as I was thinking about getting one of these.



The D25A, much like my old D25C2 does NOT have a programmable moonlight mode, which I was disappointed to discover. The D25C does have it however. The D25A was also the only EagleTac I've played with that had preflash, meaning that when you have it set for a lower setting and turn it on, it'll flash momentarily at a high setting before settling into the lower setting. Frankly, the preflash isn't as big an issue for me as the lack of moonlight mode. Also, with 14500s the light runs in direct drive, so 14500 isn't fully supported. I LOVE the D25C so I was just expecting something as nice as it, but in a AA package. I guess my expectations were too high.


----------



## Tracker II

Best: Any and all of the Malkoff family, including the Wildcat, Hound Dog, and MD2.

Worst: Fenix E11. Just setting it down on the shelf was enough to make it blink on. Then after actually turning it on, it wouldn't tun off unless I took the battery out. I didn't have the receipt to get a cash refund and I sure didn't want a replacement, so I threw it in the trash. It's really a shame because I loved the look and feel of it.


----------



## Vortus

My wife's best, Fenix PD1 with a leef clicky body, her worst, multiple cheap 2 million candlepower spotlights.

My favorite is an eagletac t10L. On/off, twist head for Hi/lo. Tbh I don't have a worst as I research for a long time before purchasing.


----------



## xevious

*Best*: A tie between NovaTac 120P and Surefire U2. Very different lights (form factor, UI), but both super for what they do.
*Worst*: Thanks to CPF (reading lots of reviews/opinions), I've kept this down to just a cheap Chinese light. Can't even remember what it was. Slipsh*t, Sipcrack or something like that. :sick2: Ended up losing it, but that was probably my subconscious at work.


----------



## Flashlight Dave

*BEST: *I am not sure but I would have to say it would be the Surefire L2 my all time favorite light.

*WORST: *Some sort of angled 1 AA lights I got at Bass Pro Shop. The name escapes me something like Quarro or something. It was labeled as a fishing light. It was a galactic piece of junk. I paid $10 for it and later threw it in the trash. It had a parasitic drain that was unbelievable. The light would actually get warm while turned off. From that experience I learned that cheap was too expensive. I paid $10 and it was wasted.


----------



## Hiroaki067

Best:
ITP A2
Streamlight Sidewinder

Worst:
Foursevens Quark Tactical 2AA - I really like its UI but it arrived defective, got replaced but it was also defective. Their customer service was great, but their sub-par product let me down. Good that I was refunded quickly.


----------



## blub

Worst-Jetbeam RRT-1, Had about 10 minutes on it, POOF! Dealer wouldn't take it back, rep wouldn't help, sent it to China to be repaired, got it back about three months later in worse condition than when I sent it in, it wouldn't turn off, ring was loose and all screwed up and just spun. A hundred dollar light + all the shipping charges. No more Jetbeams for me thank you!


Best-RA twisty 85tr and RA rotary. Great service!


----------



## gravelmonkey

Best purchases: L3 Illumination's L10 with nichia 219, zebralight H51c and Fenix LD20 (especially after I swapped the emitter with a Nichia 219)

No mega-regrets, but my peak eiger and Logan QTC are a bit of a pain- when they work they're fantastic but I get a lot of flickering and brightness jumping (also got them with view to get momentary switches which Im still trying to get hold of....). I normally sell stuff I don't like so it says a lot that I still have them, I think I just got a bit too hyped up before buying them.


----------



## markr6

gravelmonkey said:


> Best purchases: L3 Illumination's L10 with nichia 219, zebralight H51c and Fenix LD20 (especially after I swapped the emitter with a Nichia 219)



Did you swap the LD20 yourself or have someone else do it? I'm interested in doing this to my LD12 but have no intention of doing it myself. I'm wondering how much someone would charge.


----------



## neutralwhite

other day; an Alpha ready made!.


----------



## bwillard01

Just got a Nitecore EA8W, definitely the best flashlight I've had so far. No light in particular comes to mind as being especially horrible, but



BillSWPA said:


> Worst: The original LED flashlights (cannot recall the brand) that had multiple LED's, no reflector, and no regulation. All flood, no throw, and would drop below useful light levels long before the advertised battery life was over. Overpriced junk.



Couldn't have said it better myself!


----------



## OsheasTorch

Our lost and found department at work gets rid of unclaimed items after 30 days. Since I am a known flashaholic at work, the L&F clerk gave me a fenix p3d that had been unclaimed. I guess it is not necessarily a "purchase", bu that was pretty awesome!


----------



## Gunnerboy

El Stinko: Maglite 3-Watt Luxeon III LED "*upgrade*" module :thumbsdow


----------



## Clikzio

I'll bite

Lights that I regret
-Fenix LDO1 stainless...felt it was too heavy and hated how it worked
-the last one that I bought, regardless of what it's going to be 

Best 
-Surefire E1B...$20 from a friend who switched to a EB1
-Maglite Solitaire LED...does what I wanted
-Fenix EO5...also does what I wanted


----------



## Vish

Darvis said:


> Good: Almost too many to list, but my Electron Guru/Malkoff 6P's, Peaks (all of them), Dereelight CL1H V4 and DBV3, and Orb wee NS lead the way. The Jetbeam M1X get an honorary mention.
> 
> The bad: I've had bad luck with Nitecore; D10's with really fast ramping, a DI that hates 14500's, and an EX10 that has a terribly hard to use piston. The Ti Preon was also a bummer, crappiest threads EVER!!! ugh, it makes my teeth hurt just twisting it. (think nails on a chalk board)


Which nitecore?


----------



## Raven-burg

markr6 said:


> Did you swap the LD20 yourself or have someone else do it? I'm interested in doing this to my LD12 but have no intention of doing it myself. I'm wondering how much someone would charge.


i have those exact same 3 lights and love them also.

Not sure why but I don't really like my Eagletac D25C. It's very bright on a rechargeable but I find the mode switching really crap. Who want to buy it?


----------



## Raven-burg

gravelmonkey said:


> Best purchases: L3 Illumination's L10 with nichia 219, zebralight H51c and Fenix LD20 (especially after I swapped the emitter with a Nichia 219)
> 
> No mega-regrets, but my peak eiger and Logan QTC are a bit of a pain- when they work they're fantastic but I get a lot of flickering and brightness jumping (also got them with view to get momentary switches which Im still trying to get hold of....). I normally sell stuff I don't like so it says a lot that I still have them, I think I just got a bit too hyped up before buying them.



Sorry I meant to reply to this quote.


----------



## kj2

Best: Fenix PD35, TK75, TK41 Sunwayman D40A
Worst: Maglite 5D (to many batteries  ), Fandyfire light (I wasn't thinking when buying)


----------



## cland72

Best: FourSevens Mini123. I've carried it daily for about 3 years now, it hasn't missed a beat. Well worth the $30 I paid.
Worst: Fenix LD20. Light crapped out after a 3 foot drop approx 3 years after I bought it. Warranty had expired at that point so I didn't bother contacting Fenix.


----------



## jamie.91

cland72 said:


> Best: FourSevens Mini123. I've carried it daily for about 3 years now, it hasn't missed a beat. Well worth the $30 I paid.
> Worst: Fenix LD20. Light crapped out after a 3 foot drop approx 3 years after I bought it. Warranty had expired at that point so I didn't bother contacting Fenix.



I can't agree more on the quark mini! Mines been abused since 2009 on rcr cells and never missed a beat, I now have 3 of them because I know they are easily worth the money

Jamie


----------



## jcr71

best itp a3, it goes with me evrywhere

worst... no regrets, but a magnetic rolson shake light did ruin my audio cassette tapes


----------



## FREI

Best: Surefire E1L and L4 in good condition, both for 50€ incl. shipping

Worst: cheap 3xAA from a discounter, crap


----------



## davyro

Best lights HDS 170T,HDS Rotary,Surefire E1B

worst Maglite 6D it was like carrying a lighthouse everywhere i went, to big ,to many batteries,to heavy & even with a LED drop in from Terralux pathetic amount of lumens for a lighthouse(well it felt like i was carrying a lighthouse)


----------



## Bullzeyebill

davyro said:


> Best lights HDS 170T,HDS Rotary,Surefire E1B
> 
> worst Maglite 6D it was like carrying a lighthouse everywhere i went, to big ,to many batteries,to heavy & even with a LED drop in from Terralux pathetic amount of lumens for a lighthouse(well it felt like i was carrying a lighthouse)



Got to tell you, I cracked up when I read that. I've got one of those "lighthouses". Got a Malkoff in it, and it is bright, but I don't won't carry it around. Maybe twenty or thirty feet, but that's all. LOL.

Bill


----------



## creyc

WilsonCQB1911 said:


> The D25A, much like my old D25C2 does NOT have a programmable moonlight mode, which I was disappointed to discover. The D25C does have it however. The D25A was also the only EagleTac I've played with that had preflash, meaning that when you have it set for a lower setting and turn it on, it'll flash momentarily at a high setting before settling into the lower setting. Frankly, the preflash isn't as big an issue for me as the lack of moonlight mode. Also, with 14500s the light runs in direct drive, so 14500 isn't fully supported. I LOVE the D25C so I was just expecting something as nice as it, but in a AA package. I guess my expectations were too high.



My D25A is a black aluminum 2013 model, ordered in May/June in neutral white. It has the option for the lowest setting to be either low or moonlight. (Programmed by twisting the head half a dozen times or so)

It also does not exhibit this preflash symptom when it's turned on in low, or at least I can't detect it by eye.

Finally I use the light on 14500s most of the time anyway, and it still retains all of its modes, although most if not all modes are brighter with the li-ion.

Also just recently I swapped the 5000K 3C tint LED with a 4000K 5C1 XM-L2 and this light is better than ever. The AR glass seems to make the light appear more yellow/green, so the emitter swap helped with that some. I didn't initially think much of it, but this light has become one of my favorite small EDC lights because of its slim size, light weight and simple UI. Of all my lights this one probably gets the most use. As for my 'best' light, there's just something about my HDS Rotary 219 that exudes quality.

As for worst lights, that's a tough call. Probably any of the non-regulated 3x AAA lights I've used over the years.


----------



## yoyoteen

Best : HDS Nichia 219 clicky from OVEREADY (LUCKY ME!) / Liteflux LF2XT Alu with original price  about a month ago! (LUCKY AGAIN!)
Worse : Novatac 120P the flickering on low level make me annoying :shakehead


----------



## bedista11

Best: fenix tk35 and e11, exceeded my expectations

worst: cheap china led flashlights operated with 3 AAA batteries, most of the time when i switch it on i still need to shake it before it lights up and the pump / friction powered led flashlights, its like disposable lights, i used mine for around two days then it broke, cheap but still a waste of hard earned money


----------



## whiteoakjoe

Best *Zebralight H51fc* I use this light all the time. *FourSevens XML Quark(s)* in Neutral white just a nice flood of good tint for everyday use. Worst *Maglite XL200 *


----------



## HaileStorm

After almost a year now, I can say that the best purchase I've made is the Armytek Predator. The light is practically bomb-proof. Dropped it, thrown it around but still works like it did when I first got it. I'm still impressed by its throw and programmability to this day. Well worth the money. 

Another light I've had around for years is the Romisen RC-i3. Still works great, can use 2xAA/1xAA/1x14500/1xRCR123. Still remains my most flexible light in terms of power options. Tough little light too, been bashed against a wall, dropped hundreds of times but still works!


----------



## WilsonCQB1911

I echo the Predator. One of my favorites. HDS is right up there with it for me. Those are my bests. I might add my old Surefire A2 to that as well as the new E1L. 

Worst? Probably the EagleTac D25A Ti. The missing moonlight mode, even though advertised, among other things, killed it for me.


----------



## drillbit

Best(so far) - HDS Nichia 219 Clicky from Illumination Supply(thanks Craig!).

Worst(so far) - my 2 Four Sevens Minis. Neither lasted more than a few months before crapping out


----------



## joniosbra

BEST: 
1 - Armytek Viking Pro 2.5 Warm (Gorgeous quality construction, very nice color beam, fully programmable...)
2 - Peak Logan 17500 large mule NICHIA 219 

WORST:
DQG 18650 (Can change output mode shaking it... )


----------



## WWWW

I don't really have much lights so the best would be the only good one I've ever bought, a Fenix headlamp HL21, probably not the best but is pretty good considering what I'm used to. The worst are probably all the other ones I've bought so far (except the Fenix).


----------



## Jakeyb

it's funny to read all these replys because one persons worst light ever might be another persons favorite.


----------



## rockhopper

Best close Tie between the fenix TK41 and the Nitecore SRT5, edge going to the Fenix cuz the color leds in the nitecore are kinda useless, but boy that control ring on it is sweet.
Worst: Olight S15 send it back. On paper an impressive light, but it didnt work well and it turned out more a double AA light and less of a single AA light.

It's a good thing that opinions vary a lot, if there was only one winner price would skyrocket of that one and it would totally stop innovation development. Besides we need threads like this to give us more excuses to buy more lights (only to test it and we really really need it for a specific purpose, honest!)


----------



## Monocrom

Jakeyb said:


> it's funny to read all these replys because one persons worst light ever might be another persons favorite.



Some models are still universal though. (Either one way or the other.)


----------



## LSX

Best light would be a tie between my FF4 and TN30 XM-L2. The FF4 is fun, a bit different and lights up everything. The TN30 is just the perfect size, is nice quality and has fantastic output in both throw and flood.

Worst would be an Ultrafire UF-T1 not sure what I was thinking, gave it away soon after I bought it.


----------



## ill_eagle

I'm gonna say my surefire c2 with malkoff p60 is my favorite light just because they don't make it anymore. 

Best sf p3x fury amazing how bright it is
Sf p2x fury just all around good light
Sf saint minimus best headlamp that I've ever used
Sf g2 pro for an entry level light they are good. I got some mounted on weapons cause are light weight. Tough and durable
Klarus xt?? 900 lumens sturdy light

Worst mag light solitaire hands down. I've got 4.99 twin pack dollar store lights that I would grab over this thing lol.


----------



## sandalian

My best purchase was 4Sevens Quark Mini 123, still my favorite EDC till now.
While the worst is Thrunite T10. Bad quality control (I can't twist, working after o-ring was removed), and I gave it to brother after 1-2 month of usage.


----------



## AMD64Blondie

Best light purchase was my most recent.HDS Rotary 250.

(Received it Jan.17,2014,it was definitely worth the wait.)


----------



## Rafael Jimenez

Best;
Lamdalights Varapower turbo V.2 Super bright.
Malkoff hound dog, wildcat and md2. Very bright and dependable.
Nitecore TM11, very bright and a long runtime.

Worst;
Surefire 9AN commander. They discontinued the super expensive bulbs. Was not very bright and not much runtime. I will never buy Surefire again.


----------



## BillSWPA

I would like to suggest making this thread a sticky. I referred to it about 3-4 times in the past few weeks when deciding on flashlight purchases.


----------



## Esko

The best flashlight purchase? It must be my 4Sevens Preon ReVO SS, the first high quality flashlight that I bought. Durable, efficient, nice and small. I put it to my keychain and that is where it still is. 

The worst flashlight purchase? It must be my 4Sevens Preon ReVO SS. It was the first high quality flashlight that I bought, it is what started this all-embracing flashlight madness... :shakehead


----------



## WDR65

Best:
Surefire U2
Surefire E1B
Fenix LOD CE
Fenix E01
Princeton Tec Apex

Worst:
Nitecore D10, it went mode crazy and then died after about a year and a half of use. Never again.
Maglite Solitaire incandescent. Pitiful output.
Maglite Minimag Led. Switching was horrible. 


I think that covers the worst. In general I've had pretty good experiences with most manufacturers.


----------



## markr6

WDR65 said:


> Maglite Solitaire incandescent. Pitiful output.



LOL! I just found one of these in the "junk drawer" at work filled with a bunch of free promos and random things. It looked pretty cool in silver so I put in an AAA and tried it out. USELESS!


----------



## Monocrom

markr6 said:


> LOL! I just found one of these in the "junk drawer" at work filled with a bunch of free promos and random things. It looked pretty cool in silver so I put in an AAA and tried it out. USELESS!



You could use it as a battery storage carrier for a much better single-AAA light.


----------



## N8N

Best: Fenix E11; Streamlight Night Com UV

Worst: Fenix TK41

why, you ask? just because I am constantly using the first two and NEVER use the last. It's still a great light. Actually thanks to CPF I don't think I've bought any really bad lights, just some I like better than others. The TK41 I bought because I wanted "one good light" but I found that while it's awesome it pretty much sits around the house waiting for the power to go out while the E11 is always in my pocket. Lesson being that you should buy the light that you're going to use, not the one that you think is cool.


----------



## GrizzlyAdams

Best: Surefire L1, all my Malkoffs.
Worst: Surefire A2

I'll probably get booted for listing the A2. But I had high expectations for that light and from the get go I was disappoint.


----------



## Jimson

*Until an hour or so ago my 6D Maglite was on the "worst" list.*

Not that it's a "bad" light, it's just that the thing is awkward and overly heavy and had been put into storage. Well, while putting away some laundry I was trying to tuck some matched socks together, and was having heavy sledding. My hand isn't exactly small, and the socks weren't very flexible, and that second sock was a BEAR! Light bulb moment! - I grabbed the 6D from the closet shelf and started using it. All of a sudden the job was quickly finished. I've found a job (sock tucker) for my "worst" light, and someday I may even find a lighting-connected use for it. Best? More like "favorite", and that's my 6C Maglite. I'm also highly partial to an inexpensive older Eveready LED flashlight with a regulation circuit. When most of my other flashlights have gone totally dark, that one sucks another hour or two of good light out of their batteries.


----------



## BillSWPA

Jakeyb said:


> it's funny to read all these replys because one persons worst light ever might be another persons favorite.



Looking through this thread, there are some "worst" lights named because they did not meet the purchaser's needs, and others named because they failed in a short time, followed at times by poor warranty coverage from the manufacturer. Both are completely valid and informative comments. However, when making a purchase decision, I take the latter a lot more seriously than the former.

If I were a light manufacturer or dealer reading this forum, I would be taking notes about the rate at which certain brands and certain lights end up being listed as "best" and "worst" as well as why.


----------



## Kai Winters

Favorite: Olight i3 EOS...$20, 3 output settings, small and light, good battery life

Yuck: All the small Maglights, just a couple, I have. Bulbs rather than LCD's, very short battery life, crappy beam.


----------



## Labrador72

Worst
JetBeam PA10, PA20, PC20

Best
Fenix PD31, TK12, TK30, LD10, LD20.
Klarus XT2C, XT11.


----------



## seb13

Worst : 
Ledwave MK20 : looks like a Fenix LD20 for the half price, but quality is also the half (so logic...)

Best :
HDS Clicky 200lm :because it's an HDS


----------



## UnderPar

*Best:* Among the 3 that I have, I must say that it is my my current purchase of Nitecore P16.

*Worst:* None so far among the 3.


----------



## Itanus

Worst : power+
Best : Nitecore Srt6, P16 and Klarus XT2c

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


----------



## ven

Best- Probably my tm15 as it really is a tiny monster.......

Worst-This is an odd one as it could be argued the best too,a fake lenser p17 for £48..........needless to say i got my £48 back and kept the p17 which is not bad for a 3d light for keeping around house or in the boot of my truck.


----------



## livewrongprojects

Best:
Surefire G2/C2, all Malkoffs i purchased.

Worst: Inova Bolt 2A that died after falling from my bedside table and hitting the concrete floor (maybe i just got a lemon... no pun intended to those inova bolt lovers out there... to be fair i was once an inova bolt lover before the incident.. i still love my inova X5 though).


----------



## grfd702

My best purchase was the 4Sevens MiniX123 (CREE XM-L T6, Max Output: 210 OTF lumens). My wife has put this little sucker through the washing machine 3 TIMES and it's still going strong. I carry it with me everywhere I go. (except the shower). 

Worst purchase, like most, the Maglite solitaire. Horrible light. Who in their right mind thought this was a good light and decided to market it?


----------



## ewmccraw

Worst: the one on the far right.







Best: The EagleTac P100C2


----------



## den331

Best Fenix tk75, PD32UE Jetbeam BC40
Worst Surefire 8NX battery pack sucks! bulb exploded when used for 30 minutes. mini maglite pro . maglite solitaire led


----------



## kj75

Best: Fenix TK35 / TK70 / E35

Worst: Led Lenser P7 (not regulated, blueish tint, lens made of plastic, expensive)


----------



## caddylover

best: fenix rc40 and Deft-X
worst: multi LED chinese flashlights off Fee-bay


----------



## ThirstyTurtle

Best: Sunwayman C21Cvn
Miniscule for a 1x18650 light, two beautiful tints, best threads if any light I have. 

Worst: Crelant V21A
Ugly light, ugly tint, huge for a 2xAA light, 2 switch failures.


----------



## Itanus

Best is my Nitecore SRT6
Worst is Power+


----------



## ryukin2000

Best are Solar force L2T with Vinh Xml drop-in, Fenix PD35, 4sevens QPA
Worst was Coast AAA clicky. worked intermittently since day one. and Techlite 150 from costco. the drain from the switch is ridiculous.


----------



## pelicularities

(This is my first post here, which makes me slightly nervous around all you flashaholics who know 100x more about flashlights than I do.)

Worst flashlight purchase is easy: Maglite Mini AA. You know how it goes - as a kid you associate it with quality and durability and then you don't know better, so you think that's the cream of the crop of flashlights. I'd think, Fenix? Sounds like a dodgy faux-cool brand, I'll buy Maglite instead because it's a known quantity. And, again, because I didn't know better, I thought it served me well until Hurricane Sandy came around and knocked power out of Lower Manhattan for a solid 120 hours, and I found myself going through a limited store of batteries at an astonishing rate, for a torch that put out practically no light. In the meantime, my Joby Gorillatorch Blade which I was hesitant to use because it used a rechargeable battery completely put it to shame with solid, bright service. That's when I got the memo that it was 2012 and LED was the way to go.

It's still sitting uselessly on my shelf.

Best flashlight purchase is also easy: Prometheus Beta-QR (I have all three). My first Nichia 219 lights. _Now_ I understand.


----------



## somnambulated

Best: Niteye Eye 10-TiC
Jetbeam TCR-1 Ti
Fenix P2D

Worst: 4Sevens Preon Clicky. Went through multiple copies of the light, including Ti versions. The Clicky switches always ended up malfunctioning, and the heads began switching modes erratically, even with the switch removed (twisty). This turned me off to future 4Sevens purchases, as my Maratac and ITP AAA lights have had zero issues.

MagLite 2AA LED: No idea why I bought it. Poor runtime, single mode, and no warning of flat batteries.


----------



## T-roc87

Best: 
-SWM D40Avn - Awesome little hand cannon that runs on 4 aa
-Fenix L2D premium Q5 - Its my flashlight that takes the biggest beating and still keeps on working flawlessly
-Zebralight sc52w - Awesome upgrade to the sc51w
-Fenix tk70 - So much light off of D batteries
-Nitecore mt21a - Nice throw for 2 AA

Worst: (and its a stretch to call it that... More like i didn't enjoy some of the quirks of what could have been awesome lights)
-Zebralight sc51w - hate to put in in here but the accidental activation almost burned up the light on two occasions. Tried the loosening of the endcap but since im very active i ended up loosing two tail caps that unscrewed... And one sanyo eneloop. Still really like the the light!
-Nitecore EA4: Really like this light but was so paranoid about the switching ballooning that i sold it and replaced it with the eagletac gx25a3

Other than that i really have no complaints. I have always picked my lights out very carefully and knew what i was getting into. Overall i have never had many problems and i have owned various AA lights from deerelight, fenix, swm, zerbralight, eagletac, and nitcore!


----------



## JeremyS

The Surefire P2X is my worst recent purchase. That’s not to say the P2X is a bad light; quite the contrary. It’s well built, and very bright. However, I have found the particular qualities of the P2X are not suited to how I use my lights. I have no practical use for 500 lumens. Fishing-out cables behind the stereo and TV in the living room, rummaging through my briefcase in the car, the occasional camping trip; none of these tasks require—at least for me—more than 100 lumens. 

There was a huge draw towards blindingly powerful lights in the beginning of my flashlight acquisitions. Now, I find myself looking at lights with lower brightness levels and longer runtimes. I really like the M361 LMH drop-in: Both the low and medium settings cover 98% of my use with a high setting for those times when something is “rustling in the bushes” a 100+ feet away. I’ve been thinking the Surefire E1L-A might be perfect for me, or the Malkoff MDC. My concern with the Surefire E1L-A is even though the low setting is only 5 lumens, the TIR set-up creates a potentially glaring hotspot, especially if I’m trying to read a map or something at night.


----------



## Fireclaw18

*Best*: 
*1. My two Liteflux LF2XTs*. They're both probably worth over twice what I paid for them. Downside is I'm afraid to actually use them due to their value.

*2. Best ones that I use:* Olight S10, Zebralight SC52w, Eagletac D25C, Jetbeam RRT01 .... all excellent lights.

*Worst*:
*1. Sunwayman V10a XPG* - head dropped 1 meter bezel first onto wooden floor. Zero damage to the bezel... not even a scratch. But a surface mount device popped off the driver and it never worked again. Note I have other Sunwaymans that worked fine. This one just seems to have been a dud. I probably should've sent it back for warranty repair, but instead tried repairing it myself with no success... OOPS!

*2. Jetbeam BK135a *- this was the limited edition camo version of the PA01. Looked really cool when it came out and had a nice programmable driver. Light overheated and fried the driver after just 5 minutes of continuous running on high. Sent it back for warranty repair. Got it back 2 months later with a new driver... but the new driver was a PA01 driver and was not programmable.

*3. Lenslight Mini XPG neutral* - this light works fine and is built like a tank. But it was expensive and turned out not to be what I was looking for. Huge... about the same size as a Zebralight SC600 even though it's a much dimmer 1xCR123 light. Can't tailstand. Only 2 brightness settings (and only 1 when using rechargeables). Protruding button with no tailcap lockout so can't safely pocket carry it. And it came with too much grease in the zoom mechanism... so every time the zoom is cycled a fresh layer of grease is deposited... right where you put your hand. As a zoom light it also didn't throw nearly as well as a cheap Sipik 68. The Lenslight also has the worst belt clip I've ever seen... by far. the Delrin plastic clip has sharp edges, protrudes a lot, and takes 2 hands to remove from anything. It might be good for clipping to a backpack, but is usless as pocket clip. Even though this light cost something like $160, it felt like a downgrade compared to a $5 Sipik 68.... (at least for EDC pocket carry, which is what I was looking for)


----------



## delus

*GREAT*
2D US Navy in mint condition: $5 at a garage sale from a lady who said her husband quit the navy in 1965. IT FLOATS IN WATER (if you have the seals tight) and is ultra-reliable. Spare bulb and filters stored in base: Red, Blue, Diffuse, Clear. Separate momentary-on button. Still only a small amount of corrosion on the springs. Replacement parts are still cheap and available should i ever need them. It went on every kayak trip from '80 to '95 before being put out to pasture as too heavy. It was replaced by a pair of 2AA Maglites which both ended up at the bottom of a river. If I ever have a garage sale I'm putting a big red $5 sticker on my old pal.

HybridLight 120 Solar: Always Ready, No Batteries. Indestructible. Immune to dirt and dust. FLOATS IN WATER. If this company figures out how to solar-charge something like an 18650 and get big lumens, it would be my ultimate light. 

Elzetta Bravo: Last week it was completely submerged in a bucket of latex paint, I just hosed it off. We shall see if it withstands years of EDC in construction. I think it will. Wish it had longer runtime on rechargeable batteries though, I don't like adding so many primaries to the waste stream.

*BAD
*Nitecore MH25: Four months of my EDC killed it. I had it fixed and it lasted for another two. I think dust got in the electronics. Or maybe that thing is just overdriven from the start and burns itself out.

*Best Value
*Ultrafire WF501B ultraviolet. I ordered three and one of them needed a spring re-soldered. I did it myself and when i wrote them about it, they practically jumped at the chance to send me THREE more. I strengthened the solder in all of them and now my whole crew has one.


Semi-Pro-Tip: Before you buy, use the "search thread" function to find why the light you are about to buy was good or bad.


----------



## MBentz

Best - SureFire A2. Used this light almost daily for my enlistment and every night in Afghanistan. 

Worst: JetBeam M1X - It had about five minutes of light use before it decided to break. Way to fragile of a light for its intended use.

Honorable mention goes to my Eagletac SX25L3. Great around the house use.


----------



## Bullzeyebill

MBentz said:


> Best - SureFire A2. Used this light almost daily for my enlistment and every night in Afghanistan.



Which model A2? Main bulb an Incan, or LED?


----------



## MBentz

Bullzeyebill said:


> Which model A2? Main bulb an Incan, or LED?



Incan, of course!


----------



## Monocrom

MBentz said:


> Incan, of course!



+1

I've never understood the thinking behind taking such a fantastic combination of both worlds and turning it into just another pure LED light.

Lucked out when I bought mine on the CPF marketPlace a handful of years ago. Got the light, and about 3 spare SureFire bulbs for it in their small clear plastic containers.


----------



## PCC

Best: a lathe. I can make just about anything I want including entire flashlights.

Worst: a pair of Fulton angle head clones. I paid more for these clones than actual Fultons and they are not as well made.


----------



## wjv

Worst:

A few "clearance" lights from walmart with ringy beams. But I only paid $2-$3 each so no big loss.

Not bad lights, but I have found limited usage for the 1xAAA lights I have purchased. 
The 1xAA are not much larger, but last longer and are generally more powerful. 
- Sunwayman R01A
- Thrunite Tis


Best:

- Fenix PD32, PD32UE, LD10, TK15
- EagleTac D25A Clicky in NW
- 47s Mini-ML
- ArmyTek Predator
- L3 Illumination L10 - Nichia 219 NW


----------



## duckied

Best in order:

X3vn super bright and simple to use

C21vn best edc IMO

Eagletac d25a best tiny pocket light 

Nitecore ea8 I just really love this light

Worst:

Zebralight sc600l2 bad tint, for the price machining could be better, and horrible ui don't know why so many love it


----------



## fridgemagnet

I love my Olight S15 2XAA - it's perfect for night walks in the West Cork wilderness - quite powerful on full - medium does me most of the time. The tint is ok, I guess, and the 2XAA fits so easily in my hand. Quality is good - but not as good as my Fenix LD15, which is exquisitely and strongly built. The tint is vile, but it's just so well made.


----------



## superpila

The best for me has to be my EagleTac D25LC2 clicky with xpg-2, my edc. The worst is definitely the Thrunite Archer 1a. I love their products, but this model is just wrong: it's huge, it breaks easily (especially the oring at the tailcap, I think I had to replace it three times before I gave up on the flashlight) and the interface could be better


----------



## kestrel140

Best: Nitecore p25 smilodon 
Worst: Fenix pd35 switch issue ongoing
Best value: Nitecore p25 smilodon off ebay
Worst value: Fenix pd35 not working


----------



## parnass

*Best*: Malkoff Devices CR123 HA MDC
*
Honorable mentions:* Energizer Ultimate Lithium primary AA and AAA batteries
and the MAHA MH-C9000 charger

*Worst:* not sure yet, though the LRI Proton Pro was a real disappointment. The incan Maglite Solitaire was a poor performer.


----------



## kevleee1

*Best: *4Sevens Quark QPA
Nitecore EA8
Nitecore P12
Sunwayman C21C

*Worst: **[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]*[FONT=&quot][/FONT]*[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]*[FONT=&quot]Nebo 5615 Redline (yeah yeah I learned my lesson)
Mag mini 2xAA incandescent version
Eddie Bauer 2xAA incandescent (similar to the Minimag)
[/FONT]


----------



## wrhaliburton

Although I have more expensive lights, for some reason I keep going back to the cheap no name 1800 lumen zoomable lights on ebay. Like the spill and the tight zoom. Using Trustfire 5000 mah batteries, they haven't let me down yet. (I know they are not really 1800 lumens and the batteries are probably not actually 5000 mah, but what the hey).


----------



## chorlton

Best light I've ever had is my SR52vn! Perfect for walks on long forest paths, beautiful piercing beam with perfect tint, great run time and amazingly compact with built in usb charging.... The perfect outdoor light in my opinion! 

Worst, probably Maglight solitaire! Had it for a day then gave it away!

Modamag Drake Ti is my fave super compact... Perfect in every detail exept PWM!


----------



## N8N

N8N said:


> Best: Fenix E11; Streamlight Night Com UV
> 
> Worst: Fenix TK41
> 
> why, you ask? just because I am constantly using the first two and NEVER use the last. It's still a great light. Actually thanks to CPF I don't think I've bought any really bad lights, just some I like better than others. The TK41 I bought because I wanted "one good light" but I found that while it's awesome it pretty much sits around the house waiting for the power to go out while the E11 is always in my pocket. Lesson being that you should buy the light that you're going to use, not the one that you think is cool.



Followup: New BEST is the Sunwayman V11Rvn. Gave the E11 to the girl.

Sort of regretting buying the EagleTac D25C Ti 219. Pocket clip is worthless to the point where it fell out of my pocket getting out of the car and onto a concrete driveway. Oops. Also, modes only work correctly on a primary cell while the V11R works on anything (although to be fair I haven't tried an alkaline yet.)


----------



## ven

chorlton said:


> Best light I've ever had is my SR52vn! Perfect for walks on long forest paths, beautiful piercing beam with perfect tint, great run time and amazingly compact with built in usb charging.... The perfect outdoor light in my opinion!
> 
> 
> Such a great light,made up that you really like it,as i said before its one of my go to lights,superb


----------



## ruke

Agreed on SR52vn! Long run time on turbo, relatively small n light & does not get hot! Very good thrower..


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums


----------



## Me+Light=Addiction

Best: Fenix PD35 and Fenix TK09. The PD35 is just very bright, great quality and very pocketable. The TK09 is bright enough and has such a nice beam/colour.

Worst, ofcourse the maglight solitair, you can barely tell the light is on.


----------



## Blue Steel

Best: ZL H600w mk II.
I don't have a worst.
Bad: L3 Illumination L10 nichia.


----------



## Tman72

New to the forum .....
Best lights .... Zebra Light Sc600 MkII ( this little thing is a torch!) 
Nitecore P25 ( good throw / flood combo rechargeable ) 
Fenix TK35 (original) 
Fenix UC40 UE 
Olight S10 L2 U2 ( good edc ,nice magnet feature, great moonlight mode) 

Worst ..... Nebo Redline , sorry it's a piece of sh*t 
Maglite MagTac ( not terrible but only one brightness for $75) 


Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums


----------



## aginthelaw

BEST purchase: 3 mag chargers & 2c purple maglites all for $45 (from a retired cop). 2 mag chargers were still new in the box. 3rd was repaired for free by mag instruments and sold for $46 on eBay (i would have broke even if not for the fees). Best upgrade purchases was the malkoff mag charger dropin that went into one of the new magchargers (with the funky multi-faceted reflector that is a tribute to his engineering skills)

WORST purchase: The TL-18 bulb i purchased for my dewalt lamp. pin broke. got replaced. kept falling out the housing. wouldn't stay in place and kept losing the connection. i had to keep unscrewing the lens to reinstall it until it stopped working. couldn't get a refund. replaced with a milwaukee single led 18v bulb that kicks it's a$$ and prompted me to buy more. anything else that was a worst purchase was sold at a flea market (+1 on those mag solitaires that used to pop because it couldn't vent gas built up)


----------



## AirmanV

Best purchase: It's a toss up between my SF G2X Pro (200 lumen) and my SF P1R (just received it today). I hope I don't speak too soon with the P1R, but so far it has really impressed me. I love that SF has "seen the light" and are now making flashlights that can use 18650s without having to be bored! The P1R has a very pleasing tint, and it is very compact which makes for a great backup duty light. My G2X is a few years old now, and it's seen one deployment and dozens of drops. Thing still works like the day I got it (although it doesn't look like it). The G2X is now a shelf queen, as it holds too much sentimental value, and I am afraid to lose it! 

Worst purchase: Nitecore P15. Got the light from amazon, came with a scratched reflector. Returned it to Amazon, got my money back, then purchased another one from a different retailer (won't say who, but they are well known here), and the light is now flickering and shut's off randomly, even after cleaning the contacts, replacing the batteries, etc. Returning it to Nitecore, hopefully my third one won't have issues.


----------



## Burgess

Over the past year . . . .


I purchased a Fenix E05 stainless steel 1xAAA flashlight.

Overall VERY impressed with this compact, convenient, handy package.

Even better than I had anticipated !


Very useful for my needs -- especially Indoors.

:thumbsup:
_


----------



## unnamedny

My best purchase was Surefire E2L AA Outdoorsman for construction purposes.

It combines the features which I have not seen in any other lights.
-simplicity. No strobe, no turbo, just 2 outputs. one low for extreme battery life and high, which is adequate brightness and good battery life.
-2 AA. if it dies on me in the middle of the day, I always have a spare or store around the corner has one.
-battery life. 8 hours on high is pretty impressive for 2AA.
-Build quality is very nice.
-


----------



## RUSH FAN

Best: Mac's titanium Tri-EDC

Worst: A couple years ago, before I joined CPF, I bought a Nebo flashlight. It stopped working a week later! LOL.


----------



## Mmassey338

Best: D25Cvn amazingly bright little light

Worst: Sunwayman V25C. UI is lousy. 360 degree ring, so you never know where it's going to come on. Even worse, the two I've had have both quit after about a month.


----------



## Monocrom

Have to put this down as one of the best.... 3C Black & Decker light.

(Black version of the now classic and very popular on CPF Rayovac 3C model with side switch.)

Has two modes. Quality quite good. But in fairness, one of the things making it one of the best is the price I paid. $2.98 at a certain large chain Home Improvement store. (Yup, that's not a typo. Though not really a Good Deal as I believe someone made a huge mistake at that one certain location and ordered far too many.)


----------



## Amelia

Best: EagleTac MX25L3C Nichia 219. No doubt - the happiest I've ever been with a light. 
Worst: Photon Proton Pro. Loved the UI and secondary red emitter. Hated that it drained batteries like mad, even when off. Ditched it completely 2 months later when the rubber switch cover wore through. Complete P.O.S.


----------



## Berneck1

Best light is my Eagletac D25a. With a 14500 battery in it it's perfect for everyday use. Rarely do I need brighter. If for some reason the battery dies I can find an AA battery just about anywhere and still have very respectable output. It's very slim and I don't even notice it in my pocket. Most importantly, I can access high, low and strobe from the off position. (Very useful). 

I have many other lights that are brighter and bigger and "cooler", etc... But I am NEVER without the D25a in my pocket.

The worst purchase was the JetBeam WL-S1 and WL-S2. They weren't necessarily the worst lights I have purchased, but I was very angry about the misleading claims and marketing of them. Also, they wouldn't work with my RCR123 batteries. 




Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums


----------



## bladesmith3

I would have to say that my favorite light is the fenix ld50. it is just fits in your pocket and it is so versatile. I have many great lights, but the ld50 is the pick.


----------



## experimentjon

From my few years of experience on CPF...

Best: McGizmo Haiku Hi CRI AA. I agonized over this purchase and whether it'd actually be worth it. But it was. Best light that I have ever owned. Sure, the functionality might be more basic than even the Quark AA that I love, but this is one special light.

Worst: Nitecore D10. That piston drive just never worked with me. And at one point, it wouldn't even turn on anymore. Somehow, I still managed to sell it for parts value on CPF Marketplace which was a miracle that someone would want that light with a slow unresponsive piston system that didn't even turn on. Went the clicky route and never looked back.


----------



## Mountain

Best was yesterday at Costco. 20 bucks for a Duracell ultra 1000 lumen. Uses 4 C's. This thing is as bright as one of my spot lights! I'm going back to buy another this afternoon. 
Worst is a maglight.


----------



## Bedlam

I had to think about this for a while, as I discovered CPF after a blackout (and subsequently seeing the light, as it were) and spent a lot of time researching my purchases.

_Worst_: Excluding the ones I bought from supermarkets at various points in my life the worst would have to be a Gerber Iris. I got it for 10 bucks from Costco, in a pack with a *Gerber Dime*. I guess there's nothing 'terrible' about it for your average non-flashaholic but by comparison to everything else I own it's just terrible. When zoomed out a huge blackspot in the middle, when zoomed it it's a fugly square shaped beam. Bad Gerber, BAD.

_Best_: *ZL SC600W L2 MKII* for output vs form, and UI.* Armytek Viking *and *Predator Pro* v2.5 for the programability. It's a ***** to do at the time, but I love that there's so much you can do in terms of selecting output and stability. Shame the programmable aspect has been removed from v3, but it seems it didn't get a lot of use - my hope is that they'd bring it back as a limited offering, but I'm not holding out much hope.


----------



## Woods Walker

Worst..... Ever in the history of histories...... Get ready for it........



Leatherman Serac S2







You worthless POS! The first one flickered and died. Leatherman set me a new one. The next one basically sat for a few years. Occasionally I would take it out just to see if it worked but never trusted the light for even a walk to the mail box. My lack of trust was rewarded after the second S2 flickered and died just like the first. Both lights combined never made it though one AAA battery. Total worthless junk. Funny thing is the SS 2-mode Fenix LOD head felt like quality but they're total POS. At least I have an extra clicky body for an E01. On a side note the S1 still works which isn't surprising because the E01 is immortal and it's basically an E01 with clicky.

The best *EVER *and few would wish to debate this is the Surefire G2Z. If you own a light and believe it's better you're mistaken. :bow:I owned it for over a decade. First it ran incan then a P60L





Changed out the bezel (gotta locate the plastic one, it's someplace) to a mat Al. Then tossed in a M60LL.









It languished for a few years only being called upon when total reliability (within humanly possible limitations) was needed. But now it's back!









Also the TK20 still rocks.


----------



## Tacti'cool'

Best: Probably the Tain Ottavino Ti AAA. Unbelievable perfomance out of a AAA light. Tint, beam, and quality of built are perfect.

Worst: Arc AAA snow. Not that bad of light but I bought a Sapphire within a week so it never got used and as many members have stated, the price cannot be justified.


----------



## Tacti'cool'

Sorry. Double post. Please remove


----------



## Rossymeister

Best purchases: Malkoff, Surefire , HDS. I've never been disappointed with any of their products.

Worst: M*glite

2AA Incandescent: Unreliable switch. Would turn off during use and I had to slap it against my hand to get it to turn back on.

2AA LED: Worked fine for several months. Developed flickering. Ended up just giving it away.

M*gCharger: Again with the unreliable switch. I actually fixed this one by taking it apart, polishing the metal parts inside the switch, and wiping them down with 91% IPA. Then the charging dock ended up going out a year later. Sold It.

2AA LED PRO: Knock on wood, this one has been FLAWLESS for over a year.


----------



## InfinitusEquitas

Best: Zebralight SC52w... hands down my favorite little light, and doubles as a headlamp clipped onto a hat, with a second reversed clip.

Worst: Impalent DDT40 - I despise the UI, and that the light always turns on on turbo.


----------



## jodoma

Best: Surefire EB2. Easy to carry for the size./Surefire Titan aaa is up there now too

Worst: Fenix LD10. Started out ok, not great. Switch issues ensued and I lost confidence in it.


----------



## zipplet

Best top 3 purchases - these are biased toward EDC use because my favourite flashlights are ones I can EDC and not think "what is that huge thing in my pocket":
1. Nitecore EC21: This is now my favourite EDC. Perfect mode spacing, form factor, functionality and runtime/output balance. It was designed to be an EDC light, so it is not bulky and loses a little strength as a result I am sure, but I am willing to make that sacrifice for something that sits in my pocket all day. The secondary red light is a nice bonus.
2. Thrunite Archer 1A V2. I'd consider this a sleeper hit. The body is a bit more serious than a typical 1xAA light with good grip for outdoor use. I still need to try a 14500 in it, which promises more output!
3. Olight S10R: A great EDC light with a convenient charging base. Useful as a backup for travel situations as I can charge it easily in a hotel room etc.

Worst top 3 purchases - this was hard to think about as I like almost all of my lights - I don't count stuff bought before I was "enlightened":
1. Dosun R1: Pathetic light output for the very bulky size. The TIR optic casts a very weird beam. Too many disco modes on the selector ring. I found it useless for walking at night. Gave it away.
2. Civictor V1: Flickered all the time due to horrible contacts on the PCB. I even tried to repair it by flowing solder onto them which made it almost perfect, but I ended up giving it away to someone who wanted it mostly as a toy as it could not be relied upon.
3. Jetbeam 1xAA cree light. I forgot the model as it was years ago, but it was a real battery crusher and had bad PWM. Gave it away.

Bonus - best "rough use" light purchase: Fenix TK20. Just look at how robust it is!


----------



## ryukin2000

I'm am basing my post on how much I EDC the light. Best purchase is the SC62w. Meets all my needs. Small, powerful, moon modes, warm tint. Worst purchase was on a whim. Bought it along with my fenix bundle order. PD12. I just don't use it. I thought it could replace my lost mini ML but nope. It activates easily in the pocket and not really into primaries. The nw tint and beam is nice though.


----------



## Mr. LED

*Best*: Nitecore D10, five years and still going strong.

*Worst*: Foursevens, out of 10 lights I own, 5 have failed.


----------



## Dr. Tweedbucket

*Best:*

Fenix PD35TAC ... super bright, 5 modes, looks great. 

*Worst:*

Eagtac something or other ... it's not terrible, but I don't like the twisting the head at a certain speed to change modes


*Really worst:*

Ultra Fire 8 mode piece of crap from the DX store. 4 modes work randomly, you never know what you're going to get. Lens is foggy around the edges. There is dirt inside the lens.

*Really really reallyreallyreally worst and even worse than that!* :duh2:

Some cheesy, thin aluminum chinese thing I bought at a flea market for like $2 .... it has like 12 LEDs and maybe three of them still work and they actually suck light out of the air when you turn it on if it comes on at all


----------



## wle

best: 
XTAR WK42 - great 16340/CR123 light, tiny, pushbutton, 3 bright levels, strobes hidden mostly
on ebay for like $18 free shipping from the xtarstore
it is my EDC
VERY small

worst:
about the only thing you can say for these is that they can be cheap
they are not always though
features sound great
the light is super cheap though
tiny LED, poor battery efficiency, flimsy focus mechanism..
they have a lot of brands
tell tale is the focus ring


----------



## AMD64Blondie

New best light I've bought: My Elzetta Charlie.


----------



## H-Man

Worst: NIMH cells that weren't eneloops.
Best: Eneloops.

Why? I couldn't ditch alkaleaks until I had cells that could be ready to run without having to charge the night before.


Didn't have high speed internet until late 2009 so I didn't have a chance to buy overpriced trash online before I found here and I didn't feel that the lights in store were worth what was being asked for them. Found a streamlight ultrastinger and bought the charger cradle for $10, that should count as my first real flashlight barring stealing the 3cell bulb out of my dad's coleman flashlight and putting it in a 4AA winnie-the-poo lantern that had NiCd cells in it when I was 5 (yes, it was bright, I tried that setup again a few years ago and it was bright until I left the light on lens down for 2 hours. Did I mention all plastic parts?


----------



## puravida

Best:
My Nitecore TM11 still impresses to this day. I love going on evening hikes with it and it became invaluable during a recent week long power outage.

Worst:
Although not awful, I no longer have much use for my Inova X5. It's slippery, doesn't tail stand, and is rather dim compared to the latest crop of lights. It offers a nice reminder of how far along flashlight tech has come along.


----------



## jameykini

Best: Zebralight SC600W or SC600W Mk II for working in tight quarters neutral tint is spot on with little to no glare coming back at you while providing a ton of useful floodlight in a really small package. 
Best light that started the craze: Gladius Night Ops, that I bought for $200.00 when it first came out. Still have it, modded it once several years back but it's a shelf queen.

Worst purchase recently, Army Tek, Doberman ugly hot spot and spill. I should have done more research on this purchase, Oh Well, gave it to my son.....


----------



## Boosted98gsx

I'm kind of a novice when it comes to lights, but this one is by far my favorite torch. I believe I purchased it at $35, it has since then gone up. The DGX-600 dive light.

https://www.divegearexpress.com/led-dive-lights


----------



## seery

*Worst #1:* HDS Ra Clicky

*Worst #2: *Surefire Minimus

*Worst #3: *Surefire P2X Fury

<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>

*Best #1:* Fenix TK35 Ultimate Edition 2015 (2,000 lumen)

*Best #2: *Fenix HL55 Headlamp
*
Best #3: *Muyshondt Aeon


----------



## awyeah

Best: Tie between my eagletac Ti D25C clicky and my Zebralight SC62w. Both excellent EDC lights. 

Worst: Foursevens Mini-ML. It's a perfectly good light, but it kept coming apart in my pocket so I had to stop carrying it.


----------



## bykfixer

Worst purchase:

A flashlight online with a credit card.

It's about like being an alcoholic with a keg-or-ater in the kitchen....
Eh, just one more...no more, well just this once....

When you get an email from the big A saying "where ya been?"...that's a bad sign.


----------



## delus

WORST: Nitecore MH2C with usb charging. Ended up costing about $2.50 per day of use before it died. But it holds a fond place in my heart because it brought me to CPF just in time to be among the first to get....

BEST: Elzetta with AVS Head. Now I have four of them (when I get two back from Oveready's boring service) and they are worth every penny.
I use my EDC Elzy for demonstration purposes. "Go ahead, toss it down the street as far as you can. All that's gonna happen is a scratch." It's been tossed at least a dozen times and I've only had to file off a burr once. That one also spent a few seconds at the bottom of a five gallon bucket of paint. I just hosed it off and stuck it back in my pocket. It doesn't even look all that beat up.
I don't know what more someone in my line of work could want.


----------



## ForrestChump

Best:

MALKOFF MD2 - M61L - Hi / Low

HDS - 325 Executive - Zombie Green

Worst:

( Old Models - Excellent performance, crap reliability )

Nitecore

Zebralight


----------



## P_A_S_1

seery said:


> *Worst #1:* HDS Ra Clicky
> 
> *Worst #2: *Surefire Minimus
> 
> *Worst #3: *Surefire P2X Fury
> 
> <>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>
> 
> *Best #1:* Fenix TK35 Ultimate Edition 2015 (2,000 lumen)
> 
> *Best #2: *Fenix HL55 Headlamp
> *
> Best #3: *Muyshondt Aeon




Your selection of the worst is unusual as those lights are so highly regarded here on CPF (ok maybe not the Minimus so much). Having the first two I have my criticisms of them myself but for you to list them as your worst purchases is interesting.


----------



## lightlover

delus said:


> WORST: Nitecore MH2C with usb charging. Ended up costing about $2.50 per day of use before it died. ...



delus,

Please explain? 
I like my MH2C quite well, (yeah, not an ideal light), but how did it cost you?


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## Sun Boy

Best: SWMD40A - small and powerful abad best of all runs on my many Eneloops!

Worst: Dolphin - purchased as needed something for the boat that would float. It ended up sinking when it first wen in the water.


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## GatorMedic

*Best

*Fenix PD35 ... Great duty light with modes for every situation, dropped a million times and still dependable as ever, trust my life with it

*Worst

*Thrunite ti3 ... Had high expectations of it, doesn't feel or twist as well as Olight i3s, the delay drove me crazy, gave it away


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