# Brightest small flashlight under $100? Recommendations?



## Durandal02 (Jul 31, 2006)

Hi guys! I was wondering if some of you might be able to recommend me a light. I tried to search but it didn't go so well, actually it wasn't working for me at all! Anyways, I'm looking for a small flashlight (something similar in size to my current Dorcy which measures 5.5"L x 1"W), but it has to be BRIGHT! The runtime isn't so important.. maybe 2 hours tops would be plenty, and something that uses cheap or rechargable batteries would be great (the smaller the better, for when I want to carry extras). 

I've been reading the reviews at flashlightreviews.com and they're very informative.. but its really hard to get an idea of how bright they really are just by the pictures. My Dorcy is mediocre at best, I think it cost ~$20. I'm trying to keep the budget around $60, but I'd be willing to go as high as $100 if it is really worth the extra $$. Push button or twist doesn't really matter and the beam should have a good spot with nice spill; I don't want a floodlight. I assume LED would be the way to go, but I'm a n00b to this kind of stuff. Brightness is most important, so long as it fits my other requirements.. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

~Steve

http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=414244


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## carrot (Jul 31, 2006)

Welcome to CPF! You'll not find a better group of people to help you spend your wallet's contents!

For $80, you can get the Surefire E2e from OpticsHQ, uses two CR123 lithium cells ($1 each at Amondotech.com or Batterystation.com/cpf.htm). It's an incandescent light, but don't be fooled... it's incredibly bright, unlike the Maglite Mini you may be used to. You can get a lower output bulb for it that will give you longer runtimes.

Or perhaps the cheaper Fenix L2T, for $45 from Fenix-Store.com, which uses alkaline AA batteries to power an LED and is also quite bright. It's not as bright as the Surefire E2e, but it should be brighter than your Dorcy. It'll run for about 2 hours on high, and 18 on low.

The Fenix P1 is another good option at the same price, as it's about the same brightness as the L2T but much smaller and uses a CR123 lithium cell. You can use rechargeable lithium cells in it, and you get an increase in brightness but a decrease in runtime. It runs for two hours on a CR123.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 31, 2006)

Read my lips!... I mean my sigline. 

Anything from Fenix. www.fenix-store.com
A Streamlight ProPolymer Luxeon in 4AA or 3C. www.fox-intl.com

Actually, scratch the ProPoly if you want a small light. They are quite fantastic, though.

Darn it, Carrot, you beat me to the first response! My recommendations are pretty much the same, though.


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## carrot (Jul 31, 2006)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Darn it, Carrot, you beat me to the first response! My recommendations are pretty much the same, though.


You mean, again?


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## Durandal02 (Jul 31, 2006)

My god you guys are fast! And at 2am?! (here on the east coast anyways).. Thanks a lot for the quick info! I'm really like'n that E2e so far.. but I'm still open to other suggestions. Just looking at the number of flashlight makers gets me dizzy!


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 31, 2006)

carrot said:


> You mean, again?


 
Yeah - AGAIN. 

I was going to say "you beat me again," but I wasn't 100% sure until I rechecked some other threads.

Again...

It's a good thing for me that there is no one-response-per-thread limit.

AGAIN! I'm still laughing here, by the way.

Yeah, Durandal02, this forum is pretty hip and happening. Some of us (like me and, I'm sure, carrot) enjoy hopping from thread to thread, dispensing wisdom as we go. Hours disappear faster than a dropped O-ring.


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## phosphor (Jul 31, 2006)

The Amilite Neo is a VERY small bright LED...... they are extremely well built........and sell for well under your $100 budget.

-regards


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## Wrangler (Jul 31, 2006)

The Amilight T3 should be a very bright 1 cr123 cell LED light.
If you don`t mind the + 0,45" difference (5,75" - 6,2") in length to your Dorcy, you should definitely get you a Streamlight TL3 and run it on 2 rechargeable 17500`s. For increased brightness you can add a Carley 1499 bulb. Guess that`s the brightest flashlight with best throw under 100.-$.

Happy "choosing",

Wolfgang


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## GregWormald (Jul 31, 2006)

$90 including some batteries. HDS EDC B42. But be quick if it's your style they're going fast. A surprisingly tough, versatile, small light. 4 levels.
Greg


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## Delvance (Jul 31, 2006)

Well, my 2 cents  (prices inclusive of shipping within US, approximations though)

Surefire G2 $35

DRB 9V-HP 0.8Amp draw lamp assembly $25 ?

2 protected R123s and charger $28

UCL glass lens $7

Cheapie holster $5

Total = $100

5" length and 1" body width, however the bezel is 1.25"
Runtime around 40-45 minutes.
Output will be *VERY* bright. On fresh cells, my similar setups output ~130 lumens (imho). They are brighter than a SF 9P which is a 3xCR123 light by Surefire.
This setup will throw too, easily outthrowing all LED lights out there (save for the multi hundreds custom LED lights).
Sidespill will also be very strong.

And welcome to CPF!

Edit - The above setup will be about 16 times as bright (16 times the output) as the Dorcy you linked on fresh cells!


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## haskelllee (Aug 2, 2006)

I have a Surefire E2E that I absolutely love. They're small, simple, and very bright for the size. If you want something simple, rugged and reliable, it's hard to beat!


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## carpdiem (Aug 2, 2006)

I second the HDS B42. HDS makes fantastic lights, plus it's so small that you'll have it with you all the time, and really, the light you use the most, is the one you have with you.


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## alvin70 (Aug 2, 2006)

carpdiem said:


> I second the HDS B42. HDS makes fantastic lights, plus it's so small that you'll have it with you all the time, and really, the light you use the most, is the one you have with you.


 
I second that suggestion, HDS is all u ever will need, Reason being, i was quite skeptical at first but after using it for a couple of days, it's like so easy especially with the 4 dimmerble levels.


alvin


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## dulridge (Aug 2, 2006)

Durandal02 said:


> Hi guys! I was wondering if some of you might be able to recommend me a light. I tried to search but it didn't go so well, actually it wasn't working for me at all! Anyways, I'm looking for a small flashlight (something similar in size to my current Dorcy which measures 5.5"L x 1"W), but it has to be BRIGHT! The runtime isn't so important.. maybe 2 hours tops would be plenty, and something that uses cheap or rechargable batteries would be great (the smaller the better, for when I want to carry extras).



At half the size and running best on rechargeables this http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/2mode-flashlight-p-434.html?osCsid=143ccd09c61115b0f3e7a66350c5c427 is hard to beat and is very bright. about 1.25" diameter at widest part and about 3.8" long. Runs for about 45 mins on high on rechargeable and longer than I have the patience to measure on low.

This too is worth a look. http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/golstonreg-2xlir123a-waterproof-rechargeable-recommended-p-409.html 
It uses two CR123 so is of similar size to what you have but is quite a bit brighter. I have, and like, both.


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## LumenHound (Aug 2, 2006)

Dae's 3 watt XTAR rechargeable flashlight package for $59.99 may be worth your consideration.
You get a 3 watt flashlight that's less than 5 inches long, has a black HA III finish, and comes with a holster, the charger and 2 Protected 18650 size rechargeable cells that will give you more than 6 hours of combined run time.

While it may not be the very brightest, the 2 batteries would allow you to run it all night long and the savings from not having to buy throw away batteries would actually pay for the light itself.


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## photorob (Aug 2, 2006)

The luxogen 3w and cr2 3w are a good deal at 25 dollars apiece and you can't deny the orb raw is bright as hell.


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## Handlobraesing (Aug 2, 2006)

Get the Brinkmann Maxfire LX from Wal-Mart or Target. That thing is about as bright as a Mag 5D and it will put any LED size the same size to an embarassing shame.


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## Blindasabat (Aug 2, 2006)

In my experience directly comparing an: 
Amilite Neo T3 (3500 total brightness from Flashlightreviews.com), 
the Fenix P1 on RCR123 (2800 on primaries), 
EDC 60 (3100 on anything), 
FireFly2 with reflector & POP2 PIL (FluPic-like), 
and a Jet-1 CR123 on RCR123 (3430 on primaries), 
my particular Jet-1 was brightest, so on RCR it is over the 3500 of the Amilite. But I never did compare it to RCR in the Amilite, since I only had one R123 that would fit both lights and I don't feel comfortable using R123 in the Neo anyway.

These were all close, the Amilite is no slouch!, but the Jet was clearly brightest, and I'd rank their overall brightness as follows:
1) Jet-1 R123
2) HDS B60 
3) P1 R123 tie FF2 POP2 RCR123- close enough to call a tie
4) Amilite Neo T3 on Primaries (about matches the B60 on R123)

Luckily (for your requirement) the brightest one is less than $100.

Of course if I could only have one, I'd take the Firefly or maybe the HDS because I'm a huge fan of multiple brightness levels, but I carry the Jet in my bag because I don't care so much if it gets lost or damaged, and I don't have the P1 any more.


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## innerlight (Aug 2, 2006)

Extremely rugged
small
very bright

https://www.jsburlys.com/shop/produ...d=111&osCsid=5e671659cde060f409a919251f242492


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## yellow1 (Aug 2, 2006)

also consider a wolfeyes 6 series. (http://tiny.pl/tzfs)

i've got the 6TX. and it's bright enough to hurt my eyes. the included LED tailcap is a bonus, because the batteries will virtually run forever. however, don't forget to add a tactical push button switch. twisting the LED base to turn the light on/off gets old quick.

mike @ Pacific Tactical has some CPF only discounts, search around, and you should find the information you need in the dealer's corner (http://tiny.pl/tzf8)


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## TORCH_BOY (Aug 2, 2006)

Try Fenix or LedLenser


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## Coop (Aug 2, 2006)

HDS is great, but the Fenix lights are pretty good value for money. I EDC a Fenix L1P, but it will be replaced by a HDS when I get the feeling I need more output/features... Now when is that U85 available?? 

I'd stay away from the ledlenser stuff, I had a few of these, and they look nice and output is decent, but build quality was, well, crap....


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## Handlobraesing (Aug 2, 2006)

Blindasabat said:


> In my experience directly comparing an:
> Amilite Neo T3 (3500 total brightness from Flashlightreviews.com),
> the Fenix P1 on RCR123 (2800 on primaries),
> EDC 60 (3100 on anything),
> ...


Just for comparison, the Brinkmann $20 lithium light is 6400 on brightness scale.


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## Blindasabat (Aug 2, 2006)

Handlobraesing said:


> Just for comparison, the Brinkmann $20 lithium light is 6400 on brightness scale.


True, but 6400 for only a few seconds, then falling off constantly and it runs for just over an hour. It's down to 75% at 16 minutes, 50% at 44 minutes, & dead at 1hr 15min. See the runtime graph on FLR.
I'd call the Maxfire a good car backup light. It is one of the best initial lumens per dollar, but I only consider single cell lights small.


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## :)> (Aug 2, 2006)

The Surefire E2e or the E1L. 

The E1L is a great light in a small package with a clicky switch and it runs on the RCR123. This is a wonderful choice!

The E2e is my favorite incandescant light next to the Surefire A2 with the M3 running 3rd. The E2e will impress everyone who sees it.

-Goatee


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## AA89GTA (Aug 3, 2006)

I would say go with the Surefire C3. I believe oldgrandpajack was selling these in HAIII for like $95.95 or something like that on the forums. 105 lumens for 1 hour with the option to take the 200 lumen LA for 20 minutes. Batteries from batterystation.com for $1 each. It's 6.4 inches though, so maybe it's too long for ya. I have one and love it though. Good luck.

--Aaron


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## skalomax (Aug 3, 2006)

An Amilite Neo T3. Great Light with Huge amounts of brightness!


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## Bright (Aug 3, 2006)

Three things I always look for:

- multiple brightness levels

- ability to use rechargeables

- LED

HDS Basic 40 at $90 is a bargain right now - but be quick.


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## gadgetnerd (Aug 3, 2006)

Having just got a B42, I have to agree with Bright. Not the brightest, but it's more a work of art than a torch!


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## KAM (Aug 3, 2006)

E1L or Fenix P1


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## Durandal02 (Aug 3, 2006)

Thanks everyone for all the help and great recommendations! :goodjob: After very careful review, I decided on the Surefire E2E HA and placed an order through OpticsHQ (thanks yellow1 for the discount tip, I got it for $76 shipped!). Now for the really hard part.. the wait!


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