# Cheap 100 lm lights?



## love-LED (Aug 10, 2010)

Hi All,

I was originally looking at a surefire g2 or streamlight polytac, but now I'm tempted by the cheaper offerings ($30 or less). Is there anything in the 100lm range that is water proof and has 3hr+ battery life?

How consistent in quality are the cheaper flashlights?

Thanks! :twothumbs


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## how2 (Aug 10, 2010)

Hi

What type of battery do you want to use?
How much do you have to spend?

There are many cheap but quality lights out there. You have to find the right one.


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## Ian2381 (Aug 10, 2010)

Solarforce Lights with r2 drop ins will definitely be my best recommendation.
Solarforce L2 - 1x18650
Solarforce L2r - 2xAA
Solarforce L2i - 3xAAA
Get the 3 mode drop in to have a choice for long runtime.:thumbsup:

Got all the 3 lights and 2 L2ms and quality is great.


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## unclevit (Aug 10, 2010)

Ian2381 said:


> Solarforce Lights with r2 drop ins will definitely be my best recommendation.
> Solarforce L2 - 1x18650
> Solarforce L2r - 2xAA
> Solarforce L2i - 3xAAA
> ...


 
2+
High quality vs Low price.


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## love-LED (Aug 10, 2010)

how2 said:


> Hi
> 
> What type of battery do you want to use?
> How much do you have to spend?
> ...


Rechargeable AA's are my first choice, rechargeable a123's are second, but I gotta keep the price down.
I'm willing to spend no more than $30, because I can get the polytac for $40.

Thanks again for a quick response!


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## love-LED (Aug 10, 2010)

Ian2381 said:


> Solarforce Lights with r2 drop ins will definitely be my best recommendation.
> Solarforce L2 - 1x18650
> Solarforce L2r - 2xAA
> Solarforce L2i - 3xAAA
> ...


Is this what you mean? http://cgi.ebay.com/Solarforce-L2r-...x2-Flashlight-/270488234760?pt=US_Flashlights
I really don't need 300 lumens though, maybe 150 to save battery power.
Are they submergeable?


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## joe1512 (Aug 11, 2010)

Most lights are IPV8 waterproof which means they can be dunked, but you wouldnt want to use em as a dive light.
They basically have a rubber O ring or two where the joints are, and a clickie that is rubber covered, thus making them waterproof.

I wouldnt go with drop-ins because that is an additional pain and or something to mess up.
Instead there are tons of CR123 and AA lights that will work very nicely for you.

Have you considered a keychain light? An itp A3 using 1xAAA is up to 80 lumens, 3 modes, and very very small. You always have it with you which is quite convenient!

A CR123 light will be brighter than an AA one due to its higher voltage. An RCR123 will be even brighter due to even higher voltage. Id go with an RCR123 protected if you go CR123 style.


Is this an occasional use light or one you expect to use often? Will you use it for a few minutes or a few hours? Is it a close up worklight/general purpose one, or a walking light, or are you wanting to see things hundreds of feet off? These questions will help us recommend the right type of light.

FYI, the brands to investigate are itp and Romisen. Both are decent quality at a low price point. Check out www.shiningbeam.com and www.goinggear.com for a pretty easy-to-browse place to compare and see various lights.


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## love-LED (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks, that's a lot of info. I haven't considered a keychain light, I kinda like the regular lights. It will be medium use, most of the time just a few minutes but sometimes a 1-2 hours continuous. This will be for working around the house, walking, repairs, etc. Not really for distances over 20m.

I don't know if all this is too much to ask for in a budget light, but I'm also looking for something that will last a lifetime.


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## odd (Aug 12, 2010)

love-LED said:


> Is this what you mean? http://cgi.ebay.com/Solarforce-L2r-...x2-Flashlight-/270488234760?pt=US_Flashlights
> I really don't need 300 lumens though, maybe 150 to save battery power.
> Are they submergeable?



The Light in the link comes with a single-mode dropin.
You can get the flashlight body:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Solarforce-L2r-...5197?pt=AU_Sport_Camping_Hiking_Lamps_Torches
and a multimode dropin;
3-mode:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Solarforce-300L...-8V-4-2V-Bulb-/280428612614?pt=US_Flashlights
5-mode:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Solarforce-300L...-8V-4-2V-Bulb-/280428612779?pt=US_Flashlights
With these dropins you can both save battery power and have a bright light if you need one.



> I don't know if all this is too much to ask for in a budget light, but I'm also looking for something that will last a lifetime.


Then get the solarforce. Its a budget light, has very good quality and as a p60 host you can always upgrade it with a brighter or more efficent dropin.


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## jake25 (Aug 12, 2010)

The Solarforce L2-R is ~150 OTF lumens on 2xAA Alkalines.


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## love-LED (Aug 12, 2010)

What does otf mean?


jake25 said:


> The Solarforce L2-R is ~150 OTF lumens on 2xAA Alkalines.


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## sol-leks (Aug 12, 2010)

out the front as opposed to lumens measured from the emitter. Basically this phrase is used to imply a "real world" measurement that is not overstated.

I agree with the others though. 100 lumens is pretty easy for 30 bucks, although it is a bit tougher to get that for 3 hours on AA's.

Check out solarforce's offerings as well as romisen's. Go to shiningbeam.com for the romisens. Also check out the skyray sr5 on dealextreme


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## love-LED (Aug 12, 2010)

I still can't make up my mind between the streamlight which has a lifetime warranty, or one of the budget offerings.


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## LEDninja (Aug 13, 2010)

The new *REBEL* Maglite LED. 2D or 3D.
It is ~CAD$35 but Mags are usually much cheaper in the US.

http://www.smartdeviceresource.com/device-reviews/maglite-led-flashlight-review-and-guide/#specs
Below are ANSI technical specifications provided by Maglite.
Model - Bulb Type - Lumens (OTF) - Throw*** - Runtime
2 D ---- LED ------- 114 -------------- 294M ----- 9H 15M
3 D ---- LED ------- 104 -------------- 289M ----- 72H
*** Note ANSI Throw is based on moonlight, not 1 Lux as is more common within CPF.


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## joe1512 (Aug 13, 2010)

If you don't mind the 2xAA form factor, this is your best bet in my opinion. You can buy a little 2-pack of Eneloops with charger for 12 bucks off of amazon with free shipping. I just got one myself.

This is cheaper and more useful round the house than RCR123s or 18650s and more 'standard'.

Id recommend checking out the Sticky under the LED Flashlights forum and there is a link inside to a 2xAA roundup.

In 2xAA format, you can get a pretty cheap Romisen or an itp SA2, both of which are nice. The itp SA2 has infinite adjustable beam which is really helpful to get just the right amount of light and thus conserve battery usage. Romisens have limited modes which can be a problem for runtime.

Heres some informational links:

http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_19&products_id=375
40 bucks, itp SA2. adjustable strength beam. Smooth reflector so it will have more throw. Slightly older emitter.

http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_18&products_id=908
60 bucks. Fenix LD20+. Latest XP-G emitter for most efficiency. 4 brightness levels. 


http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_43&products_id=1648
Quark AA2. 58 bucks. 5 brightness levels. latest emitter. Strobe mode and other stuff. programmable modes.


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## love-LED (Aug 23, 2010)

Hi everyone, I'm back.

So while I was gone, I saw some dorcy led flashlights that looked half decent in terms of quality and price. The real plus is that they sell them all over. I was interested in some of these: http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=414216

and some of these: http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=464405

What do you think?


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## roadie (Aug 23, 2010)

out of the 2 ... get this one >> 
80 LUMEN - 2AA LED ALUMINUM TAIL CAP SWITCH FLASHLIGHT W/ BATTERIES 

AA has a longer runtime than aaa, and the led inside it shld be a luxeon 3 watt ....... but 80 lumens is really low ..... :thumbsdow


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## love-LED (Aug 23, 2010)

ok, well they have different versions of each model. The main point was, does dorcy make good lights, or should I stop asking and buy something?


roadie said:


> out of the 2 ... get this one >>
> 80 LUMEN - 2AA LED ALUMINUM TAIL CAP SWITCH FLASHLIGHT W/ BATTERIES
> 
> AA has a longer runtime than aaa, and the led inside it shld be a luxeon 3 watt ....... but 80 lumens is really low ..... :thumbsdow


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## roadie (Aug 23, 2010)

love-LED said:


> ok, well they have different versions of each model. The main point was, does dorcy make good lights, or should I stop asking and buy something?


 

oh .... docry make normal ... i nvr used it nor play with any before ....

why dun u make a trip here ?

DX offers many buget lights , i recently bought a mce light for under us$30 ....


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## love-LED (Aug 24, 2010)

Alright!

I think I'm going with the recommended solarforce L2r. This one on ebay has 5 modes and a R2 LED
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Solarforce-L2r-5...LK-Flashlight-/150432354431?pt=US_Flashlights

I just have a few questions:


How long would 2000 mah nimh batteries last (approximately) at the 3 power levels (10%, 40%, and 100%)
Just how good is the cree R2 LED?
Do people have problems with the modes, or anything with this light in general? I've read reviews on lights from DX and people have had problems switching modes on other lights, or the modes being useless.
It says the power is regulated. Is that true, and how well does it work on 2 nimh?
Can you stand it on end?

Sorry for all the questions, but anyways, for $30 free shipping with the bulb and 5 modes it's a steal. I can hardly wait.

Thanks so much everybody! lovecpf


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## offroad (Aug 24, 2010)

love-LED said:


> I think I'm going with the recommended solarforce L2r. This one on ebay has 5 modes and a R2 LED
> 
> I just have a few questions:
> 
> ...


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## love-LED (Aug 24, 2010)

ok, 2 more questions:

how do you switch modes on this flashlight?
and _most_ importantly, which colour is best? I'm leaning toward the gunmetal colour- I don't know about you, but it looks amazing from the pictures. I suppose there is no difference in scratching, durability, etc?


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## offroad (Aug 24, 2010)

love-LED said:


> how do you switch modes on this flashlight? and _most_ importantly, which colour is best? I'm leaning toward the gunmetal colour. I suppose there is no difference in scratching, durability, etc?



You switch modes by pressing on the switch on the tail cap, you can press just slightly and the mode will change without clicking. To turn on or off you have to press in all the way until it clicks.

I would consider the three mode drop-in unless you really think the strobe and SOS are that useful. Just more modes to click by in my case to get to the one I want. The low-med-high are very useful since there will be times you don't want full power and you can extend your run time as well.

If you like the gunmetal then get it, that was my first one and it looks great. Just received a black one and I like it too and will probably have a sand one before long. No difference in durability but the gunmetal would probably show scratches less as the underlying metal is close to the anodizing color. I also think the flat SS bezel looks great on these lights but you might like the stock crenelated one.

I also prefer the L2M with a 18650 extension (fits 2xAA that way), its more expensive but you can run 1xAA, 2xAA, 1xCR123A and 1x18650 with the same body and low voltage drop-in. The L2M can't tail stand though, and the L2R is the best value.


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## Jash (Aug 24, 2010)

Fenix E20, 2AA, 109 lumens, 3 hours runtime.

Someone was selling them for $32 last week, I can't remember who. I was going to get another one or two as lend lights, but the E21 is coming soon.


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## love-LED (Aug 24, 2010)

Your info has been great!

I'd like to have the sos for the odd time I'll be camping/in the middle of nowhere/in an emergency. Chances are I'll never use it, but it's a nice safety feature right? IMO, strobe is useless. If the extra mode comes without sacrificing reliability and without changing any of the other functions, why not go for it? It's the same price anyways. As for the bezel, the stock one is fine with me, it may serve a useful purpose some day such as crushing stuff (or self defense?)


offroad said:


> You switch modes by pressing on the switch on the tail cap, you can press just slightly and the mode will change without clicking. To turn on or off you have to press in all the way until it clicks.
> 
> I would consider the three mode drop-in unless you really think the strobe and SOS are that useful. Just more modes to click by in my case to get to the one I want. The low-med-high are very useful since there will be times you don't want full power and you can extend your run time as well.
> 
> ...


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## love-LED (Sep 10, 2010)

I received my solarforce today!

First impressions are that is is a good quality light, with some blemishes to the finish. For the price paid, who cares? Everything fits together nicely, absolutely no problems with function. It came with a 1x1 inch square piece of metal. Anyone know what it's used for?

All in all, I love it, it looks great, and outperforms all my other cheap lights even on the medium mode (obviously). Thank you to everyone for helping me make the best buying decision!


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## qwertyydude (Sep 10, 2010)

SOS is really useless in chinese lights because it is really just SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO no pause after the whole word :shakehead


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## odd (Sep 11, 2010)

love-LED said:


> It came with a 1x1 inch square piece of metal. Anyone know what it's used for?


Afaik its a tool to unscrew the Solarforce low profile bezel:


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## love-LED (Sep 13, 2010)

qwertyydude said:


> SOS is really useless in chinese lights because it is really just SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO no pause after the whole word :shakehead


Actually this solarforce is ...---... ...---... etc. So, if you're looking for a "real" sos go with solarforce



odd said:


> Afaik its a tool to unscrew the Solarforce low profile bezel:


Just what I needed!


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## tandem (Oct 17, 2010)

qwertyydude said:


> SOS is really useless in chinese lights because it is really just SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO no pause after the whole word :shakehead



Fenix LD10/20 have a pause. (That said I'd rather have a 2Hz beacon instead of the SOS SOS SOS)

73 de VE7...


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