# Ozark trail $1.00 50 lumen plastic flashlight



## greenpondmike (Jun 24, 2021)

Got this for a friend that wanted a cheap flashlight. I tried it myself and wow! Good beam with no blue at all. Hotspot is similar to the led solitaire (once the solitaire is adjusted just right). It's a 3aaa and there is a spring inside the light where you put the battery holder and also on the end cap. The end cap fits loosly, but tightens up well. It has a rear clickie switch on it and it comes with batteries. It has a plastic blocker in it to keep the batteries fresh and it falls out when you remove the end cap and battery holder to see if it needs batteries or not. With cell phone lights and these dirt cheap decent lights it looks like the average non flashaholic probably isn't going to want anything else. The flashlight also seems durable, but the end cap could pop off if dropped. It also comes with a landyard (sp?). I'm amazed at what you can get for a dollar now.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 24, 2021)

They have been around in on fashion or another for a dozen years now. Most of them are disposable junk and the 3AAA format is the second worst way to power LED in lights, the first is 3-4 button cells (AG13 usually). You didn't do your friend any favor as a AA battery has 2.5 the energy of a AAA battery for the same cost so when he buys a 12 pack of batteries for it, he could have the same amount of power in 5 AAs. I would have said spend $5 or so for a AA based light myself.


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## bykfixer (Jun 25, 2021)

Ya know, a couple of years ago I would have gobbled up several of those lights gpm and hung them at various locations in my house, but I'd already done that when the $2.99 versions had 5 LED's pumping out a whopping 6 or so bluemens. I'd keep check on them when changing the air filter(s) in my home and as each one quit working I'd hang a maglite solitaire in it's place. 

So now when I go to wallee-world and try those $1 ozarks out I think "I just don't need these disposables anymore" but they're great to have around the house when the power shuts off suddenly.


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## greenpondmike (Jun 26, 2021)

Lynx Arc, they didn't have any aa lights that I could tell- remember, I was at walmart with their ever shrinking flashlight section, but they got a bunch of laterns. I'd like to try the 1aa energizer y'all was talking about. I don't have any problem with 3aaa lights myself, but I agree about the aa- the bigger the battery the more power reserve it has.

Bykfixer, I hate those cheap lights that have multiple leds in them. I think this light, though dirt cheap, is a good one. The only flaw I can tell with it is the tailcap screws on loose till it tightens up, but it tightens up well. Good hotspot and spill and good color temp. For someone that wants a good flashlight, but they don't have much money I think it's a sure enough deal. It puts out like the led solitaire. 

It's cheap enough to just use it till the batteries go out that came with it and then throw it away. Or buy some cheap alkaleaks from dollar tree that are better than what came in it for a dollar for a pack of 3. You can also experiment with it with lithiun batteries- who knows, they might be underdriving it. If you blow it you're just out a dollar. I think it puts out almost as much as the original 6p and is about the same size. Also, since it is cheap it might get used more than the special flashlights we're picky about.


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## bykfixer (Jun 27, 2021)

Back when I bought those multi-LED lights they were the $1 ozark trail equivilent of the time. It was back when wallee-world still sold incan flashlights. 

It was a happy time for the flashaholic. The flashlight section at Home Depot was about 75 feet long and the variety was terrific. I'd buy a $2.99 flashlight at the checkout counter of my local parts store. The brand was PT and eventually they'd have 1 LED. The beam was awful, which I did not realize until CPF said so. So I'd sand the lens. I still have one hanging in my bathroom. It casts a multitude of tic tac toe boards on the wall from using a scotch brite scouring pad in X patterns.


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## greenpondmike (Jun 27, 2021)

I had a "pt" flashlight that was 3aaa with one led. I did fine till some deet got on the lense and ruint it. I heard that they had a nichia led in them. 

I miss the old walmarts before they all became supercenters- no matter where I was, if I got homesick all I had to do was go to walmart and browse around and I'd feel better. Made no difference whether I bought anything or not. My favorite spot was sporting goods and the auto section.


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## bykfixer (Jun 27, 2021)

Yup, mine had a nichia too. It put out a yellow center with light blue edges so I called it "the fried egg beam" light. After scuffing the lens the beam looked a lot better. 

I visited my local wally world this morning to replace some work trousers. I stayed on the east side and knowing the flashlight section sucks now elected not to visit the west end, which is practically in another county it's so big. A town I worked in a few years back had the old style WalMart. It is about the of a Roses store, maybe 100 feet by 100 feet which is nice. Another town I worked in had a mid-size WalMart. Good gosh, I'd spend half my paycheck every month in the fishing section. That one sold Shimano, Pflueger and Penn gear. 

I considered venturing to the $1 ozark trail display today but they did not have trousers in my size so it was a chance to leave Wally World without spending any money (probably for the first time).


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 27, 2021)

I agree finding good lights at WM now is more akin to an easter egg hunt a week late as a lot you find is rotten. Ozark Trail is hit and miss IMO I spent $5 on a set of 4 remote controlled tap lights even though they were 3AAA I thought I could use the guts and O ring COB LED to make something better powering with 18650 cells. I was mistaken as the remote control circuitry in the lights drained the free HD batteries dead in about 2 days, it wasn't a coincidence the lights were on clearance 75% off (originally $20) they are WORTHLESS as you can't lock out the remote circuitry or lock out the power on them either the only way to use them would be to tie an AC power adapter into them. I decided I would keep and tear one apart to see if I could fix it and no luck. I now have 4 O ring COB LEDs now and some magnets as lights they are trash and the remote worthless. I do have a 3AAA lantern that is sort of tall and egg shaped they cleared out for $2 that works well but at 3AAA format likely when the included batteries die I won't bother with it unless I use the guts in another light somehow.


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## xxo (Jun 27, 2021)

Saw these at WM, they look good, couldn't turn it on, not sure if the batts were dead or they don't come with them?

Also saw that they have a updated version of the 100 lumen 3AA camp lantern with plastic hanging hooks.....looks like they raised the price about a buck.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 27, 2021)

Many lights that come with batteries have an insulator installed on the end of the batteries that has to be removed before you use it.


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## greenpondmike (Jun 27, 2021)

xxo, Lynx Arc is right. They are so light that you'd think they don't have any batteries in them and if you click the clickie thing they won't come on because of a brat proof insulator. 

Just unscrew the tailcap and take the battery holder out. The insulator is between the battery holder and tailcap. Assemble and turn on. It will make you say whoa!


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## greenpondmike (Jun 27, 2021)

xxo, on that latern, it has 4 modes now. They added a red flasher mode and the round bottom sits straight up. Think weebles wobble, but they don't fall down. 

I just purchesed one for a friend.


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## bykfixer (Jun 27, 2021)

xxo said:


> Saw these at WM, they look good, couldn't turn it on, not sure if the batts were dead or they don't come with them?
> 
> Also saw that they have a updated version of the 100 lumen 3AA camp lantern with plastic hanging hooks.....looks like they raised the price about a buck.



Was that the orange body one that was $4-ish? One year my local wally world had 3 boxes of 4. I bought all 3 boxes and gave away 9 of 12 that Christmas. Great little lamp for youngsters.


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## greenpondmike (Jun 28, 2021)

Yes bykfixer. They all have a gray body now and the globe thing isn't a funky shape anymore but the bottom is rounded.


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## xxo (Jun 28, 2021)

I think I like the look of the old one better, but I didn't spend much time looking it over, whenever I'm in wm, I get the urge to grab what I came for and get the hell out as fast as I can.


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## bykfixer (Jul 1, 2021)

Me too double x. The longer I stay the more I spend.


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## xxo (Jul 26, 2021)

was at wm again, looks like they sold out of the lanterns and sold a bunch of the $1 3AAA lights. took out the plastic film and checked out one that had a dim and purple beam, another was bright with a nice beam but the switch was stuck in the on position, bought the third one which has a beam in between the other 2 but has a functioning switch.


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## LetThereBeLight! (Jul 26, 2021)

I love these $1.00 lights and I’ll tell you why. 

One, these are the perfect lights to give out to neighbors (and others) when there is a power outage because 50 lm is nothing to sneeze about, and the bright colors they come in (and the fact that they tail stand) make them attractive for only one dollar!

Two, when I see people I do not know walking at night in the dark without any light I will be happy to part with one knowing I helped them become safer, and for only a buck. (I’ll turn one on, tail stand it on the sidewalk, them drive away.)

So $20. to get twenty (or more) people to defy a darkness that could descend upon them at any dark moment excites me to no end!

Isn’t that one of the many reasons we are ‘flashaholics’? 

if not, please en’light’en me.

:thumbsup:

- LetThereBeLight!


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## xxo (Jul 26, 2021)

I used to give away a lot of the "free" with coupon harbor fright multi LED lights - I think the aluminum hf lights are better constructed though the single LED on these is nice as are the bright colors. Problem with both lights are batteries. Keeping them loaded with eneloops is kinda expensive, particularly on a cheap light you may give away. alkalines are also kind of expensive considering you need 3 and this is only a $1 light, plus chances are they will leak. The cheapo carbon zinc cells won't last long and may still leak. 

Another problem I ran into with the hf light is that NiMH's will cause the LEDs to slowly dim/burn out due to their lack of a heat sink and even a resister to control current.

With the HF lights I used to keep around (until I gave them away), I fed them HF carbon zinc batteries that I used to get for free with another one of their coupons.


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## LetThereBeLight! (Jul 27, 2021)

xxo said:


> I used to give away a lot of the "free" with coupon harbor fright multi LED lights - I think the aluminum hf lights are better constructed though the single LED on these is nice as are the bright colors. Problem with both lights are batteries. Keeping them loaded with eneloops is kinda expensive, particularly on a cheap light you may give away. alkalines are also kind of expensive considering you need 3 and this is only a $1 light, plus chances are they will leak. The cheapo carbon zinc cells won't last long and may still leak.
> 
> Another problem I ran into with the hf light is that NiMH's will cause the LEDs to slowly dim/burn out due to their lack of a heat sink and even a resister to control current.
> 
> With the HF lights I used to keep around (until I gave them away), I fed them HF carbon zinc batteries that I used to get for free with another one of their coupons.



I’m glad you gave away those free lights and I can’t dispute your points on quality only to say that these lights already come with batteries; also, to me, they are the most cost-effective way to assist another in her or his sudden darkness. Plus, I’m not looking to give out a fine quality light for that purpose for several reasons.

Lastly, because these $1.00 lights have some durability to them, I don’t consider them “cheap”, per se, but quite inexpensive. Hence I look forward to giving them away when those situations arise. When I give a light, any light, to someone, I feel joy.

- LetThereBeLight!


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## xxo (Jul 28, 2021)

These are cheap lights, no doubt. The metal ring that is needed to make contact with the tail cap came out with the battery carrier the 2nd time I took it out - jammed it back in for the to time being but I will have to secure it in place permanently. Also sometimes the light won't turn on after you screw the cap on, although I can get it to work so far after a few tries screwing the cap on - not something to be depended on.

found the last of the hf lights I had kicking around, wanted to compare them to the ozark light, but neither of them work. The batteries in one must have leaked as the tail cap is now welded to the body (don't know what kind of batts it has in it). The other I thought must have had bad batteries but they are the original cheapo carbon zinc cells that came with it and read 1.52V, for some reason there is rust on the carrier, though the batteries don't appear to have leaked and work in the ozark light. BTW the hf and ozak carriers are the same and will interchange.

Bottom line for me - OK lights to give away to someone who needs one. Probably best to consider them semi-disposal when the batteries go dead, unless you have some cheap batteries that you want to use up, it's not really worth replacing the batteries if you have to buy them. 

Would much prefer this light in 1 AA format.


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## Lynx_Arc (Jul 29, 2021)

xxo said:


> These are cheap lights, no doubt. The metal ring that is needed to make contact with the tail cap came out with the battery carrier the 2nd time I took it out - jammed it back in for the to time being but I will have to secure it in place permanently. Also sometimes the light won't turn on after you screw the cap on, although I can get it to work so far after a few tries screwing the cap on - not something to be depended on.
> 
> found the last of the hf lights I had kicking around, wanted to compare them to the ozark light, but neither of them work. The batteries in one must have leaked as the tail cap is now welded to the body (don't know what kind of batts it has in it). The other I thought must have had bad batteries but they are the original cheapo carbon zinc cells that came with it and read 1.52V, for some reason there is rust on the carrier, though the batteries don't appear to have leaked and work in the ozark light. BTW the hf and ozak carriers are the same and will interchange.
> 
> ...


Carbon zinc batteries can leak and it is clear at first then looks rusty or causes metal to rust. Some carbon zinc batteries can measure good but under a load they show up dead. I once had a remote that quit working and the batteries measured 1.5v. The remote would do a few buttons then nothing for awhile. On a load meter the batteries in it dropped to less than 0.5v. It is said under light loads heavy duty or CZ batteries have about 1/3 the capacity of cheap alkaleaks. If you can get cheap alkaleaks for about 25 cents each then CZ batteries are worth about 8 cents each or less IMO.
You can buy 8 packs of them at dollar stores making them worth 12 cents each.


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## snakebite (Jul 30, 2021)

these take an 18650 with a rolled cardboard strip as a spacer.
iirc they have a 3.3 ohm resistor so they dont go up in smoke on li-ion or nimh.
mine have not faded after several runs.


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## greenpondmike (Jul 31, 2021)

xxo said:


> was at wm again, looks like they sold out of the lanterns and sold a bunch of the $1 3AAA lights. took out the plastic film and checked out one that had a dim and purple beam, another was bright with a nice beam but the switch was stuck in the on position, bought the third one which has a beam in between the other 2 but has a functioning switch.


So quality is just hit or miss and I got lucky.


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## Scotty321 (Aug 1, 2021)

snakebite said:


> these take an 18650 with a rolled cardboard strip as a spacer.
> iirc they have a 3.3 ohm resistor so they dont go up in smoke on li-ion or nimh.
> mine have not faded after several runs.


Would you be so kind as to show a pic of this setup? I shoved an old 18650 (LG) in and it shorted near the circuit board.


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## xxo (Aug 4, 2021)

greenpondmike said:


> So quality is just hit or miss and I got lucky.


Seems to be. Not a bad cheap light if you get a good one.


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## Stress_Test (Aug 31, 2021)

LetThereBeLight! said:


> I love these $1.00 lights and I’ll tell you why.
> 
> One, these are the perfect lights to give out to neighbors (and others) when there is a power outage ..................



This, is actually a very good justification for having a few "throw-away" lights like these, and the reason is, some people still use candles in power outages. I notice that my apartment lease explicitly says "no candles" for lighting purposes due to the fire hazard, but during a few long outages I still saw people around using them.

You really don't want people in the same apartment building as you are to be using a bunch of candles in the middle of the night 🔥 

Cheap "insurance" to hand them a cheapo throw-away LED light that'll last through the night at least.


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## snakebite (Sep 1, 2021)

Scotty321 said:


> Would you be so kind as to show a pic of this setup? I shoved an old 18650 (LG) in and it shorted near the circuit board.


did you roll a strip of cardboard like cereal box to take up the slop?
i can see getting a short if the cell was way off center and the spring dug into the insulator.


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