Flashlight recommendations please.

MTHall720

MTHall720

Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
2,957
  • Budget is less than 100.00
  • Material = Aluminum
  • Lumens = 1000 or more on high, (I mean high output for sustained light, not very short time such as turbo mode)
  • Build Quality = Something that will last a longtime with careful use
  • Beam = Nice balance of flood/throw with leaning towards throw
  • Battery= Rechargeable
  • So far the brands I have used are Maglite, Coast, Energizer, Nitecore, and Thrunite. I have been happy with durability and functionality with all except Thrunite and Energizer (both are super inexpensive models).
  • Thanks very much for any ideas.
  • Thanks very much. I haven’t decided yet how far the throw needs to be but probably not more than a quarter of a football field.
  • I’m looking for about 30 minutes runtime without overr heating I will be walking after dark so I want to see if there are any of the following up ahead of me: Black Bear, Fox, Skunk, Possum, or Racoon. I am walking a small dog on a short leash. Bright is best since I want to discourage anything or anyone coming too close. Of course, ideally, I want to retreat from any wildlife.
 
A couple I like are the RovyVon Aurora (comes in different colors; I have the clear so you can see the electronics) and it is USB rechargeable. It is very powerful but is like 1 1/2" long.
Also, I have several Reylight Pineapple Minis (comes in different colors, I own 3) and also USB rechargeable.
And I have a Streamlight microstream, which again comes in different colors and has USB capability).

All are great small lights.

I don't have time to take photos, but if you go to the What is your EDC thread and search on me, I have many photos of daily EDC with the lights.
 
Check out the Fenix PD35 3.0 or PD36R.
IMO the PD35 is one of the best bang for buck lights out there.
PD36R will give you 800 lumens for 5 hrs.
Both come with a quality rechargeable battery.
For half a football field throw, 600 lumens is all you need.
The 36R has the best throw/spill combo of the two.
My favorite flashlight is the LD30. Very good spill, plenty of throw for your needs.
800 lumens for 1.5 hrs.

They all turbo at around 1600 lumens.

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Check out the Olight Seeker 3
(I know you said less than $100; but Olight has a lot of sales)
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(I don't know if this black to green color is available - it might have been a special offering. It looks great - IMO - but it's tough to get a good picture of without natural lighting)
 
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Led lenser do a really wide beam which I found useful for not stepping on things in the dark.

I think they do the best heavy stick lights. Or security style lights.

 
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Actually going the other way. I picked up a torch from the local hardware store called iron horse. And that was pretty cheap and works fine.

It does sos mode and hippy mace. But I think they are kind of useless do I don't generally bother.


I think Coleman even do versions like that that really are not too bad.
 
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Sorry I just looked up the Sorfin
I couldn’t ask for a similar build quality fo
a price almost 1/3 the price of some others
 
MTHall720 said:
Does Sorfin generally have a build quality similar to Fenix, Nitecore?
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Build quality is tricky. I mean I have never broken a torch casing. All the metal ones have enough metal where that basically doesn't happen.

But in terms of overheating or just crapping out on you is where the build quality differs. And there is no good test for whether that is going to happen.
 
rycen said:
Two that I’m quite pleased with are Sofirn SC31pro and the IF25A. I’d recommend 5000k color temp
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MTHall720 said:
Does Sorfin generally have a build quality similar to Fenix, Nitecore?
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I have a Sofirn SP 33 V2. It's been very dependable. Sofirn has a good reputation in the flashlight forums.
It's floody, lights up an area as opposed to being a spotlight.
On turbo, it's rated for 2500 lumens, which you don't care about because that's for short runs.
But on high it'll run for a bit over an hour at about 1000 lumens
Medium is 400 lumens for a ~5 hours.
Also has a low and a moonlight setting.

I note that they have a Version 3 currently available. It's brighter and runs longer. I might need to get a V3 myself.
 
The ZebraLight SC600w Mk IV plus would be a good option. Good build quality and fits right into your budget ($99). I have used their headlamps for years at work with no issues. I know of at least two guys at work that have that same light (SC600w) they use ever night with no issues either.
 
Fenix, Olight, or Sofirn are great. I own all of them and no issues. I use my fenix’s the most and have had a few of them years with no problems. If you want insane brightness sofirn but my Q8 gets kind of hot(almost unable to touch the head) when on high but I think that is at about 10,000 lumens.
 
I cast my vote for Fenix. Granted most of the options listed here are good to great. I have personally been using Fenix since the early 2000's and my first one still runs great. I used a PD32 (the predecessor to the PD35) for 6 years as an Arctic oilfield mechanic. That's when I upgraded to the PD35 that I've been using for 5-6? years now. I still have the 32 and it works great. I probably have 6 or 8 Fenix lights and they have all been stellar. I managed to break a pocket clip on one once (my fault) and they sent me a new one for $2. Shipped. For my money and what I've put them through I'll keep buying Fenix. Also they are a regulated output.
 
The Nitecore TUP ticks all your boxes. No personal experience myself, but the YT reviews have been glowing (pun unintended).
 
Tafkaag said:
The Nitecore TUP ticks all your boxes. No personal experience myself, but the YT reviews have been glowing (pun unintended).
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It really doesn't, though. His third box was at least 1000 lumens, and able to function at that power for an extended time. The TUP maxes at 1000 lumens, and can't hold it long (dropping to 200 lumens). It also falls short on his desired beam distance. That said, if compact size matters, it might be worth overlooking a few negatives.
 
Surefire gsx is $90 but it's a plastic body that runs on 2x cr123 although you could probably drop a single 17670 in it. If your willing to go to $120 Malkoff md2 is similar but aluminum and takes 18650s. The Malkoff is a floody beam that has some reach. Both below 1k lumen but two good lights that may be worth a glance.
 
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