Got A New Flashlight...

[bobdoo]

but admittedly got scared of having that much lithium cells in a flashlight tube charging at night. Maybe too paranoid.

Those in the flashlight hobby, who charge batteries a lot, NEVER leave a Li Ion charger unsupervised. LiIon batts that have been left in a very low state of charge, or have been discharged below ABOUT 3 volts, can explode, due to formed whiskers that short between layers.

I also store my unused batts in:

COLCASE Fireproof Explosionproof Lipo Safe Bag for Lipo Battery Storage and Charging,​

which contains

IANDAIROK 4PCS 185 * 60 * 75mm Lipo Battery Safe Bag for Lipo Battery Storage and Charging​

that holds cells in cell carriers.

I have a smoke detector sitting on top of the larger case, and it sits right next to an exit door, so I can throw it outside if the worst happens.

 

[Vikas]

I gave away one of my PreetPen L21 to my sister-in-law and then I came across this at AliExpress. Reasonably priced and was delivered much quicker than I had expected. ZreoAir has reviewed this. He had 6500K variant and he liked it at $30. The shipping was free but they charged Mass sales tax.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256805765766835.html
Sofirn SC31T 2000LM Tactical Flashlight USB C Rechargeable LED Torch 18650 Flashlight with Tail Switch
5000-5300k, with 18650 battery
$13.45

If you can find it at this price, it is a great bargain for a decent light You will NOT be able to brag about 10,000 lumens or anything like that but for a generic 18650 light, you could do lot worse.

Few cons but expected on a budget light like this:-
- included clip does not feel like a good quality. It is NOT stainless steel
- included wrist strap is nothing to write home about
- the glass has no AR coating
- max charging current is 1A even though the included cable feels hefty
- candlemode pretty much NOT accessible easily but eco step won't blind you in the night if you don't look at it directly
- for real "tactical" guys, this light won't do given two different switches for turning on and switching modes. By the time "tactical" guy lights up the "bad" guys, they would have already blown our "tactical" guy while he was still figuring out how to get his tactial flashlight to go full blast! Surefire should NOT feel threatened by this light.

But the build quality is decent. Switches have good tactile feel. Tint is good. Beam pattern is good. The stepped mode UI is acceptable to me and feel no need to experiment with smooth ramping. Spacing of the steps is reasonable.

 

[Vikas]

Funny, I accidentally and without realizing switched mode and suddenly found myself at full blast and clicking side switch would NOT drop the intensity. As it turns out, one mode uses clicks and ignores hold and the other mode uses hold and ignores clicks. I think I like such clear cut distinction in user interface.