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.

 

[Vikas]

No new flashlights for whole year?

 

[Jokester]

No new flashlights for whole year?

Yep not long ago I finally got this... https://www.armytek.com/flashlights/models/wizard/armytek-wizard-c2-pro-max-lr/
Rather powerful somewhat compact light with the perfect tint for my use. Listed as being 'white light' and that sums it up... rated at just over 4,000 lumens (maybe a min before stepping down) on a 21700 cell. Not cheap, but I won't piss away time/$ on the cheap garbage that litters the market with idiotic names to match the look/build quality. Will say there are tons of quality lights at decent prices and kinda hard to choose just a few.

 

[Vikas]

In our Tanzania safari trip, one of the glamp hotel had SuperFire Y16 flashlight for guest use. I liked that very much and I ordered it when I came back to USA. In theory, it is a great light. Unfortunately. implementation left lot to be desired. When it died on me (ate the included 21700 pair) I used that opportunity to return it back to Amazon. I had paid $30 and at that price point that was the best available choice in decent walk the dog light. You can find my review of it on Amazon. I still do not have the stomach to cross $50 for my addiction and I end up with string of disappointments from AliExpress or Amazon.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Convoy has a number of 21700 lights that look interesting and are reasonably priced. You'll see links to some of them in this thread:
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/recommendations-for-single-21700-edc/219647

All my 18650 Convoys have been solid.

I only have one light that takes 21700 cell, but I don't own any 21700 cells, so I run it on an 18650 cell with a sleeve - it's my bike light.

 

[LDB]

I stick with Surefire. More expensive but WAY more flashlight for the money.

 

[puellarum]

You're not going to impress anybody, but these are something like $1.50 apiece. LED and simple and easy and I just keep them around the house.

Limited-time deal: Eveready LED Flashlight (8-Pack) Bright Reliable Flashlights for General Purpose, Great for Camping, Car, Emergency Storm Power Outage Handheld Flashlight (Batteries Included) https://a.co/d/86o0b3q

 

[Vikas]

Just came across this - it is a blast! I do cringe at the end when the lights are really "tested"

 

[Vikas]

Amazon had Hosonic EC seriees torches most likely missmarked as they were priced low and then had 50% off coupon on them. For $8.50 each, that was a no-brainer. I wanted to wait until mine shipped before letting you guys know but alas the deal is no more.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/...9f1b-b504-4714-822c-36ebfe6328fd&ref_=ast_bln

 

[4WD]

Just got this - liked the ports were both USB and USB-C … and has a battery cartridge …

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Recharge...assType=REGULAR&athbdg=L1900&adsRedirect=true

 

[john_pifer]

Sofirn IF25 is everyday carry for me. One thing I LOVE about it is the high CRI and lower color temp. I think mine is around 3100k. Night hikes with 1/3 power show the warmth of the trail without being cold blue. Battery can last a long time in it.

I bought the 3-cell quad mama-jama mostly to try as a power bank - but admittedly got scared of having that much lithium cells in a flashlight tube charging at night. Maybe too paranoid.

I carry my IF25A quite a bit.

You said 3100K, but there are actually only 2 options offered - 4000K and 6500K.

Mine is the 4000K (95+ CRI) (as I suspect yours is). The SST-20 LEDs have an absolutely beautiful color tint to them. Zero green. Just perfect.

It does trade some brightness and longevity and heat for that great high-CRI beam.

I would eventually like to have a light with this gorgeous of a color temp with a better driver for higher sustained output.

 

[john_pifer]

Convoy has a number of 21700 lights that look interesting and are reasonably priced. You'll see links to some of them in this thread:
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/recommendations-for-single-21700-edc/219647

All my 18650 Convoys have been solid.

I only have one light that takes 21700 cell, but I don't own any 21700 cells, so I run it on an 18650 cell with a sleeve - it's my bike light.

I have a Convoy L7.

It’s probably my most impressive flashlight. Just one of those lights that makes me say “wow” every time I take it outside at night.

 

[Marrk]

My Baton 3 does not seem be holding a charge. Olight already sent me a new battery once. I'm getting to be disappointed in this little guy.

 

[Vikas]

My Baton 3 does not seem be holding a charge. Olight already sent me a new battery once. I'm getting to be disappointed in this little guy.

At least Olight seem to be handling the warranty. I am assuming they are sending the nw battery gratis.

 

[Vikas]

Sofirn IF25 is everyday carry for me. One thing I LOVE about it is the high CRI and lower color temp. I think mine is around 3100k. Night hikes with 1/3 power show the warmth of the trail without being cold blue. Battery can last a long time in it.

I bought the 3-cell quad mama-jama mostly to try as a power bank - but admittedly got scared of having that much lithium cells in a flashlight tube charging at night. Maybe too paranoid.

What is 3-cell quad mama-jama ?

 

[Vikas]

In our Tanzania safari trip, one of the glamp hotel had SuperFire Y16 flashlight for guest use. I liked that very much and I ordered it when I came back to USA. In theory, it is a great light. Unfortunately. implementation left lot to be desired. When it died on me (ate the included 21700 pair) I used that opportunity to return it back to Amazon. I had paid $30 and at that price point that was the best available choice in decent walk the dog light. You can find my review of it on Amazon. I still do not have the stomach to cross $50 for my addiction and I end up with string of disappointments from AliExpress or Amazon.

Surefire sent me their latest "Godfire" TN05-S offering. Not really impressed with it. They sent it gratis hoping that I will review it favorbly but I would NOT do that. Good things 1) Good tint 2) Decent output 3) glass covered TIR lense. Bad things 1) fake USB-C input 2) very bad UI from last century 3) mechanically NOT balanced 4) tail cap magnet not powerful enough especially because of the heavy head 4) the included "finger strap" is a joke, I can barely get my two fingers in it and I have small hands. Similar Hosonic (out of stock) is better except it lacks the glass and also suffers from anemic magnet because of unbalnced head but it was sold for much less and has better and usable UI.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

Surefire sent me their latest "Godfire" TN05-S offering. Not really impressed with it. They sent it gratis hoping that I will review it favorbly but I would NOT do that. Good things 1) Good tint 2) Decent output 3) glass covered TIR lense. Bad things 1) fake USB-C input 2) very bad UI from last century 3) mechanically NOT balanced 4) tail cap magnet not powerful enough especially because of the heavy head 4) the included "finger strap" is a joke, I can barely get my two fingers in it and I have small hands. Similar Hosonic (out of stock) is better except it lacks the glass and also suffers from anemic magnet because of unbalnced head but it was sold for much less and has better and usable UI.

Surefire?!

 

[Vikas]

Surefire?!

Oops; I meant Superfire I can't edit the original reply any more