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It's sites like this that make me love the Internet.

criddell 10y ago
A few months ago I looked to buy a new flashlight and was shocked at how many choices there are. All I wanted was a light with two modes - on and off. Maybe a low-light mode for insane battery life in a prolonged emergency. I wanted it to run on batteries I can find in a gas station. I went into the rabbit hole and never actually bought anything. I started to make a spreadsheet with all the options and features then wondered what the hell I was doing and gave up.
- vvanders 10y ago
  Yup, This is true of both flashlights and pocket knives. It's incredible how far both have come from simple devices to all sorts of features/materials/etc. It's hard to go wrong with most modern LED lights, something that takes 2x AA sounds like a good fit for what you want. I've been a fan of Fenix and Eagletac both have held up well over a few years of hard use.
- semi-extrinsic 10y ago
  Buy a handful of these ones: https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32584791011.html https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32584791011.html $1.80 a piece (with free shipping), takes 3 AAA batteries, good light (but probably just 1/10th of the "2000 lumen" claimed), useful zoom function, resonable size, lasts for 3-4 hours on a set of batteries in max-light mode, probably twice in low-light mode. I've had several over the last few years. They are not super durable, but for a general purpose flashlight, at that price it's perfect.
  - mikestew 10y ago
    but probably just 1/10th of the "2000 lumen" claimed So they never even tried to measure the output, huh? :-) I've got a 900 lumen headlamp I use for trail running. It cost $200. There's a 1200 lumen version, but it's big enough that I wouldn't want to wear it on my head. 2000 lumens and we start to get into "driving lights you see on the front of a car". I'm confident that you know this, but wanted to back up your statement with some comparisons and to demonstrate you are not being hyperbolic when you say that (in fact, I'd question even 200 lumens). Regardless of the questionable specs, for $2 you could sprinkle these liberally where ever you might need light. Might get a few myself.
    - semi-extrinsic 10y ago
      These are the same Asian vendors who proudly sell "6000 mAh" 18650 cell batteries, even though no battery chemistry on Earth could get you that energy density. They know it's much less than 2000 lumen, but they don't give a crap about the factual accuracy of the specs. And I think most people who are savvy enough to buy from these sites quickly catch up and learn to divide by 2 or 4 or 10. Amazon, OTOH, has a bigger problem in this regard since everyone buys stuff there. Fortunately Amazon has a much better reviews/ratings system.
- mikestew 10y ago
  All I wanted was a light with two modes - on and off. If you're in the U. S., go to Harbor Freight's website and print off the "free flashlight" coupon (I just looked, and harborfreight.com has it at the top of the page). Go buy some tools. Or just go pay the full $3 for their LED flashlight. I've probably got three or four of these things rattling around. One of them rattled around in my motorcycle tank bag for two weeks going as far north in Alaska as is possible on a bike, bouncing down every dirt road I could find. Still use that one today. Several are years old and get used for camping and around-the-house, still going on their original batteries. Bright enough for most of the times you need a flashlight. Runs on AAs. If I ride off with it sitting on top of a saddlebag, I shed no tears. If I need serious lighting, I break out the high-dollar 900 lumen headlamp. But most of the time I find myself reaching for the cheapy HF that has never failed to turn on and apparently runs on perpetual motion.
  - groovy2shoes 10y ago
    I've got a couple of these from Harbor Freight as well. During our last home repair project, we wound up needing just a little extra daylight, which of course we could not have, but my wife had printed off two of those coupons before we went in for supplies; she used one and I used one. The flashlights we got are designed to be able to be hung up on something to provide a bit of spot lighting without needing to be held, and they put out a surprising amount of light. They did the trick and we were able to wrap up our repair after sundown. 10/10, hard to beat a useful, quality flashlight for free.
- creeble 10y ago
  Ha, this cracks me up. Been there for sure. I find it increasingly difficult to find flashlights that don't four or five modes of operation, especially bright ones that use 16450 (or is it 18450?) batteries. And they all seem to have slightly dodgy switches that change the mode with the slightest touch. Brightness and barrel construction are all great, but please just give me an on/off light with a solid switch!
  - criddell 10y ago
    I just checked Wirecutter because I thought if any place is going to recommend one specific light, that would be it. Unfortunately, flashlights don't seem to be on their radar.
    - GrumpyYoungMan 10y ago
      Visit Candlepower Forums (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php). More than you ever wanted to know about LED flashlights. My personal recommendation would be FourSevens' Quark Click (http://www.foursevens.com/products/QK2A-X-AE-24 http://www.foursevens.com/products/QK2A-X-AE-24). Takes 2 AAs, outputs 336 lumens, and has very solid construction.
      - criddell 10y ago
        My first visit to Candlepower is what caused me to start a spreadsheet. It is indeed more than I want to know. That flashlight looks exactly like what I'm looking for. Thanks!
  - alasdair_ 10y ago
    The problem is that once you get past a few hundred lumens, "on/off" doesn't really work well. I have a small Nitecore flashlight with a since cell in it and it puts out 850 lumens on maximum. That's too much to read a book at night with, yet it's great for finding a lost dog in the woods.
    - 10y ago

A few months ago I looked to buy a new flashlight and was shocked at how many choices there are. All I wanted was a light with two modes - on and off. Maybe a low-light mode for insane battery life in a prolonged emergency. I wanted it to run on batteries I can find in a gas station. I went into the rabbit hole and never actually bought anything. I started to make a spreadsheet with all the options and features then wondered what the hell I was doing and gave up.

vvanders 10y ago
Yup, This is true of both flashlights and pocket knives. It's incredible how far both have come from simple devices to all sorts of features/materials/etc. It's hard to go wrong with most modern LED lights, something that takes 2x AA sounds like a good fit for what you want. I've been a fan of Fenix and Eagletac both have held up well over a few years of hard use.
semi-extrinsic 10y ago
Buy a handful of these ones: https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32584791011.html https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32584791011.html $1.80 a piece (with free shipping), takes 3 AAA batteries, good light (but probably just 1/10th of the "2000 lumen" claimed), useful zoom function, resonable size, lasts for 3-4 hours on a set of batteries in max-light mode, probably twice in low-light mode. I've had several over the last few years. They are not super durable, but for a general purpose flashlight, at that price it's perfect.
- mikestew 10y ago
  but probably just 1/10th of the "2000 lumen" claimed So they never even tried to measure the output, huh? :-) I've got a 900 lumen headlamp I use for trail running. It cost $200. There's a 1200 lumen version, but it's big enough that I wouldn't want to wear it on my head. 2000 lumens and we start to get into "driving lights you see on the front of a car". I'm confident that you know this, but wanted to back up your statement with some comparisons and to demonstrate you are not being hyperbolic when you say that (in fact, I'd question even 200 lumens). Regardless of the questionable specs, for $2 you could sprinkle these liberally where ever you might need light. Might get a few myself.
  - semi-extrinsic 10y ago
    These are the same Asian vendors who proudly sell "6000 mAh" 18650 cell batteries, even though no battery chemistry on Earth could get you that energy density. They know it's much less than 2000 lumen, but they don't give a crap about the factual accuracy of the specs. And I think most people who are savvy enough to buy from these sites quickly catch up and learn to divide by 2 or 4 or 10. Amazon, OTOH, has a bigger problem in this regard since everyone buys stuff there. Fortunately Amazon has a much better reviews/ratings system.
mikestew 10y ago
All I wanted was a light with two modes - on and off. If you're in the U. S., go to Harbor Freight's website and print off the "free flashlight" coupon (I just looked, and harborfreight.com has it at the top of the page). Go buy some tools. Or just go pay the full $3 for their LED flashlight. I've probably got three or four of these things rattling around. One of them rattled around in my motorcycle tank bag for two weeks going as far north in Alaska as is possible on a bike, bouncing down every dirt road I could find. Still use that one today. Several are years old and get used for camping and around-the-house, still going on their original batteries. Bright enough for most of the times you need a flashlight. Runs on AAs. If I ride off with it sitting on top of a saddlebag, I shed no tears. If I need serious lighting, I break out the high-dollar 900 lumen headlamp. But most of the time I find myself reaching for the cheapy HF that has never failed to turn on and apparently runs on perpetual motion.
- groovy2shoes 10y ago
  I've got a couple of these from Harbor Freight as well. During our last home repair project, we wound up needing just a little extra daylight, which of course we could not have, but my wife had printed off two of those coupons before we went in for supplies; she used one and I used one. The flashlights we got are designed to be able to be hung up on something to provide a bit of spot lighting without needing to be held, and they put out a surprising amount of light. They did the trick and we were able to wrap up our repair after sundown. 10/10, hard to beat a useful, quality flashlight for free.
creeble 10y ago
Ha, this cracks me up. Been there for sure. I find it increasingly difficult to find flashlights that don't four or five modes of operation, especially bright ones that use 16450 (or is it 18450?) batteries. And they all seem to have slightly dodgy switches that change the mode with the slightest touch. Brightness and barrel construction are all great, but please just give me an on/off light with a solid switch!
- criddell 10y ago
  I just checked Wirecutter because I thought if any place is going to recommend one specific light, that would be it. Unfortunately, flashlights don't seem to be on their radar.
  - GrumpyYoungMan 10y ago
    Visit Candlepower Forums (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php). More than you ever wanted to know about LED flashlights. My personal recommendation would be FourSevens' Quark Click (http://www.foursevens.com/products/QK2A-X-AE-24 http://www.foursevens.com/products/QK2A-X-AE-24). Takes 2 AAs, outputs 336 lumens, and has very solid construction.
    - criddell 10y ago
      My first visit to Candlepower is what caused me to start a spreadsheet. It is indeed more than I want to know. That flashlight looks exactly like what I'm looking for. Thanks!
- alasdair_ 10y ago
  The problem is that once you get past a few hundred lumens, "on/off" doesn't really work well. I have a small Nitecore flashlight with a since cell in it and it puts out 850 lumens on maximum. That's too much to read a book at night with, yet it's great for finding a lost dog in the woods.
  - 10y ago