As I recently posted about, I am jumping into the world of rechargeable LED flashlights, beyond Milwaukee’s RedLithium USB platform. This has proven to be a very research-intensive and pricey adventure, and I don’t regret putting it off for so long.
I’m not limiting my current exploration to rechargeable battery lights, although that is the main focus at the moment.
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You guys offered a lot of excellent flashlight recommendations, and many of the models I’ve been buying for review are referenced in some of your comments.
There are some flashlight brands and models that I am specifically avoiding for review, such as Emisar’s D4V2. I briefly considered the Noctigon KR1 as well, but lights like that, the KR4, and D4V2 are much too high-powered for everyday use. They are said to use unprotected Li-ion cells exclusively, and are so bright they can burn your leg or start fires. Such enthusiast lights have their place, but I consider them a bit too impractical for personal use or ToolGuyd review.
The hard part is in figuring out what types of flashlights best suit my needs.
Slim 1xAAA LED flashlights work well on keychains or when you want as small a light as possible without sacrificing practicality.
1xAA lights are a little larger, but deliver more brightness and runtime.
1xCR123 lights, also RCR123 and 16340, are compact, like the Olight S1R Baton II shown above, but bright.
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2xCR123 lights are larger and brighter. Some 2xCR123 lights also fit 18650 batteries.
Then you have 18650-based flashlights, 21700 flashlights, and other Li-ion sizes such as 26650.
Do you want floodlight illumination, longer throw, or a does-everything in the middle kind of light?
Pocket clip? Headlamp? Pouch or holster carry?
On/off button or multi-modes? Separate on/off and mode selection buttons?
The options get dizzying really fast.
I don’t think I’ve ever used strobe or SOS modes, but a strobe mode can be useful to have in emergency situations.
Some lights are programmable, such as Streamlight models equipped with “Ten-Tap.” But is the programmable so complex that you’ll forget how to do it without consulting the user manual or looking for help on the internet?
Things get easier if you narrow down the criteria a bit.
Last year, a friend was looking for a new flashlight that’s bright, affordable, and without unnecessary output modes.
Related: Reader Question: Recommend a Bright One or Two Mode LED Flashlight
Based on that criteria, a couple of good ideas came to mind.
Now, for my personal use, I think I’ve been honing in on the following criteria:
- 2xCR123 compatibility (or 18650) for heavier use
- 1xCR123 (or 16340) for casual use
- 1xAA or AAA for convenience
- 2xAAA penlights I already own
I have been steering away from 2xAA lights, due to their size. 2xCR123 flashlights are thicker, but shorter, and more comfortable for pocket carry.
1xCR123, RCR123, and 16340-based LED flashlights are in a tough spot. Li-ion batteries provide greater voltage than CR123 primary cells, but you get less runtime. This a great size for pocket carry, but the lights tend to be on the small side, where 2xCR123 is much more of a “full-size” flashlight.
I have a couple of D-cell Maglites – at least one with working batteries in the garage – and a large Husky flashlight in the basement.
My older 3xAA Maglites haven’t been used in years, and I really don’t know if I’ll refresh the batteries in my Maglite once it starts to dim. I did take my Maglite under the deck with me last Fall when I had some low and muddy work to do, but nearly every one of my other flashlights are brighter and some are even more durable and resilient.
I like to think that my large D-cell flashlights will be easy to find and grab in a pinch, but I also have magnetic-backed flashlights I an stick to steel cabinets or doors. My Pelican has a lanyard loop and glows in the dark.
ToolGuyd encourages me to “try them all,” at least until the credit card bill comes in, and that certainly helps with honing in on preferences. How do you know what you prefer if you aren’t exposed to different options?
I like to think that I’m putting myself through this experience and selection process so that you don’t have to.
If I had to narrow things down and make hard decisions, it would be:
- D-cell consumer flashlight for shared household use
- AAA flashlight for keychain carry
- 1xCR123 or 1x 16340 flashlight for casual use
- 1xAA as a second choice
- 2xCR123 or 18650 flashlight for general use
It might not seem that I did much narrowing down, but I can tell you that 2xAA and 3xAAA lights lost my favor, and I don’t like flashlights with built-in rechargeable batteries.
Some AA lights can be equipped with 14500 Li-ion batteries for a boost in brightness.
Oh, and there are also 3xAAA flashlights with battery trays, for greater power or longer runtime in a stubby flashlight form factor. In a grand comparison, such lights are more cumbersome, and for the cost to power them with lithium (primary) or rechargeable NiMH batteries, you might as well upgrade to a CR123 or 18650 light.
Some 2xCR123 lights can’t work with 18650 battery cells, most AA lights won’t work with 14500 battery cells, most 18650 lights only work with button-top cells, some 18650 lights only work with unprotected batteries… things get complicated when you dive into this world of options.
Once you settle on a battery size and style, things get easier. Sorry, that was a lie. Enthusiast-level lights give you options, usually in regard to illumination color temperature (such as warm, neutral white, or cool). I tend to like neutral and cool white in that order.
Some brands even give you choices as to the LED emitter, and that requires research for the unfamiliar. Reading about the different options will either drive you deeper into LED flashlights as an interest, or push you towards buying whatever.
You might even be able to choose from different reflector styles, tailcap switches, or user modes, with such customizations often carrying a premium. In this territory, you can almost break everything down into parts and swap them to your heart’s delight.
This absolutely makes me appreciate the simplicity of Milwaukee’s RedLithium USB system even more, but you do get many more options once you step beyond their proprietary battery form factor.
See More: 5 Reasons Milwaukee RedLithium Flashlights are Awesome
But, other brands also do have their own “customized” batteries, such as to enable in-body charging. Oh, and good luck matching chargers to batteries if you don’t know what you’re doing. Some protected batteries are too tall for certain chargers, most older chargers aren’t compatible with 21700 cells, you have to be careful about charging rates for smaller 16340 cells…
There are so many options to sort through, but ultimately there’s bound to be something for everyone.
If you want something beyond what you can find at the home center, you’re going to have to do some homework. Or, ask questions, and if there’s something I can’t answer, I know there are readers who can.
Do you have any particular EDC LED flashlight preferences?
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mike
My preferred light for EDC is a 14500 with a tail click switch.
Currently i use a Jetbeam SF-RR01 at work, and a Reylight Lan V2 on weekends.
I have a 18650 roaster in my go-bag but have never needed that output in actual use cases.
Its narrow enough for front pocket carry, bright enough 99% of the time, and as a last resort / failsafe, it can accept a AA battery.
My dream light would be a Tail click with a mag right for brightness. then there is no worry about being too bright in a dark room (waking sleeping babies). I just got a RRT01 with that setup, but the CR123 and design add up to ~8mm thicker than my EDC options.
ToolGuyDan
I wouldn’t have said anything, except you did it twice, so I don’t think it’s a typo. One “homes in on” a target to get closer to it, not “hones”, which is related to sharpening or deburring edges (or related metaphorical meanings).
Stuart
My usage sounds awkward due to my flip-flopping between several edits. I really should re-edit those parts for greater correctness, but the root word choice is at least correct, or at least I still believe it to be.
Home in brings you closer, as something follows and approaches the target or goal, but hone in is more about refining by sharpening.
When you hone a blade, you’re smoothing out imperfections, straightening the blade to the center, and essentially sharpening it but not quite literally. Everything is already there, you’re just perfecting the edge.
I am always welcome to feedback, and in this case despite my putting up a counter, I might still be wrong. The only grammatical discussion I will ever avoid is one on dampen vs. damping, as “correctness” there is largely subjective and dependent on one’s background, leading to never-ending circular arguments.
Peter Coffin
And don’t get started on “Orienting” versus “Orientating”.
Or “fuse” versus “fuze”.
It is never-ending though sometimes the arguments are not circular. They go straight into the ditch.
frampton
That’s good advice. Also, it’s “orienting.”
Stuart
Anyways, irregardless… =)
Thanks to a similar discussion a while back, I am very deliberate about avoiding “anyways” in place of “anyway.”
Damping vs. dampening – now that’s inevitably a circular debate.
Koko The Talking Ape
FWIW, I’m an editor for a literary journal, and we always mark “honing in” on something as incorrect.
ToolGuyDan
The phrase “hone in on” flatly does not exist. One can hone one’s skills, to be certain, but “honing in on” something is not an idiom nor a colloquialism nor a regional variation. It’s wrong.
That said… who cares? It’s a tool blog. I’m a guest here, at best. Stuart can post everything in Toki Pona if it tickles his fancy. I appreciate the content, regardless of its framing.
Koko The Talking Ape
🙂 Yes. But I prefer to read grammaticaly correct blogs, especially where the writer is certainly intelligent and can accept correction, as is the case here.
Stuart
Truthfully, I enjoy discussions about semantics.
I put a lot of effort into my writings, and make a lot of attempts to be accurate. Constructive feedback provides me with opportunities to better my skill.
Plus, the fact that we can have these discussions means some (many?) of you are reading carefully enough to pick up on small errors or unconventional usage, and that balances out the maybe 20X number of comments that inform on something already mentioned, pictured, listed, or linked to in a post.
Stuart
Usage like this can get tricky.
I run spelling and grammatical checks very regularly, but not in this case, although perhaps I should have. Frankly, I don’t remember writing it out, but apparently I did so twice, which means it came straight from my subconscious or stream of consciousness.
With editing, every refinement I do beyond the first or second read-through results in an increasing number of minor changes that take an increasing amount of time to do. With this post being informal from the start, I’ve been hesitant to add further tweaks beyond the blatant errors fixed prior to publishing the post.
While I attempt to be accurate and grammatically correct, there are grey areas where I cross the smudged the line.
I mean, I start sentences with “and” at times.
And I also have one or two sentence paragraphs.
Writing for the web throws so many basic writing rules and constraints out the window, when and where appropriate of course.
With “honing it,” I haven’t found phrasing that seems equally natural to me. I think what happened there is that I wanted to say “hone” and maybe “narrow in” and everything was jumbled as I kept typing.
I did try to look things up via Google as part of this discussion, in case I am 100% in the wrong, and apparently there is a larger ongoing controversy over “home in vs. hone in.” However, nothing I read so far has been definitive enough for me to accept defeat yet. “Hone in” is usually regarded as an error, but in this case – how I attempted to use it – “home in” doesn’t quite fit as well.
Bill
“And this is all the sort of thing, up with which I will not put”.
Koko The Talking Ape
You know, this kind of thing comes up often in the literary publishing world, which I think is both more picky and more open than journalism, for instance.
The smartest people I’ve read on the subject say that “right” or “wrong” is the wrong way to approach it. It should be considered almost like dressing “properly.” There are unspoken rules and guidelines, but they are vague, and can be violated if done with verve and intention. Leaving your shirtails when wearing a suit is usually bad, because it connotes carelessness, unless it’s clearly intentional, in which case it can be playful or fresh.
Intention is very important. We will accept almost any “mistake” if it appears to have been intentionally done, and not out of simple carelessness or ignorance. So for example, starting sentences with “And” (or “But”), or writing paragraphs with just one or two sentences is not inherently bad or good. Sometimes it’s very deftly done.
But “honing in” is usually a bit of carelessness. If you have your own reading of the phrase (which is “narrowing down,” I believe?) that isn’t how most people mean it. Most people really mean “home in” without thinking carefully about it. So in that context, I would still call it a mistake. We individuals don’t get to create meanings for phrases. If you really meant “honing in,” then I would say “narrowing down” or “refining” or some such.
But the collective understanding can change too. “Literally” apparently now means “figuratively,” according to at least one dictionary. So many people misused the word that it became the norm. I don’t believe that’s happened yet with “honing in,” but I could be wrong now or in the future.
fred
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hone%20in#:~:text=Definition%20of%20hone%20in,the%20common%20man%E2%80%94%20Lisa%20Russell
fred
https://grammarist.com/eggcorns/home-in-hone-in/#:~:text=Home%20in%20means%20to%20direct,and%20make%20progress%20toward%20it.
A W
Just like coming down the pike and coming down the pipe, both can be used to mean the same thing.
Rcward
18650 lights also won’t “drain” during non use like typical AA or AAA lights will, my favorite is the Fenix TK- 22R at this point.
schill
My preferred EDC for years was a Nitecore D10 (single AA light). I carried it on my belt daily and used it often.
I lost it on an airplane – it fell out of the holster and I didn’t notice.
So if you start checking the floor in airplanes, you may find a really good EDC light for free.
Rami
There is an awful lot of flashlight and other edc topics on this site nowadays. Based on the number of edc topics, like flashlights and knives, on this site nowadays one might think there are more people interested in them than tools. I used to like this site a lot as it had good topics about powertools and handtools as well as good reviews, but nowadays all there is is flashlight this and flashlight that. I feel that this site should be called edcguyd rather than toolguyd. When was the last time we saw a real review of a powertool here?
Stuart
It has become extremely difficult to bench-test power tools during the pandemic shutdown. When I work on projects, I choose tools I know will perform, because taking photos, notes, or the time for quick comparison can delay a project by a week or longer.
From what I’ve seen and experienced, knives and flashlights are used far more than even cordless drills.
Things aren’t standing still behind the scenes, but my pace is greatly affected with everyone home.
I can test flashlights and use hand tools at 11pm at night, whereas it’s less practical to start testing something like a cordless circular saw.
I’ve seen contractors cut things (mainly wire insulation) with their teeth, and try to illuminate dark spaces with $1000 smartphones.
Keep in mind that I can see what’s popular with regulars and the kinds of affiliate links that are driving in sales (although there are no such links in this post). These behaviors tell me what readers are immediately interested in reading about, and what they’re currently buying.
It seems that although you’re not interested in these things, other readers are.
If you’re interested in something else in particular, let me know, I can add it to my schedule.
I also have a sizable queue of content that’s only waiting on photography, which like power tools require sizable spans of uninterrupted time.
If you’re not happy with the editorial schedule, do something about it. Complaining about my choice of topics is a start, albeit not very constructive. Ask a question, pose a request, give me a good idea of what you want to see.
At the same time, I’m making major workshop changes to help facilitate future content. That too is a slow process with everyone being home.
There are day to day obligations I can’t shrug, and I can’t just shut everything else down while I catch up with my content schedule and typical topic balancing.
And in case you weren’t aware, there is an EDCGuyd… http://edcguyd.com/ , but I halted any work on it because I didn’t have time for anything other than ToolGuyd.
Please be patient, and if not, at least mention your greatest immediate need or want, and I’ll see what I can do. There’s room for certain topics to be accelerated or wrapped up and shoehorned into my schedule.
Brady
I fell down the flashlight rabbit hole last year and wound up with the Lumintop Tool AA 2.0. It’s budget friendly, uses a single AA battery or 14500 for increased brightness, fits great in the pocket, and doesn’t have a bunch of useless modes. Illumn has it available with a Nichia 219C emitter for a more neutral color, which is what I prefer. The clip it comes with isn’t very useful, so I’d recommend this one to have it sit deeper in the pocket.
HandyDan
I settled on an Olight I5T eos (in copper, but that is personal preference) for my EDC. I tried other Olights that are rechargeable such as the S1R Baton, the S30R Baton III, the M2R Warrior Pro, even a Seeker 2 Pro, and smaller nonchargeable such as the i3T eos and the 13E eos, but the i5T eos won out in the end for not being too big for me to pocket (either in width such as with the S1R, or length such as all of the other rechargeables), and it is big enough for me to feel like I have a solid grip on it. I don’t need much more on a brightness scale, as I only use a light for quick illumination. If i need much more light, it will probably be something I have foreseen, and will remember to bring a brighter light.
Wayne R.
In all the endless writings about “best light”, I’ve never seen a breakdown of tasks first, then the requirements for each task, *then* the candidates for best in each task category. As a result, all the “this one’s the best” commentary is fairly useless.
(Proposed) Tasks List:
1. Looking in a cabinet for something (find or fix)
2. Small flood for a work area
1. Mag mount
2. Teeth/lip mount, on a lanyard
3. Hat/Head mount
3. EDC Clip/Key/Lanyard Non-Task-Specific, multi-category
4. Find a free dog in a field at night (Spot)
5. Replace dead stage lighting (Flood)
6. Burn a hole through something
In each of these (again, proposed) categories the choices between convenience, beam spread and brightness play a huge role. Very few of the choices available to us can cover more than a couple of those.
So, without identifying a “problem to solve”, identifying a solution is a mess.
Stuart
That’s a good point, but I tend to lump flashlights into much broader classifications.
1. Illuminating at short (arm’s length) distances – small EDC lights and hands-free headlamps
2. Medium indoors distances with larger spaces and different ambient lighting conditions
3. Medium to longer distances outdoors
Beyond this, things get specialized or complicated and fast.
I’ve been focusing on flood, combo, and spot lights, leaving out extreme flood and focused throw flashlights due to their specialty natures.
Consider cordless drills. I could think of maybe 10 different “best cordless drill for [type of task]” headlines off the top of my head and that would still leave out all but the most popular needs. Size/power is perhaps the biggest consideration, and everything else comes after that.
I have been comparing many of the models in the context of work lights – what would the average tech or tradesman need or want to get them through the dim or dark parts of each day? That’s going to result in different recommendations than for someone like myself who might regularly come across all-different types of tasks.
Lonnie Ruybal
Nitecore has some good options for recharging keychain lights that I just carry in my pocket. I’ve used the Tip 360 lumen and Tip2 720 lumen with micro usb the Tip2 has a magnet and a hat clip too I really like and it’s useful .
MtnRanch
I like to see three modes:
Normal brightness for when I want to see stuff outdoors
Dim – for when I want to work up close without blinding myself
Super bright (or “turbo”) only for when I want to impress my friends with my new flashlight.
The feature that I rarely see is a focusable beam – or just spot and diffused.
M@ P@
Having recently gone down this rabbit hole myself looking for an edc tail clicky light:
AAA – streamlight
AA – either the eagtac d25a or the Reylight pineapple
18350/18650 – convoy s2+
I went with the pineapple (using a 14500 lithium battery) and the convoy 18650, but that’s what just happened to suit my preferences.
Tim P
I carried the original Olight S1 for a while and still do occasionally. Had the single AAA flashlights too, and finally landed on a RovyVon Aurora A1. Super tiny, rechargable, and up to a few hundred lumen for a few minutes which is perfect. It’s the small form factor that keeps me snagging it before I head out the door.
That said if I’m heading out for an overnight or trip the ThruNite TC-15 is my go to.
Jp
I learned a ton about lights on candle forums over the years. I own all kind of lights. I can justify it. But the best advice is this always have a set of lanters, and good lights which use alkaline batteries. Its the only thing reliable when there isn’t electricity to charge the other stuff.
Wayne R.
I’ve just “perfected” to reliable a way to extract rotten alkaline cells from badly corroded Mini Maglites. As a result, I’ve also replaced alkalines with plain lithium cells. Also, a good reason to avoid those Maglites for alternatives.
Addison
Seriously, the redLithium is a EDC at 6.65″ compared to Olight 2.48″. Perhaps someone that could be objective about this would be good at this. I’m sorry that you had to go through the stat salad, it seemed like you were confused, or at least trying to confuse the matter farther than needed. There are good lights and tools, these may or may not be the ones that you have bought (or were given to you). When there is a sea change in an industry (like LED light, or rechargeable batteries that are far superior to alkaline) it is your job to figure out what you should suggest that we buy. If you (Stewart) can’t be impartial, don’t do it, have someone else do it. Otherwise we will remember.
Stuart
Please don’t tell me that a customized 18650 light vs customized 16340 light (that does accept other batteries) is your idea of impartial and objective.
I am trying to look at both sides of the debate. If you’re going to claim bias just because I’m happy to examine both sides of the coin and leave it on its edge with neither side winning, so be it.
Things are almost as messy now as when flashlights were advertised based on their emitter wattage ratings. For example, I’m seeing a lot of lights now with 3 different lumen ratings for “high,” depending on duration and temperature.
Sean
My EDC light is a Streamlight microstream usb. The usb, rechargeable, version is brighter and has longer battery life then the aaa version. Perfect size, right amount of light and tough. Can’t go wrong with any of the streamlight offerings really. If you want to go crazy look at the protach hlx, can get with rechargeable battery just plug USB into and use regular batteries as well.
Gerald
This is getting way more complicated than I care to dig through.
David A. VandeBerg
I wish it was American made, but I found a Coast, 1xAA, hatclip, slide focus that I hardly know is in my pocket. I guess I found my go to…..until it quits, I suppose.
Joe H
After years of carrying a 1xRCR123 Sunwayman M11R, I can say I found that my 1×18650 Klarus E1 more comfortable because its not as stubby in my pocket. I hate most pocket clips on flashlights because most are not well secured to the light or hold the light to the pocket very well, but this one is one of the decent ones. It only has 4 outputs and a memory while strobe and sos are hidden. The slightly larger body is better for dissipating heat. I hate flashlights where I can’t just pop in a fresh battery where as this one I can. You charge the battery while its out directly via mini usb. I bought the light with a battery on sale for only $30. The body is barely bigger than the battery and doesn’t have any weird tacticool weird shapes and edges.
Joe H
As far as color temperature and spot/flood/fill ratio this light is perfect in my opinion unless you have a specific use in mind. It is plenty bright to spot something from far a way for a moment before getting warm.
frampton
I one way too many led flashlights. To me, the 16340 has the best combination of size, output, and battery life. I also really like carrying a AAA on my keychain. These get used way more than any other type simply because it’s always there. Brand wise, I am a big fan of Olight (especially during a sale). I also like the Fenix flashlights, especially the PD36R which is USB-C rechargeable. I also have one of their 4×18650 monsters which is shockingly bright but impractically large.
Loyd
I drive for a living. I keep a 3 level rechargeable I found at Tractor supply for only$10. I have had it for a year and it has performed great the entire time. There is no name on the light, just a sticker stating that it is an electrical appliance
Mopar
The options sure are dizzying.
My EDC is an old Surefire L4 Lumamax (CR123x2), and has been for probably about 13 or so years. Before that it was a similar Surefire with a krypton bulb (which still works, but eats batteries compared to LED). I’m sure there are better and brighter lights now, but this thing appears to be bulletproof, and does what I need it to do. I carry it and I use it every single day, and it’s simple and it works.
Jimnsulaw17
Sounds like your old SureFire is either a 6p or G2, depending on from what material the body is made (6p is aluminum alloy, the G2 is a poly). Both take the CR123 and the xenon bulb put out approx 100 lumen with a fresh pair and then settled to a 50-65 light until the batteries crapped out.
The 6p, if all still original, it could be worth something.
Stuart
The great thing about the G2 and 6P is that they can be updated with LED modules.
I have a G2L, the first LED model, and it delivers 80 lumens and is fairly bright for its age. Malkoff M61 LED modules swap in with zero modification, at least in my experience, and instantly modernizes the flashlight with a new light engine.
csroc
I went through a lot of this years ago and haven’t bought a new light in quite some time. I’ve centered primarily on using lights that run AA or AAA batteries because I’d already been heavily invested in LSD NiMH due to camera flashes.
My EDC light on my keys is a Fenix LD01 which I’ve probably been carrying for over 10 years. It gets plenty bright for most uses and has decent runtime on a single AAA.
I’ve got a variety of 2xAA lights which I find to be my ideal next size up. Again the one I reach for the most and keep near my desk is a Fenix LD20.
Headlamps are also something I use fairly regularly, and all the ones I have right now are Petzls. The Zipka somethingorother that I keep near my desk is the second Zipka I’ve owned after busting the housing on the first one. It’s handy for digging in a computer or taking out trash on a dark night.
Finally I have a Jetbeam PA40 as the one surviving 4xAA light that I use occasionally. I’ve used it for painting with light in photography, but also while camping and in other situations where I want a good bit more light output and runtime. It’s got a bit more flood to it than the smaller Fenix LD20 as well. Used to have a Sunwayman of some ilk (before they renamed themselves Sunwayled) but the hall effect sensors in the control ring failed after a number of years of abuse. Won that in a giveaway and really liked it.
Never jumped in to 18650 or other lithium lights and while I’ve owned a few CR123 lights, I’m not a big fan of relying on disposable batteries. That said, a CR123 LED light is probably the best in case of emergency light. I do have a very old Surefire (non LED) that might still be in the glove compartment of my newish car if I didn’t put it in a closet when I got the car 2.5 years ago.
I appreciate the benefits of the 18650 based (or similar) lights, and of the CR123 as mentioned above, but there are so many reasons that I think it’s really hard to say “best light” because each situation, user, and person’s preferences can differ so much. Used to spend some time on candlepowerforums when I was figuring out what I liked and wanted back then and if I ever need to replace lights or find a new need I want to fill I am sure I’ll be back.
Chris Kerry
Seems like a lot of talk about flashlights when I can light my way with a cell phone I already have on me. Can’t cut a board or drive a screw with my cell phone though. Sure, wish there were more tool reviews. Or at least a review of something that did not get enough attention in the past. Seems like there are plenty of other flashlight review websites that already cover all this.
John804
Great article as always, Stuart. I’ve been keeping an Anker LC40 in my work bag because it’s cheap enough to be disposable if something happens to it and it runs fine on rechargeable AAA batteries. It has a strobe setting, however, and that drives me nuts. There’s a ton of good things to look at here. Thank you!
Plaingrain
Running my compact tractor after dark, down dirt roads revealed the need for a better light. I had a 3AAA 150 lumen light. It was ok for checking the fuel gauge on the tractor hood. I noticed a 2000 lumen Cr light, it ran on 9 A A batteries. Light was $29, but the battery costs sky over rechargeable. So many light choices, pretty overwhelming.
Wayne R.
BTW, google up “Brass Belt Hook”. One of those and a piece of paracord on a light works great when walking dogs in the dark (winter, mostly). Extendable leash thing in one hand, poop bag in the other, and the light is dangling from my pants/whatever without my worrying about dropping it in the dang poop (came close a couple of times).
Using corded earbuds on these expeditions with dogs causes lanyard-based lights (that I love) to get tangled too much.
Plaingrain
Could also try putting headlamps on the dogs.
Wayne R.
They’re facing the wrong way.
Koko The Talking Ape
For EDC, I like the Olight i3E. Tiny, simple and durable. Much better than those awful flat guys with the exposed LED lens that take coin batteries. The twist on, twist off switch is unbreakable, and cannot activate accidentally in your pocket. It has a fairly sophisticated total internal reflection (TIR) lens that creates a nice hot spot that eases evenly into a good sized halo. No irritating flashing mode. $10. The only negative is the finish will show wear eventually. They used to sell a silver version that aged better, and had slightly more output to boot, but not any more.
If and when this guy ever wears out, I might get an Olight I1R 2, which is even smaller, rechargeable, offers low and high levels, is slightly brighter on high, and costs $15.
If I need something bigger, then I should’ve prepared better.
And for actual working on cars, etc., I use headlamps.
Karlen English
My favorite flashlight for edc by far is the Armytek Wizard Pro, specifically in the warm light color. It feels more natural in normal use. It’s a multiflashlight so it works as a headlamp or a pocket light. It’s an 18650 and has a magnetic base that a USB charger of theirs can attach to as well to charge it (slow for an 18650 but works for minimal use throughout the day). The light is Waterproof and can survive a fall from 30 meters, can get insanely bright when you need it to or be so dim it doesn’t affect your night vision, it has a nice even flood coverage too with minimal hot spotting.
I’d definitely recommend taking a look at it if you haven’t already!
Joe B.
I second the Lumintop Tool AA . Excellent advice.
taras
From here on in, for my own EDC, I’ll only stick with single cell AA
or 14500 flashlights with at least 150 lumen output, tails witch, focus beam, and a dual direction pocket clip. That’s for pocket carry. Anything bigger is either a single cell 18650, a 2x 18650 headlamp, or a portable worklamp.
I’ll never buy anything that uses the 3x AAA format again. So annoying to deal with less power and runtime for the same price.
Jerry
I recently got a Nebo Redline Flex and as of right now it is my favorite edc flashlight, for when I feel I may need a light. It is a bit bulky to carry all day every day in a pocket but it is the best light for the price I have found. One click for hi, two for low, next click shuts it off. Hold button for 3 seconds for turbo. Has focus beam and is USB rechargeable. There are better lights, but none I have found for less than $30 with rechargeable batteries included.
For DEC carry, to have a light that is bright enough to do some good, and small enough to disappear in your pocket I like the Nitecore TIP. 3 brightness levels, rechargeable, and good balance between small size, brightness, and battery life. USB rechargeable and comes with a removable clip that allows you to clip it to the bill of a baseball bat and use as a headlamp in a pinch
Mike
Got the PL Mini 2, great light and fits well on my Springfield XD-S .45 (my EDC).
Adam
I disagree, I use my Ti D4V2 more than any other since I’ve gotten it. My M2R Pro, S2R2 baton, Perun and mini baton have all been sidelined except for when using the S2R2 inside media blasting cabinets for extra light. Just because a light can go that bright doesn’t mean it has to be cranked up all the time. I recently picked up a KR1 and the throw on it surpasses the Warrior X Pro,
Jeremiah Myers
Zebralight sc64w hi. Best period