1w ago

Looking for reliable "all around" flashlight in the ~$100 price range

Pretty overwhelming to try and pick one from the hundreds and hundreds of options out there. What I’m looking for:

Reliablility
Not an EDC light per se, but I’d like it to fit in a pocket when needed
USB-C charging and removable battery
Good battery life
1000 - 1500 lumens is plenty for my use.
A tool, not a toy
The simpler the UI, the better - all I basically need is moonlight mode and around three brightness settings
Adjustable beam would be nice
Bonus: one-click turbo mode (for self-defense)

So basically, something that’s not too bulky to carry around, but something I’d be glad to have with me if I were stranded in a dark forest and kept hearing scary noises around me. ChatGPT recommended the Fenix PD35 V3.0, though it doesn’t have an adjustable beam.

13 comments

I was in the same boat. A friend recommended this one to me. I got it and haven't looked back. Debating on a second one. https://thrunite.com/bss-v6-pro-green/

I'm going to suggest a headlamp instead of a handheld flashlight since it's incredibly useful to not have to hold the light to see what you are doing. And you can always hold it in your hand and use it as a flashlight. Particularly, while I realize that the price is outside the range you said (it's a heck of a lot lower), I think the Wurkkos (Boruit?) H25S is an incredible value at $15 shipped (FIFTEEN DOLLARS):
https://wurkkos.com/products/d25s-waterproof-headlamp-18650-headlight
It has 1200 lumens, 4 levels, fairly sane UI, USB-C charging, and uses an 18650 cell included with the light. I have the H25LR version (similar but has a 500 lumen white led and a night vision red led, instead of two 500 lumen white leds) and reviewed it here: https://lemmy.world/post/22928160
I use it all the time, it's solid, or if you're worried about reliability then heck, buy five of them and have $$ left over from your $100. There are a bunch of other variants too, though I don't know exactly what the differences are.
Obviously you can find more expensive headlamps if that's what you really want, but there is not any need imho.
I also like the HD10 which runs Anduril and is smaller, but it uses a 14500 cell with much less capacity.
- Thanks, but I have multiple headlamps already. I'm looking for a handheld device.
  
  Hmm, well, I'll defer to others then. You could look at Zak's buyers' guide, https://zakreviews.com/arbitrary-list.html
  I tend to only want Anduril lights to have consistent UI. TS10 Max seems nice but it doesn't have USB charging:
  https://wurkkos.com/products/ts10-max-18650-version
  It looks like the battery it comes with has its own USB charging port though, so that's almost as good. I find it annoying to have to find my external charger for lights and batteries without that.

I quite like sofirn flashlights. I don't have a handheld from them but their headlamps and lantern served me well.
I think most of not all have USBC charging, standard removable lithium batteries and aluminum body.

Of all the flashlights I own, one of two is always with me:
OLight Arcfield Pro. It's chonky and uses that OLight proprietary magnetic charger, and no USB-C. However, I carry out around the house, use it all the time, and charge it maybe once a year. I'm not exaggerating. Seriously, I sometimes think it has some perpetual energy device in it, but probably the battery is simply massive. Using the blacklight sucks the battery down, but using the laser and regular white light LEDs it just lasts forever. There's no noticeable passive drain over time, either. At just under $100, if I could have only one flashlight, it'd be this. It is still comfortable to carry in jeans, and I've left home with it forgetting it was in my pocket, but I generally don't like to have a lot of stuff in my pockets. So,
the second is an EDC, and is currently in one of my pants pockets somewhere. It's one of those little Rovyvon (or knock off, or one Rovyvon knocked off) keychain lights. It's a metal (titanium?) body but has RGB LEDs in the body, which makes me think it's not a Rovyvon because I think all of their's like that are clear plastic bodies; but it's of that design. Acebeam makes one almost indistinguishable, IIRC. USBC charged, and it fits in a jeans coinpouch; it's even small enough to fit in a standard women's jeans pocket! The battery lasts a long time and also has imperceptible battery drain, and I don't fret about keeping it charged; the battery indicator gives plenty of warning, good for another night's use before going empty. That's around $60.
Now I have to go digging and find the keychain light; usually I keep it on my valet, but I sometimes forget to empty my pockets and especially the coin pouch, which is where I usually carry it.
Honestly, I could probably get rid of every other flashlight and keep just those two; they're the only two I ever use.
- RovyVon Aurora A8 is probably the keychain light you’re referring to. I’m planning on getting that one as well, but like you said, it’s a bit more of an EDC light than what I’m looking for here.
  The Arkfeld was what I originally had my eye on, but the proprietary connector is a dealbreaker for me. I’m hoping they’ll release a new version with USB-C, as the current model doesn’t comply with EU regulations — but I’ll probably end up buying another one before that ever hits the market.
  
  Yeah, maybe, but mine's all metal, not that clear plastic. And I've been searching for it all morning and can't find it!
  The Arkfeld doesn't check a lot of your boxes; there's no beam adjustment like you wanted, either. I've got a lot of lights and it's the one that's always in my pocket. I agree, the bespoke charger is a not ideal. It does allow for that fantastic tail magnet. The lack of USBC would bother me more if the battery wasn't so insanely high capacity. I'm not kidding; I think I've charged it twice in the 2 years I've owned it. It's almost comical. The UV has been handy, and the laser more in theory than practice, but I'm glad it's there. The UI is really simple; I like the hardware mode switch.
  Anyway, they'll probably do a USBC version, but that doesn't help you right now. Good luck.
  
  Got it. Jetbeam mini one, metal body.
  I don't like those polymer bodies, but I wanted the multi-color LED options, and the Jetbeam had those. USB-C charging, metal body, RGB&UV, all in a keychain. Plus, it was, like, $35. Probably not as nice as an Aurora, but it had all the features, and it's survived heavy use. I'd get it again.

Good flashlights usually don't have adjustable beams. Zoom mechanisms are bulky, optically inefficient, and aren't very durable or waterproof.
The Acebeam EC35 II or T36 would be exactly what you're looking for if you could get one. Unfortunately both are discontinued. If the Acebeam L16 2.0 isn't too fat to put in your pocket in a pinch, that might work.
- Thanks, I'll look into that one.
  Yeah, you're probably right about the adjustable beam. I guess what I meant by that was more that I'd like it to have a floodlight as well. I know some brands do this by having two different lenses and emitter. I assume that a good one like that would likely be outside my price range
  
  It's a separate piece to carry, but a diffuser is one solution to that.
  The Loop Gear SK05 Pro is an interesting option for $120, but the UI isn't simple and there's a lot of toy in its feature set. I suggest the Nichia LEDs for their superior color rendering, but I think this probably isn't what you're looking for.

My most used is the nightcore keyring light. It's old so has micro USB but I'm sure the new ones will come with usb-c.
I'm not very happy with my fenix AA LD12 as when the battery gets low it dies suddenly rather than dims out.

13 comments