What's The Best Flashlight for $25 or less

[Industrial Toys]

Duracell makes a three pack of alluminum (black,sliver and green) variable focus flashlights sold at Costco.

Great price and a great flashlight when they work. I have endless issues with the AAA cells loosing contact in the holder. Anyone else have this issue? Maybe with the old junkie plastic D cell flashlights, there was enough battery mass to jiggle them and restore contact. Not so with AAA cells I guess. Maddening for such a high quality flashlight.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Duracell makes a three pack of alluminum (black,sliver and green) variable focus flashlights sold at Costco.

Great price and a great flashlight when they work. I have endless issues with the AAA cells loosing contact in the holder. Anyone else have this issue?

Exactly! That's an impossible feature of those useless chargers. BTW, I have three of them available for anyone that wants them for the price of a postage stamp.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Thanks to all for the replies so far.

You're not going to get anywhere near a "best" flashlight for $25.

If this guy is "hard to buy for", is it because he always demands the highest quality, or is it just because he never tells anyone what he wants?...

I understand that I'm not going to get the top of the line at $25, but I hope that I can get something better than what's in the average kitchen drawer.

To me the best flashlight is some combination of bright, rugged, and long battery life. I personally don't really seek out a lot of fancy features, but I'm open to arguments about how useful advanced features are.

BIL runs a trucking company and, as a result, a truck maintenance shop. He's hard to buy for because he's not the kind that needs a lot of stuff, and what he needs he usually gets for himself. Some guys have hobbies, and you can always get them golf balls, ammo, sports team memorabilia, or whatever applies. This guy works a lot, and I don't know if he has any hobbies that would apply in this situation.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I bought the "Atomic Beam" light at Walmart and it has a phenomenal beam that is focused from flood to tight beam. It was $20. Later I found on the net a almost the same light for $6 so I ordered 3 of them and gave my neighbor one. They are a bit lighter than the Atomic Beam but have all the same features and light output.

For the price, they seem to work very well. I have had them for about a year now and none of the 3 that I kept have ever malfunctioned. I keep them scattered around the house for emergency lights. The focused beam is great for looking for deer or coyotes at night and since it uses AA batteries, it is very easy to just stick in your pocket. They also have the tactical lens housing which can be used as a good weapon if necessary. It would leave a very ragged cut to a perps face in an emergency situation.

 

[ovrszd]

Thanks to all for the replies so far.



I understand that I'm not going to get the top of the line at $25, but I hope that I can get something better than what's in the average kitchen drawer.

To me the best flashlight is some combination of bright, rugged, and long battery life. I personally don't really seek out a lot of fancy features, but I'm open to arguments about how useful advanced features are.

BIL runs a trucking company and, as a result, a truck maintenance shop. He's hard to buy for because he's not the kind that needs a lot of stuff, and what he needs he usually gets for himself. Some guys have hobbies, and you can always get them golf balls, ammo, sports team memorabilia, or whatever applies. This guy works a lot, and I don't know if he has any hobbies that would apply in this situation.

He sounds like me. I've got several cheap flashlights laying around that I got as gifts. Usually by the time I have a need for one, it's batteries are dead.

Maybe an inkpen sized light that clips in his shirt pocket??

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

He sounds like me. I've got several cheap flashlights laying around that I got as gifts. Usually by the time I have a need for one, it's batteries are dead.

Maybe an inkpen sized light that clips in his shirt pocket??

I second the Ink pen light, as a guy that has many quality lights, the cheaper lights I’m given just end up in a drawer with the batteries taken out so they don’t corrode the light, I might pull one out a few times a year to use, the rest of the time I use the quality lights I bought which I keep on myself all the time so I’m never without light.

I was given a few of these and I tend to use them more than a regular flashlight around the house, they sell 3 packs around $20 I think. This type of light is good in a car, truck or around the house.

Amazon.com: Blocklite 6 LED Mini Flashlight w/Energizer 9 Volt Battery, Surprisingly Bright: Sports & Outdoors

The ones I have are yellow and are either Duracell or energizer brand.

When I’m buying for someone hard to buy for or one I don’t know much about I go for useful over sentiment and give cash or a gift card to some place they actually shop.

 

[JRobyn]

I have TWO very different flashlights that I have used for many years and that I heartily endorse. Both are VERY inexpensive.

My all-time favorite flashlight for almost everything is the tiny Gerber Tempo - Gerber 22-87 Tempo Compact LED Flashlight, Metallic Green - Basic Handheld Flashlights - Amazon.com

No longer being made, but there's NOS available on e-bay, etc.. The only way to get it may be to buy the "combo" with a small knife. So that brings it up near the $25 target. They are so small that they just disappear in a pocket, so can ALWAYS be right there with you. Perfect size to clamp in your teeth to illuminate whatever "close up" project you're working on. Like looking for that contact, pulling a splinter, or looking for cracks in that carb float. Incredibly bright for a single LED. Plenty bright enough for walking at night. The AAA battery lasts in mine for about a YEAR with almost daily use. I've carried my current one every day for about 10 years - long enough that most of the green anodizing is worn away. NO problems or failures. It's good to smear a little lube on the o-ring that seals the case whenever the battery gets changed. I've bought a couple of spares in case my daily carry ever wears out.

The other is the cheap, rechargeable "lantern" from Harbor Freight. The batteries in these seem to last forever. The ad doesn't say that the batteries are Li-I, but they act like they are. I assume they're just Ni-Cad. Perfect for dog walking when you're around the deep woods, as the beam can penetrate well to look for lurking coyotes.

3 Watt LED Rechargeable Cordless Spotlight

 

[Industrial Toys]

My favorite for a while was a black alluminum flashlight I got on clearance at TSC. Unscrew the end, and it plugged into a lighter socket. No batteries or adapter/charger to loose. Finally the nicads gave up. Should open it and replace them.

 

[Teachu2]

Close as I can get: https://www.walmart.com/ip/MagLite-LED-3-D-Cell-Flashlight-Gray/14321403

 

[techman]

I will throw in my two cents. I have 2 of these. A great pocket flashlight, much better than a Mag. 3 intensities, long battery life, glass lens and a positive click switch. Highly recommended.

Amazon.com: Lumintop tool aaa mini edc flashlight with 1 aaa battery handheld flashlight keychain flashlights: Sports & Outdoors

paul