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Need a great flashlight on a budget.

Emiller22207 said:
A better solution might be better shot placement. Any decent $20 LED flashlight should be fine for following a blood trail. If you wound a deer, best advice is to find the blood trail and let it alone for a few hours to bleed out. Yeah, your buddies will flame you waiting for being a shitty shot, but you earned it.

We typically mark it and go back to camp, eat, have a beer and go back later. We usually find the dead deer nearby. If not, you made a really bad shot.
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Experience has shown that my buddy can't give me shit about shot placement, but he can give me shit for having a crappy flashlight, so here we are. But you are correct.

.
 
Been using a streamlight pro-tac with the 2 CR123 batteries. Working in nighttime aircraft MX it gets used daily. Its been dropped countless times and keeps trucking. I programmed mine for low on first click and super bright on a double click. Mine is 3 years old now.
 
I will see if I can get an idea on range tonight. I have dense wood starting at about 125 yards in my backyard and it lights it up pretty good.
 
Fenix UC35 or PD36r. Both under $100, usb recharging, bright as hell and long battery life, great build quality.
 
2big bronco said:
How far does that throw light compared to a quality smaller flashlight? Is it reasonable to think I could illuminate a coyote 200 yards away in my back yard?
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Probably, here's mine at 100ish yards and dawn lighting up the neighbors house

As far as smaller flashlights I just bought a streamlight protac 2aa for work and it is almost to bright as a penlight.

photo25781.jpg
 
Weasel said:
The ones I posted don't do that.
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I wasn't talking about you, more the cheap ones at Costco. Those ones are OK to throw in the truck or on top of the fridge, better than nothing.

SomeGuy said:
Fenix...I have a PD35 and PD36R...they just came out with a PD40R which is what I'd buy today. 3000 lumens, crazy bright, but rechargeable and easy
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Jesus, I guess theyve upgraded since they made mine. 3000 lumens is insane for that size.



For those using the lights that use 2 cr123s, you can buy a little rechargeable kit that uses a single battery to replace 2 cr123s.
 
Well hell, I guess I'll have to throw away my old maglites leds that I've relied on for the last 30 years.
 
SomeGuy said:
Those have nothing on some of these little Fenix ones...
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Maybe not but I have gone through a lot of other lights and this one is hanging tough, great battery life etc. If he has Dewalt tools it's not a bad optoin.
 
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Fenix fan here. This light has been through hell for 4+ years. I EDC it and use the fuck out of it. Let my kids take it and beat the fuck out of it, the rule is they cant turn it off so its easier to find. It has been found In creeks, mud, glass of OJ and many other environments you shouldn’t put flashlights in routinely. Only issue I had was with some Duracell batteries blowing up in it. Duracell said sorry about that, Fenix said I am sorry our light failed you. Whats your address so we can send you a new one, and please dont use P&G batteries unless its all you can find and then use them sparingly. Some research lead me to learn the P&G batteries tend to off gas more than others and that could lead to the batteries blowing up. I switched to Panasonic enelope and haven’t looked back. I went with Fenix originally because they have lights available that dont take 123’s or other special batteries. Because AA’s that are easier to source.
 
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I'm gonna throw down a HF flashlight.

http://www.hfcoupons.com/hfweb/big_...om/harbor_freight/l_coupons/20200930_mxs2.jpg

I usually buy the one below that end up like $5 after coupon.

https://www.harborfreight.com/65-lumen-pocket-flashlight-63936.html

65 lumens and is as bright as my dad's $40 streamlight.

In another life I used to keep 2-3 of these handy when I used to troubleshoot thermoform tooling on site. bright enough to see all the way across the tool from one side, but cheap enough if I lost or crushed it I was out $5.

I'm planning on buying another 2-3 once they spit out a coupon again.
 
I bought this one about 6 months ago based off a post from the old site. I haven't put it through a ton of abuse yet, so I can't speak to how well it will hold up long term, but so far very impressed. Very bright, light up the forest bright! I used it on a 11 day camping trip, I don't remember charging it during the trip and I know I haven't charged it since. That was 3 months ago and it's still going strong. Worth checking out for $30.

Edit to add- its a Anker Rechargeable Bolder LC90 LED Flashlight

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...91812054244-20
 
Thefishguy77 said:
Only issue I had was with some Duracell batteries blowing up in it. Duracell said sorry about that, Fenix said I am sorry our light failed you. Whats your address so we can send you a new one, and please dont use P&G batteries unless its all you can find and then use them sparingly. Some research lead me to learn the P&G batteries tend to off gas more than others and that could lead to the batteries blowing up. I switched to Panasonic enelope and haven’t looked back. I went with Fenix originally because they have lights available that dont take 123’s or other special batteries. Because AA’s that are easier to source.
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This is really great information, I've had batteries fuck things up before but never considered different brand batteries behave differently.

RE: original topic, I have several streamlights I like a lot, great combo of cost/value and performance.
 
jeepyj said:
I was over cleaning out the woods for hunting season. I lost a deer last year in the dark so my hunting buddy / landowner says he has a new rule. You need a good flashlight. I don't care about tacticool shit on my belt and it doesn't have to fit in my pocket. Big is fine. It'll sit on the Kubota until we need it. If it fits in my pocket by accident, that's fine, but the main criteria is 'bright as fuck'. Let's say I want it to be less than $100 and turn night into day. What have you got?
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This flashlight was designed by flashlight nerds from budgetlightforum.com. That is why it is named BLF. It is in your price range and will do exactly what you want.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085KZ7BD6...91812054244-20


Search BLF Q8 in Youtube for some reviews. It is a great light.


Edit: Here is another good one that doesn't need a separate charger.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KFDS8ZS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_b30CFb27MJQGQ
 
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For headlamp I swear by my Princeton Tec https://princetontec.com/product/apex-pro/

Steamlight I used at the shop and never had problems. I am curious to try the Fenix brand stuff, but my next light has to be usb rechargeable, tired of dealing with batteries.

Have a Surefire I got as gift, sits in the office because it was $200, with a box full of CR123s in case SHTF
 
Fenix, Olight are decent lights. For work when my life could literally depend on it I use a streamlight protac hl-x. It lights up everything.
 
2big bronco said:
How far does that throw light compared to a quality smaller flashlight? Is it reasonable to think I could illuminate a coyote 200 yards away in my back yard?
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It looks like it may get a little washed out by the time it gets 200 yards out, it would probably work just no pencil beam. I had the Stanley 2200 lumen fatmax. It had a tighter beam but I left it outside one night and the morning dew killed it.
 
Pulled the trigger on the Fenix PD40R V2.0 . gave them my email and they gave me 20% off and free shipping so it came in at <$96. :grinpimp: I'm happy with that.
 
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I've had one of these JobSmart 1800 lumen flashlights from Tractor Supply Company for over a year now and have been really impressed with it. No fancy SOS or strobe mode, but for good beam throw and battery life, this is awesome. Aluminum body, has a spring loaded loop on the back to hang it or something. I have dropped it and used it almost every day.

It uses 18650 batteries (2) and comes with 2 plus a charger. For $40, it is a killer light.

jobsmart1800.jpg
 
Any updates?

We've been having some bear issues lately which is a good excuse for a good flashlight. I just picked up a fenix head lamp, that is pretty sweet.

I wanted the 3000 lumen fenix but 1 has twist on only and the other you have to take the battery out to charge it. I just want one with a simple type c charger. I've been looking on their website, but there are so many different types, it's overwhelming :laughing:

Not opposed to other brands either in the ~$125 or less range.
 
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