I need some good flashlights?

[Steve Mathews]

I never purchased any of the high priced flashlights. Most have been Home Depot specials and the like. Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with them. Any suggestions on a good quality flashlight with the following limitations? I want to purchase about 4 of them.
Dependable
Battery operated, not rechargeable
Not made in China
Only 1 setting, on and off. I don't want to go through a bunch of unnecessary settings like flashing lights, light intensity, etc.
LED
Small and compact using AA or AAA batteries

[Matt Day]

The freebies at HF meet your specifications, except they’re made overseas.

[Dylan Wyatt]

I carry a Pelican 1920 pen light, it has a pocket clip and has high and low intensity. I previously carried a Streamlight Stylus Pro, it was a single brightness. I much preferred Streamlight but got tired of losing the pocket clip since it only snapped onto the light. My opinion is that either of these brands are top notch for 2-AAA pocket flashlights.

[Doug Dawson]

I never purchased any of the high priced flashlights. Most have been Home Depot specials and the like. Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with them. Any suggestions on a good quality flashlight with the following limitations? I want to purchase about 4 of them.
Dependable
Battery operated, not rechargeable
Not made in China
Only 1 setting, on and off. I don't want to go through a bunch of unnecessary settings like flashing lights, light intensity, etc.
LED
Small and compact using AA or AAA batteries

What do you need them for?

[Andrew Hughes]

Fenix makes a very good rechargeable flashlight. Not as good as Surefire but a lot less money.
Theres nothing at Horrible freight anyone needs.

[Erik Loza]

Fenix makes a very good rechargeable flashlight...

Big fan of Fenix here. I own several and love them all. I also have Zebralight; awesome but definitely a "boutique" flashlight. To the OP, I don't think you will find much that is not made in Asia these days.

Erik

[David Bassett]

... Not made in China....

Good luck. You might find Asian or USA with Asian content if you are careful and mean China, not Taiwan, Korea, etc.

Surefire is the classic high quality USA brand, but I'm not sure they're completely USA sourced. (E.g. LEDs, and most semiconductors, are made, assembled, etc. somewhere in Asia. I haven't kept up to current status, there may be exceptions as things change.)

Malkoff is a another significantly US maker. He started making replacement modules for Surefire and Maglite flashlights, before they adopted efficient LED heads, and has since added bodies.

Maglite is a classic US flashlight company and their newer LED designs are pretty decent, though they were late to the game and I'm not familiar with their current models.

That said, most of our lights are older Fenix brands from back when "4-Sevens" was the importer. Simple reliable designs that were well priced. Since Fenix caught on, went to wider distribution, and added features & price. (REI, among others, carries them.) "4-Sevens" brought out his own line which was similar, and I think a good value, but tried to fit around and compete with the Fenix lights he originally carried. Since I was a customer he has retired and Prometheus Lights bought the brand. I don't have experience with them, but know they have a good reputation. All that said I know these products come from Asia, though I'd guess Taiwan. Do your research.



... Battery operated, not rechargeable....

Disposable batteries are wasteful, add up, and often leak and corrode lights. At least consider AA lights with Eneloop rechargeable batteries. (They also make AAA, if you need a really compact light.) You can always revert to standard AAs in an emergency.



... Only 1 setting, on and off. I don't want to go through a bunch of unnecessary settings like flashing lights, light intensity, etc....

I agree, but good luck. I'm sure there are some of the lower end, i.e. less bright ones, that are single intensity on/off interfaces. We've found them over the years. But the brighter lights will almost always have at least a low-power setting because maximum brightness runs the batteries down, and is too much light in many cases, and is a cheap "value add" given the LED will already have electronic circuitry. Check the interfaces you can find them that come on at a usable level, either the previous value or a medium, and don't require fiddling in normal use. (And you will have other modes available for non-normal situations.)

I won't link, because rules, but Candle Power Forums is home to many flashlight fanatics that will be current on all the cutting edge models and modifications. (My favorite excess was the 96" air raid light, which due to it's generator and trailer, was self-powered and mobile and therefore declared a flashlight! :) )

[Tom M King]

I gave up, and just bought a bunch of the 1,000 lumen ones, with Cree LED lamps, that use the 18650 (if I'm remembering that number correctly) rechargeable batteries. Extra batteries are cheap, and I have a 12v charger in the truck, and car, as well as several in the house, and shops.

They were around 10 bucks each off ebay, direct from China, how many ever years ago that was, so I have no idea how much now. I love the light they put out, and tossed all our old Maglites. Like you, I also hate the switches, but have learned to live with them.

Our vet had to make a house call for a horse, and we used one of those lights. He couldn't believe the amount of light, and wanted to know where to get one. I gave him several. That was several years ago, and he's still talking about those flashlights.

I figured I'd replace them when the next better thing comes along, but so far, we haven't tossed many of that first batch.

[Steve Mathews]

Based on comments above I may change my mind on the rechargeable batteries. If they are less prone to leakage then I'm all in. I may also change my mind on the single light intensity if power consumption is an issue with only one bright setting. But absolutely no Chinese stuff! So far Surefire seems to have what I want. The Malkoff line looks good but a lot of what they have on their website is sold out.

[David Bassett]

Based on comments above I may change my mind on the rechargeable batteries. If they are less prone to leakage then I'm all in. I may also change my mind on the single light intensity if power consumption is an issue with only one bright setting. But absolutely no Chinese stuff! So far Surefire seems to have what I want. The Malkoff line looks good but a lot of what they have on their website is sold out.

The Eneloops are bulletproof. (CPF extremists have abused them well beyond reasonable, much less spec'd, duty.) I can't recommend these enough for common use. (CostCo stocks them at a consistently good price. CostCo, or other, sales can beat that if you can wait.) Since they are low-discharge (and so well done) you can leave them sitting in a light and, almost always, have it still work whenever you come back to it.

In AA & AAA, the Energizer Ultimate Lithium (1.5V) batteries are reported to not leak. They also have much better shelf life, for e.g. emergency supplies, than alkaline batteries. They are however more expensive. We have some for possible power outages.

3V disposable Lithium batteries are known to explode* if abused. I think it's mostly from over discharging, when e.g. multiple cells are mismatched and one makes the light seem to work while the other is killed and goes boom.

The 3.7V - 4.2V Lithium-Ion rechargeable batteries are light weight and probably have the highest energy density. (E.g. Tom's 18650 cells.) However they also explode* if abused. I'd use them if I were in emergency services, regularly using and maintaining my lights, and needing the high power settings. As it is, Eneloops in AA work very well and don't require nearly the attention (or luck). More than good enough for the home stuff we use flashlights for.

(*Technically, I'm told, they "vent with flame". However when contained in a sealed aluminum tube... that's a pipe-bomb.)

[Tom M King]

I think some of the ones we're still using from that batch had the Surefire name on them. Others, with no names, look like they came out of the same factory. I did look for the Cree lamps. Parts are interchangable. Not one of the 18650 batteries has leaked, or failed to take a charge. I also bought one 2500 lumen one that takes some larger size battery, but I would only need to use that one if I was racing a car at night, and the headlights failed.

They do drain the battery fairly fast. I never got around to timing it, but they may only last 15 minutes before starting to dim. I keep extra batteries in my pocket if I'm going to be out longer.

These 1000 lumen lights only take one battery, and I've never even had one to get warm. I bought batches from several different suppliers, to see if there was any difference, but now, after finding no differences, they're all mixed together, and I don't grab one in preference to another.

Some old guy told me, when we first moved out in the country on our own, that the two things we would absolutely need were good flashlights, and raincoats. He was right.

[Tom M King]

I just went to look at some of those flashlights here. Some say Ultrafire. Pam says it's been at least five years since I bought them. I bought a bunch the next Christmas, and gave them out as presents. My friend that won the Nobel Prize in Physics called me, and asked where he could get a replacement battery. When I told him that I had also included a charger for the rechargable battery, he found them in the trash.

[Mike Kees]

I still use Maglites,love how tough they are. I have a couple with the LED bulb and they are a step up.

[Tom M King]

I gave all our Maglites to someone for aluminum scrap. The big ones are too big compared to these small ones, and the small Maglites too weak by comparison.

[Chris Fairbanks]

We have Fenix UC35s in all the bedrooms and a few around for more general use. I love them. Super bright with adjustable brightness and nice and small. Good luck

[John K Jordan]

I never purchased any of the high priced flashlights. Most have been Home Depot specials and the like. Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with them. Any suggestions on a good quality flashlight with the following limitations? I want to purchase about 4 of them.
Dependable
Battery operated, not rechargeable
Not made in China
Only 1 setting, on and off. I don't want to go through a bunch of unnecessary settings like flashing lights, light intensity, etc.
LED
Small and compact using AA or AAA batteries

I'm a bit of a flashlight freak and have bought a bunch, some quite expensive. I am incredibly picky about my lights. I give away those that don't measure up.

My hands-down all time favorite flashlight is the Fenix LD22. I use them around the farm, house, shop, cars, crawl spaces, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/Fenix-LD22-2015-Lumens-Flashlight/dp/B01418RAZY
I see from my Amazon orders I've bought eight of these so far.

A small thing, two AA batteries. Fits nicely in back pocket.
Extremely well built.
Comes with clip and lanyard and belt case.

The switch gets an A+ rating in my book:
- it's a simple ON/OFF switch
- has no annoying brain-damaged flashing modes to click through.
- a partial press turns the light on momentarily, press further to click on - perfect for occasional blips of light when walking at night.
- the light is shaped so I can hold it up between two fingers and press the switch on the back with my thumb

The light output gets an A+ rating. The reflector gives a very smooth light pattern.
There are four brightness settings controlled by a SEPARATE switch button on the side.
- the dimmest is perfect for walking around the farm at night (rated at 150 hours on one set of batteries)
- the brightest is like a spotlight - I can spot the horses across the pasture at night (only 2.5 hr battery life)
- you can set the desired brightness once and it never changes by itself, but the different levels are there if you ever need them
There is an SOS and strobe mode but they did it right - only activated by pressing and holding the side switch button

I don't know where they are made.

These lights have been incredibly reliable - never had a failure and I use one every day, carry them when traveling. Some have had a lot of abuse.
Claims waterproof to 10 ft. Machined aluminum, o-ring seals.

I do use the different brightness settings around the farm. I keep two by the door and don't go out at night without one.

Pressing the side button several times to cycle through the levels will tell you if the batteries are running down - when the brightest setting is not much brighter than the next brightest it's time to start thinking about replacing the batteries. The low setting will still work for a long time on nearly dead batteries.

In fact, just thinking about it I think I'll order another one...

JKJ

[mike stenson]

I agree Fenix are great. Made in China. As are pretty much all the lights I have that I like. So, that'll be my total time spent on this thread.

[David Bassett]

... My hands-down all time favorite flashlight is the Fenix LD22. ...

Honestly that looks ideal for the way we use flashlights. (99% of the time we'd have it on low, checking backs of cabinets etc., and could bump it to high for the rare exception, though I might still prefer the 3D Maglite when the dog's squared off with a raccoon and I need to help persuade it to leave. So far bright light has tipped the scales, but a club is sort of comforting to me.)

However, for the OP I don't think it'll work. Amazon is wishy-washy about country of origin saying "Made in the USA or Imported". But in the Q/A the answer is that it comes from " Shenzhen, China".

[Phillip Mitchell]

I don't know where they are made, but I have a handful of different style Nebo LED flashlights and they are awesome.

[Steve Mathews]

John Jordon - The Fenix you mentioned appears to be a nice flashlight albeit a bit more over functioned for my needs. But the made in China is a definite deal breaker for me, especially when there are US made alternatives.

[Peter Kelly]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Maglite-Black-LED-2D-Flashlight-ST2D016/202548490

Made in USA. You can get plastic adapters for Eneloop AAs for use in other battery sized flashlights. I’ve got several LED Maglights and like them a lot.

[Frank Pratt]

If you will not buy anything made in China then you're not going to have the luxury of choosing features. You'll just have to take what you can find, if you can find anything. You can bet that something in any flashlight will be made in China.

[John K Jordan]

I agree Fenix are great. Made in China. As are pretty much all the lights I have that I like. So, that'll be my total time spent on this thread.

Another Fexix light I really like is the HL23 headlamp:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UHZXAYG

Not only does it use a AA battery but it is the lightest weight and most comfortable headlamp I've ever tried. I even bought one for my veterinarian friend for his birthday.

JKJ

[Tom M King]

I just did a search on ebay, to see if the ones I like are available yet with a single function. They are. I ordered a couple from China to see if they are indeed single function switches. Search for Ultrafire 1200 LM single function, if you are interested, or copy and paste the below name in the ebay search box. The body looks the same as the others we've been using for several years. It would be nice to only have an on/off switch.

UltraFire WF-502B Cree XM-L2 U3 LED 1200LM Single Mode Flashlight 18650 Torch

[Steve Mathews]

OK, I ordered a couple of different flashlights mentioned above and will pick up the Maglite from HD that Peter Kelly mentioned. Hopefully at least one will end up to my liking, at which point I will order more to scatter around the property. Thanks everyone for their comments and suggestions. I really had no idea that China had dominated this market area.

[John K Jordan]

... If they are less prone to leakage then I'm all in.

I quit buying Duracell batteries - I’ve had numerous leaks with Duracells over the years. Since I started buying Energizers I’ve had no leaks.

I do use some rechargeable batteries buy prefer standard non-rechargeables. For applications with high drain or where I want long life I buy lithium non-rechargeable, AA, AAA, CR123, etc. Two CR123s can be used in place of one 18650 in many devices.

Tom, do you have a good UV light? I showed one to my vet and he was going to get one. The yellow dye they use to highlight cornea scratches on horses shows up so much better under UV. I use UV for other things such as wood ID and poultry egg testing.

JKJ

[Bruce Page]

My son gave me a Streamlight Stinger a few years ago. Best flashlight I've ever had. Simple on/off and very bright. It is rechargeable tho.

[Ben Helmich]

Lithium batteries store longer and leak less. I use them in lights that absolutely have to work immediately.

[Joe Hendershott]

I also have Maglites from when I first started in public safety 35 years ago. Made in America and made to last.

[Dick Strauss]

I quit buying Duracell batteries - I’ve had numerous leaks with Duracells over the years. Since I started buying Energizers I’ve had no leaks.

I do use some rechargeable batteries buy prefer standard non-rechargeables. For applications with high drain or where I want long life I buy lithium non-rechargeable, AA, AAA, CR123, etc. Two CR123s can be used in place of one 18650 in many devices.

Tom, do you have a good UV light? I showed one to my vet and he was going to get one. The yellow dye they use to highlight cornea scratches on horses shows up so much better under UV. I use UV for other things such as wood ID and poultry egg testing.

JKJ

UV light can help to sterilize surfaces too...

[glenn bradley]

I was going to comment that there are flashlight discussions that go on for pages on sites that cater to this. At 31 posts in 2 days I guess I don't have to point that out ;-) As discussed here, there are tiers of flashlight function and quality targeting different uses. The flashlight you seek is out there. It is often the price that makes me accept a funky feature I don't care about or a point of origin. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) the inexpensive ones change designs frequently as they rely on wow-factor to create sales. The serious brand names mentioned here will have better consistency of offerings and more logical steps to features and price. Good luck.

[John K Jordan]

UV light can help to sterilize surfaces too...

I think you need a fairly short wavelength for sterilizing. The UV flashlights lights I use for fluorescence are 365nm generally referred to as UVA. I do have a sterilizing UVC lamp, high power, runs on AC line voltage. I use it with shielding.

The best I have:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZTTI5G
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014AYMBMQ
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SWW5FHB
The last one is comparable in light to the more expensive lights. The first one is nice since it also has white light, more useful in the woods at night.

Some years ago I bought a very cheap UV light that was quite good.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004R831H0
So I bought some more to give to friends - the maker had switched UV LEDs and the new one was NOT 365nm. I'm guessing it was closer to 400nm, not nearly as useful as 365nm for my use.

JKJ