Looking for a good quality rechargeable flashlight

[Brian Runau]

Anyone use a rechargeable flashlight? Looking for a bright unit for lighting distances? We have small units for closer work, but need something for 20ft+ thanks brian.

[roger wiegand]

Look at the offerings from Fenix. Incredibly bright lights, very robust. (Also very pricey.) The rechargeable headlamp I got from them is the best I've ever used, by a mile.

[Tom M King]

I gave a bunch for Christmas several years ago, and bought several for us off ebay. People still thank me for those flashlights. They were pretty cheap then, and we haven't lost one battery yet. Do a search on ebay for Cree 1000 LM 18650

There are some that are even brighter than 1000 lumens. We have a couple of those but even the 1000 lM ones go through a charge in 10 or 15 minutes and the stronger ones faster.

There are some brands that cost multiple times what the cheaper ones do, but I can't tell the difference in them.

The multi function switches are aggravating. Try to find one with a single function switch. Back when I bought ours there was a seller selling single function switches, so I bought those and changed out all the switches.

The 18650 is the battery size designation. These flashlights are small enough to fit in your pocket. We have one that's 2500 lumens and takes a bigger battery, but we rarely grab that one. Cree is the manufacturer of the bulb. We didn't get on good with their house LED's, but have never lost one of the flashlight ones.

[Ron Selzer]

If light output is the main consideration and size is down the list. Then look into what flashlight your battery provider makes. DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi etc. There are some that reach way out there, price reflects how far out.

[Mike Henderson]

Costso had these on sale (https://www.amazon.com/FEIT-Rechageable-Flashlight-Lumens-Power/dp/B0CB55V5DD)for about $30 and I bought four or five of them. They come with a removable rechargeable battery, or you can put standard (or rechargeable) C- cells in them. The light is bright and a charge lasts a long time. They have both a USB-A and USB-C port for charging them (the C port will charge faster). There are four small blue LEDs by the on/off switch to indicate the status of the charge.

You can adjust the size of the beam by turning the lens part of the flashlight. I would prefer if it adjusted to a smaller beam, but it's okay.

Mike

[Warren Lake]

my fav are the Supra Beams Lee used to sell,. Had two with one on charge while using one, the hands free is what I need. The beam could be focused to a point and shoot really far run time was good depending on full bright or not,. Lee stopped carrying them but they did email me back the company from Denmark and Lee likely has another model now and maybe hand held. Ive used the headlight so much over the years that ive worn out different aspects. Past they had three year warranty on them with Lee as well. VR3 was the model from memory they were not cheap but for my overall use over the years then for sure good value.

[George Yetka]

Olight. is a great bang for your buck flashlight. I have a dozen or so in all kinds of sizes and functions. They are rated by throw some of them have 100's of yards.

It depends what you plan on using it for

The seeker 4 is a bit large for daily pocket use but is 4500 lumen
The baton 3 is great for in the pocket 1500 lumens 166 meter throw.

Most of their rechargables use a magnet that clips itself to the tailcap but some of the much cheaper ones use a usb

[George Yetka]

Brian if you end up going with olight I can email coupon 10 off 60 or 15 off 100

[Brian Runau]

Look at the offerings from Fenix. Incredibly bright lights, very robust. (Also very pricey.) The rechargeable headlamp I got from them is the best I've ever used, by a mile.

Very nice, but pricey. Brian

[Brian Runau]

Costso had these on sale (https://www.amazon.com/FEIT-Rechageable-Flashlight-Lumens-Power/dp/B0CB55V5DD)for about $30 and I bought four or five of them. They come with a removable rechargeable battery, or you can put standard (or rechargeable) C- cells in them. The light is bright and a charge lasts a long time. They have both a USB-A and USB-C port for charging them (the C port will charge faster). There are four small blue LEDs by the on/off switch to indicate the status of the charge.

You can adjust the size of the beam by turning the lens part of the flashlight. I would prefer if it adjusted to a smaller beam, but it's okay.

Mike

Thanks Mike.

[Brian Runau]

Brian if you end up going with olight I can email coupon 10 off 60 or 15 off 100

Thank you George. Very generous. I think the one at Costco will work for us. Won't use it a lot, but when you need it... Brian

[Tom M King]

I found the brand name of the ones I bought several years ago. We have these is all sorts of places to have one handy when needed. These are also the ones I gave as gifts. This particular ad doesn't look like it includes batteries and charger, but those go pretty cheap on ebay too. 18650 batteries.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/121540776185?hash=item1c4c6510f9:g:fbsAAOSwd2Bjgik u&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4F5t%2BrZKSnbENaqxCnKTaZfLW%2 F6yiBq0u6xs5Jc2H5E7GYTMmfqiYkNW4khylWnfFCwL3Tc7i6b 99adTUb8OaF5QihrnHQMAamXLaPKk1jVRopmYbhSiD1rgX2RqJ AgsoK74Ci6UPoCnmdMaXsUW23xuyQRqJyW3FZg5VxtEJ9PLqO% 2BAODK1Am%2B%2F4VCcQk0IIFeKNk2zmugSs6tfcBAoYjyWCjP xY1d%2Bk%2FM91gbux1BnH7vjvanNLjAf5I3VyD0PpEXeJFEur OxdwPtJwz06VW1BzHAX9HFqYhAF5Tzbg1PS%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8 CdsL7xYg

I think I ordered a couple of dozen from China back then. This is a typical package with batteries and charger. The flashlight only holds one battery.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166288402357?hash=item26b78fa7b5:g:rqEAAOSwnjxk4NU 0&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0G5uP0fVDo89rWBroXhyJAW2eNqKL WNoe17a%2FTx%2BeR9AJHDfv1E4irPxEweE%2F8aoDk3BFKd9a N8r%2FSdc4JglaqvZs2W5m%2Fa5KrLSDQ%2FXJQJo6FPDpKDXD xpyBY8lv3gGwLSwlda9u00r8amyXp52xETOaBO3hvp%2F6f27e 65QSXEKe0PkgRfujqOmuMVJYvvPFMg8jVrFblhakJeC5A7STXk SjX5YbfgMtCkqT1iDgcpcqHN%2Bg8RKNef%2FMm3N6PNqGGZFC 3amkCVbeydBG9BZTw4%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5rj677xYg

[Mike Henderson]

For small flashlights to put around the house, I bought these (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0947C9VSJ). They're surprisingly bright and use just four AAA cells. Price isn't too bad, either.

Mike

[Mike Soaper]

I've been happy with this energizer 1000 lumen ipx7 waterproof flashlight for spot lighting over 20'. I bought it about 3 yrs ago for about $13 after a $12 discount coupon on Amazon but it doesn't seem to be available there now.

Amazon.com: ENERGIZER Rechargeable LED Flashlight S1000, Easy Carry Handle, Ultra Bright 1000 Lumens, IPX7 Waterproof LED Spotlight Flashlight, Rugged Metal Body (USB Cable Included) : Tools & Home Improvement (https://www.amazon.com/ENERGIZER-Rechargeable-Spotlight-Powerful-Resistant/dp/B09BZZ7XHL)

[Patrick McCarthy]

John Jordan (hope you are doing well, sir) recommended Fenix LD22 a few years ago. i got one and became a believer. I have since gotten at least 6 more and gave as gifts to my wife, my kids and sons-in-law. The most recent version (2.0) has a rechargeable (via USB) battery and 800 lumens. About the size of a cigar or Magic Marker. I keep one clipped to my work pants all the time. About $60 but well worth it.

Previously i have had lights ranging from the the big ole Maglight to Lee Valley LEDs to Duracell and anything Costco has sold in the past 15 years.. The Fenix beats them all for my purposes. Cry once and then smile each time you use it.

[Earl McLain]

Good, durable, reliable and tough--Streamlight. Their Survivor Atex will penetrate well beyond 20' and also has excellent smoke/vapor penetration without defusing. They are not cheap, or even inexpensive. In a smaller version, the ProTac is an excellent little light as well. Our volunteer fire department issued ProTacs for helmet mount and Survivors for bunker coat chest pockets. Bought a ProTac for each of my wife and my own night stands--only light i'd trust to get me out of a fire (at least in that small size--Survivor would be gaudy on the night stand!!). I have a Survivor as a regular use light--holds charge a very long time.

Buying them was "cry once" for sure--but that was 6 years ago and i may never buy another.

[Jerome Stanek]

My go to one for long distance is this one I got bundled

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-600-Lumens-LED-USB-Lithium-Compact-Flashlight-Kit-3-Mode-with-Battery-and-Charging-Cable-FVL51K/322489733?g_store=&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D25H-025_005_SEC_SAFETY-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-SafetySecurity_Priority&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D25H-025_005_SEC_SAFETY-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-SafetySecurity_Priority-71700000113773712--

[Brian Runau]

Costso had these on sale (https://www.amazon.com/FEIT-Rechageable-Flashlight-Lumens-Power/dp/B0CB55V5DD)for about $30 and I bought four or five of them. They come with a removable rechargeable battery, or you can put standard (or rechargeable) C- cells in them. The light is bright and a charge lasts a long time. They have both a USB-A and USB-C port for charging them (the C port will charge faster). There are four small blue LEDs by the on/off switch to indicate the status of the charge.

You can adjust the size of the beam by turning the lens part of the flashlight. I would prefer if it adjusted to a smaller beam, but it's okay.

Mike

Got one of these in store for $21. Thanks brian

[Erik Loza]

Brian, sounds like you found what you were looking for but I wanted to put in another good word for Fenix flashlights. I have purchased several over the years and they continue to be my go-to brand. Not inexpensive but also, not unreasonable IMHO. I use headlamps quite a bit (including shop work) and one thing that sold me on higher-end flashlights was the lack of eye fatigue I experienced with brands like Fenix or Zebralight. The “budget” headlamps/flashlights seemed OK if it was only using one for a few minutes but doing something like working under the house/crawlspace or under a vehicle for an hour or two, the light quality and color temperature of the higher-end flashlights made everything easier. Just my 2-cents and glad you found what you were looking for.

Erik

[Cameron Wood]

The best ones IME are USB bike lights. I have various ones- very bright & run many hours. Even the cheap ones on Amazon are decent, although they may not last as long as the better quality ones.

https://www.amazon.com/CECO-USA-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Resistant-Headlight/dp/B07HDWR5CC/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3HT0QINWC1UQG&keywords=600+lumen+USB+bike+light&qid=1699030107&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=600+lumen+usb+bike+light%2Csporting%2C122&sr=1-9

[Curt Harms]

Thank you George. Very generous. I think the one at Costco will work for us. Won't use it a lot, but when you need it... Brian

How fast do the batteries in rechargeable flashlights self discharge? Or do they? My concern with flashlights as Brian alludes to is that it's been months since I needed that flashlight so never charged it then when I did need it, it would be dim if it worked at all. Newer non-rechargeable batteries are supposed to stay usable for up to 10 years. How long can rechargeable batteries go without being used or charged?

[roger wiegand]

It varies with different manufacturers. For an 18650 Li-ion battery like a small flashlight or headlamp (or Tesla) might use the rate averages between 0.5 and 3% per month under reasonable storage conditions. The loss rate isn't linear, the battery will lose charge faster when stored at a high SOC, but that rate of loss drops off pretty quickly. Loss rate is higher at higher temperatures, as well as at very low temperatures (eg -20F). NiMH batteries lose charge much more quickly and are not as good for seldom used items. That said, my camera flash with NiMH cells has gone 2-3 years without use and still functioned, at least for a little while.

[Steve Demuth]

I second this. I bought my wife a Dewalt 20V rechargeable 6 or 7 years ago, with 2 batteries and a recharger. Haven't worried about night lighting since. It sits on the woodbox in our mud room, near where we come and go, and has been a complete success - bright LED light, focus ring, and long life. We haven't used any other flashlight since, and this light gets a lot of use during lambing and other winter activities, since we have no general yard lighting.

[John Goodin]

I bought a Led Lenser M7R, now P7R, 13 years ago for work. It throws a bright flood beam and is quite bright. After dropping it 7 feet onto concrete they fixed it for free and quickly. It has been dropped and banged hundreds of times since then.

The 18650 battery lasted ten years before I replaced it with another I had bought with original purchase. I hesitated at dropping 100 bucks but seriously consider it to be the second best purchase I ever made, right behind a light blue 1984 Honda Accord.