Best of the cheap handlheld LED flashlights?

[me@privacy.net]

Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
good?

Some are 3 watt units for abt $20

[Chalo]

m...@privacy.net wrote:
>
> Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
> good?
>
> Some are 3 watt units for abt $20

I've been making and buying high-flux LED flashlights for a few years
now. The time has finally come where one can buy a really high
performing LED light for less than the cost of components to build
your own, and you don't have to be part of a secret society to find it
either.

Be warned that most of the commercial lights I have bought are junk.
Stick with ones that are know to offer decent quality and performance
for the price.

The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's, and it blows away lights
for which I have paid $120 or more (and those I made by hand from the
best parts then available). Unlike previous flashlights with
comparable light output, it's a convenient size for mounting on a
bike.

Chalo

[richard]

Speaking of WallyWorld (and I have yet to actually test this in the
field), in their sporting goods section they had a cluster of 3 LEDs
that replace the bulb and reflector in a Mini-MagLight (the two AA version).

Anyway, I bought one of these way back in July, but it's not been out of
the house since.

me@privacy.net wrote:
> Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
> good?
>
> Some are 3 watt units for abt $20

[russellseaton1@yahoo.com]

On Jan 14, 12:24*pm, m...@privacy.net wrote:
> Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
> good?
>
> Some are 3 watt units for abt $20

http://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html

On this webpage it talks about the Lowes flashlight mentioned by Chalo
and how to make sure you get the new CREE version. Also shows the
Fenix light. I have both the Lowes and Fenix. If getting the Fenix,
get it from a place that says it is the NON orange peel reflector.
The orange peel reflector is too wide, not narrow enough. Even for
flashlight use I think the orange peel reflector is too wide angle.
The Lowes is very narrow beam. Maybe too narrow for a flashlight.

[Werehatrack]

On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:24:09 -0600, me@privacy.net may have said:

>Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
>good?
>
>Some are 3 watt units for abt $20

My personal favorite is the 3W two-C-cell unit sold by Advance Auto
Parts for $20. Close behind that is the Task Force unit mentioned by
Chalo, which is at least as good if not better, but not as economical
to acquire. Definite disappointments include the two-AA factory-LED
MagLite, which has an anemic output, and all of the multi-LED lights,
which are just uniformly pretty much useless. A surprisingly good LED
conversion is the 5W TerraLux setup for the 2AA magLite, which
provides a wider bright spot than most of its competitors...if at a
lower spot brilliance. Unfortunately, it's also not as cost-effective
as might be desired, at $20 for the LED and replacement reflector.
The shorty 3W Task Force unit that uses the 3 AAA battery setup is a
decent light if you don't need a lot of runtime, and it has the
advantage of being light and compact. Several compact higher-wattage
CREE lights are on the market, but the ones I've seen are usually set
up to use the largely-unavailable-in-the-US CR123a batteries, which is
a definite minus. (I have one, and it definitely has assault-level
light output capable of stunning your victim; Do Not Shine Directly In
The Eyes Of Anyone Nearby.)

Sadly, the one accessory which has still eluded me is a sturdy,
inexpensive and reliable handlebar mount for such lights; everything
I've run across was either flimsy plastic (beware the ones from Hong
Kong; they have a half-life of a couple of blocks), poorly designed
(fifteen minutes of fiddling with shims to mount the clamp, and no
dismount of the light without a tool is Not Acceptable), well out of
my price range ($50 for a well-made aluminum unit was just too much)
or not secure on hard bumps (the lone spring-clip mount I've tried.)



--
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Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

[* * Chas]

"Chalo" <chalo.colina@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:37f58587-44fc-42b2-ae93-ac39d7918b2b@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> m...@privacy.net wrote:
> >
> > Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
> > good?
> >
> > Some are 3 watt units for abt $20
>
> I've been making and buying high-flux LED flashlights for a few years
> now. The time has finally come where one can buy a really high
> performing LED light for less than the cost of components to build
> your own, and you don't have to be part of a secret society to find it
> either.
>
> Be warned that most of the commercial lights I have bought are junk.
> Stick with ones that are know to offer decent quality and performance
> for the price.
>
> The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
> with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's, and it blows away lights
> for which I have paid $120 or more (and those I made by hand from the
> best parts then available). Unlike previous flashlights with
> comparable light output, it's a convenient size for mounting on a
> bike.
>
> Chalo

Why settle for just a flashlight when you can have much more....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIOIM6hHBk

Chas.

[me@privacy.net]

Chalo <chalo.colina@gmail.com> wrote:

>The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
>with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's, and it blows away lights
>for which I have paid $120 or more (and those I made by hand from the
>best parts then available). Unlike previous flashlights with
>comparable light output, it's a convenient size for mounting on a
>bike.

Ok thanks I will take a look at it at Lowe's

The RayOVac model in local Walmart cost abt $20 and
'seemed" rugged.

Kind of crazy measuring light output in watts tho as it
SHOULD be measured in lumens I would think.

Anyway..... I'm wanting a good LED smallish
flashlight..... just not sure its worth the premium to
buy a high end ,model such as Surefire, etc. hence the
question abt what Walmart has.

[Pat]

">
> The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
> with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's, and it blows away lights
> for which I have paid $120 or more (and those I made by hand from the
> best parts then available). Unlike previous flashlights with
> comparable light output, it's a convenient size for mounting on a
> bike.
>
> Chalo

I went there and bought one, and it didn't work! So, I took it back and now
I can't tell if their new ones have the Cree emitter. How can you tell?

Pat in TX

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Chalo:
>The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
>with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's,

Scored three of them after work today.

These are *brave* little flashlights.

Thanks again for the sage advice.



Also, after reading a few web pages in the vein of
http://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html
and considering my special usage considerations, I implemented my
own system, which features:
---------------------------------------------
- Near-instant removal/replacement: no tools required

- Isolation of the flashlight from road shocks

- Quick and precise adjustment of the lighted area.

- Low cost

- http://tinyurl.com/26ng7t
---------------------------------------------
--
PeteCresswell

[me@privacy.net]

"* * Chas" <verktygjunk@aol.spamski.com> wrote:

>Why settle for just a flashlight when you can have much more....
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIOIM6hHBk

HA!!

Funny!

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per * * Chas:
>Why settle for just a flashlight when you can have much more....
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIOIM6hHBk

Now *that* was funny.


But does it blend?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F_ZPhf1Bgw
--
PeteCresswell

[Chalo]

m...@privacy.net wrote:
>
> Chalo wrote:
> >
> >The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
> >with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's,
>
> Ok thanks I will take a look at it at Lowe's

That light comes in two varieties that are interchangeable from Lowe's
standpoint. One uses a Luxeon emitter and says so on the package.
The other one uses a Cree emitter and just says "60X brighter than
conventional LEDs" on the package. The latter is the one you want.

> The RayOVac model in local Walmart cost abt $20 and
> 'seemed" rugged.

Almost all LED lights are rugged compared to their incandescent
counterparts. The internals are solid state, and the heat sinking
issues make it more likely that the bodies will be made of relatively
chunky aluminum.

> Kind of crazy measuring light output in watts tho as it
> SHOULD be measured in lumens I would think.

Yep. It's especially crazy since the "1W" and "3W" models are just
boasting of their LED's power ratings, not their actual power
consumption in the light. Thus there is a huge variation in output
among lights with the same nominal rating.

> Anyway..... I'm wanting a good LED smallish
> flashlight..... just not sure its worth the premium to
> buy a high end ,model such as Surefire, etc. hence the
> question abt what Walmart has.

In my experience and opinion, the high dollar lights offer better look
and feel, spare parts support, a meaningful warranty, etc. They do
not offer significantly performance than the best of today's
inexpensive lights.

Chalo

[Tom Sherman]

me@privacy.net wrote:
> ...
> The RayOVac model in local Walmart cost abt $20 and
> 'seemed" rugged....

The name was "Ray-O-Vac" up to the early 1980's when the "Three Stooges"
[1] bought the company and changed the name to "Rayovac".

[1] We what peon employees called them when out of the earshot of middle
management.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"And never forget, life ultimately makes failures of all people."
- A. Derleth

[Chalo]

richard wrote:
>
> Speaking of WallyWorld (and I have yet to actually test this in the
> field), in their sporting goods section they had a cluster of 3 LEDs
> that replace the bulb and reflector in a Mini-MagLight (the two AA version).

Those use regular 5mm LEDs that are rated at less than 1/12 of a watt
each.

Mag Instrument now sells 2 x AA and 3 x AA Mini Mag lights that use 3W
high flux LEDs. They are not quite as bright as the 2 x C Task Force
Light, and they cost a bit more, but they are good quality lights.

I choose not to do business with Mag Instrument anymore, because they
are in the habit of suing smaller competitors out of existence based
on bogus intellectual property claims (for instance, they claim it is
their exclusive right to print text encircling the bezel of a
flashlight).

Chalo

[Werehatrack]

On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:17:55 -0600, richard <rmcclary@insight.bb.com>
may have said:

>Speaking of WallyWorld (and I have yet to actually test this in the
>field), in their sporting goods section they had a cluster of 3 LEDs
>that replace the bulb and reflector in a Mini-MagLight (the two AA version).

Saw it. The light output is not useful for anything beyond two feet
from the flashlight; there's no focus at all.



--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

[landotter]

On Jan 14, 5:17 pm, Chalo <chalo.col...@gmail.com> wrote:
> richard wrote:
>
> > Speaking of WallyWorld (and I have yet to actually test this in the
> > field), in their sporting goods section they had a cluster of 3 LEDs
> > that replace the bulb and reflector in a Mini-MagLight (the two AA version).
>
> Those use regular 5mm LEDs that are rated at less than 1/12 of a watt
> each.

Yup. It's a total scam. It's enough to make the flashlight look lit,
but not enough to see by. I got the kit thinking, "how bad could it
be?" and the aswer was: worthless.

[* * Chas]

"(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote in message
news:dsvno3hjilbf4u8mukepb1hmdo2v83im97@4ax.com...
> Per * * Chas:
> >Why settle for just a flashlight when you can have much more....
> >
> >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIOIM6hHBk
>
> Now *that* was funny.
>
>
> But does it blend?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F_ZPhf1Bgw
> --
> PeteCresswell

I liked the last feature the best....

Chas.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per russellseaton1@yahoo.com:
>> Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
>> good?
>>
>> Some are 3 watt units for abt $20

What seems tb missing to me is focusability.

For slow riding, I'd think a diffuse flood beam would be better
than the spot that most lights seem to be made to deliver.

Mag offers adjustable beam - but the lumens are way below 150.

OTOH, one of the pages said something about eyes reacting to
light more on a log scale.... so maybe 80 vs 150 isn't a big
deal.

Anybody had a chance to compare?
--
PeteCresswell

[Chalo]

landotter wrote:
>
> Chalo wrote:
> >
> > richard wrote:
> > >
> > > Speaking of WallyWorld (and I have yet to actually test this in the
> > > field), in their sporting goods section they had a cluster of 3 LEDs
> > > that replace the bulb and reflector in a Mini-MagLight (the two AA version).
>
> > Those use regular 5mm LEDs that are rated at less than 1/12 of a watt
> > each.
>
> Yup. It's a total scam. It's enough to make the flashlight look lit,
> but not enough to see by. I got the kit thinking, "how bad could it
> be?" and the aswer was: worthless.

It's worth pointing out that 5mm white LEDs vary wildly in output,
much more in my observation than high-flux LEDs. The best of them,
typically the top rated bins from Nichia, are putting out as much
light per watt as the best sort of high-flux LEDs from Lumileds, Cree,
and Seoul Semiconductor. The worst of them are barely better than
power indicators.

I have an Infinity Ultra Government model that has been in my pocket
every day for many years now. It has but one measly 5mm LED in it,
but it's a good quality Nichia model that throws a useful amount of
light and needs a new battery only once or twice a year or so. It's
the one I reach for when I need to peer down inside a hole in a
machined part or the like. I grab my newer Fenix L1T like it did my
Arc LS before it-- to look around a darkened room or out into the
shadows of outdoor spaces.

The best of the large-cluster 5mm LED flashlights are quite good.
Most of them are trash from the get-go.

Chalo

[Clive George]

"(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote in message
news:kd7oo3tlu10hnpab0nqecphm6ifa4sb45m@4ax.com...

> OTOH, one of the pages said something about eyes reacting to
> light more on a log scale.... so maybe 80 vs 150 isn't a big
> deal.
>
> Anybody had a chance to compare?

Dunno, but I tried 2.4W and 6W bulbs while caving, and my eyes adjusted so
there wasn't as much difference as I'd hoped.

cheers,
clive

[Chalo]

PeteCresswell wrote:
>
> For slow riding, I'd think a diffuse flood beam would be better
> than the spot that most lights seem to be made to deliver.

Lumen for lumen, you may be right, but...

I modded two otherwise identical cheap 'n crappy 2 x C cell "OnGuard"
halogen bike headlights with LEDs recently. One got an older ~40
lumen Cree emitter; the other got a Luxeon I side emitter that uses
the light's built-in reflector very effectively but puts out only
about 25-30 lumens. Because of the radically different distribution
patterns from the LEDs, the same reflector and lens in the lights puts
out a very different beam in each case. The Cree light throws a broad
even rectangular wash of light with a round hotspot in the middle.
The Luxeon side emitter light throws a strongly horizontal band of
light laced with lots of cobwebby-looking artifacts.

Adjusted appropriately, the Luxeon/OnGuard light throws almost all its
useful light on the road ahead and slightly to either side. That's
good, but there's no concentration of light on the center of the lane
where I tend to want to look for the most detail. The cutoff above
and below the band-like beam becomes a problem upon transient pitch
changes up or down, when the road ahead falls into shadow.

The Cree/OnGuard light, even though its wide beam with hotspot loses a
lot more light to less-useful corners of the viewing field, turns out
to be a lot more practical in general use. There's enough light cast
above, below, left, and right that things are still pretty visible
when the beam isn't pointing directly at them, and the hotspot is
sufficiently more intense than the "warm line" of the other light that
it allows me to see farther down the road.

In summary, when I made these lights I thought that spreading the
available light around just the area of most interest would be
preferable to the typical flashlight-like "spot and spill" pattern.
After actually using examples of these beams in otherwise very similar
lights, I find the opposite is true. A spot and spill light pattern
works very well to make the most of a marginal amount of
illumination.

Chalo

[russellseaton1@yahoo.com]

On Jan 14, 8:46*pm, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote:
> Per russellseat...@yahoo.com:
>
> >> Are any of the LED flashlights sold at Walmart any
> >> good?
>
> >> Some are 3 watt units for abt $20
>
> What seems tb missing to me is focusability. *
>
> For slow riding, I'd think a diffuse flood beam would be better
> than the spot that most lights seem to be made to deliver.

For very slow riding the very wide beam Fenix L2D would be OK. Its a
very wide beam but very short throw. Unless you go under 10 mph you
well over run it. The Lowes Taskforce light has a very narrow and
long throw. A bit better for riding. Maybe a bit too narrow.
Neither light is really ideal for bicycling.


>
> Mag offers adjustable beam - but the lumens are way below 150.
>
> OTOH, one of the pages said something about eyes reacting to
> light more on a log scale.... so maybe 80 vs 150 isn't a big
> deal.
>
> Anybody had a chance to compare?
> --
> PeteCresswell

[Chalo]

Pat wrote:
>
> Chalo wrote:
> >
> > The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
> > with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's, and it blows away lights
> > for which I have paid $120 or more (and those I made by hand from the
> > best parts then available). Unlike previous flashlights with
> > comparable light output, it's a convenient size for mounting on a
> > bike.
>
> I went there and bought one, and it didn't work! So, I took it back and now
> I can't tell if their new ones have the Cree emitter. How can you tell?

The Lumileds one says "Luxeon" on the package; the Cree XR-E one says
"60X brighter..." on the package.

Chalo

[me@privacy.net]

Chalo <chalo.colina@gmail.com> wrote:

>The Lumileds one says "Luxeon" on the package; the Cree XR-E one says
>"60X brighter..." on the package.

Went to my local Lowe's but could not find a Task force
light that had Cree emitter...... all seemed to have
Luxeon.

Should I get the Luxeon model or is the Cree unit that
much better? What's the diff?

[Pat]

>> > The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
>> > with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's, and it blows away lights
>> > for which I have paid $120 or more (and those I made by hand from the
>> > best parts then available). Unlike previous flashlights with
>> > comparable light output, it's a convenient size for mounting on a
>> > bike.
>>
>> I went there and bought one, and it didn't work! So, I took it back and
>> now
>> I can't tell if their new ones have the Cree emitter. How can you tell?
>
> The Lumileds one says "Luxeon" on the package; the Cree XR-E one says
> "60X brighter..." on the package.
>
> Chalo

Thanks, man. I got one today. Now, I have to figure out the handlebar
holder, My Maglite 2 C Cell holder is too small to fit this new light.

Pat

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Werehatrack:
>Sadly, the one accessory which has still eluded me is a sturdy,
>inexpensive and reliable handlebar mount for such lights; everything
>I've run across was either flimsy plastic (beware the ones from Hong
>Kong; they have a half-life of a couple of blocks), poorly designed
>(fifteen minutes of fiddling with shims to mount the clamp, and no
>dismount of the light without a tool is Not Acceptable),

If somebody could find a cam-locking nut for the flashlight-side
clamp, this guy's homebrew seems like it would fit the specs:
http://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html
--
PeteCresswell

[Pat]

> Sadly, the one accessory which has still eluded me is a sturdy,
> inexpensive and reliable handlebar mount for such lights; everything
> I've run across was either flimsy plastic (beware the ones from Hong
> Kong; they have a half-life of a couple of blocks), poorly designed
> (fifteen minutes of fiddling with shims to mount the clamp, and no
> dismount of the light without a tool is Not Acceptable), well out of
> my price range ($50 for a well-made aluminum unit was just too much)
> or not secure on hard bumps (the lone spring-clip mount I've tried.)

I can report that the Maglite handlebar holder for their 2 cell C battery
flashlight does NOT work on the Lowe's Luxeon flashlight. The flashlight is
just a bit larger than the holder can expand.

Pat in TX

[Werehatrack]

On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:15:42 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
may have said:

>Per Werehatrack:
>>Sadly, the one accessory which has still eluded me is a sturdy,
>>inexpensive and reliable handlebar mount for such lights; everything
>>I've run across was either flimsy plastic (beware the ones from Hong
>>Kong; they have a half-life of a couple of blocks), poorly designed
>>(fifteen minutes of fiddling with shims to mount the clamp, and no
>>dismount of the light without a tool is Not Acceptable),
>
>If somebody could find a cam-locking nut for the flashlight-side
>clamp, this guy's homebrew seems like it would fit the specs:
>http://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html

I can think of several ways to make that quicker to work with, but
it's still likely to be more of a hassle to deal with than I'd prefer.

BTW, the mount shown on the far right of the table on that page is the
plastic Hong Kong version I disparaged...for cause. I had three
samples. All failed within a short period.

In looking at the others, the Twofish may have the best
prospects...but I doubt that it will remain solidly positioned.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

[Werehatrack]

On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:07:09 -0600, me@privacy.net may have said:

>Chalo <chalo.colina@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>The Lumileds one says "Luxeon" on the package; the Cree XR-E one says
>>"60X brighter..." on the package.
>
>Went to my local Lowe's but could not find a Task force
>light that had Cree emitter...... all seemed to have
>Luxeon.
>
>Should I get the Luxeon model or is the Cree unit that
>much better? What's the diff?

The 3W Luxeon is a worthy device. I'd take it in a unit that was
under $25 readily. At $30, I would head for Advance Auto Parts and
buy their "Professional's Favorite" brand in the 2-C-cell format
instead; it's an excellent value.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

[Chalo]

m...@privacy.net wrote:
>
> Chalo wrote:
> >
> >The Lumileds one says "Luxeon" on the package; the Cree XR-E one says
> >"60X brighter..." on the package.
>
> Went to my local Lowe's but could not find a Task force
> light that had Cree emitter...... all seemed to have
> Luxeon.
>
> Should I get the Luxeon model or is the Cree unit that
> much better? What's the diff?

Either one is a good flashlight for a good price, but the Cree version
is brighter without any sacrifice in battery life.

When the LEDs are driven according to specs, all "bins" (quality
rankings) of Cree XR-E emitters produce substantially more light per
watt than Luxeon emitters of the same form factor. You'll get more
light output, better battery life, or both by using a Cree emitter
than by using a Luxeon III or K2 emitter. This rule of thumb may not
apply after just a few months of development in the fast-moving LED
lighting industry.

There is a newer Luxeon emitter called the Rebel that produces
comparable total output and light per watt, but it is a much different
size and shape. The Rebel LED is easily recognizable by its much
smaller plastic emitter dome-- around 2.5mm in diameter vs. 5mm to 6mm
for the others. Sometimes, the collimating optics of flashlights make
it difficult to impossible to tell what the emitter looks like,
though.

Chalo

[SMS]

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Per Chalo:
>> The best value I have yet found is the 2 x C cell Task Force LED light
>> with a Cree emitter. It costs $30 at Lowe's,
>
> Scored three of them after work today.
>
> These are *brave* little flashlights.
>
> Thanks again for the sage advice.
>
>
>
> Also, after reading a few web pages in the vein of
> http://nordicgroup.us/s78/flashlights.html
> and considering my special usage considerations, I implemented my
> own system, which features:
> ---------------------------------------------
> - Near-instant removal/replacement: no tools required
>
> - Isolation of the flashlight from road shocks
>
> - Quick and precise adjustment of the lighted area.
>
> - Low cost
>
> - http://tinyurl.com/26ng7t
> ---------------------------------------------

Yeah, that's a very good system for securing it to the bicycle.