High quality inexpensive flashlights

[E4 No More]

I saw this posted by "London" on Texas Gun Talk forum and thought ya'll might be interested in it too:

Would you be interested if I told you I knew how to make a rugged, high-quality LED flashlight which is just as nice as a top of the line Surefire (which cost $200+) for less than $40? What if I told you I was willing to share my secret with you? If so, read on:

For this project you will need:

1 Hugsby S3 flashlight - $20

1 Cree P60L or Cree R2 LED module - $8

3 CR123 batteries - price varies

The ability to unscrew an object and screw it back together.

The Hugsby S3 can be bought on eBay for $20 w/free shipping if you want the one with the shotgun mount. (Most shotgun flashlight mounts go for $60- the Hugsby mount alone is worth the $20. Use shorter screws if you want to mount it to a rifle- the ones made to wrap around a shotgun barrel are too long.) The lights without the mount cost less. They ship from China so be willing to wait two to three weeks. They also includes a regular tail-cap and one with a pressure switch. The pressure switch is cool; but remember that if that wire gets severed somehow, there goes your light source. If you really want to use the pressure switch I recommend carrying the regular tail cap on your weapon as a back-up. A hollow pistol grip would work perfectly for this.

The flashlight itself is made of aluminum (it is plenty combat-rugged) and requires 3 CR123 batteries. While it will never be super-lightweight like a plastic Surefire, it will be tougher. That third battery adds more weight as well, but also means less worrying about battery life. It’s really not all that heavy. Be aware it is pretty bulky for EDC. TAANSTAAFL, folks. IMO, this thing really shines (forgive the pun) as a weapon-mounted light, a car flashlight, or in any other situation it doesn’t have to fit in a pocket. For the money, you will not beat this. It will certainly put any Mag-Lite to shame and hold its own against any Surefire. They are using the exact same LED modules, after all.

The LED modules can be bought from Dealextreme for about $8 w/free shipping. They also ship from China. P60L has a light output of 80 lumens, the R2 has a light output of 300 lumens. I have both and personally prefer the P60L; its light output is more than enough for nearly any situation and the batteries will last longer. It also diminishes your night sight less quickly if you have to use it for only a brief period of time. The R2 is much cheaper despite being much brighter.

I recommend buying the batteries in bulk from eBay. The inexpensive ones once again come straight from China. For those of you who don’t know, CR123 batteries (also called “CR123aâ€) are camera batteries. Regular AAs, etc. don’t work nearly as well in LED flashlights, and die rapidly. Wal-Mart sells plenty of quality LED flashlights (with Cree LEDs) which run off of regular batteries- buy one and eventually you’ll wish you just did it right the first time and bought a flashlight which uses weird batteries. Trust me!

After all of your parts arrive in the mail, use this guide to perform your modifications:

1.) Unscrew the front-most part of the flashlight head and pull out the zenon bulb module (it is all one piece and will come right out with no problems).

2.) Drop in the LED module.

3.) Re-tighten the front of the flashlight head.

4.) Install batteries.

5.) Turn on.

6.) Enjoy.

IMO, this is the perfect solution for the economically challenged (who isn’t these days?) and those of us who prefer spending our big bucks on things other than flashlights. Those of you who do have the “Real deal†expensive stuff will do well to try this cheap and fun little project out; at the very least it will make a quality affordable back-up to your expensive stuff. Have fun!

Addendum: If you have a favorite LED module you would like to try, as long as it measures 26.5mm x 29mm it will probably work.

[Smith]

.... or you can get one already built for the less.Ultrafire C1 R2-WC 5-Mode Memory 250-LM LED Flashlight with 2*Assault Crowns (2*CR123A/1*18650) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme I have a few of these and they have been great!

Good post.

[Guest 73challenger]

How long did your order take from dealsextreme? My last order took around two months.

[Smith]

How long did your order take from dealsextreme? My last order took around two months.

I've ordered stuff from them several times and it usually takes no more than 2 weeks, but I have heard of others taking longer. Their stuff ships straight from the factories and sometimes can take awhile.

[hornett22]

I'll continue to buy Surefire and get an excellent product that last for years and support American jobs.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

So many people use CR123 batts with no problemo that maybe it is dumb to worry about. On the other hand candlepower forums has epic-long threads of exploding flashlights, even using CR123 rather than rechargeable lithium. I wasted some hours reading those threads and one failure mode seems to involve multiple CR123 in a flashlight combined with an LED module designd to suck the batts down to nothing. The reports also seem to more frequently implicate cheap no-name CR123's.

One gets the impression that with a multi-CR123 flashlight at least it would be prudent to never accidentally leave the flashlight on so it can discharge all the way down unattended, and swap batts when the light first starts getting dim, and be aware of the light getting hot in yer pocket or hand, and in that case do an emergency battery dump hopefully at a location fireproof enough that a lithium fire won't burn down the neighborhood.

It doesn't sound like the kind of thing to give to the wife or kid to use.

Apparently single-CR123 lights are less subject to problems.

I like my dual-CR123 fenix TK15 but out of prudence it is doubtful I'll get any more CR123 or rechargeable lithium lights until exploding flashlight reports stop entirely. Will especially avoid no-name chinese modules and no-name cheap batts. Got a stock of SureFire CR123's that ought to last awhile for the TK15.

Even if the exploding flashlight odds are very slim, a burned down house would be a bummer.

[JAB]

Good info! My EDC flashlight (which I carry even when I can't carry a firearm) is an Inova X1 that I bought at Target for around $20. It has a 'button' on the tail cap that acts as a momentary switch with the end cap not twisted all the way tight (with bright and dim settings) or the cap can be tightened all the way for constant on (also with bright and dim settings.) It is rated at 55 lumens on the brightest setting. It isn't a laser cutting torch nor is it a lightsaber but it is plenty bright and throws a nice beam. Best of all it uses a single, simple AA battery. I replaced the first battery after about two months, just to be on the safe side, but it was still powering the flashlight.

I used to carry a minimag in a belt holster but this light is smaller (fits in my pocket) and brighter - even though I had the three LED conversion on the mini-mag and it uses more batteries (also AA) that didn't last as long. Now, I am not an 'operator' nor am I very tacti-cool but the little Inova serves me and my more mundane needs just as well as I believe a Surefire, etc. could do.

Inova X1 Features

The one pictured at the link is 'greyish' in color. Mine is black.

[Guest Cory2]

Nebo Lights are good quality lights. They aren't as innexpensive as the lights posted here but compared to some of the big name brands they are very cheap. Around 35 bucks for a 220 lumens light. I have one of their older models and have used it extensively for several years and it just recently broke. The flashlight itself still functions but the button fell off while my nephew was playing with it and it was never to be seen again. The light I have has a pretty bright white light (no idea what the lumens are) a green light, a laser pointer and a built in compass. I plan on getting a Redline soon for a bedside light.

REDLINEâ„¢ | Tactical LED Flashlight | NEBO Tools=

Link to Redline flashlight and nebo's website.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Cory2
Added link

[Guest yardmaster]

agree with you Cory2 on the Nebo lights..I have two different models and are well pleased.