Just buy a Thrunite Neutron 2C.
It comes with everything you need to get started (18650 included, USB charging on the flashlight). It has a ramping UI, shortcuts from off to low, high, and last-used, neutral white tint, and the option to take out half the battery tube and use a smaller 18350 battery (that battery is not included).
The most common type of battery used in high end flashlights is an 18650. It's not much larger than an AA light, but you can get a lot more power and batter life out of it.
Just as an example you can get the ThruNite Neutron 2C on Amazon within your budget. It will be much brighter, more water resistant, and last longer than the maglite you were looking at, and it includes a battery and a charger.
> GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTIVE TITLE ABOUT WHAT SPECIFIC USE(S) OR KEY REQUIREMENTS YOU HAVE
"Nah, they totally meant I should just post that exactly rather than giving a brief descriptive title about what specific uses or key requirements I have. "
:P :P
Anyway, perhaps you'd like this one then, if it's /got/ to be amazon. It's not really as good, but it does apparently have a kind of similar UI for the middle brightnesses.
Do you mean put the whole light in/on some kind of charging cradle? Those are available, but you'd be limiting your options greatly.
USB charging is more common. There are a number of great lights that'd meet your requirements that have USB or magnetic charging, so you plug a charging cable to the light. Again, your options will be more limited than if you were okay with removing the battery and charging it in a charger, but you'd have more options than if you require a cradle.
For a light with built-in charging you can buy on Amazon, and considering you can probably fit a 1x 18650 light in your shorts pretty easily, I'd recommend the Thrunite Neutron 2C Neutral White. Up to 1,100 lumens with useful lower modes.
Need a new work edc. My Mini Maglite Pro isn't cutting it. Been lurking here and parametrek to get something I'll actually like and settled on THIS. Thanks for the giveaway.
I'm gonna go with the tried and true method of sorting by price and pick this one (ThruNite Neutron 2C V3 Micro-USB Chargeable LED Flashlight CREE XP-L V6 LED Max 1100 lumens with Firefly, Turbo, Strobe and Self-Define Modes Battery Included (Neutron 2C V3 Neutral White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXFC1VN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HI.CCbDSPH0PH)
Greetings from /r/flashlight. I maintain an arbitrary list of popular lights that may be of interest.
You'll probably want something using the 18650 battery and onboard charging like the Thrunite Neutron 2C. I'd recommend the neutral white version of it.
Do not charge Li-ion batteries in freezing temperatures. You can use them, and there are even some 18650 cells designed to have better performance in the cold, but it is dangerous to attempt charging without first warming the battery above freezing.
So, right off the bat you've got two criteria that tend to start fights around here:
Starting fires is entertaining, but is extremely inefficient. You waste a huge amount of battery power to do it, and can only light certain materials like dark paper. It's a party trick, not a camping tool.
The best use of a flashlight for self defense is to make sure you don't trip while running away. The second best is holding the light in your off-hand while your gun is in your dominant hand. Other than that, if it's possible to disorient someone with light, just about any flashlight we like will be good enough.
Ignoring those criteria, I'm going to suggest a Thrunite Neutron 2C. Click the button for on/off, push and hold to smoothly raise or lower brightness. Includes a good-quality 18650 and charges on USB.
And grab a BIC lighter for your fires. If you want something fancier, get a Zippo and a butane insert that won't dry out every three days.
There are a lot of great options available, and your budget is huge (we can recommend a solid light, battery and charger for under $30). If you want to spend a bit more for the infinitely variable, it might be worth it, but I think you would be well served by a ramping brightness e-switch light.
They generally have three shortcut options: hold button down for moonlight (very dim) click once for on to last-used level, and double-click for max. Any time the light is on, hold the button down and it will gradually (within a couple of seconds) increase brightness, let up and hold down again and it will go down. This allows you to choose exactly as much light as you want, while retaining the ability to shortcut to min or max.
A standard recommendation for that type (and first “modern” light in general) is the $50 Thrunite Neutron 2c. It comes with a battery, and has onboard charging.
A note on batteries, as you’ll likely want an extra or two: with a kit like this is the only way it’s safe to buy batteries from Amazon, they have a lot of counterfeit issues. Additionally, you mentioned the battery store for weird batteries. If this is Batteries+Bulbs, you absolutely do not want to buy their “Nuon” brand 18650 batteries for use in a modern flashlight. They have incredibly overprotective protection circuitry, and will not let your light draw enough current to get above about 1/3 brightness. (Ask me how I know, I did this before discovering this sub and realizing why the damn things didn’t work.)
Most people on this sub get their batteries from Illumn.com or liionwholesale.com. I prefer Illumn personally. These batteries have some of the highest capacity available, and are a great price, and this charger won’t set any speed records, but is a great deal. I think you’d be happy with this setup.
I'm going to start with battery recommendations, basically the best combination of power and size is a cell called the 18650. It's slightly bigger than an AA, though one of them has the power of about 5 AA cells. They're are a bit fatter, but nowhere near C size. A light that uses one of them is likely your best bet for both EDC and a weapon mount.
For the EDC light, assuming the single-18650 is small enough (tons of people carry them with no issue) I'm going to recommend a Thrunite Neutron 2C. It has as ramping interface, hold the button down and it will gradually increase to the highest level, then back the other way. Let go to choose exactly how much light you want. Additionally, it has shortcuts to the lowest mode (hold down), last used mode (click) and highest mode (double click.) It comes with a battery, and has a built in charger. While it has a strobe, you have to deliberately try to get it, it isn't in the main modes. It's a very commonly recommended first light on here, and I think would serve you quite well.
If that sounds too big, we have a bunch of recommendations for AA-size lights as well. Any of them on this list are awesome.
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For a handgun light, I recently picked up an Olight PL-Mini Valkyrie, and it's awesome. It's a great, compact fit on my Carry-length Sig P320, has as built-in battery with magnetic charging that does a pretty consistent 400 lumen for about 80 minutes, has a good beam shape, and intuitive controls.
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For an AR Mount, we're going to use a bit of your leftover pistol light budget. An Armtek Predator would be a good way to go, it has an optional remote switch. It's a ~1" body tube, so it fits into any mount (theirs isn't the greatest.) Here's a cheap option for that, better are certainly available.
With that light you'll need a couple of batteries and a charger. These will also be compatible with your Neutron 2C. I like getting batteries from Illumn, as Amazon has a not-insignificant danger of getting sketchy counterfeits.
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You may find a few other opinions on here, but these will all serve you quite well.
/thread
Basically, this is the answer. There are a few other good options, but for a high-quality all-inclusive package with a slightly tactical focus it's really hard to beat. There is an alternative that's nearly the same light, Thrunite's Neutron 2C, which is slightly shorter, and has a different user interface. Where the TC-12 has 5 light levels and a two button, forward-clicky configuration (a partial press on the tailswitch turns the light to momentary, full press locks it on) and the front button cycles through the modes. It will always come back to the one it was left on, and a double-click on the level selector button in front is a shortcut to strobe. I carried one for about 6 months, but it ended up annoying me, as if I turned it on and it was set too bright, I had to cycle through all of the even brighter settings in order to get back to low. In a tactical setting this predictability would be important, but my primary uses are more mundane and industrial.
I almost exclusively carry ramping e-switch lights, like the Neutron 2C. It has a single button behind the head, but no momentary mode like the TC-12. From off, holding it down starts in the lowest mode. A single click turns it to the last-used mode, and a double click turns it to the highest mode. When on, click and hold, and the light will ramp up to the level you want, just let go when it's bright enough. Click and hold again anywhere in the cycle, and it will ramp back down. From a tactical standpoint it's way too much crap to fool with, but from a utilitarian standpoint having a shortcut from off to low, high, and memory is really nice. Also being able to reduce the level without cranking it to max feels like a godsend.
Either is the right choice, if that makes sense, it just depends on your prioritization. I personally compromise tactical straightforwardness in favor of industrial usability, but you could very easily make the opposite compromise and still have a better light-using experience than dang near any other you could buy.
I am one that uses a flashlight a lot. I don't have a dozen different lights in my collection, I have 2. Those two are very similar, but there are a couple of differences. The Thrunite Neutron 2C V3. I like this light a lot. It's my "use it 10+ times a day" light. It runs off of 1x 18650 cell (battery), 2xCR123, or a couple of other options. It has built in USB charging, it comes with a 18650 cell, it has adjustable brightness (ramping), and goes from .5 lm to 1040 lm. This thing is bright! Or dim, whichever you want. It just feels good. My only 2 gigs against it: It takes a while to get used to finding the flat side switch in the dark. I no longer have any problem locating it, but when I first got it, it was a bit challenging. Second gig is that the lens is not replaceable. The lens being broken on mine has not affected the operation in the least, but I would like to replace it. Thrunite says that it's glued in and is not replaceable. ~$50 USD https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXFC1VN
My other light is a Thorfire TK18. It's pretty similar to the Neutron, but it has a tail switch. It does NOT come with a battery. It does not have On-board USB (or any other) charging, which means that you would need to buy cells and at least one charger. It feels ok in my hand, but I prefer the feel of the Neutron. It is also adjustable brightness, but also has a Low/Med/High/Turbo mode which I prefer on this light. ~$29 + cell & charger. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0787Z97ZK
Avoid those Atomic lights and their clones.
18650, which has about 6 times the capacity of AA and is rechargeable.
I'd recommend the Thrunite Neutron 2C in neutral white. The battery is included and it charges from USB. Some of the Amazon product description is a bit off (looks to be copied from a different Thrunite product), so here's a review with more details, runtime tests and lots of pictures.
Amazon links:
You get free shipping from Thrunite's website if you spend $50 and you get a discount with coupon code THRUNITE, though the C2 is a little cheaper on Amazon. Which is the better deal overall, you'll have to see for yourself.
Out of those two, I would go with the UC35 for a few reasons.
You won't notice a big difference between 10 lumens and 14. Once your eyes are adjusted, either one will be bright enough to light a tent.
If you're open to buying a flashlight from a brand that isn't Fenix, get a ThruNite Neutron 2C V3 (Amazon link). The Neutron is better than either of those Fenix lights (in my opinion) for these reasons.
Don't let the price fool you though, it's still a high quality flashlight.
It's just convenience. ThruNite recently released the Neutron 2C V3 it also has micro USB charging, but it just has a side switch so it's even more compact. It has a fancy ramping UI too. Amazon link..
I'll jump on the bandwagon, as everyone else who has posted so far is on the right track. A Thrunite Neutron 2C would be a great option. It has onboard charging, ramping brightness, which lets you select the exact level of light that you want, and I've personally beaten the ever living hell out of one. While it is capable of charging the battery through micro-USB, it uses a common 18650 cell that can be externally charged if you want a backup, as well as the ability to take 2x CR123A lithium cells in an emergency, though it doesn't run as well on them as the rechargeable. If you're interested in extra batteries or a charger, don't get them from Amazon, they have issues with counterfeits. Illumn.com is my preferred source for them, but a lot of people like liionwholesale.com as well.
Thrunite Neutron 2C V3 NW might be a decent choice: 1x18650/1x18350/2xCR123A, micro USB charging, simple ramping UI with an 0.5lm moonlight mode, IPX8. The Neutral White (NW) version is in stock on Amazon, $46 shipped with battery included.
Woohoo!
love these giveaways. thanks https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Neutron-2C-Neutral-White-2017/dp/B06XXFC1VN/?tag=parametrek-20
Thanks again!
www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Neutron-2C-Neutral-White-2017/dp/B06XXFC1VN/?tag=parametrek-20
Thrunite Neutron 2C V3, thanks for doing this!
Thanks for the opportunity! https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Neutron-2C-Neutral-White-2017/dp/B06XXFC1VN/?tag=parametrek-20#
Thank you for this giveaway! Btw I have a D4 on the way thanks to you all :) https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Micro-USB-Chargeable-Flashlight-Self-Define/dp/B06XXFC1VN
Thrunite Neutron 2C please!
Thanks for another giveaway!
ThruNite Neutron 2C V3!!
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Thank you for the great giveaway!
This thrunite fella! ���� https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Micro-USB-Chargeable-Flashlight-Self-Define/dp/B06XXFC1VN
https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Micro-USB-Chargeable-Flashlight-Self-Define/dp/B06XXFC1VN/
Thanks for the chance!
I think it'd have to be a Thrunite Neutron 2C NW. I keep recommending it but have never used one. Also, seems neat.
Keep being awesome.
thanks for the giveaway!! im just getting into edc and id love to get this as my first real flashlight!
Thanks as always!
The flashlight would actually be for my mom she's taken an interest in them lately. This one seems to be pretty cool. Gl everyone :)
You're awesome!
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https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Neutron-2C-Neutral-White-2017/dp/B06XXFC1VN/?tag=parametrek-20
Thanks as always
Thank you so much, would really love this!
https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Neutron-2C-Neutral-White-2017/dp/B06XXFC1VN/?tag=parametrek-20
Thanks for doing these giveaways! I see we have already passed 47k subs now. Neutron 2C V3 Neutral White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXFC1VN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_q8aDCbAXR7H6R
The ThruNite for me pls! Thanks a lot for hosting this giveaway!
I, along with most of the others here have a pretty healthy dislike for zoomies, I've yet to find a situation that couldn't be better covered with a combination of hot spot+spill. I usually find lights by this company to be boring and overpriced, but it looks to me like Fenix makes exactly what you're asking for, for the price you specified. It has mode memory, so it will always come on where it was last, and the strobe is not in the main modes. I think your money would be much better spent on a Thrunite Neutron 2C, but if you're set on a zoomie that would be the way to go.
Olight's new S1 Mini has an s-shaped pocket clip so it can be carried in either direction.
There's also the Thrunite Neutron 2C, which has a ramping UI, and a bunch of ArmyTeks