Heres your first flashlight. Please don’t touch those zoomies with a stick. Welcome to r/flashlight.
Not very good. Not a good value at $35 when a Wowtac A1S is $26.
The mode selection is pretty bad. The high runtime is misleading. The battery is proprietary. It's not very waterproof. It's bulky for its capabilities. Coast lights are known to have visible flickering in their low modes. The color temperature is likely a very cool white that looks bluish and washes out colors.
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$25.00, ships from amazon (so it's quick), comes with everything you need.
Battery (which has the charger built in) and the flashlight. Bright as any other 18650 tube light.
Well regarded around here as one of the best budget flashlights. Comes with a battery that has a micro USB slot for charging. 1150 lumens, good basic UI, useful EDC beam profile, waterproof, relatively tough, and a hell of a bargain at 26 bucks. It doesn’t get much better than this for a ready to go package.
Been carrying this for 2 years as a core drilling deckhand. Best flashlight I ever owned. 40 bucks. You can thank me later
Wowtac A1S LED Flashlight, Pocket-Sized LED Torch, Super Bright 1150 Lumens CREE LED, IPX7 Water Resistant, 5 Modes Low/Mid/High/Trubo/Strobe for Indoors and Outdoors (WOWTAC A1S NW) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5BV8P7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_6JCBSE5NXVS2Y6D5JA4X
The cell it comes with is actually just a button top 18650 with a usb charging port and thermal protection. I've used regular flat top and button top 18650 batteries in mine.
The A1S also has a turbo mode that goes up to 1150 lumens. Link: https://www.amazon.com/A1S-Flashlight-Pocket-Sized-WOWTAC-CW/dp/B07M5BV8P7
I’ve heard all about the WOWTAC but haven’t tried one yet. So I suppose this would be the pick.
The next light I'm looking for works with my 18650s has a bit of throw, weather proof, and can be shipped to Canada
WOWTAC A1S.
If you need it that soon, you're probably best ordering off Amazon. I'd suggest the Wowtac A1S, Wowtac A2S, or the Acebeam H40, unless you want something more expensive.
The D4 doesn't need that exact cell, it just needs a good unprotected 18650 like the 30Q or LG HG2 or Sony VTC6. Most going to be somewhere around $5-$8.
Don't buy them from Amazon or Ebay, there's a high risk of fakes.
The D4 is a great deal for a high output light, but if you need something cheaper maybe check out the $26 Wowtac A1S or make a post asking for recommendations in your desired price range.
WOWTAC A1S that I recently lost was a favorite since I could hold it in my mouth while working on my car :(
Most good lights are IP-X8 rated which is probably sufficient for your use case. The next step up from that would be a diving light but that seems like overkill.
If you want really good water resistance, I suggest staying away from USB recharging since most lights with USB recharging use a little rubber flap to cover up and seal the USB port. That works OK but the flaps can be damaged or come undone by accident and you lose all your water resistance.
Some lights either come with or are compatible with batteries that have a USB charging port built into them. That's a good solution for maintaining water resistance and having usb recharging capability. The Wowtac A1S is an example of such a light. You also might consider the Wowtac A2S which is a right angle light/headlamp. Both have a very nice 1 lumen moonlight mode that's great for not "messing up your night vision". I cannot overstate the convenience of a headlamp.
How do those options look? If they won't work for you, I can give you some other recommendations.
At this point, I'm only listing lights available from Amazon. There are other options. Most of us prefer lights listed as "NW" (neutral white) over the "CW" (Cool White) version, as NW tends to give more realistic colors.
Wowtac A1s. $25.99 USD. https://www.amazon.com/A1S-Flashlight-Pocket-Sized-NEW-WOWTAC/dp/B07M5BV8P7
Comes with a USB rechargeable battery. Strobe(1150 lumens /4 hrs), Turbo(1150 lumens/3 hrs), High(460 lumens /5 hrs), Medium(140 lumens /18 hrs), Low(24 lumens /6 days).
Personally, I prefer to have the charging circuit on the light, not in the battery like this one, but that is a personal preference. Many people prefer to use external chargers. That gives you a lot more options, but adds to the cost.
If you're willing to add about $10.00 to your budget, you'll be able to get (in my OPINION) a much better light. Here's a few options.
Thrunite TC15. $49.99
https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-TC15-Ultra-Bright-Rechargeable-Flashlight/dp/B07JLKWQBR
Firefly: 1 Lm(41.5 days), -Low: 25 Lm(68 hours ), -Medium: 250Lm (6.5hrs) -High: 1050Lm(90 minutes), -Strobe:830Lm(180minutes) -Turbo: 2300Lm-820Lm (2mins+ 83mins)
Comes with a battery, with charging onboard the light. Understand that this light ONLY has a side-switch. If you prefer a tail-switch, then you might look at the Thrunite TC12, but that's more $$.
Splitting the $$ difference, there's the Thrunite Neutron 2c.
https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Micro-USB-Chargeable-Flashlight-Self-Define/dp/B06XXFC1VN
$45.99
I personally have this model, and like it, a lot, but it too only has a side-switch. It has onboard USB charging and comes with a battery.
Turbo (1100lumen; 2.2 hrs)
Infinity High (650 lumen; 2.7 hrs)
Infinity Low (12 lumen; 130 days)
Firefly (0.5 lumen; 49 days)
Strobe (650 lumen; 5 hrs)
Here's a beamshot, if you can ignore the unflattering pic of the dog's backside.
I'd probably buy a Wowtac A1S which has been suggested. 25 bucks on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5BV8P7/?th=1
Depends, both lights do the job of illuminating one being half the price of the other. I would say before pulling the trigger on either investments do you have 18650 batteries + charger already ? or is this your going to be your first light ?
If its going to be your first light and you don't have a dedicated charger and extra cells on hand take a look at a few budget options, in place of the Fenix PD35 take a peak at the Wowtac A1S or the Sofirn SP31 both generally around $30 on amazon and have slightly higher outputs than the fenix and for the place of the acebeam EC65 either the Fw3a or emisar d4v2 both are multi emitter have high outputs for instant burst and in general very small for what they provide in illumination.
In terms of a EDC, I currently carry the WowTac A1S which I really like. It's ~$30 on Amazon. It is super bright with lower power levels available, waterproof, and has been completely dependable. I have it in neutral white, which is supposedly better for being able to distinguish things at night. There is also the A1 which is less bright, but for $10 more, I wanted to have the option of extra power.
Pros:
Cons:
I can't say whether or not it would be a good option for a BOB. It's certainly been 100% reliable as an EDC in my experience, but I have never left the battery untouched for 6+ months to see if it holds a charge. I might look to something like Fenix's lights and try to find one that takes a non-rechargeable battery with a long shelf life.
As a backup BOB option (2 is 1, and 1 is none), you might look at a inexpensive option from someone like Duracell, depending on what your needs are. They aren't remotely tactical lights, but they are reliable and run on 3x AAA's. I get these in 3 packs from Costco when they go on sale for $15, and keep one in every car and bag. They hold a couple hours of juice, but unused Duracell AAA's are pretty stable over time. Having extra lights everywhere has been pretty useful for me.
The only other brand I have a lot of experience with is ArmyTek, but I wouldn't recommend them. I used to carry the ArmyTek Partner A2 which was a great light. However, the power button's rubber seal broke after 3 years and despite having a 10 year warranty, they were unable to sell me a replacement part. Their customer service was awful. I bought a replacement from them and it absolutely sucked. I'd avoid their products.
Deal link: Amazon Coupon code: 259YTWBW
Thanks for the giveaway!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5BV8P7/ref=twister_B07TV4FSYN?_encoding=UTF8&th=1
Edit: I'll cover the amount past 33$!
Thanks for the giveaway!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5BV8P7/ref=twister_B07TV4FSYN?_encoding=UTF8&th=1
Thanks for doing a giveaway! Wowtac A1S in NW
I recommend the WowTac A1S, it produces an honest 1000 Lumens, has great modes and the battery is reliable and easy to charge (uses a cellphone charger). It includes a pocket clip as well which is convenient.