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-   -   Best outdoor torchlight / flashlight / torch (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/73578-best-outdoor-torchlight-flashlight-torch-6.html)

I ordered from these folks after a quick check on T BHP and I've not had a pleasant experience thus far. I ordered on 16th August and after starting to follow up since yesterday and several phone calls and e-mails later, they claim they haven't received my payment and this was after I sent a copy of my bank statement and so on and so forth. To cut my rant short, not sure if this is how they usually deal with customers or if this is an aberration. I've been promised an update by day end. Let's hope I get a positive response. Will post my experience on the flashlight after I receive it.

A couple of years ago I had talked to them and they had promised to send me pricing of some models that were listed on their website without prices. They never got back to me despite a couple of reminders from me. Heck, if they're not interested in my money, I thought, I'll spend it elsewhere. And that's what I did. So I'm not surprised at the experience you're having.

Well, several calls and e-mails with different folks exchanged, and a conversation with someone from their side saying I should come to the nearest metro station to pick up an already paid for product which includes shipping and handling was an eye opener. I received the product...finally..., and having said that, the product in itself is good. Surprise, surprise, I received an e-mail from them post delivery saying that they still hadn't received my payment and had sent the product as "goodwill" and asking for some more payment details. Called up my bank and provided the vendor with the details. Been 3 days since I responded to their e-mail and still to hear back. This was after the bank said that the merchant had collected the payment on August 18th. Classic case of a place where the left arm doesn't seem to know what the right arm is doing. Will I return? Never again. Will I recommend these folks to someone? - NO!:Frustrati

I have recently bought a Varta 3 Watt L.E.D indestructible flashlight and I must say I am quite impressed by its build quality. It is water resistant, shock proof and also quite heavy. Ordered it from Amazon just before my recent Ladakh trip, now it is permanently placed in the glove box of my car.

The whole packaging


The LED


Side View

Some years ago, I accidentally bought a Maglite XL100. I had had AA and AAA Maglites before, and was somewhat enamoured of the brand. The accident was testing a bank card on Amazon: I expected a password, but the purchase went through without it --- so I decided it was fate!

This torch has been by my bed at home and away ever since. It has been used for non-wife-disturbing midnight reading and finding my way in hotel rooms etc. One should always travel with some kind of a torch!

I appreciated its low-light setting (although I now know that even full is not very bright by today's LED standards). On the other hand, its "user interface," although it sounds clever, is ridiculously bad. It is controlled by movement. The mode is selected by which way is up when the light is turned on, and brightness, etc, is controlled by twisting the wrist while holding the button. It sounds clever: it is really bad in practice. There is almost no way to know which mode position is up in the dark, and once the torch is on one cannot see the back end of it, so it is not possible to adjust. There is supposed to be some sort of tactile marker on the rubber button: mine did not have one, and even though I added one, it was unsatisfactory.

Haha... a very late review of an old model! But these things are still available from Maglite, so I guess it is worth posting my advice not to buy one.

Anyway, it failed last week. Cleaning battery contacts restored it for just a day, so I decided to say, Thanks, and RIP, Maglite.

I focussed on Lightmen.

I wanted

• Rechargable
• Variable, with low low for in bed reading
• Preferably infinitely variable rather than low/mid/high
• About across-the-hand size for easy holding and pocket-fitting.

I zoomed in on the Nitecore SRT3. I liked the sound of the mode/brightness selection ring with infinitely-variable brightness. The guy at Lightmen tried to suggest a Fenix, which was a much lower-cost deal, but I was sold on the idea of that ring.

And I'm glad I was: it works really well! There are clickstops for blinding (turbo) and barely-visible (lowest) settings and everything else is continuous in between. It is also easy to ignore the unwanted modes either side of the plain white beam.

Great:

• Variable light
• very clean light. Close illumination just gives light on the page.
• easy fit in the hand
• Should give huge "run-time" for low light.
• flexible on batteries: will even take an AA using an adapter ring

Not so great:

• Expensive!
• Useless: blue and red light, strobe, beacon and (hopefully!) SOS
• Tailswitch has quite a strong spring: might bother me when half asleep.

More on Expensive. Yes, this was a costly new toy, especially as, initially, I forgot that it has no built-in charger. I bought:

SRT3 @ 5,327
Fenix battery @ 567
Tax @ 854
...Initial purchase total: 6,750

Then I realised I needed a charger and bought a spare battery too:

battery @ 567
Fenix ARE-X1 single-battery charger @ 960
tax @ 221
...Second purchase 1,750

...Total cost: Rs.8500 :eek:

The charger takes multiple types of LiIon batter and also charges rechargeable AA and AAAs. Neat: I should have bought the four-way for the eneloops! It's power input is USB.

I have not taken the torch outside yet. It's water-proof rating is certainly going to be a comfort when the monsoon rains come. Its full brightness is eye-strain bright in a dark room: I'm sure that a lower setting will more than sufficient. Turbo setting will drain the battery (according to the manual) in about 45 minutes. Of interest will be how to work it to give a night of flood-prevention work with the two batteries.

Of course, I am not looking for 12 hours on: just running to the pump and checking stuff every so often over the night.

I've joined the world of modern LED torches: I can see it is going to be expensive!

Next purchase will be a couple of new keychain lights for Wife and I. Then a somewhat larger torch for the car :D...

I am looking for a compact LED flash light

Requirement:
Compact size
Reliable
Rechargeable (not mandatory)
Budget $50

Any suggestions?

I bought couple of rechargeable from amazon India few months back (~ 1000 Rupees) and both of them stopped working.

Check this out

https://www.banggood.com/search/blf-a6.html

Using 2 of these for more than a year now and totally satisfied. Very powerful and useful modes of operation. The A6 model has a lot of good reviews too.

It works off a 18650 battery and you need a separate charger

Not exactly a torch, but I use one of these Mi LED Lights at home.

Dirt cheap, has variable intensity settings and runs off a power bank. It has replaced our candles, emergency lights and reading lamps. It's also perfect for tinkering in dark spots, the light spread is great and the flexible head helps positioning-wise.

What's the best place to get a 18650 battery? Most places seem to sell fake ones. I am looking for a Sony vtc6 or something of a similar quality?

I have bought lights and batteries from lightmen.in. they sell Fenix stuff although I have bought our brands off them.

Have had good, personal service from them, with any problem being fixed promptly. I'd absolutely trust them to sell only genuine products.

I have been dealing with lightorati and had no problems whatsoever. Total purchase value of about 12000. You can give my reference as Akshay from Goa.

Lightorati, Lightmen... Are they sister companies? Have often wondered.

Have spent similar sums or more with Lightmen. One missing part in an order from Lightmen was in the post the same day, along with some Fenix freebies.

So that's two safe bets for these kinds of batteries :D

Just asked the Lightorati owner. Both are different companies.

Thanks very much!

I'm still not quite satisfied that they have nothing in common other their web designer ;). But that's their business, and we can vouch for one company each.

I'd be happy to buy from either.

PS... Slightly shocked to find that my spending on torches and batteries has been 20,000 over four years!

Thanks a lot guys !! After browsing this thread at random, I've ended up with a Rovyvon A5X for some reason !! rl: