Here I am stuck at home because of the ice outside, fortunate to have not lost power, but also irritated at the state of my flashlights. Help me not be irritated the next time this happens.
Quick criteria list, followed by my rambling:
- Foolproof; easy to use
- USB-C rechargeable with non-rubber port cover
- Large enough to be held in a fist, not fingertips
- Side button that lies naturally under the thumb
- Preferably focusable, but more flood-y if not
I want a general-purpose flashlight that anyone can use without having to read instructions, with a side button or switch that lies under the thumb. That doesn't mean that it can't have additional features, but I don't want my grandma to try to use it and be assaulted by a rave she can't turn off. Actually, I would prefer it not have flashing modes or additional colors. I can't think of any generally useful features beyond dimming. (I definitely actively want to avoid one that has an instant strobe mode, like so many "tactical" ones seem to.)
I would also like it to be large enough to feel like a real flashlight and not a pencil. So many new ones are so small that I feel like you have to hold them with your fingertips instead of just making a fist around it.
It should be USB-C rechargeable, and recharge from a USB-C charger. (I feel like I shouldn't have to say that last part, but I have found far too many devices with USB-C charging ports that will only recharge from USB-A chargers.) A standard size replaceable battery (18650, 21700, or whatever) is strongly preferable. Zero standby current draw would be great, too. And a decent amount of run time. Something that would be realistic to use from sundown until bedtime. (I also need to find a lantern, but that's a different search.)
I would like the charging port to be covered by a metal slide or similar. In my experience, rubber flaps just break off and aren't replaceable. I don't really care all that much about water resistance, at least beyond splashing. I'm more concerned about the port being physically damaged by a drop. (Or knocking around in a drawer. The rubber plug would deal with that, until it fell off.) I have a Wuben G5 that I bought on a lark and there's so much wrong with it, but I absolutely love the metal slide over the port.
I would also rather it had a relatively smooth shape without vanes and ridges. I understand that some of that is actually heat sinking, but I'd rather it look more like a MagLite and less like a lightsaber.
I'd also like one that has a focusable beam, but I also recognize that that seems to be a rare feature these days. I don't really understand why that is, but I guess I'm willing to let that one go. Failing that, I'd prefer a wide spill of light over a tightly focused beam.
The closest thing I've found, oddly, is the Wurkkos DL20R diving light. It's got the protected charging port, but it's probably overdone for what I'm looking for. I'd rather it just be a slide instead of having to unscrew the end cap. I'd prefer that it had a lower-light mode.
I've looked around enough to know that this isn't an easy set of features to find in a single device, so I appreciate whatever help anyone can provide.
by wfaulk
4 Comments
Ones my older family members liked:
Wurkkos: fc11c, TS26s, ts27
And everyone loved the Olight clip pro, they loved the metal usb cover, magnet and size
I also highly recommend a power bank. We have some Anker usb ones, but I also got one of these and it’s excellent. No more worrying about using the lights or phones too much, can run internet etc
You can also get them at Costco with the solar panels
https://preview.redd.it/2eormyqmhkfg1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0847c0065479c96f5be2952eee608540a079d168
Streamlight dualie, optionally the color-rite version.
By far the most basic kind of flashlight that even your grandparents will know how to use it. One click to turn on, single mode that won’t overheat and uses common batteries you can find in any household. It’s the most classic kind of flashlight out there, very familiar and really hard to mess up.
F9R by weltool, very floody light. Waterproof, metal cover on USB charging port. Two minor problems if you can look past it is the battery, it’s a 11,000mah 26110 – which offers great runtimes – and the ridges.
It’s potted, drop proof, big size, easy to use.
https://preview.redd.it/zlakupizqkfg1.jpeg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b151b8f24604ff0a6be3edff0c65ebbf73fab851
Oddly enough, the Streamlight Wedge might fulfill a lot of those requirements.
It’s more so an OTF knife shape and it activates like that. It is DEAD SIMPLE to use, just push the switch forward to turn it on with one mode, hold it all the way forward for high, pull the switch back to turn it off. It’s USB-C rechargeable with *no* cover ~~the charging port itself is water resistant~~, like a phone. It’s fairly thin and small, but a little long and holds reasonably well in the hand. It has a defined but fuzzy spot but it’s otherwise reasonably floody, not that much throw.
Also, on the topic of zoomable lights, those don’t get recommended often for a few reasons… Generally, they aren’t at all waterproof, that moving head will easily draw water into the light and into the electronics.
The beam quality itself is low. With a couple exceptions, you’ll get no periphery, just a cone of light that only puts light *within* that cone and you lose a nice, even spread. Unless you have a round die LED like the SFT-25R or SFT-42R, it’ll project a weird square when zoomed in.
It creates a big loss of efficiency. When you have that moving head with an aspheric lens above the LED, you lose a lot of light *inside* the head as the light bounces around inside and gets absorbed by the head, not even making it to the optic. The aspheric lens itself is also a big chunk of clear plastic or glass in the case of the Convoy Z1, which loses more efficiency within such a large optic.
https://preview.redd.it/apl71i4wvkfg1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74be1d5168a17de1abae845b5282267b1299542b