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[Recommendation Request] What's a good entry level right angle flashlight? (self.flashlight)

submitted 10 months ago by GraniteM to c/flashlight

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I'm thinking about getting my first decent flashlight. I find that most of the time when I want a decent light, it's when I'm walking the dog or taking out the compost, and I'm struggling to juggle a light with what I'm doing, so I'd like something I can tuck in a pocket and have it illuminate what I'm doing.

I'd prefer something with a fixed right angle; I'm not terribly interested in a swivel.

USB-C charging woul be best. I can see the appeal of magnetic charging, but I've got so used to having everything on USB-C that I'd rather not have another proprietary cable around.

I'm a little bit intimidated by some of the programming diagrams I've seen. I don't think I need a light with over a dozen different lighting and strobe modes. On/off is fine, high-mid-low is also great, but much more than that and I worry about getting lost.

I've seen some with the option for a red light as well as white, and that's appealing, but not essential. I like the idea of not having to totally lose my night vision when I turn on my flashlight. Powerbank function, similarly, is appealing but by no means essential.

Budget is $70, tops, but if there are models that are cheaper but still quality construction, I'm open to suggestion.

Thanks for the help!

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[–] Zak 6 points 10 months ago

Here are 11 right-angle lights with USB-C, a sub-lumen mode to preserve dark adaptation, and a standardized removable battery of some sort. If you can wait a couple weeks for shipping from China, the Convoy H2 with Nichia 519A LED for excellent color rendering is a good choice.

If the USB port can be on the battery instead of the headlamp, there are several good options using the 14500 (AA-size Li-ion rechargeable) and 18650 (larger Li-ion rechargeable) batteries which can be found with USB-C ports on them, such as this 14500 from Skilhunt and this 18650 from Acebeam. The Skilhunt H150 is an excellent 14500 right-angle light, and their H04 series are nice 18650 models. Nichia 519A LED suggested in either case.

If you can give up the sub-lumen mode in favor of faster shipping and USB-C on the light itself, the Sofirn SP40A is a reasonable option. I suggest it over the HS40 due to color rendering, though the latter has higher maximum brightness.

[–] boyago 5 points 10 months ago

You’d have to reconsider your aversion to the swivel head but I love my Nicron N9. It’s got 3 or brightness levels you just click to scroll through. The fact that the head swivels makes it a lot easier to pocket. I’m a tech and work in a lot of dimly lit places. The magnetic base makes it easy to slap it to something and use it as a work light too. I really really like this light and it’s pretty cheap too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I like my Sofirn HS40. It only has a few modes but it has USB-C charging, a fixed right angle, and water resistant to 2 meters submersion. Throw the magnetic tailcap on there and you can stick it where you need to.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Seconded. I've got a couple of Sofirn lights and they're excellent value. Their UI is pretty straightforward as long as you avoid their pro models which use Anduril or other "enthusiast" firmwares.

[–] Mbourgon 2 points 10 months ago

Let us know what you go with. I was looking at the oLight and the coast hx4 and the “Faxins clip on flashlight”. I’m currently using the Ascher bike lights (turns out the round ones have a clip that works on clothing, which is decent if a bit too narrow a beam).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I carried a streamlight on my bunker gear for years. It's survived a large number of structure fires and car wrecks and still going strong.

For something small, I've really been enjoying my hanklights, he released a smaller right angle light last year, ordering can be a little overwhelming, but r/hanklights has some good guides. Mine has survived going through the washer and the dryer, and is my duty light on the ambulance I am working on. Yes, it has a lot of features in the UI, but you don't have to use them, and there are good guides to figure out the basics. 99% of the time I just use on off.I can provide my build list if you are interested to simplify things.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Skillhunt H02 has been my go-to for years. I've bought several of them for myself and as gifts

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

A note on the skillhunt stuff, their lights with magnetic charging connectors are really poorly designed, the charging contact is a dead short to the battery making them both not waterproof and a potential explosion hazard.

[–] Zak 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's not a dead short; there's a very fast acting circuit breaker when it's shorted. It can spark and I do find that to be a significant design flaw, but it can't drive the battery into thermal runaway or significantly heat objects other than fine wires, steel wool, and similar.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Mine got wet for an hour ish and corroded the absolute shit out of the contacts through electrolysis.

[–] Zak 2 points 10 months ago

That's unfortunate. I have seven of them and I've used them in the rain without problems. Maybe I need to try something more abusive to see what happens. Salt water bath? I did that with an older Olight and got spicy bubbles.

[–] AnalogyAddict 1 points 10 months ago

Head lamps. You look like a total idiot, but there's no chance of it falling out of your pocket into a pile of dog poop.

[–] cobysev 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If you just want something cheap to get the job done, this is what the US military issued me for the past 20 years. It's efficient, reliable, and has a bunch of colored screens stored in its base for easy swap out. Plus, a convenient belt clip on the back.

The only downside is that it takes 2 D batteries. No USB charging. But it was designed for use in WWII, so it's kind of an old-fashioned device.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

@cobysev @GraniteM I have a french version from 1942 and modded it with a pretty low power, 2700~3000 K single LED drop-in, and more importantly a 18650 battery with integrated USB charging. I built a cheap 2D-18650 adapter by hollowing a piece of wood from the bottom and putting a flat-cut screw through the top to make contact. My grandpa use it and is happy with it. Way more runtime, bit more light, same temp.