Looking for a flashlight

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PlacidWaters

Adventurer
Specifically for biking and kayaking, so I need lots of lumens but also good spill and throw.

I've been happy with my Coleman 150 lumen flashlight that I got about 5 years ago, but it looks like there have been a lot of new lights in the meantime, with more power and actually cheaper.

I use one or two flashlights on my bike and one on my kayak to watch for rocks and investigate the shore. Bike speed at night is 10 mph, so 400' throw or more is good. Also need to see things on the side of the road so good spill is important.

Looking to spend $25 or less. AA batteries only. Any suggestions?
 
J

JLee

Adventurer
I am a huge fan of Fenix lights, but for biking I would consider a rechargeable lithium LED. I don't think you'll find them in that price range, though.
 
thefishhawk

thefishhawk

Adventurer
sounds like a tall order, you might want to check out candlepowerforums. Have you thought about a headlamp instead? Thrunite makes good stuff at reasonable prices. the AA batteries are going to hold you back though.
 
P

PlacidWaters

Adventurer
thefishhawk said:
sounds like a tall order, you might want to check out candlepowerforums. Have you thought about a headlamp instead? Thrunite makes good stuff at reasonable prices. the AA batteries are going to hold you back though.
Click to expand...

Yes, I already use a headlamp in addition to the flashlight for both biking and kayaking. My last Coleman flashlight was only $25 and has served me well; just want something a bit stronger.
 
P

PlacidWaters

Adventurer
mcskibadee1 said:
I have had one of these for a while and they are great for cycling and then detaching and using at the campsite. They come with a helmet attachment as well.
Lumina-750-Bike-Light
Click to expand...

Looks like a great light. Too bad they don't publish spill and throw figures. One reason I don't spend this much money on lights is that they tend to end up at the bottom of the lake.

I switched from a bike light to a flashlight because at that time flashlights offered more power for less money than bike lights. The Niterider bike lights seemed like a great improvement, but still very pricey.

A question is how much power you need. For zooming down a hill at 20 mph you need a lot of power. For 10 mph on the flat I'm finding that 150 lumens is sufficient, but I'd like to bring that up to maybe 300 lumens. I'd rather have 300 lumens and have the batteries last longer than have more power. So 750 is probably nice but maybe not strictly necessary. On the other hand, 750 lumens would make my kayak more visible to other boats at night. Some so-called kayak lights are just ridiculously feeble and useless for safety.
 
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mcskibadee1

mcskibadee1

Adventurer
If you have Amazon prime, buy a couple different ones and test them out and keep the one you like.

You can never have too much light and most are adjustable.
 
R

ripperj

Explorer
You have to pay return shipping with prime unless you claim it's defective in some way. I'm getting totally fed up with them, I ordered some wood glue this winter that arrived frozen and they wanted me to pay return shipping.
Recently I ordered some 12v lights, options were brass or stainless, I order brass and they were plastic, they wanted me to pay return shipping because they said brass or ss referred to the finish, not the material.

IMHO It's kind of dishonest to use Amazon as a testing service, same as people who buy a saw at the depot and try and return it on Monday after using it all weekend.

Sent from my Passport using Tapatalk 2
 
J

JLee

Adventurer
ripperj said:
You have to pay return shipping with prime unless you claim it's defective in some way. I'm getting totally fed up with them, I ordered some wood glue this winter that arrived frozen and they wanted me to pay return shipping.
Recently I ordered some 12v lights, options were brass or stainless, I order brass and they were plastic, they wanted me to pay return shipping because they said brass or ss referred to the finish, not the material.

IMHO It's kind of dishonest to use Amazon as a testing service, same as people who buy a saw at the depot and try and return it on Monday after using it all weekend.

Sent from my Passport using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Odd, I've never had a problem with Amazon's customer service, and I generally have 50+ orders a year.
 
ramatl73

ramatl73

Observer
Last edited:
C

College Kid

Adventurer
Can't believe I am the first to mention Pelican. Their lights are as good as their cases in my option. Not sure if you can get them for $25 thou?
 
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