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!

  • cobysev@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    6 months ago

    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.

    • Lu 🇦🇲@lou.lt
      4·
      6 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.