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EDC flashlight recommendations

Soundwave

Soundwave

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About to pull the trigger on an olight M1T but figured I should maybe ask here first. I don't work in a trade or anything so this is just to have a light on me besides my phone. Have to dress business casual for work tuckable IWB etc and not looking for a keychain light. Under $50

Thanks!
 
allen-1 said:
I'm partial to the Streamlight protac "dual fuel", (which means that I usually run the CR123A in it, but in a pinch I can put a AA alkaline battery in it).

Super Bright Tactical Flashlight | ProTac® 1L-1AA

Quick googling found them at Galls and Ebay
Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA Tactical Flashlight
Streamlight 88061 Protac 1L-1AA 350 Lumen LED Flashlight & Batteries With Box 80926880610 | eBay
Click to expand...

This. I have been carrying one for like 2 years now, it's awesome. Small enough to actually carry every day, bright enough to be used in a self defense situation, cheap enough to not care too much when I lose it over the side of the ship.

https://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-...1552314407&s=gateway&sprefix=strwamli&sr=8-17
 
I like my Streamlight Microstream. 1 AAA battery, 45 lumens and it lasts a long time. I think they are only like $16 now
 
I've run both the 1L and 2L Streamlights for years now (CR123 only, pre-duel fuel), as part of my every day kit and in a variety of classes as well. They are robust and priced very competitively vs SureFire. I endorse them highly!
 
Big fan of zebralight flashlights. The led’s are potted for durability. They are extremely efficient, small in size, and stand by their warranty. Also their lights are constant current and don’t use PWM(pulse width modulation) which can bother a lot of people’s eyes, especially after extended use.

Best of all though is how extremely customizable the light output is. The lights have 12 different lumen outputs that you can customize into 3 groups. Each group containing 6 separate outputs that you select. Anything from extremely bright down to a very very low .01 lumen moonlight mode. Each flashlight can also come with either a cool white led, neutral white, high CRI(color rendition index), or floody led.

For just over your price range at $57 is a 330 lumen neutral white AA flashlight of a 285 lumen high CRI AA flashlight.

SC53w AA Neutral White Flashlight

SC53c AA Neutral White High CRI Flashlight

Edit: I should also note that their UI(user interdace) seems a little odd, but once you get used to it it is extremely intuitive. Everyone of your selected light outputs is easily and quickly accessible. It is the best interface I have found yet and i own or have used a plethora of flashlights. That includes at least one flashlight from all the major brands.
 
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Soundwave said:
About to pull the trigger on an olight M1T but figured I should maybe ask here first. I don't work in a trade or anything so this is just to have a light on me besides my phone. Have to dress business casual for work tuckable IWB etc and not looking for a keychain light. Under $50

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Check out the lights on goinggear.com. ,where I buy all of my flashlights.
 
I like more light rather than less.

I’ve carried a fenix pd35 for about 4 years now. It’s never failed when I needed it. Very bright and it even puts up with me when I use it to open beer bottles.

For about a month or two I carried a streamlight polytac. It’s a great light but the bezel is a little too wide to be comfortable in my pocket.

The fenix is about $65 and the polytac is about $35.
 
Al-Jim19 said:
I like more light rather than less.

I’ve carried a fenix pd35 for about 4 years now. It’s never failed when I needed it. Very bright and it even puts up with me when I use it to open beer bottles.

For about a month or two I carried a streamlight polytac. It’s a great light but the bezel is a little too wide to be comfortable in my pocket.

The fenix is about $65 and the polytac is about $35.
Click to expand...

I zip-tied the holster for my pd35 to the outside of the knapsack that I carry just about everywhere. It's a great flashlight, but a little big to carry in my pocket. USB chargable, five levels of brightness. It's kind of my next step up from the pro-tac because the pro-tac fits in my pocket.
 
My only concern is the size of some of these for work attire. I want something that I can truly EDV I have an Anker rechargeable light in my car bag. I really don't want to carry a light or phone on my belt lol
 
Soundwave said:
My only concern is the size of some of these for work attire. I want something that I can truly EDV I have an Anker rechargeable light in my car bag. I really don't want to carry a light or phone on my belt lol
Click to expand...

The zebralights I posted are quite small and easily fit inside a pocket, but if you are truly looking for a light that disappears the. You could check out some of the single cell AAA lights.

For a good blend of price and features I like the Maratac AAA rev 5. It’s small enough to fit on my key chain and yet still comes with a clip for pocket carry or clipped to the brim of a baseball hat. It’s constant current, not PWM. You can get it in cool white or the nichia 219c warm white emitter which I prefer for much better color rendering. 3 modes, medium, moonlight, and high. I’m not sure the exact water resistance rating, but mine has seen the bottom of a pool without issues. The build quality is top notch, it’s efficient, and it comes in several different flavors.(copper, brass, titanium, and aluminum)
AAA Copper Nichia 219 Flashlight by Maratac REV 5

For a budget AAA flashlight at $10 that still has a ton of value there is the Olight i3e eos. Build quality isn’t as good, it doesn’t have a clip, but still has a lot to offer.
Olight I3E EOS Black, $9.99

This is a great AAA light, but double your price range.
Titan® Plus Ultra-Compact Variable Output LED Flashlight

ThruNite LED Flashlight--Guiding you through the night! and Streamlight Tactical & Safety Rated Flashlights & Headlamps also have some really nice slim flashlights. Both these companies are known for standing by their warranty.
 
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Soundwave said:
My only concern is the size of some of these for work attire. I want something that I can truly EDV I have an Anker rechargeable light in my car bag. I really don't want to carry a light or phone on my belt lol
Click to expand...

is the light something you'll need to use throughout the day for work and such or just part of your edc just in case?

if it is just a back up since you said you have a larger one in your bag already what about a Keychain light?
FENIX UC02 SS USB Rechargeable 130 Lumen Cree LED keychain Flashlight (Stainless Steel/Blue UC02SS ) with, EdisonBright brand USB charging cable bundle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSVUM3R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_j55HCbY4H5X9E
 
Yes this is just for part of my EDC. I'm trying to stay away from keychain size lights but maybe it's what I should be looking at. I just really prefer a clean simple keychain.
 
I looked into those but my car is keyless so I felt like it wasn't worth it. I went ahead and ordered the Olight M1T just see the size etc. Worst case it goes in a bag/jacket or weekend carry.
 

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Soundwave said:
I looked into those but my credit is keyless so I felt like it wasn't worth it. I went ahead and ordered the Olight M1T just see the size etc. Worst case it goes in a bag/jacket or weekend carry.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming you mean your car is keyless (hence the picture of the FOB). Mine is too, but I don't drive every day so I generally carry the FOB separate from the keychain, which I do carry every day. Even if you attached your FOB to the keysmart and a flashlight, its not that cumbersome, and still less so than all your keys separate on a regular key ring. I used to keep my jeep FOB on there before I took a job down town and started taking the T every day. Just my .02
 
Live-a-Little said:
The zebralights I posted are quite small and easily fit inside a pocket, but if you are truly looking for a light that disappears the. You could check out some of the single cell AAA lights.

For a good blend of price and features I like the Maratac AAA rev 5. It’s small enough to fit on my key chain and yet still comes with a clip for pocket carry or clipped to the brim of a baseball hat. It’s constant current, not PWM. You can get it in cool white or the nichia 219c warm white emitter which I prefer for much better color rendering. 3 modes, medium, moonlight, and high. I’m not sure the exact water resistance rating, but mine has seen the bottom of a pool without issues. The build quality is top notch, it’s efficient, and it comes in several different flavors.(copper, brass, titanium, and aluminum)
AAA Copper Nichia 219 Flashlight by Maratac REV 5

For a budget AAA flashlight at $10 that still has a ton of value there is the Olight i3e eos. Build quality isn’t as good, it doesn’t have a clip, but still has a lot to offer.
Olight I3E EOS Black, $9.99

This is a great AAA light, but double your price range.
Titan® Plus Ultra-Compact Variable Output LED Flashlight

ThruNite LED Flashlight--Guiding you through the night! and Streamlight Tactical & Safety Rated Flashlights & Headlamps also have some really nice slim flashlights. Both these companies are known for standing by their warranty.
Click to expand...

I have a bunch of different maratac lights. I wish they offered some with single output options, but for day-to-day use, they’re hard to beat.
 
Ya those maratacs looked very nice. I'm actually surprised how many lights have all these different modes now. Guess it's been a while since I bought a "nice" flashlight
 
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Soundwave said:
Ya those maratacs looked very nice. I'm actually surprised how many lights have all these different modes now. Guess it's been a while since I bought a "nice" flashlight
Click to expand...

Yeah I hear you on that, but options are nice. I find I use the high modes very little and tend to use the medium, low, and especially the moonlight modes much more. Unless you are outside 10 to 50 lumens tends to light up quite a bit of indoor space. Moonlight is especially useful for sneaking around at night when you are the last one up in the house(night owl) and don’t want to bother others with turning on actual lights. It’s good for close up work too like reading and won’t destroy your night vision if your eyes have already acclimated.
 
Soundwave said:
Yes this is just for part of my EDC. I'm trying to stay away from keychain size lights but maybe it's what I should be looking at. I just really prefer a clean simple keychain.
Click to expand...
I also carry a keychain light. It’s an plight i3es I think. It’s a single AAA model and 90-120 lumens depending on the model and battery type you use. It’s about the size of my pinky finger. I’d say it will do 75% of everything I might use a light for, but a less conveniently because it’s a twist cap style rather than a tail switch.
 

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