What lightweight, practical flashlights would people recommend?
I want something that I could use while camping, dog walking, and general day-to-day tasks (finding something under the bed for example). Currently I use my phone torch, which isn’t particularly practical. My previous (battery powered) torches have died after too short a space of time - I want something that will last.
One with a clip would be handy, so I could attach it to a cap.
I see lots of ones online with insane lumens. 1000 lumens seems like overkill for my purposes!
Not too worried about price (within reason!)
For dog walking, I would suggest a headlamp instead of a pocket light. You probably want to keep your hands free. For EDC, that other comment is awesome!
Zebralight has a clip.
Yeah, a headlamp would be better, but the clip is sufficient for clipping onto a cap or something. It’d probably be a bit difficult to aim but I can imagine it working. Its honestly small enough that I hold mine with my mouth if I’m doing things. Dunno how sanitary this practice is, lol, but lips make it easier to aim and point.
Then again: the clip is backwards? I guess you’d have to put it into the side of your cap pointing forwards. Hmmmm… I’ll have to play with it (I usually don’t use a cap. Again, I just use my mouth, lol).
That is: a small AA-sized flashlight, with the right design, can serve the needs of a headlamp (clipping to a cap and/or holding with your mouth/lips), pocket light, and more. I think the 1x AA-sized are the right size for EDC, though some people argue that AAA-sized (one size smaller) is even better. But the smaller you go, the less light you get.
300 Lumens (albeit for only a short time), maybe 200 Lumens under longer-term use, is a good place to be for AA-sized flashlights. It obviously can’t compete with 18650 flashlights, but the smaller size allows for more uses in practice. On the other hand, AAA-sized loses even more Lumens and 300 is already on the lower side for practical usage.
I agree, I just hate how they shake. Still really good to have as a back up. Head lamps are just convenient, effective, and cheap.