I’ve EDC’d something like this for about sixteen years. This is the RovyVon Aurora A5 (G3)-UV + White with the Nichia 219C LED. I mostly just use the UV to give the glow in the dark case a little charge as I’m dropping it on the nightstand.
It’s not my first A5 - I’ve killed one in the washing machine. I replaced that one with a Fenix E05R which is way more washing machine proof, but I just never had the same love for it as I do for the A5.
Before those, for many years it was the Fenix LD01 - mine has that wonderful beat up look you only get from using a light every day for years.
There’s also been a number of no-name 10440 lights that I seem to lose more easily than the brand name ones :-/
In the same pocket is an Olight i1R 2 on my keys - so it also has the ‘well worn’ look.
Until fairly recently, they were known to more dedicated flashlight nerds for a budget headlamp called the H03. It was nothing special, but it was $30 when comparable headlamps were $60; the downside was ordering from China and waiting a month.
They’ve gone more premium since and added distribution in the US through Amazon and Killzone Flashlights. They strike a good balance between being acceptable to mainstream buyers by including batteries and using magnetic charging, and being acceptable to enthusiasts by offering great LEDs and decent low modes. Europeans still have to order from China, but shipping time seems to be down to about 10 days.
The M150 was one of the first lights to do a good job with both AA and 14500 batteries. Most previous flashlights compatible with both had mode spacing problems on one or the other (usually 14500) and usually lacked low-voltage protection, making unprotected cells dangerous.
Thanks - my in-country retailer has the M150, so I think that’s going on the wishlist.