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!

  • @ZakMEnglish
    6•11 months ago

    Here are 11 right-angle lights with USB-C, a sub-lumen mode to preserve dark adaptation, and a standardized removable battery of some sort. If you can wait a couple weeks for shipping from China, the Convoy H2 with Nichia 519A LED for excellent color rendering is a good choice.

    If the USB port can be on the battery instead of the headlamp, there are several good options using the 14500 (AA-size Li-ion rechargeable) and 18650 (larger Li-ion rechargeable) batteries which can be found with USB-C ports on them, such as this 14500 from Skilhunt and this 18650 from Acebeam. The Skilhunt H150 is an excellent 14500 right-angle light, and their H04 series are nice 18650 models. Nichia 519A LED suggested in either case.

    If you can give up the sub-lumen mode in favor of faster shipping and USB-C on the light itself, the Sofirn SP40A is a reasonable option. I suggest it over the HS40 due to color rendering, though the latter has higher maximum brightness.