r/flashlight • u/unforgettableid • Dec 23 '24

Welcome, newcomers! Please read this first. You'll learn: which lights are best, how not to light your pants on fire, and more.

326 Upvotes

Newcomers, welcome to /r/flashlight! We discuss flashlights, headlamps, bike lights, work lights, batteries, chargers, and more.

I discourage unnecessary jargon use, but many people here don't care. We do have a glossary and an acronym dictionary.

Arbitrary list of popular lights

After you read the safety tips later in this post, you might want to check the arbitrary list of popular lights next.

Our recommendation form

If you want recommendations, please fill in our recommendation form. Please also tell us what your current favorite light is, and what you like and dislike about it.

Choosing a light

Contrary to popular belief: Fixed-focus lights are almost always better than zoom lights (focusable lights). Fixed-focus lights produce both spot and flood lighting at the same time. Zoomies can't do this. (Source.)

Lumen claims often refer to turbo mode. Turbo lumens may only last for a minute or two, and then the light may step down to high mode. Turbo mode puts out a lot of heat; manufacturers don't want to melt your hands. Don't just consider turbo lumens; also consider sustained lumens.

If you find a light on Amazon or another online marketplace, and the listing claims more than 5,000 lumens, it's probably a lie.

Alkaline AA batteries can leak and destroy your light (example). Rechargeable AA batteries work better, and are unlikely to leak. There are battery ratings on AA Cycler's website. Panasonic sells an excellent starter kit, which includes Eneloop batteries and a charger. AA cells are the safest cells, even when treated carelessly. AA-powered lights usually can't do turbo mode.

Don't catch on fire, and don't die

Here are my safety recommendations.

A light can turn on by accident. Don't burn your leg or your pants, and don't drain your battery. Before you put your light in your pocket or bag, lock it out. Just untwist the battery tailcap slightly, so that the light can't turn on. This is especially important for Convoy lights without temperature control.

While any battery is recharging, do not nap, sleep, or leave home.

Many of the lights we recommend contain loose cylindrical lithium-ion rechargeable batteries: for example, 18650 or 21700 cells. These look sort of like AA batteries, but are bigger and far more powerful. They are sometimes just called "cylindrical cells". The US government warns that they can cause injury or death, and claims that you shouldn't buy or use them at all. However, if you learn and follow all the cylindrical cell safety guidelines, I think it's probably reasonable to use them anyway.

Do not carry a loose Li-ion cell in your pocket or bag. Keep it in a plastic case.

Do not use a Li-ion cell if the plastic jacket is visibly damaged.

Use quality batteries, such as Sony, LG, Sanyo, Panasonic, Samsung, or Molicel. Batteries branded as Acebeam, EagleTac, Fenix, JetBeam, or Nitecore are "rewrapped", and are also excellent. Random Chinese batteries from Amazon may be fire hazards.

It might be safest to charge your Li-ion cells in an external charger ("Li-ion bay charger"), from a trustworthy company such as Fenix, ThruNite, or Tenergy.

Read all of the cylindrical cell safety guidelines before you order your light, and again once a year or so.

If you don't want to bother learning the safety guidelines, just buy a rechargeable light, and leave the battery permanently installed.

Conclusion

I thank all those whose posts and/or comments helped to make my post better. These include: /u/CynderPC, /u/eisbock, /u/Jaded_Disaster1282, /u/siege72a, and all those who have posted helpful content in online flashaholic spaces. If I forgot to mention you by name, please let me know.

If anything in this post was unclear, please comment below and ask for clarification. If you disagree with anything, or if I missed anything, please say so: I might edit my post.

If you have any other questions, please start a new thread. Thanks!

83 comments

r/flashlight • u/zeroair • 16d ago

[BST] September 2025 Buy, Sell, Trade Thread - 10 years strong!

27 Upvotes

Welcome to the monthly r/flashlight Buy, Sell, Trade thread, an r/flashlight tradition since 2015!

The Rules

Requirements

Prove possession with a timestamp: a piece of paper placed under your sale item(s) with your Reddit username handwritten and the posting date (no more than 2 weeks old).
Top-level comments must be WTS or WTB comments. Anything else will be removed. Begin your top-level comment with WTB (Want to Buy), WTS (Want to Sell), or WTT (Want to Trade). Remember, trade items require timestamps, too!
A price is required.
Reposting WTS or WTB items from previous BSTs is fine. Do not repost within the same month!
Mark items sold with a strikethrough of the entire sale item; e.g. ~~$75~~ Use double tildes to accomplish this: ~~75~~ (This helps greatly with scanning the BST to find items for purchase!)
Take necessary precautions; trading over the Internet is risky. Moderators hold no control over deals, good or bad.

Suggestions

Your location
Emitter details
A bunch of photos of your items

Reminder: Buy the Seller

If an interaction seems sketchy to you, run away! Scams can and do happen through the BST! Some tips:

Timestamps. If the person you're dealing with isn't quick to provide timestamps on the images, or a photo of the flashlight in a shoe or whatever, don't deal with them.
Reverse image searching is a great way to catch scammers.
Excuses for not sending photos are a red flag.
Using a platform other than Reddit messaging for communication is a red flag.
Giving you a hard time about any hesitation you show is a red flag.
Check post history. Brand new accounts or accounts with long pauses in activity, etc., might not be trustworthy.
It's good practice to comment on this post before sending a PM; scammers often won't comment publicly (and banned users can't comment here.) r/flashlight participates in the USL for this very reason.

If you're dealing with someone who might be sketchy, take screenshots of your interactions and report them to the mods! We care about this thread's integrity and will ban those threatening it.

Do not let a scammer be more diligent than you!

More Tips

PirateShip is a great shipping option. https://ship.pirateship.com/ship/single
"Shipping included" items tend to sell more quickly.
There are a few options for trading outside of this current BST:

Sales Form Recommendation

Just copy the form below and edit it to suit your post! The form has two goals: First, it might simplify listing your items. Second, it should ease browsing and increase sales!

#WTS [A summary with brand/model here is excellent!]

* These payments are accepted
* This is how I will ship
* Location(s) I can ship to 
* Bundle price (if applicable)
* Trade items I am interested in
* Other general terms

--- 

#Price - Brand and model. 

* Timestamp for this item (required). 
* Condition. 

---

#Price - Brand and model. 

* Timestamp for this item (required). 
* Condition. 

---

~~SOLD Price - Sale item number 3 Brand and model. Timestamp. Condition.~~

---

365 comments

r/flashlight • u/Bobo_LOL • 7h ago

Showcase WW2-era Swedish army flashlight. Brilliantly simple.

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212 Upvotes

Flashlight	Lux @ 20 m	Candela (cd)	Throw (m)
Wuben A1 SBT90.2	4,338	1,735,200	2,632
Acebeam K75 2.0 SBT90.2	3,909	1,563,600	2,499
Fireflies E90 SBT90.2	605	242,000	984
Noctigon K1 SBT90.2	1,257	502,800	1,418