*** There are 'Tools'... and there are priceless Tools...

[Papa]

180 lumen 2-speed firecracker...

 

[Zambam]

I bought 2 of these in 2023. I use them almost everyday. Still working fine. Even has a magnetic base!

 

[A-DamW]

180 lumen 2-speed firecracker... the size of a Cuban cigar butt. Olight i1R2 Pro. As my late father would say,...
"Handier than a pocket on a shirt".

Nice.
After spending way too many years running whatever unreliable cheap plastic headlight that came my way, I finally decided it was time to upgrade.

I settled on the Convoy S2+
~$20
18650 for juice (cuz I have a bajillion laying around)
Highly available replacement/repair parts.

This one is setup as a simple 4 mode,
moonlight, low, med, high.

Moonlight and low get used 99% of the time.

Moonlight for not disturbing sleeping household members.

Low is plenty of light for general tasks.

I get about two weeks of runtime using it every day(night).

Med/high get used a handful of times per year spotting the commotion/cougar/bear downrange in the woods.

 

[RunForTheHills]

I have a few such flashlights. I never have one nearby when I need one and always reach for my phone. It's awkward to use, but gets the job done and I can use the magnifyer on the camera when my old eyes can't quite make something out.

 

[OlderGiantFan]

I carry something similar on night pushbike rides but it takes a AAA. For torches that rarely get used I prefer primary batteries to rechargeable ones. For round the house I swear by headlight torches now. Two free hands.



Zoom feature for long distance spotting






The second LED is UV, though why they incorporated that I have no idea. No practical use as far as I can tell other than looking for bodily fluids.

 

[Zambam]

For round the house I swear by headlight torches now. Two free hands.

Yep, I just put on my baseball cap with light.

 

[99t4]

User replaceable cells? (i.e no special tools needed?)

 

[OlderGiantFan]

User replaceable cells? (i.e no special tools needed?)

No special tools, just lift off the rear rubber cover and pop them in. I keep spares around in case they get dim, I prefer that to the embedded ones where you have to take it off and plug into a charger, typically a weak USB charger.

There are many models of these torches out there, I've owned several, but I stocked up on these because they are totally reliable and super bright. The cells in the pic are hi-end Panasonics, cost a fortune! They are a couple of mm longer than the standard 80650 because they have a battery management circuit built into the end. Some don't, the second black ring at the base is the tell tail.
a very good battery, except for the length. Only buy it if you know you equipment can use a very long battery!

Test of Panasonic NCR18650B Protected 3400mAh (Green)