Before buying an LED flashlight, there are certain things you need to consider. This article will provide you guidelines on buying the best LED flashlight.
There are many LED flashlights available in the market today, and they are selling like crazy. While the good ones are expensive, flashlights which boast about being best are without any dependable brands behind them are generally just junk. They don’t have a good battery life, and are not durable. But, why should one still consider buying LED flashlight in the market, though they are expensive? Given below are some reasons for the same.
Advantages
Listed below are the advantages of LED flashlights.
- They are a lot more efficient than the traditional lights, and use comparatively less battery power.
- They use less amount of energy, and also produce less heat.
- Due to the less amount of battery consumption, they last long and cost less.
- Compared to the traditional lights, they are more resistant to the shocks and hence, are more durable. Many LED flashlights even come with a lifetime warranty.
- They are smaller in size, and the switches work fast compared to the incandescent bulb flashlights.
- Compared to traditional lights, the LED ones are lighter and easy to carry due to their relatively smaller sizes.
- The LED lights give full luminescence immediately, unlike the traditional lights.
Shopping Tips
Here are the three major factors you need to consider when looking for the right LED flashlight.
Quality of the Light
Everybody wants the light to be bright. However, too much of bright light can be sometimes more than what is actually required. Most LED flashlights intensity are measured in lumens, and the most common range is 10 to 100 lumens. An LED flashlight, the intensity of which measures up to 30 lumens, will serve you well for most of your average purposes. For super bright flashlights, an intensity of almost 90 lumens is common. These flashlights are used for special needs like police work.
Battery Life
The AA batteries are considered best. The small-sized bright LED flashlights can be powered by two AA batteries. These are easily available and affordable batteries, and have a good life. One single AA battery can provide power for hours. After the AA batteries, the next best choice are the AAA batteries and there are many flashlight products and other gadgets which use AAA batteries. Avoid those flashlights which are powered by button cells, as though they might have a good performance and good battery life but these cells are not easily available, and hence it will be difficult to replace them.
Durability
The LED flashlights are mostly used for outdoor purposes like when trekking or camping, and hence make sure you get an LED flashlight which has good durability. A bit of cosmetic damage, to the covering of the flashlight is okay. But ensure that you try to get your hands on a flashlight which has a good strong outer body. There are many brands which provide warranties.
Some of the top LED flashlight reviews online talk about brands like Dorcy, Fenix, Mag-Lite, Surefire, Inova, Energizer, Leatherman and Coast. Some of the top rated LED flashlight models which are under 100 dollars are:-
- Photon Micro-Light Freedom: This is key chain flashlight. It has adjustable brightness, and has excellent quality, and comes only for 20 dollars.
- Electrilite Crank Flashlight: This flashlight is one of the best models of emergency crank flashlights on the market. It comes only for 20 dollars, and charging it for one minute, provides light for half an hour.
- Leatherman 831064 Serac S3 LED Flashlight Review: Leatherman has quality products, and this is one of the best models by this brand. This flashlight has tough body and comes around USD 50.
- Fenix TK11: This flashlight is gives powerful and bright light. It is waterproof and comes around USD 70 only. It has quality components, however it required AA batteries.
You can buy the LED flashlight from a store or online. But no matter where you buy the flashlight from, it is wiser if you first surf and read through the information on different websites to compare the prices, durability, warranty and the light intensity factors of the flashlights available. This will help you find a flashlight which fits your budget and needs.
The LED flashlights might be expensive when compared to traditional bulb lights. But, this is the only disadvantage of the flashlight, and if you buy a good brand you can get a lifetime warranty, and with a lesser consumption of the batteries, it will surely save a lot of bucks. So, use the above guidelines, and buy the best flashlight according to the purposes you need it for.