Budget EDC Flashlight Showdown

The Best online firearms community in Louisiana.

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • southerncanuck

    www.RangeSport.com (Use code "BayouShooter")
    Premium Member
    Industry Partner
    Rating - 100%
    62   0   0
    Dec 3, 2019
    839
    63
    New Orleans
    Inspired by a couple recent posts and some lumen-shaming from the boys on here, I wanted to try out some new handhelds... requirement: small, pocketable and cheap. I'm not mentally prepared to spend $300 on a modlite, even if you can roast a marshmallow from the next zip code with one.

    Three players in the experiment, starting with my beloved microstream that I carry all the time, plus two more I picked up. I'm sure there are dozens more, these are just what I found after some painful browsing through flashlight forums trying to make sense of whatever language those nerds speak.

    1. Microstream USB. $35. Momentary or click on.
    • Low 50lm
    • High 250lm

    2. Lumintop Tool AA with a 14500 battery in it. $28 incl battery. Click on only, then tap to toggle brightness.
    • Low 8lm
    • Med 95lm
    • High 650lm

    2. Convoy S2+ SST40 with a 18650 battery in it. $26 incl battery. Click on only, then tap to toggle brightness.
    • Candle 3lm
    • Low 55lm
    • Med 540lm
    • High 1800lm

    Uwb9Ee7.jpg

    yu2terI.jpg

    M7u87gm.jpg


    Verdict: Think I'm gonna keep all three because why not. The Lumintop is a worthy replacement for a super small EDC type light for me. I wish it had momentary on, but that's not really a dealbreaker. The Convoy is double the size but the output is wild for $26 -- I could see carrying that for nighttime outings specifically.

    I was driving around to meet up with another member this evening with the Convoy in my pocket and guess I accidentally clicked it on... didn't realize it until my left nut started melting in my pocket. That thing gets hot!!
     
    Last edited:

    MetalVendor

    Well-Known Member
    Premium Member
    Rating - 100%
    83   0   0
    Jan 16, 2017
    1,542
    83
    Jefferson
    Great post, my man! Thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about lefty...

    I went from carrying a big arse Surefire E2D Defender to carrying the tiny Streamlight Microstream USB and couldn't be happier with my switch to the little guy. Obviously, the Surefire was much brighter and could basically temporarily blind someone at night, but the Microstream serves my needs just fine. It's also nice to have an EDC light that takes a single AAA battery and lasts a long time over a light that takes two CR123 batteries that only last a few hours. Both fine flashlights, I've just really come to love the little Streamlight.
     

    MOTOR51

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    72   0   0
    Dec 23, 2008
    6,342
    113
    here
    Great review, thanks for taking the time to do it. I have a few of those little streamlights that I stash around the house and vehicles.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    195,218
    Messages
    1,546,026
    Members
    29,168
    Latest member
    Lyle.lejeune2017
    Top Bottom