Over Christmas, I realised that I don’t actually own any torches, and whilst I have no interest in throwing myself into yet another expensive, niche hobby, I wondered if the folk here could help suggest a possible flashlight.
I’m wondering what kind of options are for a headlamp style flashlight, ideally one that can be detached from the headlamp mounting, if that’s a thing. In the most ideal world, the flashlight itself would be small enough I could fit it in my everyday carry tool pouch, which is a tool pouch that’s around A5 size.
I used to have a basic headlamp which had three lights on it and a button which toggled between modes so it had some variable brightness. I liked that I could tilt it up and down. I used it mostly for digging in unlit storage units, or illuminating in and around my car when unloading at night. It wouldn’t need to be too bright (the brightness aspect is one of the things I find most overwhelming about fancy flashlights, because there’s a lot of in-group lingo to be learned which I haven’t had the brain for.
One of the worst parts about my old headlamp was that its charging adaptor was specific and it’d often go uncharged if I couldn’t find the specific charger for it. I don’t know how fancy flashlights™ are generally powered, but I don’t want to get a nice gadget I never use because it’s awkward to charge. Proprietary connectors are a bit of a nightmare.
My budget would be up to £100 as a maximum, and only for something that ticked all my boxes. I have no idea how reasonably my goals are here, so thank you for reading this. I’d be glad to hear any suggestions anyone has, whether they be product suggestions, or questions that might be useful for me to consider in narrowing this down. You don’t need to explain your recommendations too much — I can go away and research stuff once I have a place to start, but at the moment it just feels a bit big
Thanks
Edit: I feel like I’ve got plenty to go on now, thank you to everyone who answered, I love y’all, wonderful nerds
My main lights, including my EDC, are Emisar. They are among the best lights available in many different ways and they are also among the best bargains you can get. Emisar lights feature a complex “operating system” called Anduril. It is incredibly versatile. You can configure the behavior of your light in detail and use it in all kinds of ways (such as beacon and candle modes). That can be daunting for someone who just wants a basic light.
If you like tech gadgets you will probably love an Emisar light. Just be aware of what you’re getting. Also, since you said you’re interested in a headlamp you should probably get a DW4 instead of the D4V2.
Having said all that, let me point you to the Arbitrary List of Popular Lights. It’s a great resource for people who aren’t flashlight nuts but want to find a good, practical light. Start with the Medium Headlamp section and work your way up or down if those don’t seem like the right size. Everything on that list is a good choice.
I’ve seen Emisar crop up a few times, and I suspect you’re right that I’d probably enjoy one, and also that it’s good to know what you’re getting into.
I’ve not seen that big list before, that looks like a useful overview resource, thank you.
The DW4 is currently on sale at the Emisar website. There are an insane number of options. I’m sure you can sort through them, but let me make a few suggestions…
If you want brightness and some throw, pick the SST-20 (5000K) LEDs and stick with the standard driver. If you want long runtime and broad flood, pick the 519A with Dome (5000K) LEDs and check the box for the Boost driver.
Different people have different needs and preferences, which is why all of those options exist. You can always do some research and figure out what matters and why. I just offer them as a way to get started without diving in that deep. :-)
Best of luck!