Affordable LED Flashlight Review

Best Affordable LED Flashlight (s)

We all experience the need for a quality flashlight on occasion. In the winter more of our days are consumed by darkness making the likelihood of needing a light that much greater. On the other hand summers offer the opportunity for adventure. Whether it be camping, hiking, fishing, boating or anything else you can dream up its a good idea to pack a quality flashlight. Continue reading my Auxbeam affordable LED flashlight review to see what led me to this brand and why I keep coming back!

Auxbeam- Brand Loyalty

Last summer I made the decision to upgrade our vehicles to LED headlights. Following a friends recommendation I ordered Auxbeam LED Headlights and fell in love with the value of my purchase. The lights seemed to be high quality lights but at the price point of an unknown brand. Check Out my F250 Headlight Conversion Tutorial and Auxbeam LED Headlight review Here.

As fall approached I began preparing for hunting trips and finding myself outside in dim light. The batteries in my old MagLite were always dead and it never fit in a pocket anyway so I began shopping. I immediately learned that everyone always runs to StreamLight, Surefire, and Fenix but I was feeling frugal. I ended up finding my way to the Auxbeam website. There I learned that they have an entire line of LED products including headlights, light bars, light strings, headlamps, and flashlights. With a price point at less than 1/2 of the name brands I knew I had to give them a try.

Choosing an Affordable LED Flashlight

Auxbeam offers several levels of flashlights to choose from. I had two needs I wished to fill. First I wanted a light to keep at the house in the utility room or on the key rack. Its inevitable that a storm will knock the power out sometime and a phone flashlight just doesn’t always cut it. I had also just had the pleasure of rescuing an opossum from our boxers via phone light when they wouldn’t come back in after their last bathroom break of the night. A real light would have been handy! Secondly I needed an Every Day Carry Flashlight (EDC) that had a clip. I wanted a light that could be carried easily in the warehouse at work, in a chest or shoulder pocket of hunting gear, or just have in the console tray of my F250.

House Flashlight

My options for a full size Auxbeam flashlight were limited. I could go with a 3500 Lumen Diving Torch for $43 or a 2000 Lumen M6 Portable for $28. I don’t do much diving anymore so the M6 sounded like a better fit with adjustable zoom, a 300 meter range, an IPX5 waterproof grade and 5 light modes including:
-High 2000 LM
-Medium 800LM
-Low 80LM
-Flash
-SOS

The M6 flashlight does take 2x Rechargable 18650 batteries which are NOT included in your purchase and also does Not include a charging port.

EDC Flashlight (Every Day Carry)

Auxbeam lists 3 options for an EDC flashlight. The first is a 5″ highly versatile $10 flashlight that can take a rechargeable 18650, a 26650, or 3 AAA batteries. It is listed as a 15000LM light which feels like a typo but I can’t confirm because this is not the light I chose to purchase. This light is listed as an XM-L T6 Zoomable Tactical Flashlight.

The second is a sleek 4.5″ rechargeable 650 LM EDC light with a carry rope, mini USB charging port and takes 18650 batteries. Listed as the V3 Portable and its marked down from $26 to $16 at the time of this writing.

The third light which I chose to purchase was the $14 800LM C6 Portable. It requires 1x 18650 rechargeable battery and includes a mini USB Charging port ( I’m thinking I could rotate batteries out with my M6 to keep them charged.). The C6 Portable also includes a pocket clip, IPX5 waterproof rating, a 200 meter range, and 4 light modes including:
– High Beam
– Low Beam
– Strobe
– SOS

My $0.02:

The M6 Portable flashlight is incredibly bright. With the beam focused I can spot my dogs at night from the back deck while they explore the edges of the field. It does generate a bit of heat so be mindful of that. This light is far superior to my old paperweight of a MagLite that now sits on the shelf. The smaller C6 Portable is a well balanced little light. Its small enough that I can clip it in my jean pocket, jacket pocket, or small pouch on a backpack. The adjustable light on it can have an extremely wide beam that lights up a whole room, or it can be focused tight enough to see the ceiling in our 13 story tall cranes at work. Not bad for an affordable led flashlight if you ask me.

Extras:

Don’t forget batteries! I didn’t read the details and was disappointed when I realized I needed to go buy rechargeable batteries. This added to the overall cost of my affordable LED flashlight but multi-packs of batteries can be purchased for under $20. I will say the lights felt a little bit on the light and flimsy side without batteries but after adding the batteries the weight and craftsmanship felt more like one would expect.

I’ve now had my lights for 4 months. They have both seen light to moderate use but have been well taken care of. Neither light has gotten wet or been dropped. With light adult use the lenses, buttons, and moving parts all feel like they did the day I opened the box.

The batteries on both lights have lasted 4 months without needing charged. But the smaller C6 is capable of charging one battery using a USB to Mini USB cord.

Where to Buy your Affordable LED Flashlight (Auxbeam):

AuxBeam has great products but their shipping is a bit on the slow side. My products left the warehouse the Monday after I placed the order. It took 8 business days to travel the distance of a 5 hour car ride. I still haven’t figured out how DHL managed that, perhaps it was a random bad experience. Regardless, I have found that Amazon carries many Auxbeam products. If you are a last minute shopper I recommend the Amazon route. But if you are shopping for the most affordable led flashlight available or more options I think specials on Auxbeam.com could be worthwhile.

To Summarize:

After purchasing both lights and 4x 18650 batteries ( I only needed 3) I was out 65% of the single Fenix EDC light I had been considering. Granted the Fenix is likely a superior light for a Heavy Duty user. Because its brighter (1000LM), includes a battery and charger, and carries an IPX8 certification for submersion protection. But for the quality that I received and the level of use I expect to subject them to I would rather have an EDC light and a home light and leave some money in the bank! I feel like this was the best affordable led flashlight I could find.