CREE XM-L T6 LED Flashlight Torch Light Lamp - $10.99 Shipped

not really, unless you're kind of dingy and abuse them. I don't, and in my state, we call it 'medicine'.

this flashlight (while nice), is a marginal improvement to the $5 AA CREE, mkay (my best Mr. Mackey impersonation). End of story.

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So I'll add my 3 cents here. These T6 lights are indeed brighter than the beloved $5 AA lights... even when using a 3.7v 14500 in it.

I bought both the OP's spotlight version, as well as the zoom-able one suggested by WorkerAnt. The awesome thing about them both is they will last much longer than the $5 light using a 14500––despite also being brighter. That's awesome. I like the zoom-able one if I'm just lighting up a room/car engine/etc, and it's also wider when zoomed out. OP's spotlight one is noticeably brighter overall, and is best used for longer distances (lighting up a room down the hall, night hiking, shotgun mounted?). It probably wouldn't be good for biking since it can't adjust the zoom and would likely shine into oncoming traffic. I also like that it's a slightly warmer color.

lordoffire's picture above is a good example, though that distance really favors the "hotspot" of the spotlight one... you'd likely want to zoom in $5 light and it wouldn't look so dim on the snowman... but then it loses again on not lighting anywhere else.

HOWEVER, what's killing me on these lights is that there is no memory on the modes! Can anyone suggest alternatives (perhaps on èbay/amazön/mèritline/etc) that are either 1-function (who really uses "medium" on a hi-med-low light?) or at least has a memory feature? I see some alternatives here and here, but I'd like to get other opinions.

My conclusion is that the $5 lights still have their place, especially with a AA quality disposable or with 1.2v eneloops. But I think these lithium 18650's are awesome, and I'd love to find the perfect, low-cost 1-mode or 3-mode with memory.

lordoffire said:   that was zoomed in...I stand corrected, that's pretty funny!

lordoffire said:   and these do have memory...Really? Both the OP light and the zoom-able one will change to the next mode each time you do a full on/off. Ie, I turn it on and it's on high. I turn it off. I turn it on again and now it's on medium... etc. You're saying the one(s) you got will stay on the same setting? Which ones did you get, and where did you get them from?

lordoffire said:   Dotbody said:   you'd likely want to zoom in $5 light and it wouldn't look so dim on the snowman

that was zoomed in...

 

and these do have memory...

then my $5 cree is better than yours.

ordered some Panasonic NCR18650Bs... because I'd like you to be right.

Anybody have a solution to 9 switch clicks to get back to full power, once you turn it off from full power. Has anybody successfully swapped in a on/off switch from another light (like the Harbor Freight one).

thanks OP!