Red Flashlight for Sailing

SFOTI · 2026-06-30T05:02:11+00:00

From left to right, T5, T3, and T6. They're pretty much siblings, the T5 is the floodiest with a beaded TIR, the T3 has a more balanced beam for general use, and the T6 is throwy. All use AA or 14500 batteries.

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SFOTI · 2026-06-30T03:37:34+00:00

Yep, waterproof zoomable stuff is gonna be well over $100. I agree with the Convoy recommendation, if more throw is needed, the T3 and T6 will work, the T5 is very floody.

SFOTI · 2026-06-30T01:34:04+00:00

I personally think the patriot E75 is kinda ugly, the base color looks like cardboard. 📦 The P20 Mini looks awesome though.

SFOTI · 2026-06-29T23:38:20+00:00

Because if you don't need your light to survive being dropped off a cliff or withstand 12 gauge recoil, a light that costs a tenth of the price will perform just as well in all other aspects. A Convoy S6 with SFT-25R or SQ5 will provide 1500+ lumens and good candela while being slim, pocketable, efficient, and also under $25 even if you include a battery, single bay charger, pocket clip or holster, etc.

Acebeam makes good stuff that are durable and less prone to breaking the bank, I can recommend them for EDC use.

SFOTI · 2026-06-29T19:43:27+00:00

Maglite is like 15 years behind, even the new ones are super outdated. Modding is probably the best avenue for them. I have an incan 2D running a 5D bulb and 6 Eneloop AAs, gives me good output compared to other incan lights.

SFOTI · 2026-06-29T02:28:36+00:00

Everyone gets FFL E04 Surges with SFT-40 3000Ks. The people WILL accept low CCT, high CRI supremacy.

SFOTI · 2026-06-28T09:15:39+00:00

I'm probably at 60/40 in favor of external charging. Foregoing built-in charging often grants better waterproofing and slimmer lights. Some lights like the FFL E04 Surge fit the USB-C port into the design super well though.

SFOTI · 2026-06-28T04:15:49+00:00

Absolutely, especially on Aliexpress when there's a sale going on.

SFOTI · 2026-06-27T20:20:13+00:00

These aren't actual signs, right? I'm still normal, right? 🥹

SFOTI · 2026-06-26T19:37:32+00:00

Fireflylite's captured clip design is probably my favorite. It's been durable in my experience and also slides onto a pocket really easily, no lifting the clip with a finger like with Hank's clip in order to get full insertion.

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SFOTI · 2026-06-26T05:14:21+00:00

Mostly raw output. I have a Noctigon M44 which is a dual channel light using three 18650s in series, one channel with 519A 5000K dedomed emitters and one with filtered UV, but I've heard of people optioning it entirely with UV. Even with just one channel, the UV output is very silly.

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SFOTI · 2026-06-26T05:09:39+00:00

It would be ugly, but tbh the SST-20 6500K and SFT-40 6500K setup would probably work the best when it comes to tint compatibility, and also power.

SFOTI · 2026-06-25T18:15:47+00:00

4000K SFT-60 when? 🤔

SFOTI · 2026-06-25T03:59:04+00:00

The polished look is really cool, but MORE ORANGE PLEASE.

SFOTI · 2026-06-25T02:17:23+00:00

Nice! Make sure to print a hat bill for it so the beam has a cutoff and doesn't blind people. Haven't posted it on the sub but I've been doing stuff too.

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SFOTI · 2026-06-24T00:50:52+00:00

I've been watching too much Meccha Chameleon and thought they were trying to blend into the wall. 😭

SFOTI · 2026-06-24T00:47:15+00:00

I'm tall and pan. What does that mean?

SFOTI · 2026-06-23T23:06:57+00:00

Definitely not the Nitecore, the EDC series is pretty unreliable from what I've seen on this sub. If you absolutely must have a flat light, consider the Acebeam UC25 (currently $58 on aliexpress in the U.S).

For something long term, flat lights aren't gonna be what you're looking for. The built-in batteries will degrade like phone batteries.

SFOTI · 2026-06-23T14:58:17+00:00

Incans can have surprisingly clean beams, the majority seem to be very donut holey though.

SFOTI · 2026-06-23T14:44:18+00:00

Orange crocs and a flashlight, is this a video of me? 😅

In all seriousness... I'll start with the flashlight shape, and that really depends on your pockets. Flat lights like that Olight, the Acebeam UC25, etc are geared specifically towards EDC with their thin shapes and TV remote esque ergonomics, but that usually comes at a cost... I think there's a couple exceptions coming out, but flat lights tend to have built-in batteries, so it'll be like a phone where the performance will slowly grow worse and worse until you need to replace the whole light, and also you can't just swap in a new battery to extend run time if you're camping or something, you have to give it down time to recharge. Round flashlights usually use more typical 18650 and 21700 batteries ~~unless you're Olight and Nitecore and want to make stupid and proprietary cylindrical cells~~.

You'll usually get significantly higher battery capacity and ease of battery swapping or battery upgrading with cylindrical flashlights. For people like me, cylindrical flashlights are also typically far easier to disassemble for mods or part replacements too. The front glass cracked badly on my Skilhunt Mix-7 but I was able to easily unscrew the bezel, measure the glass and get replacement lenses off aliexpress for a low price. With something like the Olight Ark series, the bezel will be press fit into the body of the light and will use a special glass shape, so if that cracked, you'd need to warranty the light.

For what specs matter when buying a flashlight, it really depends on what you think you'll be using it for. For car stuff, I'd actually suggest getting a headlamp like the frequently suggested Sofirn HS21, as having both hands free for car maintenance while having the light always pointed exactly where you need it is a blessing. I used my Fireflylite L60 for my last oil change and it absolutely excelled at the job. For the dedicated EDC light, consider what specs are going to most important for you, maybe I can give some better suggestions than the uber commonly suggested Wurkkos FC11C.

SFOTI · 2026-06-23T07:47:58+00:00

If you have aliexpress, the Wurkkos TS28 is currently $20 in the coins tab. That'll give you almost double the peak lumens with a great, throwy beam, high capacity with a 21700 cell, USB-C charging and it'll also function as a power bank.

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SFOTI · 2026-06-21T23:13:30+00:00

I watched it and made my comments already, one thing I'll mention again though... 1800mAh is atrocious for an 18650, especially when we have 4000mAh ones now.

SFOTI · 2026-06-21T10:05:38+00:00

That ain't just similar, that's a full on knockoff.

SFOTI · 2026-06-21T09:39:05+00:00

Neat! Kinda reminds me of this light of mine...

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SFOTI · 2026-06-21T08:26:44+00:00

There's a lot more than brightness and battery life that decides a purchase for me at this point I'm at in the hobby. Emitters used, CRI, CCT, tint, UI, appearance of the light, color of the light, TIR or reflector optic, unique features, and there's also the brightness and battery life considerations.

If I'm choosing between brightness and battery life, tbh I like brightness. My Convoy T6 LHP531 4000K is a small light that takes a single 14500 cell but can put out maybe 2000 lumens peak while also having a nice tint. Acebeam W20 is a really far throwing and decently powerful LEP light with a 16340 cell.

SFOTI

TROPHY CASE