"tactical" pocket torch recommendation

[Wilson_smyth]

Im looking for recommendations of a small, bright, rechargable via usb torch.
I hesitate to use the term "tactical" as it seems every torch on amazon thats made of aluminium and painted black is "tactical".

Looking for something robust, small and rechargable via USB.

I assume a forum with watch/knife/mechanical pen idiot savants will have a few who know the intricacies of small precision metal torches too!

[junglebert]

Olight have a few that fit the bill, good quality and reliable. Amazon is a good place to look.

[Wilson_smyth]

Olight have a few that fit the bill, good quality and reliable. Amazon is a good place to look.

i checked out olight, but i dont like the proprietary usb connection.
Ive had a look on amazon but its impossible to pick something, there are hundreds of what look like the same torch (the ones with a tulip head in particular), but at every price bracket between 20 and 120 quid, many with brand names that cant be found anywhere except amazon so reviews are non existent.

[junglebert]

I’ve found the ones with the circular end cap usb charger to be really good, and if, as I may have once done, you trap the lead in a flight case lid, they’re cheap to replace.

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They’re certainly less prone to being bunged up by pocket crud than a regular micro usb socket

[junglebert]

Heinnie.com is a good place to look for decent stuff, you won’t find a mega bargain, but you will find decent stuff.

[Wilson_smyth]

I’ve found the ones with the circular end cap usb charger to be really good, and if, as I may have once done, you trap the lead in a flight case lid, they’re cheap to replace.

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They’re certainly less prone to being bunged up by pocket crud than a regular micro usb socket

i have a phone and other usb devices and never had a problem with pocket crud in any of them. Im really looking for something that dosent have a proprietary charger.

[junglebert]

https://www.heinnie.com/iprotec-pro-450-rechargeable

[PaulM]

I use a LED lenser PR7, the charge system is pretty cool, it has 1000 lumens, three settings for brightness, an adjustable beam from flood to spot and I can't fault it.
I've had it about 4 years.

Available to order in at Halfords.

[meridian]

Torch direct or flashaholics for olight or fenix tactical. Charging ports are always a weak spot,get one with 18650 batteries and remove them to charge,my team swore by them and they would last easily thro a “busy” night.

[Skier]

Fenix do some excellent torches and whilst I haven't bought a USB rechargeable one I have bought several both for me and as gifts for others. They're not the cheapest but they are very good.

HERE'S a link to the USB rechargeable version of the torch I have (Fenix PD35)

[willie_gunn]

Probably the very antithesis of tactical, but I have bought countless versions of the Nitecore Keyring torch for myself, family and friends.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

They are never going to light up a hillside 3 miles away, but that's not what they are designed to do. As a convenient and surprisingly bright torch, however, I have found them very hard to beat.

I do have a bunch of "proper" torches from Fenix, Olight, Zebralight and similar, but the cheap ones from Amazon get far and away the most use.

[Reeny]

I use a couple of £1.50p AA battery torches from Ebay.
One is stashed in the car, one in the house.
The width beam is adjustable, LED and UV versions are available. No fiddling about with charging leads, or ageing rechargeable batteries. Just bang in a new AA when required.
Prices up to £2 now
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adjustabl...sAAOSwj5FdGtBP

[Laur]

One is this :

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000...7a364c4d2poXDy

Second one is this :

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3293...7a364c4d2poXDy

Both rechargeable, but you will need to buy the battery = 21700. I know that they are coming from China, but they are good torches.


There are many more, with different batteries (18650, 21700, 26650).

I have another one, with 26650 battery = On The Road ( https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3282...27424c4d7nFtPu )


Regards

Nicu

[MB2]

If you want USB charging I have a Fenix UC02 and an Olight i1R 2 EOS on keyrings - these are tiny and charge via USB directly into the torch.

A better bet if you want something bigger is to consider a battery like this - https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/batter...d-battery.html

Or a USB charger like this - https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/access...ger-cable.html

And choose whatever torch you like.

[broxie]

I got drawn into the Olight thread here recently and as a result bought an Olight H2R Nova (£57.37 in their sale). It's pretty impressive and although it's brighter, I still prefer my old LedLenser P7 because it has a zoom function and I think feels better in the hand. Sure it's 4 AAA cells but they are cheap as chips even in the rechargeable version. And it's £34.22 on Amazon so almost half price.

I need a torch for work and had high hopes for the Olight, but the LedLenser is the one I prefer to use.

Also dislike the random application of the word "tactical" used to increase the price in the same way "technical" is thrown around on clothing websites to make you pay more!

[PickleB]

Im looking for recommendations of a small, bright, rechargable via usb torch.
I hesitate to use the term "tactical" as it seems every torch on amazon thats made of aluminium and painted black is "tactical".

Looking for something robust, small and rechargable via USB.

I assume a forum with watch/knife/mechanical pen idiot savants will have a few who know the intricacies of small precision metal torches too!

There is everything from £6 to £60+ available (Amazon link) depending upon your needs.

Can you narrow it down a bit? How small (or how heavy)? How bright...or at what distance to you need to illuminate something? As already posted the Nitecore keyring torch is very small, quite versatile and bright enough for jobs out to a few metres. Beyond that you'll need something brighter but it would be nice to know if you want to light up the whole garden (enough to see what's there) or find something down the road a way.

[Guz]

Just ordered this, hopefully it’s as good as the reviews ;-) £13 worth a punt ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Redline-Mag...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[PickleB]

i checked out olight, but i dont like the proprietary usb connection.
Ive had a look on amazon but its impossible to pick something, there are hundreds of what look like the same torch (the ones with a tulip head in particular), but at every price bracket between 20 and 120 quid, many with brand names that cant be found anywhere except amazon so reviews are non existent.

Their proprietary charging connection is OK, IMO, but I really like their universal magnetic USB charging cable...see link. That's what I take with me when traveling so that I can recharge any 26650 or 18650 such as the one in my Emisar D4. That gives me the combination of easy USB charging and a small, really bright torch (that has a ramping interface...plus many more options that you may choose not to use ).


Edit : I have just realised that I meant to mention the 18350 battery rather than the 26650. The former is quite small and, with the appropriate tube, makes the D4 really easy to carry. Rest assured however, the Olight cable can cope with all three sizes...and many more. They are listed in the Technical Details tab of the link above.

[Barry]

Just a heads up.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olight-Comp...Q3ZOF1W&sr=1-2

I couldn't resist. :)