Illuminate Your Way: Flashlight Buying Guide

Convenient and easy to use, flashlights are the ultimate tool to have around the house and especially when you’re out and about, like on a prolonged camping or hiking trip where you don’t have access to electricity. Flashlights come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and with different power settings, so how can you be sure you’re picking the best one to suit your needs, no matter the situation?

Well, there are a couple of things that all flashlights share and they are the ones you need to look into to make the right choice.

Light

picture of a place with a lot of snow and a person with a Led torch on the road
source: t3.com

Before we go into more detail, it’s important to note that LED flashlights are your best option. They are very eco-friendly, longer-lasting than any other light source, and provide excellent illumination.

LED flashlights emit bright white light and don’t get hot, which means that you can leave the flashlight on for a long time and it won’t pose a danger to itself or its surroundings. You can find such flashlights online or in camping stores around Australia. One brand that manufactures sturdy and durable models is Olight. Tested and proven to be sturdy enough to withstand even the roughest outdoor conditions, Olight torches are a great tool to have in your arsenal.

Aside from the right intensity of light, let’s see what else you should pay attention to when looking through the wide range of Olight torches.

Battery

picture of an Olight torch beside a battery
source: batteryjunction.com

The battery of your LED flashlight determines more than just how bright it will be. It determines how long it will last, under which conditions it will continue (or stop) working, its weight, and many more aspects that are extremely important, especially when you need to carry one around with you in your backpack.

Flashlights can be powered by single-use batteries or, as is the case with newer models, rechargeable batteries, just like the ones you can find in your phone or laptop.

When a flashlight is operated by single-use batteries, it’s important to note how many lumens (measuring unit for luminous flux) will the battery give and what kind of battery is needed. Also, check if your flashlight will need one or more batteries to reach its optimal brightness.

It’s important to note how much power the flashlight drains from the battery, i.e., how long will the flashlight work with said single-use battery. If you opt for such a flashlight, make sure to have a stock of batteries with you, as it will be quite inconvenient if you run out in the middle of the trip and are stuck with no light source.

On the other hand, flashlights with built-in batteries are much more convenient as they don’t require you to worry about bringing batteries along, though they do have a limited life as well. This means you’ll need to charge them eventually.

Many of them come with included chargers that can give them enough juice for up to three full charges in some cases, but if you’re on a specifically long trip, you might want to consider either bringing a portable battery to be able to charge the charger or get a single-use-battery-powered flashlight for optimal performance.

Size

picture of three different size Olight torches
source: amir shamsipur on Unsplash

When talking about size, it’s very important to remember that bigger does not mean brighter, not anymore.

If in the past there was a need for more batteries and bigger storage for them to gain optimal brightness, nowadays that’s not really the case. A single AAA battery can give you 180 lumens, for example. For comparison, 100 lumens is the brightness of most streetlights.

Still, size does matter in terms of space and carrying. As much as size and luminosity aren’t connected, they still kind of are, when you think about it. But, since we’re talking about regular use on mountains and at home, it doesn’t make too much of a difference. If we were talking about some more dangerous situations where light is absolutely crucial the conversation would’ve been different.

So, think of size in terms of convenience and ability to be carried around with ease. The battery’s power also isn’t connected with the size of your flashlight, so search around for the optimal size and then check its lighting abilities. In most cases, you’ll find that a very small flashlight can give you quite a bit of luminosity as well as a high range of illumination.

Still, bear in mind that your flashlight should be something you can find in a hurry, so don’t opt for something too small as you might not be able to locate it when you need it most. A nice, medium-sized flashlight should do the trick.

Quality

picture of black Olight torch on a wooden table in a working shop
source: amir shamsipur on Unsplash

When I say quality, I mean build. We established that size and battery life and luminosity aren’t dependable on each other, but they all really do depend greatly on the case they’re encased in.

If your flashlight has a flimsy, weak casing it is much more prone to damage and in some cases, even breaking down completely. I’m sure you really don’t want this, as you’re already investing in a flashlight you can depend on, so search for quality materials that will offer you high durability and high performance in different weather situations and under different circumstances.

Materials like plastic should be avoided. Instead, opt for a nice aluminium build that will make the flashlight pretty light while still being strong enough to take a fall or two.