As part of our effort to be prepared for everyday emergencies we went on a hunt for the best cheap flashlight. Our target was a durable inexpensive high lumen flashlight that we could give to children and not worry if it was lost. It needed to be a flashlight bright enough for power outages and lighting the back of the van at night.
There are a LOTS of flashlights available, and many of them are crazy expensive. Many flashlights require specialty batteries, which bumps up the cost. (And if your special batteries go dead, the light is useless.) It just didn't seem practical to spend big bucks on flashlights that were likely to spend most of their time in nightstands, emergency bags and glove compartments. My husband, August, made it his personal mission to check out an assortment of flashlights over the last several months, and this is his recommendation for the best small, durable, inexpensive, multipurpose flashlights. We tested each of the flashlights, batteries and chargers reviewed.
2018 Update: NOTE readers report inconsistent lumen and quality in the mini Q5 Cree 7w flashlights. If you can find a consistent provider they are good, the knock offs are no where near as bright. Also note the lumen rating is over estimated on nearly all Q5, C8 and T6 flashlights, only the more expensive name brands have reliable lumen info.
“Best of the Best” Cheap Flashlights Accessories List
Best Cheap AA 7w Mini Cree Q5 300lumen LED AA Battery – (Low / High / Strobe) – Six flashlights – about 90 to 100 lumens
Best Cheap AAA Mini Perman LED AAA Battery – (single mode) – about 80 lumen
Bright AAA LUMINTOP Mini Worm our favorite small AAA LED flashlight (3 mode – low med high) – about 110 lumen
Brightest key-chain light Nitecore TIP 360 Lumen USB Rechargeable Keychain Flashlight (it really is 360 lumens but its more $)
Best Bright 18650 Atactical A1S 1150 lumen Neutral White LED 5 mode (Low/Medium/High/Turbo/Strobe SOS) true 1150 lumen
“Best of the Best” Accessories List
AA & AAA Rechargeable batteries Tenergy affordable mixed order of AA and AAA Batteries providing good shelf life and good mAh
Best overall inexpensive USB charger is the XTAR VC4 Battery Charger supports multiple battery types
Lacrosse BC-1000 Best charger that refreshes older rechargeable AA and AAA batteries (but not 18650)
Orbtronic 3500mah 18650 Rechargeable batteries good for the aTactical A1 flashlight
Nitcore i4 Charger can charge 18650, AA and AAA rechargeable batteries (but cannot “refresh”)
For more information on rechargeable batteries and battery chargers “Best Battery Chargers and Batteries” post.
The Best Cheap Flashlight – 3 mode 7W 300LM* Q5 mini Cree LED Flashlight
Technical Summary of Q5 mini Cree 3 mode LED flashlight
We recommend the 6pack Q5 mini Cree 3 mode LED flashlight or the 10 pack Mikafen Mini Cree Q5 LED Flashlight Torch 300lm. Both use a standard AA battery or a 14500 3.6v battery. These are basically identical and both are more in the 100 lumen range not 300 lumen. They have a sturdy aluminum case with a belt clip and a manual focus. The 14500 battery will make the flashlight brighter assuming its a true XR-E “Q5”. See below for info on the various CREE LED types. Before you buy large amounts of similar Q5 flashlights, buy one set to test. Readers are reporting inconsistent quality.
There are generally two types of Q5's, the single mode and the three mode with High, Low and Strobe. The flashlights are about 25mm (just under an inch) wide and 92mm (3.6 inches) long, weighing about .143 pounds/65 grams/2.3oz. The flashlights tend to cost much more individually which is why we recommend you purchase multi-packs.
WARNING: Watch out for the high rated LED flashlights that might have false reviews -look for lots of short reviews in a short time period with grammatical errors. Also watch out for high shipping cost flashlights.
Pros
It is bright, inexpensive and reasonably durable. It is water resistant (but not waterproof) and has no IPX rating. A remote pressure switch is available for weapon mounts (but we don't recommend it for that use). Note the unit in the pictures is the Ultrafire, but is the same “build”.
Cons
The Q5 is heavy for an EDC (Every Day Carry) flashlight in a purse or pocket. If the unit is left on “high mode” it gets hot. The individual LEDs are visible as a series of rectangles when the flashlight is fully focused, which may bother some people. We have heard of people having trouble with the switch, and units being bad to start and complaints of bait and switch with advertising listing the three mode and delivering single mode instead. As noted, quality and lumens vary especially with the constant changes in brands.
Best Uses
Stashed in a car or truck, one in the glove compartment and two in the trunk/toolkit. Good for nightstands, bathroom and kitchen drawers. Put one in an emergency kit, 72 kit, first aid kit, get home kit and a bug out bag. If you or the kids lose one you aren’t losing an expensive flashlight.
We recommend three for every vehicle. August was on the way home and came across a deer accident. In clearing the road, vehicles were not slowing down. He put one facing traffic in each direction with strobe on which did slow down traffic more than normal hazard lights.
Details
When we first ordered this little flashlight we were suspicious that a $3 to $7 flashlight could be any good. It took a couple of weeks to arrive from China. When we got it we were pleasantly surprised. This is a great little inexpensive flashlight. The case feels a bit overbuilt and industrial. The three modes are toggled using the large orange thumb button (tail cap) on the back. Note the flashlight doesn’t remember the last mode.
The advertisements say that they are 300 or 400 lumens (brightness). The mini Cree Q5 is actually about 100 to 150 lumens (depending on the focus) – there are numerous name brands such as Ultrafire, Thorfire, Trusfire and Sipik, all of which appear to be the same flashlight. We have purchased over 100 of these (August gave them as parting gifts to his team at his previous employer) and have had a few duds, but given the price and general quality for the ones that work it is a great deal (and they won't break the bank if you lose them).
Even though the mini Q5 Cree flashlights are about 100 lumens, they are still very bright with a fully charged AA.
With a 14500 battery they are slightly brighter. However, we want to standardize on the AA batteries as much as possible. The light color or hue is not too “red or blue”. It is a fairly clean white and varies toward blue (known as “cool white”), however, given the wide variance in production it is possible your flashlight could have different color hues.
The Q5 Cree has a decent range (light throw) for a small inexpensive single AA LED flashlight – about 30 feet to 75+ feet, depending on flood vs. narrow focus beam. Although the LEDs are visible in the narrow focus, the brightness is just right for close tasks like pulling a sliver. The wide focus works better for a night-time tire change or lighting up a room. The strobe is disturbingly bright and would be a good alternate to a road flare to warn drivers, and it did work for August. The lower intensity is good for enough light to see your way around the house in the dark.
Be cautious buying the off brand / unnamed Q5 flashlights – there are many. They are similar and some are slightly less expensive, however, not all of them use the Q5 LED and even with the Q5 many only have on/off, not 3 modes. All of them overestimate the lumen output claiming 300 to 1000 lumens when they really provide 90 to 100.
The single mode Q5 one should be about $1 to $2 cheaper than the three mode unit. There are some “waterproof” versions that include an o-ring seal. We recommend you only order one flashlight (or one pack) and then order more if you like it. We ended up with a few single mode no-name flashlights when we intended to get 3 mode, so confirm the seller has a good rating and you are actually purchasing the Q5 Cree. The price has been going up, and the quality on some knock offs is poor, buy one before you buy a dozen.
Conclusion
Overall this is a solid, inexpensive, very bright, single AA battery, LED flashlight with a manual focus.
Update 2018: Our readers report that they have been using the Q5 Cree for over four years and they are still working well. August and I have ordered many for gifts, for work and friends. We have used the Q5 flashlights weekly since December 2013 in our cars, bedrooms, garage, 1st aid kit, kitchen, storage, basement, work rooms and around our 10 acre yard. They are great, cheap and bright. They have held up to being dropped, abused by teenagers and left in cars for months on end. NOTE: The number of knock-offs is making it harder to ensure you get a good unit.
We recommend you combine the Q5 mini Cree with rechargeable AA batteries and a good AA charger. Rechargeable batteries and a good charger can easily pay for themselves in a few years, and save you a lot over time.
The Best Cheap AA, AAA and 18650 Rechargeable Batteries
AA & AAA Batteries: Amazon Basics, Tenergy or Panasonic (Sanyo/Eneloop) 2500mAh batteries. We recommend the Panasonic Pro rechargeable batteries for high draw usage. The Tenergy and Panasonic Pro's both are low self discharge, so they hold their charge well in storage. If you want to save a few dollars and are okay with lower mAh, the Amazon Basics batteries are inexpensive alternative. We recommend the Tenergy AA and AAA or Panasonic Pro AA & Panasonic Pro AAA rechargeable batteries.
We recommend the Orbtronic 18650 “protected” 3500 mAh rechargeable battery for the bigger 1000+ lumen flashlights.
The Best Cheap AAA Flashlight
The clear winner here is the Mini Perman CREE XPE-R3 AAA LED Flashlight. This flashlight is as bright as many AA LED lights. The unit is simple on/off only. It does have a focus which is nice. The Mini Perman is small enough to be a key-chain light and definitely light enough to be and EDC and it definitely meets the “cheap” criteria. Buy a few of the “XPE-R3” LED units. We might move this to #1 if it holds up over time.
The Best TINY Flashlight
The LUMINTOP Mini Worm uses AAA batteries. It is a 110 lumen, super small, super bright, 3 mode LED flashlight. It is great for a small emergency kits, a purse, a backpack, bug out bag, a keychain light, or other space or weight sensitive uses. We have one in all our small first aid kits. This is a close runner up to the Q5 as its is very small and very bright.
The runner up and brightest TINY flashlight is the Nitecore TIP 360 Lumen USB Rechargeable Keychain Flashlight. It is about 2x to 3x the price but also much brighter and smaller. It requires a mini-USB charger. This unit is crazy bright, and very lightweight. It is on August's keychain.
The Best Cheap 18650 Flashlight
The Best Cheap aTactical A1S 18650 LED Flashlight Bright 1000 lumen tactical 18650 LED. This is an amazing flashlight and is our go to for lighting up a 10 acre parcel. The aTactical is one inch diameter. It can be used with a mount on a weapon for tactical use. The strobe is appropriately blinding for defense use. It is slightly smaller lengthwise than our PD35 and has mode memory and a 2nd button to cycle through the Low / Medium / High / Turbo / Strobe / SOS light modes. The ATactical is IPX7 water resistant. It includes an interesting 18650 battery that can be charged with a micro-USB cable. Another interesting thing about the aTactical is the option for Cool White or Neutral color hue (different models, same price). You might want one or the other depending on use.
We also have a Fenix PD35 TAC 1000 Lumen which is a great tactical flashlight from a name brand but is more expensive and is comparable in brightness. The PD35 is a standard in the tactical flashlights. For weapon use you can purchase a Fenix PD35 kit. The Thrunite TN12 is another good alternative we tested, and its $10 to $15 more than the aTactical A1S.
CREE LED Differences
There are many other CREE LED flashlights. The main variable on the flashlights are the LEDs used to create the light. A few of the more popular ones are the XR-E “Q5” CW, the XP-G “R5” CW, XM-L “T6”. The XM-L or “T6” and the XP-L/HI which is probably the highest out there as of Nov 2017. The Fenix PD35 and aTatical uses the XP-L (providing true 1000 lumens).
The really amazingly bright XHP70 LED flashlights such as the ThruNite TN36 are excellent but don't fit the “cheap” expectation of this post. So we don't review them here. All LEDs using XHP70 LEDs are expensive varying from $50 to $500+ and require multiple 18650 or 26650 batteries. None not pocket flashlights.
More References
For information on rechargeable batteries and battery chargers “Best Battery Chargers and Batteries” post.
See also: “Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) – What You Need to Know” for info to protect your LED flashlights from EMPs.
You may also find other posts on General Preparedness, First Aid and Food Storage useful, including:
- Emergency Cooking – 10 Ways to Have a Hot Meal When the Power Goes Out
- Emergency Heat During a Power Outage and other Winter Storm Preps
- Emergency Power Options for Your Home
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Adrienne @ Whole New Mom says
So if I am understanding this correctly, this would be a great every day use flashlight but not a tactical one. Is that correct? Thanks for a helpful review.
Laurie Neverman says
It depends what you mean by “tactical”. You’re certainly not going to be clubbing someone over the head with this (but it won’t break if you do hit someone with it). It’s not big enough to shine for deer, illegal aliens or zombies across a 40 acre field, but it is a a solid, multi-function light. It has a narrow and a wide focus, good lumen rating, and strobe function – pretty much anything I’m likely to need in a light in most scenarios. It can be mounted to a weapon.
Berneck says
Thanks for the review. I have purchased some of these type of lights in the past. I keep them placed around the house in case I need them in a pinch. They work just fine for what I intend them to be. However, you get what you pay for. I have thrown several of these lights out because they just die.
I would NOT use these as something to rely on in an emergency. Fine if you buy a bunch as a backup, but you should still buy quality flashlights as your primary emergency lights, whether it be in your car, house or as an EDC.
If you spend $25-30 on a similar type light from a well known manufacturer, there’s a much greater chance it will perform when you need it to. Sure, you could buy 5 of these other lights, but you’re not going to carry around all 5 to make sure one of them works for you.
Laurie Neverman says
We do have some sturdier, more expensive flashlights, too. We also have teenage boys, who have a bad habit of “borrowing” things and not getting them back where they belong. If these go missing, it’s not a big concern. We’ve had these for about half a year, and so far, so good – better than the similar under $10 models we have tried in years past.
Sri says
I have been using these since over 2 years ago n they are all working good. I have 2 in car, along with a bunch of batteries since they last like 1-2 hours on high per battery.
Laurie Neverman says
Good to hear.
Tactical Michael says
Hello, great article on the ultrafire q5. This is a good flashlight for the price. Personally I would rather spend $15-$20 more bucks and get a flashlight that was a bit sturdier. This is a great flashlight if you need more than 3 or 4 lying around but I think that most people would be better off with a $25-$30 dollar light.
Laurie Neverman says
If they don’t have an issue in their household with flashlights disappearing, I would absolutely agree.
Sandy says
My husband and I both get a lot out of these preparedness articles! And he can’t resist a cheap flashlight, but a couple of cuts above that last more that a week would be ever so practical, so thanks! I have discovered that a band of bright red vinyl tape on easily mislaid or hidden tools will stand out in a patch of grass or junk quite well. I clean off the patch to be taped as well as possible before applying. We still find rusty, color neutral Japanese sickles quietly rusting on stumps or behind rocks once in a while. Haven’t had to replace a lost one in the two years since I started banding them. The bright “process blue” handle on my Cobra sickle also stands out quite well in the garden and peeking out from under junk. If it is something that gets used at night, I have begun to add a strip of holographic reflective tape as well as red tape to tools that tend wander off at night. I guess you wouldn’t want to make tactical tools stand out at night. Maybe those would remain accessible longer clipped to a tool belt or harness and diligently re-attached after use.
Fred says
Agree totally with this review,only I have the 2000 m/ah eneloops and the bc700 charger.
The best of the group is the Sipik as it has better machining than the clones I have from ebay.The sipik is available for under 5 dollars at DXextreme right now.However,the clone is still a workable light and in the 3-4 dollar range,it just cant be beat for value.
Its a great light,and will light the tops of pine trees across the street so its a heck of a light for the price.
Great review,folks,listen up,the recomendation here is spot on the money for value and usability.All the equipment listed for the whole system is top quality re/charger and batteries.
Laurie Neverman says
Thanks, Fred.
Kate says
The UltraFire Q5 is great cheap led flashlight. I have one for two years and now it still works well.
es hickey says
I started a tradition years ago, back with Y2K. Every year everyone gets a new flashlight with batteries in their Christmas stocking. It started with the cheep plastic 2D ones that the batteries leaked and ruined them about April. Now I get them from the “harbor” store for free with their coupons that seem to be in every magazine I read. For years the kids to poked fun at my annual stocking stuffer and I heard “look Y2K didn’t happen, again this year”, but last year I overhead one teenager say, I can’t wait for Christmas, I need a new flashlight for my car. While the Cree is a very acceptable light and the “mag” family is professional grade. The little led ones I’m giving the kids are meant to use and loose without angst. Yes there are lessons to teach young ones to take care of their equipment so it will take care of them. but there is also reality that “stuff happens”.
I keep several all over the house and have a box in the garage that hold the new “free” ones till I need one or its December. I also recommend placing a small nail or cup hook to back or side of your nightstand and hang a mini flashlight there. You can Velcro it to bed frame rail if there’s no room behind the nightstand and let the covers hide it. No fumbling through drawers looking for one. It’s where it is till its not, then out to the garage for another one.
Laurie Neverman says
I was just talking to my husband about this post the other day, and he noted that he should really update based on his recent experience. Last week on his way home from work, a car ahead of him hit a deer. They drove off, but there were chunks of deer and car still left in the road. My husband and another driver pulled over to clear the roadway, and he used the strobe function on the flashlight to help warn traffic. It worked pretty well, but he said he wished he had two more flashlights in glove compartment, because then he could have set them around the entire area like flairs. I just ordered several more units so he’ll be able to have his glove compartment stash.
Sandy says
My eyes struggle with depth perception. I am notorious in my neighborhood for working lase into the night in certain seasons to get trees planted or fall crops covered before a frost. Or when weeds are disastrously bad. In doing so I have discovered that two sources of light, one on my headlamp and one from another direction that I do not have to face while working, will make it much easier to see and work with my project. A flashlight helps with a small area, a clamplamp worklight or car headlamps make walking about much safer. A good bug veil, hat and bite-proof work gloves also make the job much easier to perform.
Know Prepare Survive says
I LOVE these flashlights. I always add one to my order whenever I get anything from Amazon. Best sub-$10 flashlights I’ve ever used.
Mark says
Hi people,,, hey where can I get a remote pressure switch for this flashlight?
Laurie Neverman says
Such pressure switches are widely available, but I suspect this flashlight may not be well suited for the application you have in mind.
dave says
The spring is not sturdy enough for gun mount. Each recoil will change which mode it’s running in, and also turn it off. “Maybe” you could wrap a wad of copper wire into the spring to give it just the right travel to compress with no slack and eliminate the issue, but that’s a fiddly thing to do and rely on in a scenario involving firing a gun.
dave says
There is no reason to pay more for the Ultrafire brand of this. It’s commonly called an SK-68 and you can bid/win them all day long for $2 to $3 on eBay. Heck if you’re going to pay $5 you can get it from a US seller in less than a week instead of closer to a month from a Chinese merchant.
You wrote “not all of them use the Q5 LED” but that’s not really a luxury LED or anything, even an off brand can easily produce 150lm. As for 3 mode, decide for yourself. I hate the 3 mode version that always starts out in flashing mode, WTF were they thinking?!!
Anyway, while they are easily the best quality and great value to be had for around $3, they are unnecessarily bulky for only 150lm and now that everyone has switched over to using Eneloops or Li-Ion for flashlight power, it still may be worth spending a few bucks more to get near 1000lm. Why settle for much dimmer than that when the cost difference is only what you’d pay for a couple lunches at a fast food joint?
Suit yourself but I see no reason to be THAT greedy about a basic household tool like a flashlight. After all, once you have a nice, really bright light, all the lesser ones just sit around collecting dust.
Kbarb says
I’ve probably had 8-12 of the “mini Cree LED Flashlight” just like the ones in the photo above, kind of lost count over the years.
They are great in the beginning. But on every single one of them, after a few months or perhaps a year, the switches start becoming unreliable. You end up having to lightly tap them on something to get them to switch on. Every single one.
Thus I end up on this article searching google for “best inexpensive flashlight”.
Laurie Neverman says
We still have the original Cree we purchased back in 2014, and no switch problems to date. We did include an assortment of different styles for those who are looking for other alternatives.
Melanie Campbell says
Thanks for the review. I like Q5 mini Cree 3 mode LED flashlight. It’s super mini and cheap. Special, Lumens is up to 1200.
Thanks!