As part of our effort to be prepared for everyday emergencies like power outages and needing to find stuff in the back of the van at night when the rear light has burnt out, we went on a hunt for the best cheap flashlight.
There are a TON of flashlights available, and many of them are crazy expensive. Many of them also require specialty batteries, which bumps up the cost even more. (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.
“Best of the Best” Cheap Flashlights and Accessories List
- AA LED Flashlight 3mode Q5 Cree 150lumen AA LED Six flashlights for $20.49 ($3.42 each)
- AAA LED Flashlight the Mini Perman 1000 (100 lumen) AAA LED (single mode) $2.49
- 18650 LED Flashlight Atactical A1 1150 lumen 18650 LED (Low / Medium / High / Turbo / Strobe / SOS light modes) $29.99
- AA & AAA Rechargeable batteries Tenergy and the AA-AAA Lacrosse BC-1000 $59.99 Charger
- 18650 Rechargeable batteries and the 18650 Nitcore i4 Charger *the Nitecore can charge 18650, AA and AAA
For more 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.
The Best Cheap Flashlight – 3 mode 7W 300LM Q5 mini Cree LED Flashlight
Technical Summary of Q5 mini Cree 3 mode LED flashlight
The Q5 mini Cree 3 mode LED flashlight uses a standard AA battery or a 14500 3.6v battery. The Q5 has a sturdy aluminum case with a belt clip and a manual focus.
There are two types of Q5's: a single mode and three mode – High, Low and Strobe. It is about 25mm (just under an inch) wide and 92mm (3.6 inches) long, weighing about .143 pounds/65 grams/2.3oz. A single Q5 costs $5 to $7 on Amazon, but you can purchase multipaks for less per flashlight (linked above).
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.
Cons
It is a bit heavy for an EDC (Every Day Carry) flashlight in a purse or pocket . If the unit is left on “high mode” it gets quite hot. The individual LEDs are visible 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. You might have trouble finding the three mode unit and there are complaints of bait and switch with advertising listing the three mode and delivering single mode instead. The lumen rating is likely over estimated on most of the Q5, C8 and T6 flash lights.
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 ordered this little flashlight we were suspicious that a $5 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 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 150 lumens, they are still blindingly bright with a fully charged AA.
They might be brighter with a good 14500 battery, 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- slightly blue, however, given the wide variance in production it is possible your flashlight could vary.
The Q5 Cree has a decent range (light throw) for a small single AA LED flashlight – about 30 feet to 100+ 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 or 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. The single mode one should be about $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 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.
Conclusion
Overall this is a solid, inexpensive, very bright, single AA battery, LED flashlight with a manual focus.
Update 2017: Our readers report that they have been using the Q5 Cree for over three 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.
We recommend you combine the Q5 mini Cree with rechargeable AA batteries and a good AA charger. The rechargeable batteries and a good recharger can easily pay for itself if you use even a moderate number of AA and AAA batteries:
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. They 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 rechargeable batteries.
We recommend the Orbtronic “protected” 3500 mAh rechargeable battery.
The Best Cheap AAA Flashlight
The clear winner here is the Mini Perman 1000 Lumens CREE XPE-R3 AAA LED Flashlight. This flashlight is as bright as many AA LED lights. It is simple on/off only. It is small enough to be a key-chain light – and definitely light enough to be and EDC and at $2.49 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. There is a three mode version for $3 that we haven't checked out yet.
The Best TINY Flashlight
The LUMINTOP Mini Worm AAA 110 Lumens is $13.90 so it fails the “cheap part”. However, it is a super small, super bright ,3 mode AAA 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.
The Best Cheap 18650 Flashlight
The Best Cheap $29.99 ATactical 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, for use on a “tactical” mount. It is slightly smaller lengthwise than the 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 $72.95 Fenix PD35 TAC 1000 Lumen which is a great flashlight from a name brand but is more expensive and is comparable in brightness.
For information on rechargeable batteries and battery chargers “Best Battery Chargers and Batteries” post.
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
- Winter Storm Survival – Keeping You and Your Home Warm When the Power Goes Out
- Emergency Power Options for Your Home
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Good to hear.
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.
If they don’t have an issue in their household with flashlights disappearing, I would absolutely agree.
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.
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.
Thanks, Fred.
The UltraFire Q5 is great cheap led flashlight. I have one for two years and now it still works well.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hi people,,, hey where can I get a remote pressure switch for this flashlight?
Such pressure switches are widely available, but I suspect this flashlight may not be well suited for the application you have in mind.
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.
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.