Rant: The $80 "tactical" flashlight I bought lasted 2 weeks. My $12 harbor freight special is going on 3 years.

Last month I finally got sick of replacing the cheapo flashlight I kept in my work bag, so I splurged on one of those fancy aluminum ones with the crenelated bezel from a brand everyone swears by. It flickered out after 14 days of light use in my garage. Meanwhile, the $12 Braun from harbor freight I bought back in 2021 as a joke is still going strong, dropped it off a ladder twice already. Anybody else got a cheap piece of gear that just refuses to die?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyd367d ago

Gotta disagree hard on this one... those HF lights are fine for sitting in a drawer but the beam quality is awful and the batteries corrode like crazy. My $80 Streamlight has been dropped in mud, left in rain, and used daily for two years without a single flicker.

cole_walker266d ago

Real talk the cheap lights have one hidden advantage nobody mentions. When you drop em off a ladder or into a creek you don't spend five minutes cussing and digging. You just shrug and grab another from the drawer. The Streamlight is built like a tank sure but that means you're emotionally invested in not losing the thing. For a work truck light I'll take disposable every time.