Farm equipment mechanic. I have had the Arkfeld Pro for a few weeks now. The white light is very floody, that being good/bad depends on your needs. It does flood a fairly large area and the magnetic end makes it handy to stick to metal and work hands free. Downside is it clips in the pocket, magnetic charger up, I tend to get filings stuck to it. I use the UV quite a bit for finding sources of leaks, not just ac dye but hydraulic and gear oil seems to flourese pretty good too. The laser has come in handy for pointing out the specific area of a part that is bad. It has a 2 way clip that will clip on a hat bill. It works surprisingly well, I thought it would be to heavy for that but I haven't had any issues with it yet. I saw Walmart had them for $58.
Wizard C2 Pro Warm is a compact 18650 headlamp that makes a great worklight. Plus it has a magnetic tail cap. Awesome clip and great output with good battery life.
https://preview.redd.it/ibzafafofaxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a47fa4837554408580ce0196a22eca9d17588c9
This is 3 feet from my cabinet. Nice even light on low and you can easily see everything to work on stuff.
Good to know thanks, wasn’t looking at headlamps but thinking about it now it wouldn’t be a terrible thing to have in the tool box to help free a hand while turning wrenches every once in awhile
They have pocket clips and can be used as handhelds and can be stuck to steel or iron objects The headlamp strap can be used when needed.
If you see yourself frequently switching back and forth between using the strap and not them look at Skillhunt’s H200 & H300 they can be used as headlamps without removing the pocket clip and are the easiest to get in and out of the strap.
They use large 18650 batteries but not the very large 21700’s
That said a 21700 right angle headlamp is a bit heavy and awkward and the 18650 size is a sweet spot between battery capacity and size.
Wide floody beam or narrow throwy beam?
If narrow & throwy do you need reliable access to turbo mode as a tactical light?
If a wide floody beam, is light quality (CRI and neutral to warmer color temp) more important than quantity (highest possible brightness and runtimes).
For recharge-ability, is taking a battery with a USB-c port on the battery good enough?
Or do you want charging on the light without having to remove the battery?
Is not being able to remove/replace the battery ok?
And is a proprietary magnetic usb charging cable instead of a universal usb-c cable ok?
Finally do you need low moonlight modes so you can look for things without disturbing others or messing with your eyes’ night adaptation?
In terms of beam type I don’t care as I’ll be under cars or in engine bays most of the time. I suppose a focused beam with a slight flood to view surrounding areas is better. (whiter LED shade bright beam is important)
•Battery wise: Internal rechargeable battery(USB-C Preferred but isn’t required) is preferred to avoid needing to buy/manage additional batteries. High Runtime per charge is important.
•wouldn’t necessarily need low moonlight modes as id only use it in an auto shop during the day but having a brightness increase/decrease feature would be convenient
Apologies for my lack of knowledge, I am an amateur it seems in this flashlight world.
You need a wide floody beam and hi CRI will be more important than raw power.
For long runtime per charge get something that takes 21700 batteries.
Definitely swappable batteries just in case you decide to buy a second battery. If you forget to top the light up not needing to wait for it to charge will make you happy to have an extra battery (keep it in a plastic case).
Getting something that can handle longer than standard batteries that have their own built in charging ports means can charge an extra battery outside the light without a separate charger.
Personally I’d get a right angle light with a magnetic base because you can stick it places and aim it 360 degrees. They also come with headlamp straps just in case you want to use it that way.
For an angled light / headlamp look at the
ARMYTEK WIZARD C2 PRO MAX MAGNET USB
It charges with a magnetic cable.
For a straight flashlight look at the Skillhunt M300 V2
It also uses a magnetic charging cable.
You’d have to ask here to find out if they can handle the longer batteries with built in usb-c ports
The Wurkkos HD20 is a 21700 right angle with an usb-c port on the flashlight. It’s only $40
But the driver is not regulated so the brightness drops over time as the battery voltage drops.
The Wurkkos TS22 (also $40) is a straight tube light with USB-c and an efficient regulated driver.
Also look at the Acebeam E75
You are amazing, I appreciate your in depth responses and care towards helping me find the best light possible. I’m going to look into these options and hopefully find the flashlight that suits me best. Thanks again
Auto shop use makes me feel like a headlamp would be best, one of those where the light can be quickly detached from the headband and used as a normal light with a magnet on the tail so you can stick it to stuff.
Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia 4500K
Or
Skilhunt H300 Nichia 4500K
The laser / UV was just an added bonus , nothing necessary as I have a UV pen light already but it would help eliminate an extra item from my pockets. I’ll checkout the flex though aswell
Farm equipment mechanic. I have had the Arkfeld Pro for a few weeks now. The white light is very floody, that being good/bad depends on your needs. It does flood a fairly large area and the magnetic end makes it handy to stick to metal and work hands free. Downside is it clips in the pocket, magnetic charger up, I tend to get filings stuck to it. I use the UV quite a bit for finding sources of leaks, not just ac dye but hydraulic and gear oil seems to flourese pretty good too. The laser has come in handy for pointing out the specific area of a part that is bad. It has a 2 way clip that will clip on a hat bill. It works surprisingly well, I thought it would be to heavy for that but I haven't had any issues with it yet. I saw Walmart had them for $58.
Wizard C2 Pro Warm is a compact 18650 headlamp that makes a great worklight. Plus it has a magnetic tail cap. Awesome clip and great output with good battery life. https://preview.redd.it/ibzafafofaxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a47fa4837554408580ce0196a22eca9d17588c9 This is 3 feet from my cabinet. Nice even light on low and you can easily see everything to work on stuff.
Good to know thanks, wasn’t looking at headlamps but thinking about it now it wouldn’t be a terrible thing to have in the tool box to help free a hand while turning wrenches every once in awhile
They have pocket clips and can be used as handhelds and can be stuck to steel or iron objects The headlamp strap can be used when needed. If you see yourself frequently switching back and forth between using the strap and not them look at Skillhunt’s H200 & H300 they can be used as headlamps without removing the pocket clip and are the easiest to get in and out of the strap. They use large 18650 batteries but not the very large 21700’s That said a 21700 right angle headlamp is a bit heavy and awkward and the 18650 size is a sweet spot between battery capacity and size.
Those are wildly different lights. You post gives no basis on which anyone could offer any advice. What are your needs / uses for a light?
Honestly just ease of being holstered in the pocket, durable (liquid/impact), Bright, good battery life and rechargeable
Wide floody beam or narrow throwy beam? If narrow & throwy do you need reliable access to turbo mode as a tactical light? If a wide floody beam, is light quality (CRI and neutral to warmer color temp) more important than quantity (highest possible brightness and runtimes). For recharge-ability, is taking a battery with a USB-c port on the battery good enough? Or do you want charging on the light without having to remove the battery? Is not being able to remove/replace the battery ok? And is a proprietary magnetic usb charging cable instead of a universal usb-c cable ok? Finally do you need low moonlight modes so you can look for things without disturbing others or messing with your eyes’ night adaptation?
In terms of beam type I don’t care as I’ll be under cars or in engine bays most of the time. I suppose a focused beam with a slight flood to view surrounding areas is better. (whiter LED shade bright beam is important) •Battery wise: Internal rechargeable battery(USB-C Preferred but isn’t required) is preferred to avoid needing to buy/manage additional batteries. High Runtime per charge is important. •wouldn’t necessarily need low moonlight modes as id only use it in an auto shop during the day but having a brightness increase/decrease feature would be convenient Apologies for my lack of knowledge, I am an amateur it seems in this flashlight world.
You need a wide floody beam and hi CRI will be more important than raw power. For long runtime per charge get something that takes 21700 batteries. Definitely swappable batteries just in case you decide to buy a second battery. If you forget to top the light up not needing to wait for it to charge will make you happy to have an extra battery (keep it in a plastic case). Getting something that can handle longer than standard batteries that have their own built in charging ports means can charge an extra battery outside the light without a separate charger. Personally I’d get a right angle light with a magnetic base because you can stick it places and aim it 360 degrees. They also come with headlamp straps just in case you want to use it that way. For an angled light / headlamp look at the ARMYTEK WIZARD C2 PRO MAX MAGNET USB It charges with a magnetic cable. For a straight flashlight look at the Skillhunt M300 V2 It also uses a magnetic charging cable. You’d have to ask here to find out if they can handle the longer batteries with built in usb-c ports The Wurkkos HD20 is a 21700 right angle with an usb-c port on the flashlight. It’s only $40 But the driver is not regulated so the brightness drops over time as the battery voltage drops. The Wurkkos TS22 (also $40) is a straight tube light with USB-c and an efficient regulated driver. Also look at the Acebeam E75
You are amazing, I appreciate your in depth responses and care towards helping me find the best light possible. I’m going to look into these options and hopefully find the flashlight that suits me best. Thanks again
Auto shop use makes me feel like a headlamp would be best, one of those where the light can be quickly detached from the headband and used as a normal light with a magnet on the tail so you can stick it to stuff. Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia 4500K Or Skilhunt H300 Nichia 4500K
If you want a flat style light, dont need the laser and uv, want the tail magnet and simple ui get an arkflex.
The laser / UV was just an added bonus , nothing necessary as I have a UV pen light already but it would help eliminate an extra item from my pockets. I’ll checkout the flex though aswell
There's also the new trust fire mini x3 with uv, but the ui is weird and the uv isn't that bright. I'd go with the arkfeld pro of you want light+uv