I finally compared the $3 bin flashlight to my $25 one on a camping trip near Bend
I picked up a cheap 3 dollar LED flashlight from a bin at a hardware store in Bend last month just to have a spare in the truck. When I went camping two weeks ago I brought both that one and my nicer 25 dollar light, fully expecting the cheap one to die after an hour. The cheap light actually ran all night on the same batteries and was brighter at the far end of the trail, while the pricey one dimmed after about 40 minutes. Now I'm wondering if I've been overpaying for name brand lights this whole time. Has anyone else had a dollar bin light hold up better than a fancy one?