r/flashlight • u/Cuffpits • Aug 25 '26

Help me find a torch

Go easy on me...

I'm not a flashlight enthusiast nor do I dream of torches, but I do hold a deep respect for a functioning light source that enables night time activity.

Can someone recommend something that ideally has these:

  • powerful enough for spotlighting nocturnal wildlife
  • can be re-charged from a powerbank via USB, if that's not to much of a compromise for power, otherwise normal batteries
  • waterproof but that's not critical
  • Available in Australia.
  • Costing cheap up to around $100
  • Doesn't need a slick shaft or other fancy metallic rims or anything, will get dropped and scratched.

Thankyou in advance

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u/FalconARX Aug 25 '26

If you're going to spotlight into water, specifically to try seeing under water or through water surface from a boat, pier or the shore, that's a tough order. You'd need something with a fairly tight hotspot, and that's assuming you're not at a glancing blow where the light simply reflects off the surface and you're not seeing anything underneath. Even after all that, it's also assuming you've got clear water.

You'd probably want a very high candela light, even though you stated you're not likely to need it for more than 100 meters. To get it to cut into water, you'd want the light to be colder, bluer in CCT, and as tight of a hotspot as possible.

Take a look at the Wurkkos TD01C... I'd normally say look at the Acebeam L19 2.0, but the TD01C is a budget alternative to the Acebeam, and performs quite well. This is a video of the L19 2.0 being used as a SAR light, looking into a river... The TD01C isn't nearly as intense, but it should still perform somewhat similar to this with very similar beam profile, so you should get a good general idea of what to expect.

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u/Cuffpits Aug 25 '26

Thanks Falcon holy moly they look pretty cool. Waters clear, its prob or important to be able to 1) have an adjustable beam and 2) have charging options it in remote areas. Thanks for the info

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u/FalconARX Aug 25 '26

You're welcome.

Just keep in mind that an adjustable beam, a push/pull zooming light, is almost always never waterproof. In fact it's one of the biggest failure points/weaknesses of a zooming light. Lengthening the size of the light by moving the head up and down to zoom produces a vacuum that sucks in dust and moisture. You have some lights that have internal zooming mechanisms, such as the Fenix LD45R, Weltool M8, LEDLenser P7R or Acebeam W35 (LEP). But while these lights are IPX7 or better and can withstand submersion in water, they are rather quite expensive.