Harbor Freight Stores: BRAUN 590 Lumen Tactical LED Flashlight

thatguymark

Mar 1, 2025 10:28 PM

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Joined Nov 2009

thatguymarkMar 1, 2025 10:28 PM

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Not sure how much these are but from one review: "Swapped out the 4 AAA alkaline for the single Li ion 26500. Four times the run time with steady brightness on a single charge. A 25500 Rechargeable battery should fit well too."

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nickdigger

Mar 1, 2025 10:59 PM

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nickdiggerMar 1, 2025 10:59 PM

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Quote from thatguymark

:

Not sure how much these are but from one review: "Swapped out the 4 AAA alkaline for the single Li ion 26500. Four times the run time with steady brightness on a single charge. A 25500 Rechargeable battery should fit well too."

Best of all, the 26500 won't leak & corrode like the junk HF AAA's.

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freemanteo

Mar 2, 2025 12:21 AM

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freemanteoMar 2, 2025 12:21 AM

172 Comments

Thanks OP. Got 2 for the family.

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softrider

Mar 2, 2025 12:57 AM

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softriderMar 2, 2025 12:57 AM

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Quote from thatguymark

:

Not sure how much these are but from one review: "Swapped out the 4 AAA alkaline for the single Li ion 26500. Four times the run time with steady brightness on a single charge. A 25500 Rechargeable battery should fit well too."

Those seem to be rather expensive batteries for a $3 flashlight. Plus will they work/fit is a standard battery charger?

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Naval_Officer

Mar 2, 2025 1:24 AM

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Joined Oct 2015

Naval_OfficerMar 2, 2025 1:24 AM

191 Comments

I was visiting my mom and she had two of these. Great for her walking to her mailbox at night or walking her dog before bed. I was impressed with the ability to tighten the beam. Not the best, but she certainly didn't get these at a rock bottom price! Good to throw in a drawer.

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Dr. J

Mar 2, 2025 1:29 AM

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Dr. JMar 2, 2025 1:29 AM

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Quote from thatguymark

:

Not sure how much these are but from one review: "Swapped out the 4 AAA alkaline for the single Li ion 26500. Four times the run time with steady brightness on a single charge. A 25500 Rechargeable battery should fit well too."

All HF lights are like that - the lights are good it's the included batteries that are trash

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jad74

Mar 2, 2025 2:10 AM

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jad74Mar 2, 2025 2:10 AM

695 Comments

Wonder why they don't make them just use AA

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bearstampede

Mar 2, 2025 2:52 AM

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bearstampedeMar 2, 2025 2:52 AM

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Quote from softrider

:

Those seem to be rather expensive batteries for a $3 flashlight. Plus will they work/fit is a standard battery charger?

The li-ion batteries these flashlights use are often similar to those used for RC hobbyists, so while you can't recharge them with the usual chargers (since they're the diameter of 3 AAAs taped together in a triangular configuration), you can find these chargers everywhere for cheap [18650batterystore.com]. I got a few flashlights similar to this a long time ago because they were bundled the 18650 lithium ion batteries (which supposedly fit [reddit.com] in these flashlights also with some modification) and I'd never go back to disposable batteries for flashlights at this point. The batteries are actually the expensive part, so I only pull the trigger on these deals when they come bundled with 18650s (or equivalent).

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thatguymark

Mar 2, 2025 4:37 AM

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thatguymarkMar 2, 2025 4:37 AM

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Quote from softrider

:

Those seem to be rather expensive batteries for a $3 flashlight. Plus will they work/fit is a standard battery charger?

Lithium ion batteries require a different charger but some are very inexpensive. I also figured out (by reading/searching reviews) some cheap Amazon flashlights will take more than one size, sometimes the only difference is the size and that's why you see some of the 18650 flashlights come with a sleeve because the Li-ions aren't as fat as the AAA adapters, but all they are is a tube sleeve cut for it. Also some are brighter on the li-ions so you also get a performance bump.

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SlySol

Mar 2, 2025 5:25 AM

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Joined Aug 2015

SlySolMar 2, 2025 5:25 AM

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Quote from thatguymark

:

Lithium ion batteries require a different charger but some are very inexpensive. I also figured out (by reading/searching reviews) some cheap Amazon flashlights will take more than one size, sometimes the only difference is the size and that's why you see some of the 18650 flashlights come with a sleeve because the Li-ions aren't as fat as the AAA adapters, but all they are is a tube sleeve cut for it. Also some are brighter on the li-ions so you also get a performance bump.

Yeah, I actually like those cheap little zoomable lights. They're nothing special, but they're generally pretty bright and the focused beam lets you really hit a small area from a distance if you're looking to spotlight something. I have a few of the Atomic Beam or Taclight variants that I've picked up in the past on some kind of clearance, usually around $3-5. Those use 3xAAA, but almost identical otherwise. I use 18650s in those and it's real easy to make your own sleeve if they don't come with one. You can just slice up a 2 Liter soda bottle or other random plastic into 3" strips and give it a few twists around the battery to make a sleeve so that it can slide in and out. Tweak the fit with a layer of electrical tape around the outside and it's good to go. Or I've also found that a chunk of PVC tube from an old water heater or something like that will work as well. The 4xAAA version might just need a double layer or some extra electrical tape.

Last edited by SlySol March 1, 2025 at 09:53 PM.

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eshark

Mar 2, 2025 5:28 AM

205 Comments

Joined Sep 2007

esharkMar 2, 2025 5:28 AM

205 Comments

It's put out a good amount of light for a$3 light. Too bad that I don't get more than 1 when the store nearby put on clearance months ago.

1

Probedude

Pro

Mar 2, 2025 6:11 AM

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Joined Mar 2005

Probedude

Pro

Mar 2, 2025 6:11 AM

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Quote from jad74

:

Wonder why they don't make them just use AA

The forward voltage of a white LED (3-3.6V0 is higher than the voltage of 1 AAA, AA, C or D battery. They would need to have a boost converter in there, increasing costs.

Anytime they have more than one battery, like 3 or more, expect that they're just using a dropping resistor to limit the current.

Pass for me as I too like a single AA, or something that can use 18650 cells.

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ak1802

Mar 2, 2025 7:20 AM

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Joined Sep 2010

ak1802Mar 2, 2025 7:20 AM

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Quote from thatguymark

:

Not sure how much these are but from one review: "Swapped out the 4 AAA alkaline for the single Li ion 26500. Four times the run time with steady brightness on a single charge. A 25500 Rechargeable battery should fit well too."

$20 battery in a $3 light? Okay then…

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bearstampede

Mar 2, 2025 8:15 AM

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Joined Feb 2015

bearstampedeMar 2, 2025 8:15 AM

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Quote from ak1802

:

$20 battery in a $3 light? Okay then…

Would you prefer a $20 battery in a $3 light for $40? lol

You get what you pay for, and while LEDs under a certain rating are dirt cheap, there are plenty of people who are more than willing to charge you 90% over cost if it makes you feel better. The reality is that batteries are *always* going to be more expensive than the LEDs (until real effort is put into improving battery tech, that is). There's a point where the LED/array cost makes sense but at this level, for most people, the concern will be runtime rather than whether it puts out 2 million lumens.

TL;DR Yes, given the manufacturing landscape at the moment it's actually very smart to buy a $20 battery for a $3 flashlight so long as the flashlight is meeting minimum requirements for lumen/candela output.

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BADASSDAD

Mar 2, 2025 11:03 AM

500 Comments

Joined Feb 2013

BADASSDADMar 2, 2025 11:03 AM

500 Comments

Quote from bearstampede

:

Would you prefer a $20 battery in a $3 light for $40? lol

You get what you pay for, and while LEDs under a certain rating are dirt cheap, there are plenty of people who are more than willing to charge you 90% over cost if it makes you feel better. The reality is that batteries are *always* going to be more expensive than the LEDs (until real effort is put into improving battery tech, that is). There's a point where the LED/array cost makes sense but at this level, for most people, the concern will be runtime rather than whether it puts out 2 million lumens.

TL;DR Yes, given the manufacturing landscape at the moment it's actually very smart to buy a $20 battery for a $3 flashlight so long as the flashlight is meeting minimum requirements for lumen/candela output.

Its also smarter to buy a $20 rechargable battery for a $3 light instead of buying non rechargable batteries that eventually will cost more than $20

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Harbor Freight Stores: BRAUN 590 Lumen Tactical LED Flashlight

$3 or less

$12

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