Comment by Liftyee

"American business-hating lumen chasers" is an incredibly shallow portrayal of that flashlight community.

I've found flashlights to be one of the few product areas where "obscure AliExpress brands" actually outperform Western equivalents.

> Availability of parts and removable/disposable batteries are never a consideration in their recommendations

That's because it's taken for granted that nearly every recommendation uses one of a few standard cylindrical battery sizes, which are trivially user replaceable. Only a few brands use non-standard or built-in batteries. Often the electronics or LED emitters can be modified or replaced, since most lights fit a simple "cylindrical tube" formula.

> What throws the most lumens is the only factor they concern themselves with

I guess all those discussions about tint (subtle colours of the beam), CRI (how well colours are represented), beam shape, optics type, user interface, etc. were nothing then. ("Big number of lumens" is far from the only factor - sometimes not even the most significant one.)

Granted, not all that information is useful for a newcomer who just wants a decent light. But the buying guide on the wiki sums it up simply enough.

What is hilarious are the people selling those same AliExpress lights at huge markups (search "Goonbeam"). Quality and price are often linked, but far from the same.