I just purchased a few of these last week since they were on sale for $21.99. I haven’t posted a review yet but so far it looks like a pretty solid light. I also like the fact that it’s rechargeable and waterproof.
Has anyone purchased the LC90 Flashlight yet?
Yes I got one here.
I think I prefer the LC40 as that’s a lot smaller.
Sure did! The LC90 is a great medium between the LC40 and the LC130 which in my opinion was a little too bulky for everyday use. The LC40 is a remarkably bright light given its size it would have been nice for Anker to make that one rechargeable as well or atleast have a version capable of being rechargeable.
The LC40 when you’re not using the AAA cage has the 18650B a loose, the LC40 could be made narrower.
The LC90 with the cap where you can charge it seems to add very little, I’m pretty sure they could make a narrower and slightly longer version of the LC40. Having a self-replaceable 18650B is a good idea as then on longer winter trips off-grid you can carry a spare battery.
Once you’ve got an LC40, you realize the LC90 is fairly expensive.
@nigelhealy Yeah I agree there I hate that the 18650 Rattles in the LC40, you think wrapping it (18650 battery) loosely with a little electrical tape to prevent rattling would cause the battery itself any harm? Thats the only gripe I have regarding that little bright light.
I’ve used small balloons and cut both ends off and stretch over loose batteries in other flashlights, worked pretty well. I imagine a wrap of electrical tape would work just as well.
Yes, I really like the LC90 because it has built-in Micro USB charging, so you don’t need to remove the 18650 battery to recharge it. And it has a tether so you don’t lose the charging cap!
It was amazing how much tape i need to feel that gap it was a pretty big one bigger than I originally thought. I wonder why there is so much room for it to wiggle in there, I have always been told that vibrations amd shocks are the death of a battery.
The battery in the LC40 doesn’t rattle that I notice, its just a waste of space, I’d prefer if they ditched the 3AAA cage and narrow and so also lighten the LC40
it doesn’t rattle but it can shift.
@cava3395 I just got a bubble mailer and cut a 1inch strip to the diameter of an 18650 and it stopped it from moving in mine since I use it on my bike sometimes and the 18650 I own are flat tops.
Also, Not everyone owns 18650 or 26650. Nor the chargers for them so that’s why the other models are rechargeable.
Yeah shift is a better word.
Good Idea Ill try that out I also have flat top 18650s. And yes you are correct it doesnt rattle but does shift causing a knock which is a bit of a nuisance worries me itll degrade my battery faster as well since I use my light a lot and sometimes it falls.
Horses for courses.
LC40’s battery is 18650B. They cost about $4 upwards, a pair for $9-$16 depending on fluctuating market (price higher now as people buy for torches!) and a charger costs $20 or so.
So yes, an LC90 costs about the same as just a charger so it does represent good value if you don’t need to own the batteries and its charger separately. Where things get complicated is in the size and the “off grid” situations where one LC40 + 2 batteries (say) is 3x the total amount of light for about the same light+weight as one LC90.
@Helix good idea to wrap the battery if you’re concerned with shifting.
yeah, my worry was more of it stripping the plastic shim separating (+) and (-) and it shorting out. Since the positive terminal of the flashlight is a spring and not a pad. Which is good in a way since it allows flat tops to be used. I also tried using those plastic spacers usually included with flashlights that use 3xAAA to adapt to 18650 but on the LC40, the threads are on the inside of the cylinder so it didn’t fit. I guess it can be trimmed down but I wouldn’t know how much would be needed to.
Do you own any other torch besides Anker’s?
I’ve gathered my 18650’s off of laptops and power drills (since one cell dies and makes the pack as a whole useless).
I mentioned 26650 since the LC130 uses that cell, which I didn’t know existed .
Yes! Buy it today! The LC90 is probably the brightest flashlight you have ever seen, especially when you consider the size, and for the price you can’t go wrong!
i have a 4000 lumen from nitecore now its bright but not very practical because its like holding a beer can for light
Holy crap. How expensive?
I paid 135 with a coupon a while ago
It’s 139 now
I originally bought the LC90 to carry with me everyday but the zoomable head on it is a bit to large for my pocket but is great to throw in my car. The LC40 is a nice small flashlight but is still really bright. I agree with the 18650 shifting inside of there but from my eyes I don’t think it could cause any harm to the operation of the unit. The LC90 has a momentary feature where you just slightly press and hold the button while the LC40 is only on or off, but both have memory so you can always turn it on high/low/strobe/etc.
One thing you might want to consider is that neither flashlight has a pocket clip or non-cylindrical features that would keep it from rolling if sat on a flat/slanted surface. I mainly keep the LC40 in my backpack but do like to walk around with it in my pocket from time to time. It does move around a little bit but is nothing that bad when I have my car keys in there.
You should just get both if money permitting. I already had 2 18650s and a charger for them so I didn’t have to pickup those, but the lights are cheap enough that getting both isn’t that bad at all. Plus if you buy another 18650 to use for the LC40, you can put that battery inside the of LC90 and use that built in charger to charge it then move it back to the LC40.