The 60x Task Force light from Lowe's isn't much out of your price range (tends to go for $25 - $30). Make sure when you buy it that it's the 60x, not the 30x! It's a big light, 2C cell, but it's a pretty good light. It got me through last winter.

It has a very strong "hot-spot" -- that is, all of the light is in one big spot. There's very little "spill" of the light off to the sides. What this means is that you can see a long way off right in front of you, but you can't see very much to the sides.

I've had flicker problems with this light. It's very annoying. I've been trying to get it resolved, but I haven't found the perfect solution yet. Fixes have all been temporary, though some have "fixed" it for longer than others.

If I can't get it to stop flickering this winter, I'm going to try to replace it. The packaging states they have a "lifetime" warranty, so I guess we'll see how that goes.


I've just picked up a Coleman Max light (2 AA cells, advertised at 115 lumens) for $25 at my local Walmart. They're just about as bright as the Task Force, but they're more diffuse (no hot-spot, more spill). My plan is to get both the Task Force and the Coleman working together to maximize my light.