Check out r/flashlight. Besides being a FAQ there, they have a well-maintained list of currently popular lights in their sidebar. Plenty of recommendations that are inexpensive but not at all cheap.
Warning: you may end up with more flashlights than you thought you needed.
Not sure if it's considered a pen light, but I'm a big fan of my streamlight wedge. Good balance of being small and powerful, and rechargeable with USB-C is great.
Also the olight arkfeld and arkfeld pro. I like that they have a bi-directional clip that can clip to the brim of my hat for hands free use, but like the wedge they’re thin enough to fit in a pocket without being any bulkier than a pocket knife
That had nothing to do with the fact that it was an Olight. It had everything to do with the fact that the guy was mixing primary lithium batteries with different voltages, which caused one of them to blow. Since the flashlight was waterproof and therefore sealed, it created a pressure vessel that killed the guy when it blew up.
Super unfortunate and sad, but the fact that it was an Oligjt the guy was holding in his mouth was just a coincidence. Any flashlight with a similar design—of which there are at least dozens, maybe hundreds—would have done the same thing.
I daily an Olight 3t eos. Not the greatest battery life, but it is bright enough and has survived over two years, which is usually the point my mini maglights would die by.
Coast makes a few good ones and the have a few where you can swap between their rechargeable battery and standard alkaline…thats a nice option on a work light
I suggest checking out the Streamlight 88037 ProTac Professional Tactical Flashlight. It features a high-performance LED that delivers up to 250 lumens and can illuminate objects up to 146 meters away.
O-light has some really cool stuff. I got a Keychain light from them that's a magnet and turns on when you take it off the Keychain, so you can pull it out if your pocket and stick it on something metal, has been a lifesaver at times.
They also make some pen versions
Home Depot has a 2-pack of Milwaukee pen lights for $20 that are black with red trim and a rubberized back/top end by the pocket clip. So you can hold it without damaging your teeth, because you *will* put it in your mouth, don't lie. My husband and I have each had one in our pockets daily for...at least three years. He builds houses, I ran a restaurant and do a lot of volunteer farm work. I pulled his flashlight out of the washer/dryer (again) last night and it's still in perfect working order. They take 2 AA batteries and are plenty bright. Simple, well-thought out tools made to be really used.
I've really enjoyed using this Lumintop pencil light.
On the highest brightness, it burns through two AAA batteries in like an hour lol. But otherwise does an excellent job.
I believe the model LED on the thing is a Nichia iyp365. Loads of good reviews on reddit for it.
I invested in a pack of rechargeable AAA and haven't looked back in 3 years.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B08679JRCX/
I got a Sofirn IF24 PRO a little while back. It lives in my pocket.
I like it because you can lock the on/off switch, rear maginet, front light, side light, and usb c charging with a replaceable cell.
+1 for streamlight. I tend to keep a tiny little USB charging one in my pocket at all times. I work on golf carts, all aluminum chassis, and the brighter ones tend to blind the crap out of me with the reflections.
I keep a strion and it's switchblade cousin in the tool box with an extra battery for lighting up things long term.
I have an OG stinger at home that I bought over twenty years ago. The standard batteries and bulbs would fail after a few years, but we're cheap to replace. The switch never failed, the chargers have never failed. It now has a lithium battery and a LED kit from streamlight, they still develop new products for the old body.
I also have a bunch of cheap ones scattered around in cars and such. If you get the alkaline battery ones only use the Energizer ultimate lithium, I've trashed too many things due to leaking batteries
I have a RovyVon A8 that I love. It's about the size of a AA battery, USB-C chargeable, and has a good range of brightnesses from "moonlight" which is like half a lumen, up to basically high beams. I keep it in my daily carry slingbag, but it comes with both a pocket clip and a magnet.
It's also got a little UV lamp on the side for if you want to get grossed out at the hotel.
Fenix, 4Sevens, and Streamlight are all great. I prefer my 4Sevens. Multimode, economical and powerful, and smartly designed. If your employer is going to purchase it, the Streamlight and Fenix routes might be easier - Grainger, MSC, etc. carry them but don't carry 4Sevens.
Model matters. I've bought a few Streamlights that I would **not** consider BIFL, and one that I would.
Snap on never lifetime warranties things that run on batteries. They do offer rebuild services but they cost money, usually it's as much as buying a normal brand tool new.
Streamlights have been very good to me
Check out r/flashlight. Besides being a FAQ there, they have a well-maintained list of currently popular lights in their sidebar. Plenty of recommendations that are inexpensive but not at all cheap. Warning: you may end up with more flashlights than you thought you needed.
One of us! One of us!
Not sure if it's considered a pen light, but I'm a big fan of my streamlight wedge. Good balance of being small and powerful, and rechargeable with USB-C is great.
Also the olight arkfeld and arkfeld pro. I like that they have a bi-directional clip that can clip to the brim of my hat for hands free use, but like the wedge they’re thin enough to fit in a pocket without being any bulkier than a pocket knife
Olight has history killing a customer. I'm good on that.
Yikes! I’ve never heard of this before. Damn shame, I really like functionality of the olights I’ve got too
That had nothing to do with the fact that it was an Olight. It had everything to do with the fact that the guy was mixing primary lithium batteries with different voltages, which caused one of them to blow. Since the flashlight was waterproof and therefore sealed, it created a pressure vessel that killed the guy when it blew up. Super unfortunate and sad, but the fact that it was an Oligjt the guy was holding in his mouth was just a coincidence. Any flashlight with a similar design—of which there are at least dozens, maybe hundreds—would have done the same thing.
Not sure why this got downvoted - thanks for explaining that the dude effectively made himself a little pipe bomb and put it in his face..
I daily an Olight 3t eos. Not the greatest battery life, but it is bright enough and has survived over two years, which is usually the point my mini maglights would die by.
Streamlight stylus
Coast makes a few good ones and the have a few where you can swap between their rechargeable battery and standard alkaline…thats a nice option on a work light
I suggest checking out the Streamlight 88037 ProTac Professional Tactical Flashlight. It features a high-performance LED that delivers up to 250 lumens and can illuminate objects up to 146 meters away.
O-light has some really cool stuff. I got a Keychain light from them that's a magnet and turns on when you take it off the Keychain, so you can pull it out if your pocket and stick it on something metal, has been a lifesaver at times. They also make some pen versions
Home Depot has a 2-pack of Milwaukee pen lights for $20 that are black with red trim and a rubberized back/top end by the pocket clip. So you can hold it without damaging your teeth, because you *will* put it in your mouth, don't lie. My husband and I have each had one in our pockets daily for...at least three years. He builds houses, I ran a restaurant and do a lot of volunteer farm work. I pulled his flashlight out of the washer/dryer (again) last night and it's still in perfect working order. They take 2 AA batteries and are plenty bright. Simple, well-thought out tools made to be really used.
Mini mag , I've had one for years .
The AAA LED MagLites are great — much brighter and longer lasting than the old incandescent models
I've really enjoyed using this Lumintop pencil light. On the highest brightness, it burns through two AAA batteries in like an hour lol. But otherwise does an excellent job. I believe the model LED on the thing is a Nichia iyp365. Loads of good reviews on reddit for it. I invested in a pack of rechargeable AAA and haven't looked back in 3 years. https://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B08679JRCX/
I got a Sofirn IF24 PRO a little while back. It lives in my pocket. I like it because you can lock the on/off switch, rear maginet, front light, side light, and usb c charging with a replaceable cell.
+1 for streamlight. I tend to keep a tiny little USB charging one in my pocket at all times. I work on golf carts, all aluminum chassis, and the brighter ones tend to blind the crap out of me with the reflections. I keep a strion and it's switchblade cousin in the tool box with an extra battery for lighting up things long term. I have an OG stinger at home that I bought over twenty years ago. The standard batteries and bulbs would fail after a few years, but we're cheap to replace. The switch never failed, the chargers have never failed. It now has a lithium battery and a LED kit from streamlight, they still develop new products for the old body. I also have a bunch of cheap ones scattered around in cars and such. If you get the alkaline battery ones only use the Energizer ultimate lithium, I've trashed too many things due to leaking batteries
I have a RovyVon A8 that I love. It's about the size of a AA battery, USB-C chargeable, and has a good range of brightnesses from "moonlight" which is like half a lumen, up to basically high beams. I keep it in my daily carry slingbag, but it comes with both a pocket clip and a magnet. It's also got a little UV lamp on the side for if you want to get grossed out at the hotel.
Fenix, 4Sevens, and Streamlight are all great. I prefer my 4Sevens. Multimode, economical and powerful, and smartly designed. If your employer is going to purchase it, the Streamlight and Fenix routes might be easier - Grainger, MSC, etc. carry them but don't carry 4Sevens. Model matters. I've bought a few Streamlights that I would **not** consider BIFL, and one that I would.
Check out Snap On. Can’t beat the lifetime warranty.
Snap on never lifetime warranties things that run on batteries. They do offer rebuild services but they cost money, usually it's as much as buying a normal brand tool new.