Nothing deep, just needed to vent about another piece of crap flashlight where the LED failed before the batteries.
Saving money can be very expensive.
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Surefire or Streamlight. Also, you can buy from Amazon, and get a refund/replacement if it fails, but that is no comfort if it failed during an emergency.
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Iāve bought several from LA Police Gear branded as LAPG that seem to be holding up quite well.
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Surefire for me for EDC.
I also have few cheap crappy flashlights Iām using for my work (no regrets whenever I lost them) and so far they have been amazingly working great. 
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Love my Surefire. Not cheap, but it works.
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You can save money and get a good light. 
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I had bought a set (4) of duracell led flashlights that would run down the 4x AAA batteries that were installed in a matter of a few months. Worse than garbage.
Every single purchase since then has been Surefire or Streamlight. Tired of throwing my money away.
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I much prefer Milwaukee for a walking around flash light. The lithium red batteries last about 6 hours on full bright and charge w/i 20 minutes. Not tacticool but if I need to see it beats Surefire/Streamlight and C123ās. I have the flood light which works well as a ālight grenadeā the articulated head flashlight that works everywhere as well as the head lamp on the headband which works great for hands free. All use the same battery and hold a charge very well.
I have probably 6 - 10 Surefireās that sit in various places throughout the house and multiple 10 packs of 123ās near by. Canāt say I have reached for one in many months.
That said Dollar Tree had a clearance on the arcād hat mount 3 light LED lights that you had to pull the tab to connect the battery. I bought 2 boxes of them (20) for $20, they work every time I pull the tab on one and last an entire weekend of intermittent use. You can spend $6.00 to replace the batteries and they last half as long or toss it and pull the tab on another one. Would buy more of them if I could find them just āto haveā.
Cheers,
Craig6
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Agreed on the Duracell and actually the Maglite as well. Even though the Maglites are made in America they have some sort of parasitic draw on the batteries. The batteries are ALWAYS dead after 3 or 4 months.
I use the Streamlight. I have one in every vehicle now, my EDC, and around the house.
Yes they are expensive but they have NEVER failed me. The last thing you want in the car at night in the rain and snow, is to need the flashlight (maglite) and it not work.
Iāve no high tech flashlights yet, but I do have a Mini Maglite thatās accompanied me to Asia, Australia, South America and the Middle East. Also (with a red lens cover) in the cockpit of a PA-18 in Alaska, the Yukon and forget where else.
These days it helps me navigate to the bathroom in the middle of the night without waking up my bride (likely a prostate issue if Iām to believe the tv commercials----growing old aināt for wimps 
)
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I have a bunch of Maglights, Olights, several JetBeams, a handful of Fenix, one SureFire, a NiteCore headlamp and a Princeton Tec headlamp. The only one of these name brands that has ever failed me was a Fenix (I blame it on the cheap rechargeable batteries) and a JetBeam AAA light.
My kids have energizer headlamps and they are great. We have a bunch of cheap flashlights as well. For a flashlight that I need to work reliably, I trust any of the brands above, with Olight being my favorite and probably the best value for the features.
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I recollect Safarilands being favored by CHPs back in the day.
I have a cheap little led 3xAA lantern from Harbor Freight that I won as a door prize eight years ago. I think I changed the batteries once. I just noticed it started flickering when I turn it on.
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Larry is spot on with surefire. Excellent lights IMHO
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I won a Olight in a raffle and I have put it through the mill, it keeps on working. Not crazy about the country of origin, but they do work and I have picked up a couple more over time.
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Iāve had EXCELLENT results from several Bushnell lights. My current EDC light is their āAAAā model.
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Peak Plus tactical, Amazon, $18. 2 years so far and no problems. Battery last a long time after charging.
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You didnāt mention if it was an EDC light or weapon light.
In both cases, I think you have to take the perspective of āthis is so cheap i dont care if it fails iāll just get another oneā or pay a bit more (some cases a lot more) to get a dependable, reliable light.
EDC lights, Iām a big fan of Olight right now. Fenix, Thrunite, Surefire, PowerTac (iām forgetting one or two more here) are all ānot cheapā but will light up when you need them and last a long time.
For weapon lights, I require a bit āmoreā if it will in any way shape or form be used for defensive purposes like CCW or HD. Depending on whether its for a rifle or pistolā¦ Surefire, Modlite, Cloud Defensive, Streamlight are my āgo toā brands with Streamlight generally being the most affordable. Olight has wiggled into my ātry itā list and for me have been dependable, but YMMV.
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Fair point. When a flashlight fails, itās an excuse for me to shop for new flashlights!
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Yeah it sure can. Been the there and got that T shirt to. I have came across an oddity. Harbor Freight has been selling a little AA 2 cell flashlight. That so impressed me I bought extras and some for other family members 
The name was Quantum. I still keep high end light s to