... looking for an LED torch at around the £30 mark, maybe a little more for something exceptional. Preferably one which uses 'ordinary' batteries i.e. AAA or AA.
Is the LED Lenser P7 still a good buy, or has it been surpassed? Amazon have it for sale for £30 at the mo.
You haven't given us much to go on, how are you going to be using this torch? There are lots of good products in that price region. And many for a lot less.
There are entire Websites devoted to torches so it's worth doing some searching if you haven't already. See for example (I have no connection with any of the sites)
example review sites:
http://bestledflashlightreviews.com/
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?19-Flashlight-Reviews
http://cpfreviews.com/
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/
http://www.light-reviews.com/
http://www.metaefficient.com/flashlights/best-flashlights-reviews-top-rated.html
I find the reviews on Amazon very useful, but it's harder work finding them than on the specialist sites. The P7 is still well thought of but I think you're right to wonder if technology might have passed it by.
Some example resellers:
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/
http://www.thetorchshop.co.uk/
http://www.thetorchsite.co.uk/
http://www.torchdirect.co.uk/
http://www.torchesandbatteries.co.uk/
I agree about AA and AAA batteries. Most people here will probably say AA is more universally available than AAA, but in the UK and Europe I don't think that matters much. More important is that AA cells store about three times the charge that AAA cells store, typically approaching 2500mAh or even a bit more for AA as against 750mAh for AAA. That might be important to you and it might not, it depends on how you use a torch. I use both sizes, almost always rechargeables, and probably more AAA than AA. Typically I keep a few sets ready on the shelf for when batteries start to run down. Some torches have electronics to keep the brightness constant as the batteries run down but be aware that when the batteries are almost exhausted the light can suddenly go out without warning. Some of them can also behave very strangely when the batteries are low, my wife's Fenix LD10 for example. Either way it can be awkward if you don't have fresh batteries handy. With the performance of small torches nowadays it's almost as easy to take a spare torch as spare batteries. Some torches don't work as well on rechargeables, which usually give a slightly lower voltage than primary cells; it's worth asking.
Recently I bought a Maglite 3xD cell LED torch for my wife (22 quid from Lidl). At 120 lumens or so it gives a really impressive beam and you could tackle a burglar with it. You can get similar performance (apart from the burglar bashing and the battery life, obviously) from AA cell torches nowadays. But beam power isn't everything. If you're looking for something in your tent in the middle of the night, a smack in the eye with 120 lumens won't be much help. I need a torch which gives a useful amount of light for a long time and which doesn't switch itself on in my pack and run down the batteries while I'm not looking. That's a lot more important to me then raw beam power. I don't have any use for the fancy flashing modes that you get on some products; I'd rather they give me another low power setting instead.
The first torch that goes in my pack is always a head torch. The one I'm using at the moment was 2.99 from GJ;s in Alfreton, Derbyshire. Very adequate and at that price it's about a hundred times the price/performance ratio of my Petzl, which I hardly ever use any more, as well as being half the weight. Some head torches can double as hand-held, here's one I've been coveting lately:
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/zebralight/zebralight-h51.html
There are some very cheap deals on sites like DX:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/flood-...cree-q3-wc-130-lumen-led-headlamp-3-aaa-29435
