Since they give the aluminum ones away for free, I want to know if this one is better than the free ones. Should I spend money on this one? I doubt it.

Super bright, buttt. . . Switch is stiff and only works part of the time, be prepared to vent it out for about 2 days before you touch it, they smell terrible. Also the battery holder tends to bounce around if the spring isn't tight enough, resulting in intermittent contact. If you're prepared to fix the above, this light is incredibly bright for the price, but otherwise probably not what you want to depend on stuck in the woods trying to signal a rescue plane.