Regarding what #1 said about "I totally get the panic... I remember buying..." - i seriously feel that. Birthday parties move fast and a dead flash is the worst. Since youre on a T7, you gotta be super careful tho. That specific camera usually lacks the universal center sync pin on the hot shoe, so those generic $30 manual flashes literally wont fire at all. its a total headache. I would suggest looking at the Godox TT350C Mini TTL Speedlite. Its usually right around your budget and because it has E-TTL, it actually talks to your Rebel properly. The build is way more reliable than those generic clones. Another solid one is the Yongnuo YN568EX II for Canon. Its definitely stronger than the 350C if youre in a big room, but the menu system is kinda clunky. Just make sure to test whatever you get the second it arrives so your Chicago trip goes smoothly!

I totally get the panic... I remember buying this off-brand flash for a family reunion a few years back and it just stopped working right when the cake came out. Honestly, it was embarrassing and I learned my lesson about going too cheap. You really gotta be careful with the Rebel T7 specifically because Canon did something kinda annoying with that model. They removed the center sync pin on the hotshoe, so a lot of those super cheap manual flashes just wont fire at all. I found that out the hard way when I tried to help a friend set up their gear and nothing would trigger no matter what we did. If you want something that actually works and wont fail you in Chicago, I would suggest looking at the Godox TT350C Mini TTL Speedlite for Canon. It is a bit smaller than the massive pro flashes but it is way more reliable than those random Amazon brands that die after a week. Since it has the dedicated Canon pins, it actually talks to your T7 properly which is the main thing you need to worry about. It might be slightly over 70 bucks brand new, but you can usually find them used or on sale for way less if you look around. Just make sure you get the C version for Canon specifically. I have used mine for a couple years now and it hasnt let me down yet, just make sure to use some decent rechargeable batteries like the Panasonic Eneloop AA Rechargeable Batteries 2000mAh 4-Pack so you dont get stuck with slow recycle times during the party.

Wow ok that changes things. Gonna have to rethink my approach now.