Big Guns - Olight SR90 or Fenix TK70

[HighlanderNorth]

I'm probably telling you something you already know but don't think you will see full power in the TK70 or VPT2 using Alkaline D cells. Alkalines have way too much internal resistance and tend to leak if you push them too hard. Not good in our expensive lights.

The TK70 would run on "Hi" but would not be able to provide the full 7amps (when using 4 cells, over 10amps with 3) needed on Turbo. It would be brighter than "Hi" mode but not near as bright as using 4 Nimh cells. Same applies to VPT2 at the higher settings.

So Alkalines could be used in a pinch but require some TLC.

No, your are NOT telling me something I already knew. I wasnt aware that you couldn't reliably run the TK 70 on turbo mode with alkalines. But you can on Nimh cells right? What if you just ran the TK-70 on high(not turbo) with alkalines? Would that still present a problem after a while of running it?

I read here somewhere a few months ago that D's are much better than most other common flashlight batteries for LED flashlights, due to their size and capabilities. I guess it depends on the case.

 

[357mag1]

No, your are NOT telling me something I already knew. I wasnt aware that you couldn't reliably run the TK 70 on turbo mode with alkalines. But you can on Nimh cells right? What if you just ran the TK-70 on high(not turbo) with alkalines? Would that still present a problem after a while of running it?

I read here somewhere a few months ago that D's are much better than most other common flashlight batteries for LED flashlights, due to their size and capabilities. I guess it depends on the case.

On "Hi" current would be around 1.5amps using four Alkalines so that wouldn't be too bad. Like I said the Alkalines will work but the higher internal resistance will limit the current Alkalines can supply and the harder they are pushed the more likely they will leak.

Nimhs are great for handling high currents and power these flashlights with no issues.
I've tested just about every D cell Nimh on the market. Avoid AccuEvolution, they used to be some of the best but changed about two years ago and now produce the worst cell I've tested. Tenergy Premiums have tested better than any other D Nimh cell and you can get 8 for $61 shipped.
Don't use the Energizer rechargeable D cells or others built like them. They are only rated for 2500mah while most rechargeable Ds are rated between 8000mah and 10,000mah.

A quality D cell charger is a must and my choice would be the AccuManager 20 for $46 shipped. My only other choice in a D charger is the Maha 808 at $84 shipped. All others have proved less than satisfactory.

Hope that helps.

 

[bpollard]

I have both the Olight SR90 and the Fenix TK70.

The SR90 throws further with a tighter beam, but with a large spill that does allow you to be able to see where you're going, as well as what's off in the distance.

The TK70 throws a massive wall of less focused light, but not quite as far.

I really like both lights, and depending on your use for them, either could be perfect.

Its a lot easier to use/charge the SR90, and the battery indicator lights work perfectly to allow you to check run time left, etc. I had to buy NiMH D cells/charger to use the TK70....which is a hidden cost if you don't already have those items. On the plus side for the TK70, adding another 4 D cells is about the cost of having an extra battery pack send by Olight if purchased new...but considerably cheaper than if you were to buy a new SR90 battery pack separately.

That means that once you have the charger, you can add all the run time you want by just getting more D cells (Tenergy Premium - White - 10 Amp work best I find).

The SR90 pack recharges quickly, and can be charged by your rig's cig lighter, etc...so, in practice, as both lights have great run times, its rare to actually run out...but if concerned, the adding of D cells for the TK70 is easier than getting a second pack for the SR90.

I do emergency response work, and use both lights...and if the range is less than 300-400 yards, the TK70 is a better choice for me at least...as it covers a wider area with a large hot spot.

If the range is 400+ yards, I need the SR90 to get enough lux on target to resolve what I'm looking for...as the large dispersed TK70 beam is out of meaningful range. I eventually de-domed the SR90 to maximize that ability.

I just got a Varapower Turbo V2, but, by "just", I mean yesterday....so I have not had a chance to do comparative beam shots (Its raining).




Olight SR90 shot down a Power Line Right of Way (the telephone poles are 73 meters apart from each other, for scale):

Same scene, with Fenix TK70:

TK70 shot at tree at 405 M distance

SR90 Shot at same tree at 405 M distance.

Reference shot of same tree from unzoomed perspective (SR90 Shot)




So, you can see what I mean about the differences in lighting...close up, the TK70 is more useful...you light up a wide area at once, and can still see out pretty far. (Look at the telephone poles..and how brightly the two lights render them)

In the ~ 300 M range, the TK70 is going to give you the whole field. Isee the poles, but also the path to the side, the towers, etc. If I had to tell if that 4-5th pole was there...or if a wounded person was laying on the ground further away than that...the TK70 would not help me as much, as the light reaching that far is not able to generate enough lux to resolve a bush from a man, but the SR90's more focused beam will do it if brought to bear on the target.
I
Two tools, each with strong points that lend them to different scenarios.




Note the above pics are with a crappy point and shoot camera...and that in real life, the scene was very sharply rendered, and detail was easily discerned. So the much brighter pool of light off in the distance really illuminated what was out there a lot better than the two blurry pics would seem to indicate.

Are these shots of the sr90 with the led dedomed? It throws much further than the tk70 in your shots

 

[380long]

I paid a little less than $200 shipped for my TK70 and that was a BIG reason why I went with this over the SR90 as I did not want to spend double the money!

 

[RCLumens]

Fantastic input from everyone! Thank you all very much. I have the RRT3 triple XML which for size I think handles as much of a wall as the TM plus has additional throw - yes at the cost of being larger, but not by all that much. Thank you again TEEJ for some awesome shots for additional comparisons and also to 357mag1 for the info on heat and run-time. I'm becoming more interested in the Lambda, but how do I get one? The site says sold out.... I'm all up for ordering one, but if you have a contact there, would love to reach out to them. Throw at 90K Lux would be great... and obviously smaller size and greater quality is also great, but it seems as though size would need to be gained in order to reach those numbers. Keeping within the 300-400 $ range or less would also be great. (Thinking quality batteries & needed charger included in price) Either way, the options on the table are all good - and as many of us know, $300+ on a flashlight is difficult by logic to understand, even with a lumen & Lux addiction. Explaining that to the wife, only compounds it... That's why all your input is so much greatly appreciated, as is any additional info on acquiring a Lambda. Cheers - RC

 

[RCLumens]

To TEEJ: Are these pics of the TM & RRT# Triple XML at the same 405M range as in previous shots? Just curious.... Have to say, I love the RRT3 - this has been a fantastic light for me... Cheers and thank you!

I have some of the same night's shots againt the tiny monster and the RRT 3XML as well...if looking for a comparison on those:

Tiny Monster TM11

Tiny Monster - Zoomed on same tree

RRT 3 XML zoomed to same tree

 

[357mag1]

Fantastic input from everyone! Thank you all very much. I have the RRT3 triple XML which for size I think handles as much of a wall as the TM plus has additional throw - yes at the cost of being larger, but not by all that much. Thank you again TEEJ for some awesome shots for additional comparisons and also to 357mag1 for the info on heat and run-time. I'm becoming more interested in the Lambda, but how do I get one? The site says sold out.... I'm all up for ordering one, but if you have a contact there, would love to reach out to them. Throw at 90K Lux would be great... and obviously smaller size and greater quality is also great, but it seems as though size would need to be gained in order to reach those numbers. Keeping within the 300-400 $ range or less would also be great. (Thinking quality batteries & needed charger included in price) Either way, the options on the table are all good - and as many of us know, $300+ on a flashlight is difficult by logic to understand, even with a lumen & Lux addiction. Explaining that to the wife, only compounds it... That's why all your input is so much greatly appreciated, as is any additional info on acquiring a Lambda. Cheers - RC

Kevin (Lambda Lights) has an email address on his site ([email protected]). Just shoot him an email and see if he is willing to build you one now or when the next run will be. He generally does them in batches.

 

[TEEJ]

To TEEJ: Are these pics of the TM & RRT# Triple XML at the same 405M range as in previous shots? Just curious.... Have to say, I love the RRT3 - this has been a fantastic light for me... Cheers and thank you!

Yeah, the tripod was in the same spot, etc, for all the shots that night. The camera was zoomed in on the tree for some shots, because the wide angle that could capture the flood lighting didn't allow you to see the details, like that the leaves on the tree could be identified, or, for the lower throw lights, that there was a fence and park benches, etc.




This is a shot by the SR90 when it was still domed:

Its not the same aim-point as the other shots above, but the range is roughly the same, and its essentially the same scene, just a different night. (The DOMED SR90's shot above is from a slightly LONGER range than the TK70's shot below, but even with the "headstart", the TK70 was still short)

You can STILL see that the SR90's throw is stronger and more concentrated than the TK70's though:

IE: If you have distant enough targets, the SR90 out throws the TK70 in a decisive fashion, perhaps by ~100 meters of useable light. If you then De-dome the SR90, it out throws the TK70 by a few hundred more meters.

For closer targets, the floodier beam of the TK70 does a great job of lighting up a wider area, as the beam is less concentrated. Note in the pics above, that the SR90 beam goes further down the trail, and lights up the poles and so forth more brightly further down the right of way than the TK70's beam can...Where the TK70's beam leaves darkness, the SR90 beam is lighting up.

ALSO note that the same tree that we zoomed in on, is still slightly visible off to the left of the TK70's UN-zoomed pic shot down the trail, not AT the tree, but that the SR90's beam down the same trail does NOT show any of that tree to the side...leaving it in darkness to the side.

The SR90 has more light forward, and the TK70 has more light to the sides.

 

[fstcody]

Hi, everyone new poster, long time watcher. I have both the SR90 and TK70 and could not possibly choose between the two. The SR90 deffinately wins the throw competition and at distance has a larger and brighter hot spot. I have run it from a fresh full charge to empty and it doesnt get too hot to hold. The shoulder strap that comes with it is deffinately a must for extended carrying periods.
The TK70 is hands down brighter and floodier and more useful for shorter distances. The modes and the mode select button are just great. despite having three leds its hard to notice in the hot spot.
Keep in mind you will need some high quality rechargeables as regular duracells will only run about fifteen minutes in turbo before kicking down two levels.

 

[Glenn7]

Just to throw another one in, the Elektrolumens ST90 is the furthest throwing led light I have owned to date and I have had a lambda and so many throwers over the years I have lost count it even out throws the last 35W HID I had with a 110mm head.
It takes 4x 18650's and can be had for about $250 (I dedomed mine for that extra oomph) it will shine further but I get a realistic (usable lux) out to 500 meters at work.

 

[357mag1]

Unfortunately I've dealt with Elektrolumens (Wayne) on many occasions and on some of the projects he has went way over scheduled delivery and does not initiate communication. I had to bug him for over a year on one project, while he had my full payment the entire time. Never once did he let me know where he was without prompting.
Two of the lights I purchased from him are going bad (dim output) and I haven't sent them back because I don't want to have to continually prod him to get them repaired. Lambda (Kevin) has never treated me in that fashion which is the reason he now gets my money for custom builds.
Just one guys experience but I think there are several threads with members complaining about Elektrolumens lack of customer support.

 

[fonzerelli]

What does dedomed mean, how hard is it to do, and what are the disadvantages?

Thanks!

 

[Glenn7]

You are right that Kevin is great to deal with, great communication and service - electro has had some hiccups.
How ever you say lambdas lights are custom but really they are hybrid lights made from 2 differant lights (if you get the turbo 2) a maglite and a $10 Chinese light, but he puts his own guts in.
The varapower I had was bright but didn't handle the heat well in a small mag head so I bought a 2.5' throw head from 5mega and that helped - still the led popped from over heating from lack of mass, but I know he's fixed that now.
Other things I didn't like was the switch was always touchy and flickered if touched or bumped, also switch wobbled/rattled as it has no weather seal around it through the body (infact you can shine a light between the switch and body and see inside) that always bothered me and when I mentioned it to Kevin about rain getting in because I need it to handle rain for work he said just face the switch down and rain won't get in (fail IMO) also NiMh batteries can loose up to 5% of their charge per day just sitting - they are heavy, can leak under load as someone said and the rattled no end which anoyed me.

The ST90 was built from the ground up and is like a tank - and the led is self replaceable with two little bolts no wires to solder, takes lithium batteries and will IMO out throw the turbo 2 because of the bigger reflector also they are in stock to buy now.

Unfortunately I've dealt with Elektrolumens (Wayne) on many occasions and on some of the projects he has went way over scheduled delivery and does not initiate communication. I had to bug him for over a year on one project, while he had my full payment the entire time. Never once did he let me know where he was without prompting.
Two of the lights I purchased from him are going bad (dim output) and I haven't sent them back because I don't want to have to continually prod him to get them repaired. Lambda (Kevin) has never treated me in that fashion which is the reason he now gets my money for custom builds.
Just one guys experience but I think there are several threads with members complaining about Elektrolumens lack of customer support.

 

[Nick's APEX LED's]

Well these lights are bright and have over 1,000lm but it also matters what kind of reflector the TK70 and SR90 have so its all comes down to your preference. I own a Trustfire x6 with 3x 18650 and it gets the job done for a short trime, but the run time is 30-40min.

 

[berfles]

You are right that Kevin is great to deal with, great communication and service - electro has had some hiccups.
How ever you say lambdas lights are custom but really they are hybrid lights made from 2 differant lights (if you get the turbo 2) a maglite and a $10 Chinese light, but he puts his own guts in.
The varapower I had was bright but didn't handle the heat well in a small mag head so I bought a 2.5' throw head from 5mega and that helped - still the led popped from over heating from lack of mass, but I know he's fixed that now.
Other things I didn't like was the switch was always touchy and flickered if touched or bumped, also switch wobbled/rattled as it has no weather seal around it through the body (infact you can shine a light between the switch and body and see inside) that always bothered me and when I mentioned it to Kevin about rain getting in because I need it to handle rain for work he said just face the switch down and rain won't get in (fail IMO) also NiMh batteries can loose up to 5% of their charge per day just sitting - they are heavy, can leak under load as someone said and the rattled no end which anoyed me.

The ST90 was built from the ground up and is like a tank - and the led is self replaceable with two little bolts no wires to solder, takes lithium batteries and will IMO out throw the turbo 2 because of the bigger reflector also they are in stock to buy now.

Which light are you talking about, the VaraPower 2000 or VaraPower Turbo? Sounds like the former since you mentioned "small mag head".

 

[TEEJ]

What does dedomed mean, how hard is it to do, and what are the disadvantages?

Thanks!

The LED has a dome over it to disperse the light...removing the dome (On the SR90 at least) means prying the dome off...it takes ~ 10 minutes including taking the head off to reach the LED. Its just held by a soft gel, not a hard glue, etc...and it comes right up. That's for the ST90 in the SR90.

On other LEDS - it can be harder to do, and some people reported damage, and a loss in lumens.

The advantage is that the light is less dispersed, and throw is increased. The disadvantage is that some of the floodiness is reduced...as you are trading some flood for some throw...essentially reproportioning the beam profile.

Phlatlight has a new LED with no dome, meant to take advantage of this for example.

The Olight SR90 was measured (by Selfbuilt) as having ~ 112,500 Lux @ 1 meter and ~1,400 Lumens OTF (Yeah, the advertised 2,200 Lumens was shown to be a bit ambitious/theoretical emitter based, etc...).

The Dedomed version was shown to as having 203,000 Lux at one meter and ~ 1,350 Lumens OTF (TurboBB and Vinhnguyen54).


This shows that, for the SR90's LED at least...that dedoming it increased lux at 1 Meter by ~ 80% (BIG boost in throw), while having almost no impact on total lumen output (OTF).

 

[357mag1]

You are right that Kevin is great to deal with, great communication and service - electro has had some hiccups.
How ever you say lambdas lights are custom but really they are hybrid lights made from 2 differant lights (if you get the turbo 2) a maglite and a $10 Chinese light, but he puts his own guts in.
The varapower I had was bright but didn't handle the heat well in a small mag head so I bought a 2.5' throw head from 5mega and that helped - still the led popped from over heating from lack of mass, but I know he's fixed that now.
Other things I didn't like was the switch was always touchy and flickered if touched or bumped, also switch wobbled/rattled as it has no weather seal around it through the body (infact you can shine a light between the switch and body and see inside) that always bothered me and when I mentioned it to Kevin about rain getting in because I need it to handle rain for work he said just face the switch down and rain won't get in (fail IMO) also NiMh batteries can loose up to 5% of their charge per day just sitting - they are heavy, can leak under load as someone said and the rattled no end which anoyed me.

The ST90 was built from the ground up and is like a tank - and the led is self replaceable with two little bolts no wires to solder, takes lithium batteries and will IMO out throw the turbo 2 because of the bigger reflector also they are in stock to buy now.

You make some valid points. I've never had a nimh battery leak unless I shorted it out and even then it took some time. They are heavy.

I wish you lived close I would love to see if the ST90 could out throw my VPT2. I'm not saying it can't be done but the VPT2 is out throwing my Deft.

I looked at Elektrolumens ST90 on his website. It would be nice if he listed more information. I would like to see the battery compartment to see how the 4 18650s are arranged. It would be nice if he let us know how much current is getting to the LED. I admit to being interested in the light but I really don't want to get on the Merry Go Round with Wayne again if any problems crop up.

 

[anthony lumens]

Does anyone actually own both? Input would be great - looking for a big gun - What throws farther and is a better light?

Yes I own both and they are both awesome. Olight has a brighter hotspot and a bit more throw

 

[RCLumens]

Very good feedback from all. One thing (at least for myself) that I'm considering is real usability, meaning wet weather at times if need be. I should have mentioned that first and foremost is dependability/reliability. I love the custom builds, and although pricey, I find that there's the focus on bright beam, even if, for only a brief time. I'm looking for a real-world light that can blast a good distance, but without sacrifice of quality. Flexibility on variable output (more than 2 setting) is also a plus, as is size...If you depended on a far throwing light, what would that be? I'm not looking to impress friends, although, I'm sure any of these lights would do more than that, I'm looking for something that can be relied on. As far as custom builds go, the Deft EDC, seems to be made of the highest quality. I may start messing around with asphericals, but for the purpose of a major gun, I need as much functionality as possible. Along with throw and output. Thus far, I'm still circling back to the TK70 and SR 90. Cheers to all!

 

[LiteTheWay]

I like the job this light does too - great throw and spill.

. I own a Trustfire x6 with 3x 18650 and it gets the job done for a short trime, but the run time is 30-40min.