Hi guys and girls,
My first post here, so my apologies in advanced if I am not in the right place. It seemed the least worst place to post...
Currently I have an old Maglite 2AA with it's 3rd or 4th (or ist that 5th or 6th?) older Krypton bulb. We also have a couple of 2AA Maglites purchased a couple of years ago with the higher drain/brighter Xenon bulbs in.
I tend to use the torch mostly for walking to/from work at night, in the sections where street lighting is patchy. I'll use a torch rather that switching on a table lamp in the middle of the night, if I need to get something across the bedroom. I am not a torch nut, and don't use it daily.
Things I dislike about the Maglite:
Things I like:
I've ruled out LED for some time mainly because of the terrible colours, weird shapes and odd fall off patterns and then price to fix some of the former. LED Lenser were quite high on my list because that focus unit is fantastic, but folks have mentioned that they are non-regulated, don't like rechargeable batteries, and I probably won't like the colour cast.
Looking around I seem to have settled on a less powerful but more 'accurate' colour from a Nichia 219B.
Lumintop Tool 1AAA, Worm 1AAA or IYP-365 2AAA look to be pretty good to me, and for around £20 if I shop around (UK can be an expensive place for imports!).
I fancied the Tool AAA in whichever form is the cheapest, but I've come to understand that there is a bit of a lottery on regulation on High power mode. I doubt I'd use High mode much, and Medium would provide more power than I am used to (with some saying a Maglite 2AA is <5 lumens). I am not so sure of the Worm because it doesn't have a click-switch or knurling to help turning.
The IYP-365 is a bout 1/2in shorter than the Maglite, thinner and has some damn fine advertised run time figures! I can also have it cheaper than a Black Tool from Lumintop-EU Direct on a major online store. The performance on Alkaline batteries seems a short-life, but I do have Energizer 2450mAh NiMHs and Energizer 4hr charger (for Photographic Flashlight), so you just use some for the torch.
I saw the L3 Illumination (hard to get here) and it seemed that the build quality wasn't too great with the battery spacer or something. This is an old model now and there are newer versions I think.
Ideally, I don't want to spend more than £20 on a torch. That includes P&P, but if it's from a major online store that offers free shipping when spending over £20, don't factor shipping costs as I am likely to buy stuff from there regularly.
If people have any input, that'd be great.
Thanks
*Note, I deliberately don't mention the name of the online store, I get the impression we aren't supposed to mention shops, or link directly. You all know who I'm talking about though!
My first post here, so my apologies in advanced if I am not in the right place. It seemed the least worst place to post...
Currently I have an old Maglite 2AA with it's 3rd or 4th (or ist that 5th or 6th?) older Krypton bulb. We also have a couple of 2AA Maglites purchased a couple of years ago with the higher drain/brighter Xenon bulbs in.
I tend to use the torch mostly for walking to/from work at night, in the sections where street lighting is patchy. I'll use a torch rather that switching on a table lamp in the middle of the night, if I need to get something across the bedroom. I am not a torch nut, and don't use it daily.
Things I dislike about the Maglite:
- Focus unit. Hot spot is a strange shape, and flood has a hole in the middle.
- Output is weak after one or two uses on fresh Alkaline AA.
- Bulbs go dark over time and need replacing (pretty much killed over a single winter).
- No switch to turn on, have to turn head and focus.
Things I like:
- Although it seems overly warm colour, it's A LOT better than many friends/colleagues LED torches, which are soo ugly green/blue/purple.
- There is a focus mechanism, albeit rather craptacular.
- Doesn't drain batteries much when not in use. It seems to be good to go after a long period of not using.
- Solid metal with no bending or flexing.
- Candle stand up mode.
I've ruled out LED for some time mainly because of the terrible colours, weird shapes and odd fall off patterns and then price to fix some of the former. LED Lenser were quite high on my list because that focus unit is fantastic, but folks have mentioned that they are non-regulated, don't like rechargeable batteries, and I probably won't like the colour cast.
Looking around I seem to have settled on a less powerful but more 'accurate' colour from a Nichia 219B.
Lumintop Tool 1AAA, Worm 1AAA or IYP-365 2AAA look to be pretty good to me, and for around £20 if I shop around (UK can be an expensive place for imports!).
I fancied the Tool AAA in whichever form is the cheapest, but I've come to understand that there is a bit of a lottery on regulation on High power mode. I doubt I'd use High mode much, and Medium would provide more power than I am used to (with some saying a Maglite 2AA is <5 lumens). I am not so sure of the Worm because it doesn't have a click-switch or knurling to help turning.
The IYP-365 is a bout 1/2in shorter than the Maglite, thinner and has some damn fine advertised run time figures! I can also have it cheaper than a Black Tool from Lumintop-EU Direct on a major online store. The performance on Alkaline batteries seems a short-life, but I do have Energizer 2450mAh NiMHs and Energizer 4hr charger (for Photographic Flashlight), so you just use some for the torch.
I saw the L3 Illumination (hard to get here) and it seemed that the build quality wasn't too great with the battery spacer or something. This is an old model now and there are newer versions I think.
Ideally, I don't want to spend more than £20 on a torch. That includes P&P, but if it's from a major online store that offers free shipping when spending over £20, don't factor shipping costs as I am likely to buy stuff from there regularly.
If people have any input, that'd be great.
Thanks
*Note, I deliberately don't mention the name of the online store, I get the impression we aren't supposed to mention shops, or link directly. You all know who I'm talking about though!
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