Looking for a little help here, folks. I've started walking my dog for mutual exercise at obscenely early hours in our suburban/rural neighborhood in Georgia. In some areas there are streetlights, but not on the entire route. I'm constantly turning the light on and off, peering in shadows, checking up ahead and making myself visible to oncoming cars. The last couple of mornings I used the trusty E2E that sits beside my bed. I loved the incandescent color, the wide spill around the tight beam, and the perfect medium size. Problem is, of course, a couple of 45 minute walks and the batteries are gone - with bulbs going not too long after. So here's my description of the properties I'm looking for. Please let me know what you would recommend, as I've been out of the market for at least a year and there are new brands that I'm unfamiliar with:
1. Medium size
2. Good run time (doesn't have to be the world's longest)
3. Takes two CR 123s and preferably rechargeables
4. Neutral tint or high CRI
5. At least two levels, medium and high
6. Floody rather than throwy
7. Forward one-hand control for easy on-off operation while walking
8. Price less than $100
Thanks, y'all. It's good to be back on the forum!
HoWink
First of all, if you are looking for a 2-Cr123 size light, and you want to run rechargeable batteries in it anyway, you'd be MUCH better off using an 18650 instead of 2- RCR123's. The 18650 batteries have MUCH, MUCH better capacity, so you get better run time by far. Then you can buy CR123 primaries as spares and use 2 of them if needed in a pinch.
The Zebralight SC600 would tend to match your specs, but it is one of the few 2-CR123 size lights that tell you NOT to use CR123's, only a single 18650, which you'd be better off with anyway. But with that light, you cant use CR123's or RCR123's ever.
Maybe the Eagletac G25C2 with the $7.99 flip-up diffuser option. Thats G25C2, not D25C2. Its a great thrower with 770 emitter lumens of brightness, 640 ANSI, OTF Lumens on turbo, but the advertised brightness specs are wrong. The manual that comes with the light gets it right. The reality is actually better than what advertised at the stores. It actually has 5 modes: 2L, 38L, 64L, 224L, 640Lumens, plus 2 strobes. With the diffuser it has nice flood qualities, but flip up the diffuser, and you've got a great thrower, with a medium size spill beam. So its the best of both worlds, plus its thick and tough as nails. It can run on turbo for long periods without getting too hot, and it runs on CR123 or 18650. I dont remember whether it will run on 16340, but you dont need them anyway with that light.
Its retail cost is $105, but after the 10% discount, its $95 at goinggear. Plus free shipping. Then you need to send $7.99 to Eagletac's email through paypal to get the diffuser. If ordered the same day, you should get both at about the same time.
Something about the D25C2. It's high is 343L. Well, the D25C runs on just 1-Cr123, and has brightness of 359L! Plus, it has only 30% less runtime of that high setting than the D25C2 with 2-Cr123's. So if you had 2 Cr123's, with one in the light, and the other in your pocket, using the D25C, you get more brightness and 25% better run time! You'd just have to change to the 2nd Cr123 when the 1st one goes dead.