What "Iconic" LED lights have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"?

[orbital]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

^

Not to take away from anyone's fancy new light,,,, but any 'Hall of Fame' means years of industry leader.
You never put a rookie in any hall of fame their first year


Maybe just have lights over 3 years old...

 

[datiLED]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

I'll cast my votes for lights that have left an impression on me.

Arc AAA. I still carry this light on my keychain. I have tried others, but can't replace this gem.
Arc LS. The first power LED light, and a design that still works today.
Fenix P1. This light raised the bar on LED flashlight performance.
McLux PDIII. Amazing design that is both simple and versatile.

 

[orbital]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

+

An honorable mention to the AmiLite T5

has a great 2-stage clicky which is sooo rare these days
and uses the timeless McR20s* reflector by Don M.



*also being currently used by a one Gene Malkoff

 

[Outdoorsman5]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

I'll add one more to the other two I mentioned: The Zebralight H501 or H501w. This headlight was/is a favorite around here....even after the new H502 came out.

My three nominations are:
Surefire 6P
Fenix P1D CE
Zebralight H501 or H501w

 

[jimbo@stn23]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

Both of these lights did come in a LED version.... perhaps they meant to say 6PL and C2L?

It doesn't seem genuine however because Surefire seemed to have a, "oh yeah, here's a P60L module that'll work if you have to have a LED". They were never built from the drawing board to be LED. At the time it was no real bonus unless you really enjoyed the horrid colour rendition from the available LEDs from that time.

The L1 for it's enduring popularity and "two speed" output, the L4 for pleasing beam and output of the times, and the U2 for it's wide output selection would be Surefires top candidates in my view.

Inova though seemed to really be the early LED genius for easily accessible light output and good build quality. They were never built to be anything other than a durable little LED light.

"Hall of Fame" inclusion to me would be a light that was out of the ordinary and changed opinions, or has stood the test of time and is still a pleasing lighting tool for many folks no matter when it first appeared.

The early "cache" builders of lights such as Arc, and no doubt Gene Malkoff products would be fine examples of gear that has and will stand the test of time.

 

[cland72]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

It doesn't seem genuine however because Surefire seemed to have a, "oh yeah, here's a P60L module that'll work if you have to have a LED". They were never built from the drawing board to be LED. At the time it was no real bonus unless you really enjoyed the horrid colour rendition from the available LEDs from that time.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[NCF8710]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

Yes, the Fenix P1D CE.
This light came out in 2006 & was head & shoulders above the previous edition (using a Luxeon LED). It had the CREE's new XR-E LED in it. The XR-E doubled the output & maintained the same runtimes which was truely astonishing when it hit the market. It simply blew away the previous generation, and was one of the biggest steps forward that I can remember. This light is responsible for re-awakening my craving for more & better lights.

+1 I still use mine.

 

[Oztorchfreak]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

+1 I still use mine.

Originally Posted by Outdoorsman5

Yes, the Fenix P1D CE.
This light came out in 2006 & was head & shoulders above the previous edition (using a Luxeon LED). It had the CREE's new XR-E LED in it. The XR-E doubled the output & maintained the same runtimes which was truely astonishing when it hit the market. It simply blew away the previous generation, and was one of the biggest steps forward that I can remember. This light is responsible for re-awakening my craving for more & better lights.


I never owned the Fenix P1D CE but I have friends that did buy it and still have it.

I can't afford to buy "every" LED light that has come out over the years because I would be divorced by now if I did buy that many lights and not buy Jewellery, Handbags or Shoes as "She who must be obeyed" does!

It was a really good achievement to get double the output whilst still retaining the runtimes of that light.

I can see where this light would certainly have a place in our "Hall of Fame" as I do with other lights that members have kindly selected for an "AWARD" in this thread.




CHEERS

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

LRI Photon II flashlight
Inova X5
Inova T1
CMG/Gerber Infinity Ultra
Fenix EO1
Surefire 6PL
Solarforce L2
Fenix L, P, and TK series lights
Foursevens Quark lights
Defiant 3C 550 lumen flashlight (first light I've seen in a brick and mortar store that is over 500 lumens, takes regular batteries, is well built, has a top of the line l.e.d., and is under $20)

 

[garageguy]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

Fenix L1P. It was my first educated flashlight purchase. Still have it and still use it sometimes. I have bought a lot of lights since then, but there is just something about the simplicity of it that I love. The L1P wll always be one of my favorites.

 

[Badbeams3]

Re: What "Iconic" lights would have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"

The red Photon was pretty much the start of LED`s. Still remember the shock of seeing one in action. The AAA Arc was perhaps the first to bump the power up from 1.5 volts to enough to run a white led. But was not as bright as the white Photons that had hit the market a bit before it.

 

[Double_A]

Re: What "Iconic" LED lights have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"?

Without a doubt, the ARC AAA and their 123 series. This company was an Iconic pioneer of LED lights.

Most all of the others are interesting in some fashion but nothing like ARC. The CMG infinity might also go in this group and the Photon series also deserves to be included.


The first wow factor LED light after ARC's was Surefire's LED heads- the KL1 and the KL4 5W 4 die head

The really cool thing here when the KL4 was released was to mated it to a E1e body, that was a HOT number!

 

[jhc37013]

Re: What "Iconic" LED lights have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"?

Maglites - A flashlight CAN be very durable

Surefire 6P - say no to Maglite and say yes to actual portable duty light's. A MAG on a duty belt in a hot humid climate sucks!

Inova X5 - Look how bright it is and I can carry it on my belt without much notice from others? Cool lets start EDC'ing flashlights!

Fenix PD3/PD1/LD1 - How small and bright can it get

Surefire L4 - Awesome switch and and basically mil-spec, I was in for one back then had to have it and it lived up.

Zebralight - Look everyone I nearly always keep a light on my head how weird is that, but it is good for all my lighting needs so why take it off.

Well thats my own abbreviated special time I call hall of fame moments, I'm sure their is more and I could go on and on about how bright and compact some of the very current light's are but Hall Of Fame to me seems like their has to be some sort of history to that particular light to prove longevity and without that I don't think it can qualify when where talking Hall Of Fame light's.

 

[Cavannus]

Re: What "Iconic" LED lights have to be put in a "HALL OF FAME FOR LED FLASHLIGHTS"?

Hi, here's my list based on the lamps I've owned: :wave:

HDS Action Light I (1999) (!!)
This headlamp changed the way of thinking how led lamps may (or should) be designed: new shape, three regulated (!) levels of brightness without changing the beam pattern, low level that bypasses the electronics if the latter fail, ...

TechTonique LedLampe (2002)
Several features that were new back in those days:
- 0-100% linear rotary switch (very convenient to use)
- glow-in-the-dark board behind the leds (so that you can change the batteries)
- regulation

Speleo Technics Nova (2003)
Another caving headlamp! The Nova introduced the Luxeon V led. Wow! one single led that is so bright!
Moreover the lamp was easy to use and the battery easy to replace (compared to other period caving lamps); the concept of this lamp is interesting since they made it compatible with their other incandescent products, e.g. the battery is the same (so you can keep yours or exchange it with another caver).

LedCorp Epeion (Luxeon I bulb for Maglite) (2002), TechTonique Duo LedLight (2002), various Terralux led bulbs for Mag, Diamond bulb, ...
They introduced the concept of retrofitting a flashlight or headlamp to save costs and benefit from a solid body.
Terralux tried several concepts (some were stupid and some were brilliant), so IMHO they deserve to be mentioned here.
TechTonique used both "wide" and 20° 5mm leds in their modules, while others used only the common 20° version. But the customers didn't like them so thereafter they only used the 20° version.
TechTonique also introduced warm-white led modules (still using 5mm Nichia leds).

Petzl Tikka (first version with 3 x 5mm leds) (2001)
This small headlamp made the general public (especially hikers, even occasional) discover white leds and their benefits compared to incandescent.
Furthermore Petzl conceived a small headlamp that didn't intend to equal nor outperform incandescent, which was a quite new concept.

Arc4 and HDS EDC Ultimate Flashlights (2004)
Do I need to explain why?

Scurion (2007)
Several features that made this programmable caving headlamp another must-have for flashaholics:
- 5-bar battery status (5 green leds), very useful to manage runtimes when caving underground
- bare led giving a 180° wide spill beam comparable to an acetylene headlamp (in addition to a second collimator spot beam, without spill) (both are independent)
- optional 5mm led (you can choose between amber, red, UV ... colour) for underground camping or urban exploration

Zebralight
We all know this innovative brand that changed the shape of headlamps and made wide angle beams affordable (I'm thinking of the H501, while a Scurion has always costed several hundreds of bucks).

Armytek Predator (2011)
Programmable regulation (stepped, flat, linear decrease) is a must-have for geeks!


One more thing: I'd like to mention the great SSC P4 and Cree XP-G 90+ CRI leds that made led flashlights offer the same quality of light as halogen bulbs.