What is the best single 18650 flashlight?

[Tachead]

Other than the design nothing about that light screams $545

It is machined in one piece(aside from the tailcap) of solid Titanium bar stock one off, by hand, and is constructed with pretty much all the best materials and components money can buy. What else do you expect to make it "scream $545"?. Seams like a reasonable price to me when compared to other offerings:shrug:

 

[staticx57]

It is machined in one piece(aside from the tailcap) of solid Titanium bar stock one off, by hand, and is constructed with pretty much all the best materials and components money can buy. What else do you expect to make it "scream $545"?. Seams like a reasonable price to me when compared to other offerings:shrug:

High CRI?

Don't get me wrong, it looks like a very nice light. And I can afford it, but I can't see the "best" being the best unless value is added in there, and that light misses that mark to me.

 

[Enderman]

Best one for throw is definitely the new Nitecore P30:
http://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/p30
Looks kinda funny though with that huge head

 

[U2v5]

The lenses afford considerable control and "focus" of light. The Oveready/Torchlab dropin I have has very good throw and wonderful distribution of light with nice color.

No perfect system but I've become a major fan of Oveready offerings.

[emoji41]

 

[Tachead]

High CRI?

Don't get me wrong, it looks like a very nice light. And I can afford it, but I can't see the "best" being the best unless value is added in there, and that light misses that mark to me.

The maker doesnt state the CRI but, the XP-L is available in 80+. You have to realize too that there really isnt many small emitters available in 90+ that can put out 900+ lumens at a reasonable colour temp, tint, and efficiency. Not to mention, only a very small portion of flashlight buyers care, or even know for that matter, what high CRI is. But, it is a custom light so I bet if you asked, he would put whatever emitter you want in it.

The emitter is also only a very small part of what your paying for in a light like this. You are paying mainly for the materials and craftsmanship. This light is machined and built one off by a human in limited numbers, unlike a Zebralight or a Surefire(just for instance).

The point is considering other similar lights, $545 is a fair price imo. Heck an HDS is like $450 and comes nowhere near this in materials, etc. It is a custom boutique light and they are all pricey. Its just a matter of what one tickles your fancy.

 

[staticx57]

Things, according to Muyshondt, that are more important than the light coming out of the flashlight:
Trapezoidal Threads
Double-AR Coated Sapphire Crystal Lens
Gold Plated Electrical Contacts
Pushbutton Tailswitch

This is a flashlight after so I would consider quality of light especially in a boutique light to be top notch.

 

[Tachead]

Things, according to Muyshondt, that are more important than the light coming out of the flashlight:
Trapezoidal Threads
Double-AR Coated Sapphire Crystal Lens
Gold Plated Electrical Contacts
Pushbutton Tailswitch

This is a flashlight after so I would consider quality of light especially in a boutique light to be top notch.

Most of these features have a function that is an important improvement to the function of the flashlight.

Trapezoidal Threads - increase thread smoothness, strength, and longevity/lifespan
Double-AR Coated Sapphire Crystal Lens - increases light transmission(brightness) and increases scratch resistance which keeps the transmission high
Gold Plated Electrical Contacts - increases efficiency and runtimes
Pushbutton Tailswitch - pretty standard feature

You have to realize that there is a heck of a lot more to light quality then CRI right? There is tint(distance from black body radiation line), tint shift or lack there of, colour temperature, reflector design(geometry/efficiency), lens efficiency/light transmission/longevity, driver regulation, emitter size/design/efficiency, etc. CRI is also one of the worst measurement systems of a lights ability to render colours and only takes into account a small sample of the colour palette. You can have a light with a very high CRI that is actually terrible at rendering certain colours. I generally try and shoot for lights with a higher CRI if available as well but, CRI is only a small part of the equation and still only a rough guide. If you let it be the sole deciding factor on your light purchases, you could end up missing out on some pretty nice lights.

Remember too that there are many other considerations when deciding on a light. A light with 98 CRI but, is only 22 lumens, has a runtime of 46 seconds, is made of 5052 aluminum painted with rust paint, and is turned on with a toggle switch would still be a pretty crappy light

 

[scout24]

Having test driven a Flieger, I found the light it produces to be quite satisfying. Tint was excellent, absolute cr-i may not have been 219B quality, but it was quite good. YMMV...

 

[Enderman]

Most of these features have a function that is an important improvement to the function of the flashlight.

Trapezoidal Threads - increase thread smoothness, strength, and longevity/lifespan
Double-AR Coated Sapphire Crystal Lens - increases light transmission(brightness) and increases scratch resistance which keeps the transmission high
Gold Plated Electrical Contacts - increases efficiency and runtimes
Pushbutton Tailswitch - pretty standard feature

You have to realize that there is a heck of a lot more to light quality then CRI right? There is tint(distance from black body radiation line), tint shift or lack there of, colour temperature, reflector design(geometry/efficiency), lens efficiency/light transmission/longevity, driver regulation, emitter size/design/efficiency, etc. CRI is also one of the worst measurement systems of a lights ability to render colours and only takes into account a small sample of the colour palette. You can have a light with a very high CRI that is actually terrible at rendering certain colours. I generally try and shoot for lights with a higher CRI if available as well but, CRI is only a small part of the equation and still only a rough guide. If you let it be the sole deciding factor on your light purchases, you could end up missing out on some pretty nice lights.

Remember too that there are many other considerations when deciding on a light. A light with 98 CRI but, is only 22 lumens, has a runtime of 46 seconds, is made of 5052 aluminum painted with rust paint, and is turned on with a toggle switch would still be a pretty crappy light

Just fyi, gold electrical conductivity is not very good, even worse than copper, and will not give higher efficiency or longer runtimes. Gold is used to prevent oxidization and provide a better contact surface due to it's malleability.

 

[staticx57]

Most of these features have a function that is an important improvement to the function of the flashlight.

Trapezoidal Threads - increase thread smoothness, strength, and longevity/lifespan
Double-AR Coated Sapphire Crystal Lens - increases light transmission(brightness) and increases scratch resistance which keeps the transmission high
Gold Plated Electrical Contacts - increases efficiency and runtimes
Pushbutton Tailswitch - pretty standard feature

You have to realize that there is a heck of a lot more to light quality then CRI right? There is tint(distance from black body radiation line), tint shift or lack there of, colour temperature, reflector design(geometry/efficiency), lens efficiency/light transmission/longevity, driver regulation, emitter size/design/efficiency, etc. CRI is also one of the worst measurement systems of a lights ability to render colours and only takes into account a small sample of the colour palette. You can have a light with a very high CRI that is actually terrible at rendering certain colours. I generally try and shoot for lights with a higher CRI if available as well but, CRI is only a small part of the equation and still only a rough guide. If you let it be the sole deciding factor on your light purchases, you could end up missing out on some pretty nice lights.

Remember too that there are many other considerations when deciding on a light. A light with 98 CRI but, is only 22 lumens, has a runtime of 46 seconds, is made of 5052 aluminum painted with rust paint, and is turned on with a toggle switch would still be a pretty crappy light

Hey,

If you are sold on it, by all means buy it. But based on the description provided there is no way to justify the price. I listed 4 selling points they included which is clearly reaching for justification and provided an example of a real concern that they do not address. I mean in a flashlight trapezoidal threads is more important than the light it puts out. I mean you may not know what CRI is as your average buyer, but when you are buying boutique you certainly should be well informed.

As for me knowing what CRI is, I am well aware of what it is and it's limitations. I am aware it is measured against an ideal light source, and in the real world we measure CRI against two sources, Incandescent and the Sun. CRI is a sampling of colors that is compared to these ideal sources. Obviously with the more samples there are the better you can compare. Common CRI compares 8 samples, where more modern measurement methods sample many more. One of the leading indications of CRI is R9 which measures deep reds, this is in the extended CRI but not CRI. Guess what, CREE leds suck at this, even their high CRI leds suck at this. The newer XHPXX and XP-L2 are better, but this light has neither.

Guess what else CREE LEDs are bad at, tint AND tint shift. They are usually noticeably green especially the high CRI examples, there also tends to be a shift at the edge of the emitter.

Does this driver use PWM or constant current? It is not listed. I would not pay $500+ to get a PWM driver. It may not, but this is not listed on the product page. I would not trust someone who would not list something as essential as this.

If this light is a contender for best light ever, it is certainly missing a lot of information.

 

[Tachead]

Just fyi, gold electrical conductivity is not very good, even worse than copper, and will not give higher efficiency or longer runtimes. Gold is used to prevent oxidization and provide a better contact surface due to it's malleability.

Yeah, I took chemistry in college thanks. The conductivity difference is small. Plus, oxidation lowers conductivity and so does poor connections. Poor connections due to decreased surface contact and/or oxidation lowers efficiency.

Not that this is a discussion about the efficacy of gold plating connections anyway but, it is generally considered to be an upgrade over standard contact surfaces.

 

[alwayslight]

There is no best for everyone but perhaps only a best for oneself

 

[Tachead]

Hey,

If you are sold on it, by all means buy it. But based on the description provided there is no way to justify the price. I listed 4 selling points they included which is clearly reaching for justification and provided an example of a real concern that they do not address. I mean in a flashlight trapezoidal threads is more important than the light it puts out. I mean you may not know what CRI is as your average buyer, but when you are buying boutique you certainly should be well informed.

As for me knowing what CRI is, I am well aware of what it is and it's limitations. I am aware it is measured against an ideal light source, and in the real world we measure CRI against two sources, Incandescent and the Sun. CRI is a sampling of colors that is compared to these ideal sources. Obviously with the more samples there are the better you can compare. Common CRI compares 8 samples, where more modern measurement methods sample many more. One of the leading indications of CRI is R9 which measures deep reds, this is in the extended CRI but not CRI. Guess what, CREE leds suck at this, even their high CRI leds suck at this. The newer XHPXX and XP-L2 are better, but this light has neither.

Guess what else CREE LEDs are bad at, tint AND tint shift. They are usually noticeably green especially the high CRI examples, there also tends to be a shift at the edge of the emitter.

Does this driver use PWM or constant current? It is not listed. I would not pay $500+ to get a PWM driver. It may not, but this is not listed on the product page. I would not trust someone who would not list something as essential as this.

If this light is a contender for best light ever, it is certainly missing a lot of information.

Look man, I get what you are saying and I actually dont consider this the as the best single 18650 light and I have zero desire to buy it(I personally would never spend that kind of coin on a flashlight). But, I see why it costs what it does from a manufacturing perspective. That's all I was saying originally.

As for led's, sure certain Crees have their limitations(not all though and a lot of the issues are caused by poor reflector and lens designs/geometry) but, there aren't really many options at this point. If you threw a 219B in it sure it might have higher CRI but, it would also be far less bright, less efficient, and would get so hot you could fry an egg on it at half the output. Until technology advances in the emitter department there are only so many options.

There is a lot more to a flashlight then its CRI for a lot of people too. I personally will take a flashlight with the right colour temp, a good UI, suitable output, quality materials, a good warranty, and a nice beam profile over one that just has high CRI and mediocre other qualities any day of the week. I am a "tint snob" too but, I understand that a flashlights primary purpose is to light things and really, in normal use(as apposed to white wall hunting), it makes little difference. If you asked an average person to compare two identical lights at the same colour temp one at 80 CRI and one at 90 CRI they probably wouldn't even notice the difference. I think sometimes we let our fanaticism get the best of us. They are just stupid flashlights(tools) and most people would think we were idiots for even wasting time typing about them.

 

[Tachead]

There is no best for everyone but perhaps only a best for oneself

Agreed:thumbsup:

 

[Silgt]

Any bored Surefire with a Malkoff drop-in + McClicky switch

 

[BugoutBoys]

Surefire P1R Peacekeeper.

Obviously the "Best" flashlight depends on your usage and needs.

I recommend the Peacekeeper because I lean more towards tactical lights. The interface is so simple which is perfect for high-stress scenarios. Surefire's durability is insane and I have never had a SF light fail on me even through torture tests. Their customer service is amazing. SF's flashlights have become my favorite very quickly.
I used to be very skeptical of them. I stuck to my Chinese brand flashlights, insisting they were the best. Then once I actually tried a Surefire, I was sold immediately and now they are the only manufacturer I would trust with my life. Especially after my chinese lights have constantly failed me. Even the high end ones.

 

[techwg]

As others have said, best is subjective depending on your desires. For me, the best single 18650 flashlight I have is the new one I just reviewed, the Fenix TK20R. See, I have a bit of a this or that when it comes to throw vs flood. I have been on a throw kick for the last couple of lights although I have never had a true FLOOD light, just lights with more flood than others (PD32 UE/PD35 TAC for example).

But I really like the throw on this TK20R and the brightness and the fact I can super easily top of the battery without having to dig out my nice fenix charger and disassemble my light and replace batteries while one charges etc. Just so easy to plug my phone charger in that's always on my desk. A playlist to my TK20R videos is in my signature if you are interested. I will be doing an indoor video perhaps later today and then soon I hope to get a comparison video between some of my remaining lights. Somewhere I have my original TK15 along with my PD35 TAC and PD32 2016. But I digress.

I'd recommend you look into Fenix as a whole, because their brand has some really nice quality and specification lights that take a single 18650 battery, which is the configuration I am primarily interested in.

 

[MAGA]

My favorite one so far is the Nitecore P12GT

1000 lumens, great throw, 1 lumen low, strobe is memorized and almost pure white tint.

 

[Enderman]

My favorite one so far is the Nitecore P12GT

1000 lumens, great throw, 1 lumen low, strobe is memorized and almost pure white tint.

I second this, if I needed to buy a single 18650 light for EDC it would be this one.
Great output, throw, size, looks, and build quality

 

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

When it comes to EDC Flashlights, I have drawn a line in the Sand. My 18650 EDC light MUST be a "TACTICAL" light that always comes on HIGHEST mode.
Regarding my "I have drawn a line in the Sand".......NO side mode (or otherwise) switch. Tail Cap clickly only. YMMV. My EDC current favorite is my new KLARUS (18650/CR123) XT2C.

SixCats!