Why Led Lenser's flashlight so bad?

[LiteTheWay]

I own a couple of LED Lensers and don't think they are as bad as some say. But they are overpriced for what they are and the lack of regulation is a pain.

 

[RaceR86]

LedLenser are not bad. They do make great products!

Some benefits of Led Lensers:
- A nice zoom system!
- "Waterproof" combined with the zoom system
- Reliable quality products. (yes, you might hear a bad story, but most brands with a high amount of sale have those stories)
- A big company that you can thrust, and with lifetime warranty!
- They use batteries that are available everywhere and are much safer for the average consumer compared to li-ion.

Led Lenser got me into flashlights. Or, a buddy of mine bought L7. Light output and zoom feature was amazing compared to what I had i my maglites! (I had no clue about LEDs then). He then bought X21R!! IT WAS AWESOME!! IT STILL IS!! I had to get a decent flashlight after seeing that in use! It was likehaving the SUN (with white light) in his backpack. But I did not want a super expensive and HUGE flashlight.
Used google and got very into Led Lensers product line. Highly considered to buy the P7/T7 after reading great stuff about it!
But also checked out forums, other brands and really cheap lights that claimed super high output. Learned about emitters and different batteries solutions. It really is a whole world out there of flashlights.

I have bought a couple of inexpensive smaller lights after doing some research. Might get some decent flashlights too,but will find out my needs by reading and testing some cheaper lights first. I will probably go for other brands than Led Lenser after seeing what new emitters, others UIs, other manufacturers and, other batterysystem can do. I have already learned I am no fan of the typical 5 modes you have to go trough on one button after having it on a light.
I would recommend a Led Lenser to a friend wanting a zoom system on a decent flashlight. But I would also recommend him a zebralight sc51(w), some of Klaurus AAs models as quality alternatives with other features that might be valued more.

DerekDean explained some of the down sides with Led Lensers in a previouspost, or peoples view on it. I will not disagree, and I could even add more towards the "negative" sides..
But Led Lensers are great for some guy only wanting a decent reliable flashlight. Seriously they are good! I have read tests in "wild life/nature"magazines with great results. "Best in test" over many other lights. Good reviews on the internet. Just look at user reviews on amazon. People love them! Great stuff!
MT7 is an awesome light btw! 16/16 people gave it 5 stars on Amazon. How can people say they are bad? Makes no sence...

But this is a forum for "special enthusiasts" (not stating Led Lenser buyers are not!). People here have high demands. Most people here own several flashlights for different use.etc, etc.. Many people here use Li-Ion batteries for better performance. Means you can get super performance in a smaller and lighter package compared to a typical small AA/AAA battery light (like most popular Led Lensers are)
Look at Zebralight SC600 for example compared to the typical P7/T7 and simular Led Lensers. SC600 is smaller, lighter, much brighter,but could have less light when you want. Great UI. Great quality, and great overall performance and use of battery capacity. You could get it with warmer (neutral) tint if you want. And using a quality18650 will get near three times as much mAh compared to say 3x rechargeable AAA 900mAH.
When getting seriously into flashlights you will see that there are other products out there that offers more for a certain use, are a better overall package compared to Led Lenser products. But for people wanting a good flow to throw, Led Lensers are good stuff!
I would recommend Led Lensers to "normal people". Especially if they wanted the zoom feature. I love that feature. But I would not buy them myself at the moment. And for people that are enough interested in flashlights to see a forum, I would also recommend them to check out other products since they may offer features that might be better for them.

 

[Kilted]

Deleted

 

[DM51]

I was not even going to answer

It would have been better if you had refrained; yours is the only truly objectionable post in this thread so far.

You've been a member long enough to know that calling other members "under-educated", "irrational" and "childish", and telling them to "stop bitching" and "get a life", is not acceptable behavior on this forum.

Furthermore, if you think you can make a rude and abusive post and then excuse yourself with an insincere disclaimer like "Sorry if I came off a bit hard", you need to think again.

Please edit your post immediately to remove the offensive comments. If I have to return here to do it for you, you will incur a suspension.

 

[LEDburn]

I own a P5 and a P7, I like them for their throw and compact size, I cant find another light in that size that wil throw as far.

And I will bet that most people bashing in this thread has never owned a Ledlenser light, but they have read here on CPF in every thread about Ledlenser that they suck, so it must be true...

But please show me a 1AA light that will outthrow a P5, I need it.

I agree that there are better built lights out there, but they are pretty good compared to many other lights, theyre are at least as good quality as Maglites best models.

A few years ago i went camping with some friends and all I had was a 2xAA mini mag and up until that point a 6D mag would probably have been the best thing I had ever seen in use. Anyway, a mate had a P5 and the first time I saw it on I was blown away. I went and got one the next day. Fast forward a few months and I decide to buy the P7 - what a disappointment! Partly to my ignorance, I expected the more than double in (claimed) lumens to equal more tham double the performance.

Them after a few internet searches and I found myself here...

After a week or so of mad research I had a Fenix LD10 on the way..again I was simply blown away. I didn't have a problem with the focus system of the LL but when you realise you can have flood AND throw at thr same time you start to thing about the big picture. Build quality, output, runtime, modes etc. all start coming into play.


Currently my favourite light (yes, I have over 10 now) is my recently acquired 4sevens Quark Turbo X neutral white. It absolutely trashes any led lenser for equivalent or double the price!!!

It's not much longer than the P5 bit it runs on CR123, RCR123 cells or in my case 17670 rechargeable lithium-ion cells. If you dont like or dont want to use li-ion cells then another option is the regular Quark Turbo (4sevens offer a number of emitter options this one is different to Quark X which cannot be powered by 1AA) with a 1AA body tube but if you like you can just screw on the 2AA tube for extra performance and runtime. As it is, on 1AA this will still smash the P5. Yes, the P5 MIGHT throw a TINY bit further..but no, you probably WILL NOT pick up that P5 again though...

 

[kicker9898]

I like mine, they were free samples though.

 

[Chicken Drumstick]

But please show me a 1AA light that will outthrow a P5, I need it.

sk68 on a 14500 maybe? All for £4.90 delivered too (minus battery).

 

[Kilted]

It would have been better if you had refrained; yours is the only truly objectionable post in this thread so far.

You've been a member long enough to know that calling other members "under-educated", "irrational" and "childish", and telling them to "stop bitching" and "get a life", is not acceptable behavior on this forum.

Furthermore, if you think you can make a rude and abusive post and then excuse yourself with an insincere disclaimer like "Sorry if I came off a bit hard", you need to think again.

Please edit your post immediately to remove the offensive comments. If I have to return here to do it for you, you will incur a suspension.

Sorry, no excuses. =D~~ Kilted

 

[CarpentryHero]

The Coast Led Lensors are sold in HomeDepots here in Alberta Canada.
I've never bought one, because the affordable ones arent bright enough, and the pricy ones don't look worth the money.
Fenix, Quark, Streamlight and Pelican are available locally so I've never pulled the trigger on getting one.
If they were more affordable like Dorcy and Garrity I'd have bough one in the past, but I don't buy the cheapies anymore

 

[kzb]

I actually like the focussing feature on Led Lensers, also the clear white light. It's also worth noting that the lack of regulation can be mitigated by using NiMH batteries, which have a much flatter discharge curve than alkalines. But please don't say I recommended this, because LL themselves say rechargeables are not recommended in most of their lights. But I've done it and the lights are still running.

 

[kts]

As it is, on 1AA this will still smash the P5. Yes, the P5 MIGHT throw a TINY bit further..but no, you probably WILL NOT pick up that P5 again though...

It will smash the P5, but the P5 will throw longer

I have more than 10 Fenix lights , its not like Ledlensers are my only light :naughty:

 

[mcnair55]

Must be a UK thing... Don't see them that often at retail in the midwest U.S., maybe on sale at the big box DIY stores, usually on sale around Christmas. Or maybe I just don't notice them.

Yes very much a UK and German thing,they are sold by many trade stores.Arco the protective clothing people in the Uk must sell a fair view as when new starters go in to get kitted out with safety gear they always seem to wangle a torch off the person who has taken them there.

 

[trevordurden]

After getting a K1 in a kit with a leatherman Style CS, I learned that the beam is what bothers me the most. It's not just one company though, it seems like just laws of physics that a disadvantage to using optics is that the beam won't be as clean. The purple-ish tint and rings in beam almost give me a headache after extended use.

 

[eh4]

In my opinion they are resting on their zoom able optic patent, charging a premium for it and not doing much else.
To be honest I'm still a little bitter that I spent nearly 60$ on their P7 or whatever it was only to find out later how much better of lights I could have spent the money on, I just didn't know any better, it was the brightest one on display, and the optic was cool... But wait, it takes Four AAA batteries!?! Two levels, seemingly no regulation?!?
Give me a break,
I could have had a Zebra Light, or a couple Quarks, or...

 

[StorminMatt]

One area where Coast actually DOES seem to offer a good deal is with XM-L lights that DON'T run on Li-Ion batteries. If you want an XM-L light that can run on NiMH, the pickings are admittedly quite slim. But Coast seems to offer a couple of pretty good bargains here. First is the HP550, sold at Costco. This light produces 1000 lumens from an XM-L using 9AA batteries. It sells for $49. The closest competition is the 860 lumen Fenix TK41 (which uses 8AA batteries). I don't have one to compare to the HP550 I picked up. But youtube videos show that the HP550 is VERY visibly brighter than the similar 800 lumen TK60. So it would appear that the 1000 lumen rating is pretty honest. Of course, I'm not sure how the HP550 compares to the TK41 in terms of quality. But if you want a bright light on the cheap and don't want to mess with Li-Ion, the HP550 is simply an unbeatable deal.

Then there's the HP17. It has a somewhat lower output of 615 lumens from 3 D batteries. This is somewhat lower than the aforementioned Fenix TK60 (which uses 4 D batteries). And it's more expensive than the HP550 (at least for the time being). But it still goes for $40-$50 less than the TK60. Again, I can't say it's a better light than the TK60. But it is most certainly quite a bit less expensive if you want a bright, XM-L light that runs on D batteries.

 

[mojocvh]

Interesting thread thanks to all who have contributed so far..... I am a wind turbine tech who works at some remote sites in Scottish Highlands. I have had a number of the small LED Lensers over the last 10 yrs or so, they all were OK and did what they said but ultimately lacked both the performance of the smaller Fenix's and were "bulky" in comparison. Basically they had fallen behind the stampede.

My present lights are the PD 30 and MC10 as backup.

I like having my torches basically because when I was new to the industry I had to self escape from a lift stuck some 200 odd feet up the inside of a blacked out tower, my company issue headlight gave up the ghost about halfway through the lift/ladder transfer..........



OK. So why am I presently looking at the LED Lenser X7R rechargeable as my backpack carry? I believe that [in this Lithium-ion incarnation] that LED Lenser have got it right not only the distance throw but a superb even flood [for searching for those elusive bits we ALWAYS drop when it's dark]

I realise that this post may, as a newb, lead to a storm of criticism but at least make it constructive LOL.

all the best

Mo.

 

[Slazmo]

The way that I look at it is that my MT7 cost me a fraction under $40 from Amazon and was delivered from a authorised stockist and was confirmed as real from Led Lenser Aust - (so managed to wangle out of paying $120 extra on that price) off the list price here in Aus. So far so good - true that the Led Lenser is far superior to my Maglites and even my newer 2AA LED Mag - but there are a few issues that I contend with when I use it. I feel that the LL is far less a tool in comparison to a Mag and far less stable with being dropped or immersed into water or dusty environments and or taken into the wild around Aus - the adjustment and locking mechanism is fragile and will need protection and cleaning if abused, and I doubt that they will deal with humidity and sand like a Mag will.

Another thing is that they chew batteries like crazy - I have 'just' invested in a Eneloop charger and a 6pack of AAA's for it (LL confirmed that Eneloops can be used in them and will not affect warranty) - and going to see how that works out in the long run! No doubt that LL is a player in the mass produced and known market in relation to the other brands available - I know they're popular due to how many are stolen from my workplace!

So at the moment my Inova X1 doesnt leave my side as my daily EDC, my 2AA LED, or 2D LED drop in Mag(s) as my trusty outdoors camping / fishing torch and the LL MT7 & (K3 which lives on my BOB) are rarely used but are on constant standby unless I need power to **** off a neighbour or disorientate their dog with the 50Hz strobe, otherwise they're toys and I always remember that - but they're just something that I like to play with every now and again.

No doubt I will dabble into the professional torches when the time and $$$ come around - however not into CR123's and all that here in Aus due to cost and availability!

 

[warmurf]

Man, get into some Nitecore and Fenix, or Eagletac,Jetbeam. These lights (and others) transcend ye old Mags, LLs and Inovas. Even cheap Solarforces are in anotherclass. Shout yourself one.

I have a couple of LL M7s and 5s. My kids play with these ones.

 

[Slazmo]

Man, get into some Nitecore. Shout yourself one.

I did shout myself a Nitecore EA4 and have regretted it for a long while now...

 

[hayhonker]

The fact that they constantly show up on woot for real cheap tells me to stay away. Plus all these other facts people are posting.