Why Led Lenser's flashlight so bad?

[matt4350]

I bought the LL X14 at a camping store maybe a couple years back, it was my first torch after Mags. It was the coolest light I'd ever seen, I liked that it runs on AA, and it survived a bit of abuse with no problems. Looking back on it though, $210 was way too much to pay (didn't know any better at the time, obviously!). When I consider I bought an Eagtac SX25L2 for $50 less, sorta brings the whole pricing thing home. I have noticed LL rechargeables don't seem to stand up to continued use by multiple users, all the switches broke on those bought for my workplace. Re the CR123 pricing issue, seems the best price I can get is about $2.50 a piece in Australia, so I'm using RCRs to avoid going broke.

 

[Dirtbasher]

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

Just got a D40A, much better than the EA4
Went camping recently and took about 8 lights with to test , play etc
My LL MT7 came out as my general use light , I preferred it to the others for its flood use, and was also nice to flick into throw when things were crawling around in the bush.
Other lights where Fenix, Klarus, Sunwayman, NiteCore, and some Convoy's

The MT7 was a nice light again to hang from the tent roof in flood mode, adjusted down to save batteries.
The Convoy C8 also was nice to hang from the roof top due to the GITD.
I think I will always have a LL for camping, I find it to be quite versatile.

 

[thijsco19]

I didn't follow this thread, just wanted to say this.

On my work they(/we) use Led Lenser flashlights, I think they are P7's. It's a great light for inspection purposes, the ability to focus the beam to look at a specific point and then use the wide beam to have a big overview is great.
We use different kinds of grease (new clean stuff and old dirty stuff), oil's and more of that kind of stuff, and still the focus system works great.

But personally I preffer some higher lumen lights.

 

[Wellgate]

I have a Lenser MT7, a P7 , a V2, a P2 and an assortment of Fenix units, a Surefire and some aged Maglites. I have had no bad experiences with the Lensers, and found them to be competent, effective and rugged.

I do wonder if there is some Not-Invented-Here veiled criticism of these units including some patronising "this is your first good flashlight so you are bound to think it is good.." posts ?

W

I didn't follow this thread, just wanted to say this.

On my work they(/we) use Led Lenser flashlights, I think they are P7's. It's a great light for inspection purposes, the ability to focus the beam to look at a specific point and then use the wide beam to have a big overview is great.
We use different kinds of grease (new clean stuff and old dirty stuff), oil's and more of that kind of stuff, and still the focus system works great.

But personally I preffer some higher lumen lights.

 

[stp]

I have a Lenser MT7, a P7 , a V2, a P2 and an assortment of Fenix units, a Surefire and some aged Maglites. I have had no bad experiences with the Lensers, and found them to be competent, effective and rugged.

I do wonder if there is some Not-Invented-Here veiled criticism of these units including some patronising "this is your first good flashlight so you are bound to think it is good.." posts ?

W

I think that mostly the criticism is based on price to what you get ratio. And in case of Led Lenser it's really poor. Add to that that up to one year ago or so the Led Lenser's were very archaic electronic vise. They still offer poor efficiency and low lumen output for their size. Obviously if you want quality flood to throw they are probably the only choice now. I would give a lot for ZL electronic + LedLenser optic

 

[StorminMatt]

I have a Lenser MT7, a P7 , a V2, a P2 and an assortment of Fenix units, a Surefire and some aged Maglites. I have had no bad experiences with the Lensers, and found them to be competent, effective and rugged.


I do wonder if there is some Not-Invented-Here veiled criticism of these units including some patronising "this is your first good flashlight so you are bound to think it is good.." posts ?


W

I think you are on to something here. In my collection of lights, I have a few Coast/Lenser lights - an HP550, a P17, a PX25, an HP4 penlight, a G20, and a few of those G10s that you get for 'free' when you buy one of their lights. I have to admit that I did buy many of these before I knew about other lights that are higher up the flashlight food chain. But with the exception of battery carrier problems in the PX25, they have all been really solid lights. The P14 is the one I've had the longest. And that light has been up mountains with me and been used countless times for late night car repairs. But it continues to be a GREAT light. No, it's not regulated (it just uses a resistor). But NiMH batteries keep the brightness fairly constant (and, despite what Coast says, it works FINE on NiMH). And having just a simple resistor rather tha. An elaborate driver probably ultimately makes it a more reliable light.


I will admit, though, that lots of Coast lights are not particularly good in the value department. That same P14 was a $70+ light from Fry's when I got it a few years back (the HP14, which replaced the P14 and produces 339 lumens costs the same). That's not cheap, especially when I consider that my Nitecore EA4 XM-L2 (a 4xAA like the P14) costed me only $55 from Illumination Supply. It SPANKS the P14 BADLY in terms both output (max 960 lumens vs only 212 lumens) and other features (like number of modes). The same can be sad about other AA lights I have, including a Dereelight Javelin (with 3AA extender and XM-L2 P60) and even my SC52w. I think this is one thing that REALLY goes against Coast/Lenser. They may be decent lights. But they simply cost too much for what they are. The P14/HP14 would probably be REALLY good $35-$40 lights.


With this said, if there's any good Coast/Lenser light out there, it's one that's on sale. As I said in a previous post on this thread, the HP550 was simply a phenomenal deal for $49 (and, especially, when they dropped it further to around $25). I don't know if they still make this light (it's not, and never was on their website) or sell it at Costco. But if you can get it for even $49, it's DEFINITELY worth it. Of course, many of their other lights are worth it if you don't have to pay full retail cost.

 

[roadkill1109]

After maglites, I thought the led lenser was the greatest gift to man, however after joining this forum, I got "enlightened". I still love my three led lensers, I still use them sometimes, but now I know they are several generations behind what the best and greatest are in this forum.

 

[mcnair55]

After maglites, I thought the led lenser was the greatest gift to man, however after joining this forum, I got "enlightened". I still love my three led lensers, I still use them sometimes, but now I know they are several generations behind what the best and greatest are in this forum.

Here in the UK and it appears in many other countries as well they are market leaders as they have a slick way of selling.There ranges are packed in nice presentation packaging in very nice glass cabinets and have "buy me" written all over.In simple terms they provide light at the end of a tube and to your non enthusiast they are a great piece of kit.

 

[ltec]

In our MOT centre 90% of the inspectors own a led lenser. I don't see how the lenser is over priced. As someone else said I think the p5 is a brilliant light. The focus is not a gimmick, it is something im always using. I can get 2 lights a p5 and p7 for £35 on ebay. how much is this quark turbo light your comparing with the p5 in sterling, I cant even find it on ebay and the only shop I found it in was £62

 

[thijsco19]

I think one of the reasons that they have not that many lumens is that when you zoom, the hotspot will be too bright.
It's the lumens versus the intensity.
If I shine a led lenser P7 (200 lumen) on a wall, mid day inside and maybe 20 meters away, I can see his hotspot but when I shine my eagletac D25LC2 (600+ lumens) I cant see the hotspot. (yes I can see some 'light' on the wall but only because I know it's there).
And yes the D25LC2 has a much smaller reflector but it has 3x more lumens.

It's Not the best comparison just an example.

Oh, and I think lumens wise they are a little bit overpriced but the zoom function makes that good.

 

[thedoc007]

I think the original poster should edit the title - starting off with an assumption, despite his good experience with LED Lenser. "Why does LED Lenser have a generally negative reputation on CPF?" would be more realistic. Just because some people don't like them, doesn't mean they are bad. There are many good stories involving these lights as well.

I find it funny that so many people complain about their value. A lot of people on this forum love Surefire, and I'm not saying they aren't great lights, but they are overpriced in my opinion. Hardly anyone knocks them for that, though. Or taking it farther, people install 30 trits on a single light...anyone who has priced this out knows this is VERY expensive. Or pays $30 for someone to mod a $10 flashlight. Value is in the eyes of the owner...and it is their money. If it gives them pleasure, who cares how much it cost? Same thing applies here...especially since these lights offer features that no other (quality) lights have.

To each his own, if you like the zoom feature (as I do), LED Lensers are great! The only drawback I have found in actual use is the regulation, and using NiMH batteries takes care of this issue.

 

[Lichtinsdunkel]

The same discussion we have in Germany. Some like the lights, others don't.
I think, that 200 lumes are enough for the most usages, that should not be the problem. The newer lights have a step-down, but are regulated. If you turn off and on again, you have the full power.
And they are stable. Watch the video that we did two years ago with Led Lenser lights. We threw them five or six times, and 70% of the lights were still running after this.

Flashlights Throwing

 

[Slazmo]

I still cant get why the MT7 has only 11 hours of run time when the M7 has something like 60 hours? Wouldnt you want a Tactical light to last longer than a general civilian light? Thats my only qualm with my MT7 - mind you my EA4, I get anxious with that button switch... Summer's fast approaching and I am not looking forward to that ballooning that most are getting from their EA4's!

 

[BWX]

It's like an expensive Huffy with crappy full suspension system when you could get a Schwinn hardtail for less.

 

[Mr Floppy]

I still cant get why the MT7 has only 11 hours of run time when the M7 has something like 60 hours?

Check out these graphs yet? http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...did-the-runtime-graphs!&p=4294836#post4294836

 

[roadkill1109]

Here in the UK and it appears in many other countries as well they are market leaders as they have a slick way of selling.There ranges are packed in nice presentation packaging in very nice glass cabinets and have "buy me" written all over.In simple terms they provide light at the end of a tube and to your non enthusiast they are a great piece of kit.

That's actually what got me, before I found out about this forum, being a flashlight noobie back then, I thought the Led Lensers were God's gift to man. haha Fantastic packaging, kick-*** manual and brochures, came with free alkaline batteries so you were good to go upon opening the premium box. It really seemed like WOW! back then... to the claimed gold-plated terminals on the P14... and so on.... they marketed their product quite well, and even the videos you find online makes you want to buy more of their products! hahaha...

Boy was I schooled in this forum!

But I have no regrets, still love those led lensers which I still own to this day, but will probably never buy another one ever again. I still keep them "mint-in-box"

 

[roadkill1109]

It's like an expensive Huffy with crappy full suspension system when you could get a Schwinn hardtail for less.

Hey, I had one of these! Suspension wasn't crappy, it depends on how heavy you were. Lolz!

 

[StorminMatt]

Here in the UK and it appears in many other countries as well they are market leaders as they have a slick way of selling.There ranges are packed in nice presentation packaging in very nice glass cabinets and have "buy me" written all over.In simple terms they provide light at the end of a tube and to your non enthusiast they are a great piece of kit.

That is, of course, another thing that draws people. Other lights (like Fenix, Nitecore, Sunwayman) are available at only a few select stores that are not frequented by most people or (in some places) online only. But Coast/Lenser lights are widely available at many big box stores, such as Fry's, Home Depot, and Lowes. Pretty much EVERYONE sees these lights and can buy them if they pass through the flashlight aisle of their favorite mass merchandise store. But you have to look for other lights, and sometimes wait days or weeks to get them. That's a BIG strike against such quality lights as Fenix or Nitecore. And that's the reason why fewer 'first timers' buy them than Coast/Lenser lights. Why other flashlight manufacturers don't go this route is beyond me. Think of how many people would buy an EA4 or D40A rather than an HP14 if Nitecore and Sunwayman were right there next to Coast at Home Depot!

It's like an expensive Huffy with crappy full suspension system when you could get a Schwinn hardtail for less.

Comparing Coast/Lenser to Huffy is a bit unfair to Coast/Lenser. After all, if nothing else, Coast/Lenser DOES make quality, well built lights. They're just not the best and brightest in terms of technology. A better comparison would be buying the latest Schwinn vs buying a five year old Schwinn that is passed off as new and costs 50% more.

 

[BWX]

Led lenser compared to 5 year old Schwinn is unfair to old Schwinn! LOL

 

[Slazmo]

Check out these graphs yet? http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...did-the-runtime-graphs!&p=4294836#post4294836

Ok claimed runtime - old mate didnt have the runtime for the MT7 anyhow... "Bugger"