Need Help Picking EDC Light

First off, welcome to CPF!

The usual greeting goes something like this... watch your wallet!

I would consider the Fenix L1S or L1T from Fenix-Store.com. Both are durable lights, able to take a beating and have no problem with water. I'd feel reasonably safe taking my Fenixes for a swim, but maybe not for a dive.

Many Fenix L1Ps have gone through a lot of abuse, and to my knowledge, there are little to none that have failed during daily usage. I would expect the same performance from their later models, as build quality with Fenix seems to only improve.

You might want to take a look at the Fenix P1D or P1D CE. There's a huge thread about them in the LED forum.

Welcome to CPF.

The aforementioned Fenix's, the Fenix P1, The Ultrafire WF602D (p1 clone) would all fit your needs well.

Well I took a look at the P1D and the whole 1.5 seconds of off and then on to get to the next level just sounds like a pain in the neck. I have looked at the P1 with serious intrest though, but I am woundering on the runtimes. Do batteries matter? And does the WF602D get better runtime? I would rank runtime higher than brightness (just slightly higher though).
Thanks
The Flash

I would say the surefire A2, but you wallet probably tells you to don't go there. However, you will sooner or later defeat your wallet and just go for the purshase, which is when you realize you probably should have just bought a cheap light and then never looked here again, cause sooner or later, your wallet (now empty) is going to get back at you.

I'm probably not making sence, but in short... buy the A2!

OK, so after reading a little I'm pretty confidant that I want to go with the L1T or the P1. So, now I would like to ask anyone who has these lights a few questions
1. Do you like it?
2. How well does it work as an EDC?
3. Probably the smallest pockets that i would be putting it into is my jeans, will it fit comfortably in the pockets?
4. Which is better?
Please post if you have one of the lights, if you got both, then PLEASE PLEASE post!
Thanks
-The Flash

I have both the L1T and the P1.

The P1 has higher output but uses special lithium CR123 batteries, sold in stores for $7+ each. Online, however, CR123's can be had for $1-2 each. It also has one level of light output, but as it runs for two hours on a single battery, runtime isn't all that much of an issue. The size of the P1 is great and it hides easily in the right front watch pocket of my jeans. It's small size and excellent light output also makes for a great "showoff" light, as many cannot believe how much light comes out of the tiny thing. If you get rechargeable 3.7v RCR123 Lithium Ion batteries, you can run the P1 for about 30-40 minutes and it's about 20-30% brighter, but it also gets very hot.

On the other hand the L1T is less bright but offers two modes of output -- high and low. On high it will run for about three hours, and on low it would be great for blackouts and camping, as it is still pretty bright and runs for around 10 hours. It'll also take a single AA battery, which makes it great for travel -- you'll never have to hunt around for special, expensive batteries, and it's cheaper to run. Not only that, but you can later buy an L2T spare body from Fenix-Store.com and run it on 2 AA's, making it comparable in brightness to the P1.

I don't really consider either light to be better, as each has their own distinct advantage and I like both quite a bit. I really like the CR123 format but it is not for everyone and using exotic cells can add up to be quite expensive in time. Both are great EDC lights and which light you choose should be up to what light you think better suits your needs, as both are small enough to easily slip into a jeans pocket.

Isn't the typical response to such a question - "What do you expect of your flashlight?". Suggesting a P1 may be good for occasions where you need a LOT of light. If you're using it to look at a menu in a darkened restaurant, you'll gather a lot of attention. I carry a Fenix E0 - enough light for most tasks that I need it for with 8+ hours of undiminished output in a small AAA light that hangs off my keychain.

OK, well thank you all, I like the longer (10 hour on low) runtime of the L1T. And also the AA format. So I have (hopefully) only one more question. What's the output of the L1T on low, using my new and improved light bright-o-meter. 10= crazy insane "blind people technology" 1= one underpowered low brightness LED
Thanks
-The Flash

By my estimation, the L1T on low puts out about as much light as a stock minimag, but with a MUCH nicer beam. The L1T dissapears into a jeans pocket and is there when I need it. FWIW, I don't carry it while wearing dress slacks though, it bounces around too much and gets on my nerves. But I'm picky, so YMMV.

When she saw how awesome it was, my wife took my L1P, which was fine by me, it gave me a reason to replace it with an L1T. So my only advice would be to guard it carefully!

On the L1T, low is bright enough that you could use it almost exclusively, in my opinion, turning on high for an extra "kick" of brightness. If I said the L1T on high was a 5-6 on your scale (and a Surefire M3T HOLA at 8), low would be maybe a 3.

I'm not really sure how to describe the brightness, otherwise.

OK well that sounds good, thank you all for your help. So now this is a minor question, and (again hopefully my last) when you turn it on is it on high or low, how do you switch between the modes, and is the push button momentary?

Thanks a TON
-The Flash

Push button is not momentary. You switch modes by turning the bezel.

However, CPFer oregonshooter sells a 3rd party mod for the L-series Fenixes that allows them to become push-button twisty lights instead of clickie-based lights.

Push-Button Twisty? Arnt they defferent? I dont follow?
Also I have read a lot of people saying that they have a green tint to their light. Does anyone know if this has been fixed?

Thanks

You might also consider one of the JetBeam products, which are similar to the Fenix products but seem to have better annodization and overall quality control.

They also offer some variations in brightness levels not available with the Fenix line.

Both are good lights.

However, there are lots of questions that we really should ask before giving advice:

1) What size is acceptable, ie. 1AA cell, 1AAA cell, 2AA cells, etc.? "Small" is relative. Most Surefires are smaller than Maglites, but that doesn't necessarily mean they qualify for "small" to you.
2) How much are you willing to spend?
3) Do you prefer incandescent or LED lights?
4) How will the light be used?
5) Do you have a preferred battery type?

Those are just for starters.

Bill

Okay. There are two main different types of switches on a light -- one that you press and it clicks on, which is called a clickie, and another called a twisty, which you just turn the tailcap (or bezel) to turn it on. If you want momentary-on, you'll have to get the switch replacement from oregonshooter, but it'll no longer click on; you'll have to twist the tailcap to put it into constant-on.

As for the tint, new L1T's and L2T's have LEDs that are selected to have a very white color, mostly with a tiny hint of blue, as typical with LEDs.

bwaites said:

You might also consider one of the JetBeam products

Click to expand...

I agree with Bill...take a look at the JetBeam Jet-I MKII and figure out what you'll be using this for and how much you want to spend.
Also, if you can wait another month or so the P1D will be more readily available (low and high settings like the L1T/L2T with similar lumen output).
Good luck.

The Flash said:

Well I took a look at the P1D and the whole 1.5 seconds of off and then on to get to the next level just sounds like a pain in the neck.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't dismiss this. I think you may have got this back to front a few lights already use this and it's not too bad. But then again some people can't get on with it. You don't have to wait 1.5 seconds, exactly the opposite. Just switch on and off as quickly as you like to switch levels. It's much quicker to use than the twist to brighten lights. The 1.5 seconds is how long it is off before it all resets. If you think about it the P1D CE when it turns on is brighter than a stock P1 or L1/L2T and with a longer run time. The other levels are a bonus (A huge bonus since the highest is over TWICE as bright). I have L2/1Ts as well and I love them but a tail clickie can be awkward to use one handed unless you like overhand style and you have to work 2 handed or move things around to change levels.

If size is an issue the P1s are smaller but the L1T with the CR123 body is not much bigger especially than the P1D.

I agree with Bill. you have to ask some questions to point in the right direction on what light to look at.

What light did you have from EMS? They will replace it under the EMS policy. the big question is price range. Then you can start to choose between some in the range you are looking for. Then what will you want it to do for you. With those known there are alot of ideas that CPF members can suggest.