Smallest burning flashlight

We all know about the Torch and the USL but those are the size of maglites.
Is there something in a smaller package that would also start fires? I know that depends all on the amount of heat and how small the focal point is. I would like to know if there is an incandescent/reflector combo that doesn't need too much juice that would be able to start small fires.

Thanks for your guy's input!

If you take the consept "flashlight" wery loose then my guess is a 200mW laser powered by one 18650 LiPo cell.

There are WA 1185 setups that will fit in a surefire G3. Not sure if it has enough focus to start fires, I haven't tried. It will probably light newspaper though.

I dont think the a WA1185 can start a fire. Get really hot, yeah, but probably not start a fire unless its extremely flamable stuff.

Neither will a 200mw laser. It will burn stuff, but probably not start a fire.

to my knowledge you need at least something in the vicinity of 4000lumens, Mac Torch, level.

you MIGHT be able to do it with the Osram bulb from Mac's Torch, a D26 sunlight from Fivemega, and a C3 with extension and 4x IMR16340. Or any P60 body with 4x 16340.Look into lux luthor's destructive inacan tests.

Crenshaw

A mag85 will burn paper. I've lit people cigarettes with the light before. AFIK the brightest bulb that will work in the SUNLIGHT is the 1185. The osram 64623 will not fit. It is a big bulb, also the pins are too wide.

Later today I'll try burining paper with the 1185 in the g3.

Well even though you did say something other than MagLite, how about a MiniMag? I saw a TigerhawkT3 YouTube video years ago of an AuroraLite that almost set newspaper on fire. There was a lot of smoke. There were even holes in the paper, but no fire. A video link on the same page showed him igniting a safety match. Of course it was only a demonstration of heat output. If you just wanted fire it would be far easier, to say nothing of cheaper, to just strike the match.

The AuroraLite used to be sold by LightHound. They've been out of stock for quite a while. The Streamlight TL-3 bulb used in the AuroraLite on a pair of AW 14500's is only about 10 watts. The SUNLIGHT that Crenshaw mentioned would have been a much better option. A WA-1185 on 3*IMR-16340's is over 30 watts. Unfortunately FiveMega is out of them. I'm sure you could find either of these in the B/S/T forum here on CPF. A Solarforce-L2 with an L2-ECR extender would be much cheaper than a Surefire 9P. I'm not sure how long their tailcap switch would stand up to 3 amps. The spare tailcaps are relatively cheap, so get a few extras.

RyanA said:

A mag85 will burn paper. I've lit people cigarettes with the light before. AFIK the brightest bulb that will work in the SUNLIGHT is the 1185. The osram 64623 will not fit. It is a big bulb, also the pins are too wide.

Later today I'll try burining paper with the 1185 in the g3.

Click to expand...

but does it start a big flame? or will it just cause a lot of smoke?

you dont need flame to start a cig

i gotta try that.....

Crenshaw

The idea is that a small flame can be used to make a bigger one. 1185 is probably as good as it will get anytime soon, it pulls ~3.5 amps, fairly close to the 4 amp limit on an IMR 16340. Bulbs like the 64623 pull 10 amps and up.

Youtube has some penlight lasers that show modified for starting fires. Not exactly a flashlight but but very compact.

I lit newspaper on fire with an EO-9 running off 2 IMR 16340s in a Wolf Eyes Sniper. The batteries were freshly charged and I aimed the light at a spot on the newspaper with a lot of dark ink and it took a bit of blowing on the paper, but it lit and burned up all the newspaper.

The USL is only a 2D size light and will do the job just fine. Seems small enough to me.

Bill

Look here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/220895

Thanks for all the facts.
So is the 1185 Setup the best one to go with for compact and firestarting capability?
Or the EO-13? Would anyone be interested in making one as well for me?'

What about a lenses that can focus, therefore creating a very focusable spot?

To start a fire you need to maximize heat => minimize efficiency of the bulb. A 1000W bulb driven at 200W would start a fire pretty quick. Maybe it will need less power when focused with an aspheric lens.

I understand, what would be the optimal bulb to use and what size casing?

RyanA said:

The idea is that a small flame can be used to make a bigger one. 1185 is probably as good as it will get anytime soon, it pulls ~3.5 amps, fairly close to the 4 amp limit on an IMR 16340. Bulbs like the 64623 pull 10 amps and up.

Click to expand...

Oh, I'm sorry were was I:candle:? As discussed in my older thread the brightest sunlight D26 module is using a 1164 bulb, 3x IMR cells and a soft starter tail cap. You are looking at about 1,700 minimum lumens! And 2,000 maximum:devil: off of IMR 18650s. If this doesn't start a fire I can't image much else will!

Juggernaut said:

Oh, I'm sorry were was I:candle:? As discussed in my older thread the brightest sunlight D26 module is using a 1164 bulb, 3x IMR cells and a soft starter tail cap. You are looking at about 1,700 minimum lumens! And 2,000 maximum:devil: off of IMR 18650s. If this doesn't start a fire I can't image much else will!

Click to expand...

I thought the 64 was one of the bulbs that unfortunately got the axe?