Best "smaller" one light does everything

I really like the Thrunight Catapult but it has 2 problems for me
1. size
2. lack of battery options
(and in addition I'd prefer a lower low for the sake of having at least some light in a longer emergency situation).

I'm willing to pay top $ for this light - if it exists

I know I need to do some compromising but I'd love to hear your guys thoughts on the closest light to my "fantasy light."

1. At least 400 OTF lumens
2. A low mode in the neighborhood of 10 lumens with a long run time.
3. Good throw and flood. I know this seems contradictory ... I'm thinking of maybe a light built for throw with a diffuser on it for up close work? ...an adjustable beam? I don't know is there any other way to get throw and flood from the same light?
4. Batteries - the more options the better! I want rechargeables - like a single 18650 or 2 rcr123's but also the ability to buy primaries where I'm at. I have found that even most 3rd world countries have 123's (look in camera stores if you're trying to find them!)
5. Size - as mentioned earlier the Catapult just seems to big to me. I'm hoping for something Olight M30 size or smaller. Incidently the M30 fills many of my requirements except for throw.
6. (and not necesarily last) durable. Waterproof, able to handle a fall and still work. At least tough enough to break ice cubes up oo:


Any thoughts? Thanks!!

The Holy Grail of LED lights! I think your expectations are a little on the high side. Might be something close out there though that might agree with your specs. I have no clue as to what it could be though.

Olight looks like it is coming out with a new light soon. I don't know if the name has changed, but I have seen it called the K50. They have the SR90 that just came out with a SST-90 in it. The output is 2200 lumes, but it is expensive($400) and bigger than I think you are looking for .
The K50 is reportedly rated to 1000 lumens on high and 250 on low. I'll bet it will be renamed SR50, the SR90 used to be called K90. The only problem that I can foresee with this light is many people may want a lower low than 250 lumens. This will not bother me though. I like the simple UI.
Might be worth waiting.

For some reason I didn't see your need for a low of about 10 lumens. I guess this rules out the K50.

rickypanecatyl said:

1. At least 400 OTF lumens
2. A low mode in the neighborhood of 10 lumens with a long run time.
3. Good throw and flood. I know this seems contradictory ... I'm thinking of maybe a light built for throw with a diffuser on it for up close work? ...an adjustable beam? I don't know is there any other way to get throw and flood from the same light?
4. Batteries - the more options the better! I want rechargeables - like a single 18650 or 2 rcr123's but also the ability to buy primaries where I'm at. I have found that even most 3rd world countries have 123's (look in camera stores if you're trying to find them!)
5. Size - as mentioned earlier the Catapult just seems to big to me. I'm hoping for something Olight M30 size or smaller. Incidently the M30 fills many of my requirements except for throw.
6. (and not necesarily last) durable. Waterproof, able to handle a fall and still work. At least tough enough to break ice cubes up oo:


Any thoughts? Thanks!!

Click to expand...

Consider the MG PLI (but wait until the new SST50 version comes out before you buy it).

1. clearly meets your 400+ OTF lumens when on High
2. the Low mode is well above 10 Lumens, so it fails here.
3. beautiful floody beam. It's not a "thrower", but it puts out so much light that you can see things pretty far away.
4. Runs on 1x18650 or 2x123. I think 2xrcr123 is too much voltage (might run really hot on High).
5. Size is extremely compact. About the same size as any popular 18650 capable P60 host.
6. Built like a tank (intended to be a bike light).

It only really meets 4 of your 6 requests (fails #2 and #3), but for a mere $60 (?), it's worth a look.

--flatline

While it falls a little short of the 400 lumens, the 300 otf lumens of the EagleTac T0C2 MkII is close enough and it meets all of the other requirements. :thumbsup:

May I suggest the Surefire LX2. Very small and portable. Good runtime on 2-CR123s (will work on LiFePO4 123 rechargeables but not 3.7v LiIon) 2 hrs on 200 lum hi and 30 - 40 hours on 10 lum low.

This light is a real thrower. It'll push a bright spot out 100 yards easily. Get a $15 diffuser for close-up work.

While not the 400 lumens you are asking for - the other lights available at 400 lumens are usually not rating OTF lumens like Surefire and many of the OTF lumens will be lost in the flood.

If you need more low-low light get a cheap AA quark with a 0.2 lumen low that'll last forever. That would also give you some battery diversity as well.

Consider the Dereelight C2H. It has the new XPG led. It has 3 levels. It uses cr123 batteries, and with a $6 adaptor uses AA or AA li ion batteries. 200 lumens rating.
http://flashlightconnection.com/Dereelight-Flashlights/C2H-c6/

Fenix TK40. Uses AA batteries. Good flood and throw. About the size of a 2 D Maglite. Tough as nails - there's a thread showing a guy driving a car over it and using it underwater. Good luck finding CR123 or 18650 in the sticks. AA is most available battery size around.

Jetbeam M1X
-450+ OTF lumens on max
-10 lumens on lowest setting
-excellent throw and decent flood
-flexible battery options
-well built, waterproof to IPX-8 standard
-NOT small, however....

Jetbeam Jet III-M R2
-NOT 450 OTF lumens (more like 200)
-.5 lumens on lowest setting
-good throw and flood with OP reflector
-flexible battery options
-well built and very durable (seen the youtube video with the paint mixer?)
-waterproof to IPX-8
-compact size

Painful Chafe said:

For some reason I didn't see your need for a low of about 10 lumens. I guess this rules out the K50.

Click to expand...

Good luck finding CR123 or 18650 in the sticks. AA is most available battery size around.

Click to expand...

These 2 go together. Low lows are great for minimalist/survivalists. Many times I think I'm going to be out for 3 hours and I end up being out several nights. "Small" lights run a "medium" amount of time on a low setting but a 2 CR123 size light lasts quite a while if it goes down to 10 lumens.

I would typically carry 2 extra sets of batteries and if I need more than that which I often do I'll have to find some locally. I've always been able to find even CR123's in coutries like Indonesia, Burma, Thailand; you're right AA's are easier to find but I've found in the really poor countries that they only sell the cheapest AA's though they sell them from every 4th house. So cheap my Garmin 60CSx will only run 10 minutes on them though it will run 18 hours on a set of lithiums and 8 on duracell Alkalines. The same stores that sell quality AA's have 123's.

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond said:

May I suggest the Surefire LX2. Very small and portable. Good runtime on 2-CR123s (will work on LiFePO4 123 rechargeables but not 3.7v LiIon) 2 hrs on 200 lum hi and 30 - 40 hours on 10 lum low.

This light is a real thrower. It'll push a bright spot out 100 yards easily. Get a $15 diffuser for close-up work.

While not the 400 lumens you are asking for - the other lights available at 400 lumens are usually not rating OTF lumens like Surefire and many of the OTF lumens will be lost in the flood.

If you need more low-low light get a cheap AA quark with a 0.2 lumen low that'll last forever. That would also give you some battery diversity as well.

Click to expand...

So I can't turn a floody light into a thrower but I can change a thrower into flood right? Do most lights in this category have available diffusers?

rickypanecatyl said:

So I can't turn a floody light into a thrower but I can change a thrower into flood right? Do most lights in this category have available diffusers?

Click to expand...

Take out the reflector and any light can become a Zebralight.

rickypanecatyl said:

So I can't turn a floody light into a thrower but I can change a thrower into flood right? Do most lights in this category have available diffusers?

Click to expand...

Not most, some. Olight makes a good one for the M20 that will fit on a number of other makes. Also Surefire makes one that will fit some others.

I think you should lean towards quality and ruggedness over sheer OTF lumens.

A Ra Twisty 170 (while "only" 170 lumens), can be programmed with a very very very low low and anything in between. These are known around here to be among the most bomb-proof lights on the market and if I could take only one light to a far away land, I wouldn't bring anything else.

Well the "all in one" light would be the SPY007 Tri-V
It has flood, reflectored normal beam, and an aspheric for throw.
It can use two 123 primaries or rechargeables
It is very compact and user friendly
All modes and levels are user adjustable.

an EDC w/ 400lm doesn't sound all that desirable to me, not w/ current technology. when i think of an EDC i want:
*a beam profile as versatile as can reasonably be expected
*small...obviously
*operates on multiple battery configurations
*high/low modes
*as much runtime as i can get
*as bright as possible w/out compromising reliability

i think you may shoot yourself in the foot on this last one...at least until LED efficiency has gained some more ground. excessive heat kills reliability. i'm pretty sure thats why Surefire dropped the Invictus project. if you are really serious about having 400lm in a small light, right now, then you might be better off getting a couple P60 hosts and trying out different emitter and reflector configurations. personally, a P60 is a tad bigger than what i would want to EDC but the experience gained just by trying different combinations should make it easier to decide what product is best for you. its definitely helped me. my two coolest P60s are assembled w/ reflectors and pills that came from completely different sources. hell, my C2 has a Dereelight XP-G pill and an OP reflector from an MC-E dropin i bought from DX (it was crap) and the beam it makes just kills everything i've seen thus far (save a Moddoo or Nailbender). my Thrunite dropin can't touch it.

for a complete light...
+1 for an LX2 (+ diffuser) as an EDC, thats what i've been using and never had the intention of doing so when i originally made the purchase. i would also say that the Quark 123,2 turbo head is an outstanding EDC.

rickypanecatyl said:

I've been looking for the closest thing to a smaller "one light does it all" light. I travel around the world doing doind disastor relief

Click to expand...

Since you want a smaller light, then I would suggest a 200 OTF light which should come close enough. Light output follows the inverse square law, which means you need 4x as much output to get what is perceived as a doubling of brightness. So essentially a 200 lumens light is only 50% brighter than the same 100 lumens light, not twice as bright. And 200 lumens is a lot of light. For your size, weight, batteries and runtime requirements, I would suggest a Surefire LX2 or E2D depending on your preference for design and operation. With the help of a diffuser you'll get a decent flood for area lighting, decent throw for some distance, and about 2 hours of runtime on high, and a day or two on low. The compact size is easy to carry and hold, and it runs on 123 cells.

I own the Quark AAx2 Tactical which is a great light for my needs and cost effective. However, if I was doing relief work, I'd have a Surefire instead.
:thumbsup:

If the TK40 ran on nuclear waste I'd still say it's the best choice unless you're looking for something to put in your pocket. For a 2 X CR123 size I'd suggest the Eagletac T20C2. It comes with a diffuser free and it is a great thrower. I've never tried the XP-G model but the R2 is a beast for its size.

If I were doing relief work, I would take BOTH of my NovaTac 85T's. Two is one, one is none.

The UI is natural, IMHO, and the low is low, the high is bright enough for anything short of SAR, medium is useful for most tasks, and the beam color and profile are just about perfect.

YMMV.

BTW, both of my 85T's have the 'P' style tailcap so they can tail stand.

Yucca Patrol said:

I think you should lean towards quality and ruggedness over sheer OTF lumens.

A Ra Twisty 170 (while "only" 170 lumens), can be programmed with a very very very low low and anything in between. These are known around here to be among the most bomb-proof lights on the market and if I could take only one light to a far away land, I wouldn't bring anything else.

Click to expand...

An enthusiastic +1 on the RA. Great, solid lights. Every true flashaholic MUST eventually get one!!