Need Reccomendations...

first off,let me start by saying im new here and hae found much useful information on these forums.

i am in search of some guidance on purchasing a light and figured i could at least do it in the manner you hae requested.

here we go:

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!

i dont really want to spend near 100USD on a flashlight.

3) Format:

I want a flashlight.



4) Flashlight-specific format/size:

rifle mount


5) Emitter/Light source:

open to all suggestions


6) Manufacturer:

see: 5


7) What battery type do you want to use?

see: 6

8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

they will be weapon lights.


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.


5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)

one that can be used well out to 50 but is still suitable for closer situations.

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).

longest possible.

11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.


Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).

for hunting

12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):

I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

A simple on-off is fine for me.-----(leaning towards)
I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)



14)Material/Finish/Coating

Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (hard anodized) (this is the most common for today's flashlights).
Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)
Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).


15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.



thanks for any and all help

-have a nice day-

-shred

self inflicted bump.

For under $100 check out the Eagletac T100C2 MKII and add the weapons kit at the bottom of the page. This light is the best light for the price I have yet found and it has great throw which I suspect you would want on your rifle. If you want you could also add a rechargeable battery system if you don't yet own one. On one 18650 battery the T100 is one of the best regulated longest running light's we have seen yet, 3hrs fully regulated on 18650.

http://www.eagletac-usa.com/products/product.aspx?pid=1-3-6717

battery and charger (this is the single battery combo their is also a double battery combo for like $9 more).

http://www.eagletac-usa.com/products/product.aspx?pid=5-6-6670

thank you for the recommendation.very helpful.

i decided against the weapon kit as i already have the mounts.

thank you for your help members of the CPF.

i will come back with pics when i make the buys.

on to the $400 plunge.

+1 on the ET T100C2 MK.II

TK12 is a good all around light also.

You should also look into P60 hosts since they have springs for contacts and act like a natural shock absorber for the battery.

The Surefire 6P incan can be had for about 47 with a cpf discount at Spyder Tactical, the rest can be spent on a good dropin like an M60 and a charging system.

If AAs are your thing, there aren't too many options but the Dereelight Javelin would also be suitable. Its about 60 something before discount and comes with a floody XPG.

red02 said:

+1 on the ET T100C2 MK.II

TK12 is a good all around light also.

You should also look into P60 hosts since they have springs for contacts and act like a natural shock absorber for the battery.

The Surefire 6P incan can be had for about 47 with a cpf discount at Spyder Tactical, the rest can be spent on a good dropin like an M60 and a charging system.

If AAs are your thing, there aren't too many options but the Dereelight Javelin would also be suitable. Its about 60 something before discount and comes with a floody XPG.

Click to expand...

can you further explain the highlighted parts?

im not quite on par with the lingo.

can these lights be found at spyder tactical?

also,it does not hae to be AA powered.i do plan on a charging system.

thanks for the help CPF.

-shred

EDIT:
also,i looked at the specs on the ET T100C,i was looking more towards the super bright range. i assume that is more towards the 1000 lumen area?

am i just being ridiculous?

-shred

shreddalizer said:

can you further explain the highlighted parts?

im not quite on par with the lingo.

can these lights be found at spyder tactical?

also,it does not hae to be AA powered.i do plan on a charging system.

thanks for the help CPF.

-shred

EDIT:
also,i looked at the specs on the ET T100C,i was looking more towards the super bright range. i assume that is more towards the 1000 lumen area?

am i just being ridiculous?

-shred

Click to expand...

Why, soitanly...


A P60 host is a flashlight body that is meant to use a P60 "drop-in". The P60 was originally a design by Surefire for a lamp+reflector combo in their pre-cursor to the 6P series. It was later adapted (ahem, copied) by other manufacturers, and has remained popular since. They are often suggested, as different quality and style "hosts" are available from a variety of manufacturers.

A P60 drop-in is a self contained reflector/heatsink that allows for easy upgradability as technologies or needs change. These can be had from a variety of manufacturers, from very cheap, to expensive. They allow easy lego-ability as a persons needs/wants change.

The M60 is a well respected drop in available at Malkoffdevices (.com). Gene Malkoff is a well respected member here at CPF, and is a well respected manufacturer. If you take a look at his site, note that it may take awhile for your order to be filled, especially if something is out of stock, as he is a small single man operation.

I would suggest you take a look at either Malkoffdevices(.com) or Nailbenders sales thread in the B/S/T subforum, if you want a highly reliable, quality, drop-in. That is, if you decide to go this route.

The XP-G is a type of emitter available from Cree. It is currently one of the most efficient emitters available, and is capable of producing over 450 lumens at 1.5 amps (depending upon the bin).

I think you'll find the 1,000 lumen demand for a weapon light is redonculous. Firstly, you'll blind yourself, from the back scatter. Second, to have any sort of runtime, it'll be huge, to hold enough batteries. It'll also be heavy, as the emitters that are able to produce that kind of output (SST 50 and 90, off the top of my head) aren't that efficient, and thus produce a LOT of heat. To get rid of that heat, you need a thermal mass, and lots of surface area (through the use of fins).

It also won't project light that far, unless it's, once again, a large light, with a large head, to harness the large emitter size of such high-output LED's.
A lot of weapon lights are under the 300 mark, and that's about the most you should really need.


I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with a light that produces 2-350 lumens. They'll still be relatively small, but still a "holy-crap" for showing others. To put in perspective, a standard incandescent mini-mag 2AA is about 10 lumens.
--------
A word about light perception. the human eye perceives light in a logarithmic manner, not linear, so, all else being equal, a light that produces 400 lumens will only appear about half-again as bright as a light that produces 200 lumens, not twice as bright. Also, the color temperature of the light will affect how colors are perceived.
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As far as batteries go, you may have to do some serious research there.

A "AA" based light will probably be better for a first light, for a variety of reasons. They will most likely not produce as much light as other lights that use Li primary (ie: CR123) or Li-ion batteries (ie: 18650's), nor will it have the same runtime, but it will be less hazardous, easier and cheaper to maintain, and more user-friendly.

I would suggest taking some time to look at the different types of lights available, from all manufacturers. Also peruse the batteries and electronics sub forum, and learn about the dangers of Li-ion batteries, and then make a more informed decision about the type of rechargeable system you end up with. If you decide to go with Li-ion, make sure you buy high quality cells that are protected, from a quality manufacturer such as AW (they have a sales thread in the market place forum, and you'll need to register there, as well), get a good smart charger (sorry, can't help you there), and a digital multi-meter. Also read up on the necessary maintenance of a Li-ion rechargeable system. Generally speaking, a lot of high output lights use, or can use 18650's, and will have longer runtimes than if using 2x CR123.

A "AA" based light will probably be better for a first light, for a variety of reasons. They will most likely not produce as much light as other lights that use Li primary (ie: CR123) or Li-ion batteries (ie: 18650's), nor will it have the same runtime, but it will be less hazardous, easier and cheaper to maintain, and more user-friendly.

Click to expand...

+1

AAs will still put out near 300lm. M30 will be about 230 something lm. I think 80-90lm is plenty for a weapon light and give a good runtime.

also,i looked at the specs on the ET T100C,i was looking more towards the super bright range. i assume that is more towards the 1000 lumen area?

am i just being ridiculous?

Click to expand...

90 is enough to light up a room. 220 is plenty, especially at 10,000 lux. A good analogy is a water gun; lux is how concentrated the beam is with terms of pressure, lumens are how much total water is being delivered.

you guys are being extremely helpful.


AAs will still put out near 300lm. M30 will be about 230 something lm. I think 80-90lm is plenty for a weapon light and give a good runtime.

so,why have 1000lum flashlights?

i mean if i am going to spend alot(not quite a flashaholic yet)
on a FL,i might as well just buy the brightest one right?

these will be for hog hunting.i want it to stun them and have heard of 1200lum flashlights.

maybe it is the rookie in me.feel free to set me straight guys.

90 is enough to light up a room. 220 is plenty, especially at 10,000 lux. A good analogy is a water gun; lux is how concentrated the beam is with terms of pressure, lumens are how much total water is being delivered

very good analogy btw.

i do realize i misspelled " Reccommendations..."

thanks.

-shred

i mean if i am going to spend alot(not quite a flashaholic yet)
on a FL,i might as well just buy the brightest one right?

Click to expand...

That is up to you to define what you value.

Since the measure of brightness is lux, not lumens. Maybe what your looking for is the Thrunite Catapult V2. 1,000lm on high, 34k lux.

red02 said:

Since the measure of brightness is lux, not lumens.

Click to expand...

That is not really correct. There is no unit for measuring brightness, since it is a non-quantitative term. We have to be more precise about exactly what we are referring to when we say brightness before we can determine the correct unit of measurement. We might need to use lumens; we might need to use lux.

I respectfully disagree, the official definition its somewhat lacking.

Imagine some number of lumens emitted over an large area. No doubt that the result is low lux. The preceived brightness will be low.

Now imagine the same lumens concentrated into a very small area; you'll get a large amount of lux, and higher perceived brightness.

While not technically correct, it serves the purpose of identifying what we are looking for when saying, "wow, thats bright". Same way it's not technically correct to call mass or weight "pounds". Scientifically speaking one should clarify if its pounds-mass, or pounds-force, but in general application its interchangeable.

red02 said:

I respectfully disagree, the official definition its somewhat lacking.

Imagine some number of lumens emitted over an large area. No doubt that the result is low lux. The preceived brightness will be low.

Now imagine the same lumens concentrated into a very small area; you'll get a large amount of lux, and higher perceived brightness.

While not technically correct, it serves the purpose of identifying what we are looking for when saying, "wow, thats bright". Same way it's not technically correct to call mass or weight "pounds". Scientifically speaking one should clarify if its pounds-mass, or pounds-force, but in general application its interchangeable.

Click to expand...

My XR-E produces more lux in its hotspot than my MC-E from ~1 meter, but the MC-E produces many more lumens. The MC-E appears much brighter, in the colloquial sense of the word. Of course, we know that we actually cannot quantitatively measure brightness, so who's to say which is really the brighter light?