800+ lumen compact light

Bbucs726

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Boston MA
hey guys, I have a Fenix pd31 right now. I love it and use it as my edc, and don't plan on changing that, but i want something a bit more powerful to have as well. I like the compact lights and have been looking at the p-rocket xm-l and the Fenix tk35. Does anyone have any experience with these lights, or is there any others that you recommend? and how much brighter will an 800 lumen light be versus the 300 lumen light i have now? thanks for the help!
 

enomosiki

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,109
Here are some pictures by selfbuilt of two similar lights with different outputs.

TD15-Beam001.jpg
TD15X-Beam001.jpg


On the left, Lumintop TD-15, pushing ~320 lumens OTF.

On the right, TD-15X, doing ~740.

While doubling the overall lumens does make it quite discernible for the eyes, you also have to consider the overall beam profile as well. Smaller emitters with lower total output have higher luminosity density than larger emitters that are capable of producing higher total output, so lights equipped with smaller emitters tend to have better "throw" compared to ones with larger emitters with similar reflectors and optics.

TL;DR - If you are to have two PD31s, one with XP-G and another with XM-L, side-by-side, the latter will look brighter spill and larger spot while the former will have a dimmer spill and tighter and brighter spot.
 

Bbucs726

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Boston MA
TL;DR - If you are to have two PD31s, one with XP-G and another with XM-L, side-by-side, the latter will look brighter spill and larger spot while the former will have a dimmer spill and tighter and brighter spot.

okay that makes a lot of sense! i'll definitely make sure i get a light with XM-L. do you have any recommendations of certain lights?
 

enomosiki

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,109
What is the size limit you are looking for?

Keep in mind that, the larger a light is, it will more likely;

A) have larger reflector/optics, meaning higher lux for better "throw", and
B) beefier heatsinking, allowing you to use the maximum output for longer duration without overheating the emitter and batteries.
 

Bbucs726

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Boston MA
something that is bigger than the pd31, but hopefully not too much bigger than the tk35. although, if i found something i like at a good price, size wouldn't matter too much for me. and the better throw is something that i definitely am looking for, so maybe i'll go for something bigger than what i mentioned above.
 

enomosiki

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,109
TK35 is definitely a good candiate. Any smaller lights will be struggling to deliver that much output.

If you can settle for somewhat lower output, you can shrink the size of the light considerably. Potential lights include EagleTac T20C2 MkII with XM-L High-Output drop-in, ThruNite Scorpion V2 and TN11, and P-Rocket XM-L 850+lm edition. Zebralight SC600 is also to be considered, but it can only take 18650, and not primaries.
 

Richub

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
371
Location
Eindhoven, the Netherlands
I agree with Enomosiki.

An 800+ lumen light smaller than a TK35 will have problems getting rid of the heat, and will also have a very floody beam. 800 lumen in a floodlight will put up a wall of light at close range, but at 30+ meters it quickly loses it's power.

The TK35 has decent throw, making it very useful at longer ranges.

IMHO, I think that TK35 will be a good choice.
 
Last edited:

Bbucs726

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Boston MA
IMHO, I think that TK35 will be a good choice.

Yeah it seems like all the reviews of the tk35 are good and a lot of people recommend them. Any other high output lights that you recommend, even if they are larger than the tk35?
 

Richub

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
371
Location
Eindhoven, the Netherlands
I also own a Fenix TK45 and TK41.

The TK45 (3x XP-G) is a 760 lumen floodlight, the TK41 (XM-L) is a 800 lumen thrower. Both run on 8 AA Ni-Mh batteries.

There are a load of other 700-800 lumen lights out there but I don't have any experience with those...
 

Bbucs726

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Boston MA
Do you prefer the aa battery powered ones? Is there any noticeable difference between those lights and the cr123a powered lights?
 

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
Even the backscatter from an 800 lumen light will be instantly blinding at night. It's almost as bright as a 60 watt bulb. What exactly are you planning to use this for?
 

LEDninja

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
4,896
Location
Hamilton Canada
:welcome:
Do you prefer the aa battery powered ones? Is there any noticeable difference between those lights and the cr123a powered lights?
I stay away from the CR123A battery because the cost locally.

1AA=1.5V. 1CR123A=3V. It takes 2AA=1CR123A at a length of 65 mm longer. A 1*CR123A torch is a lot more pocketable than a 2AA.
Alkaline AAs do not provide enough current to power up the more powerful emitters. That is why the TK4x series uses 8AA instead of 4 AA. 4AA lights with XML such as the Sunwayman M40 and Zebralight Q50 require Eneloops not Coppertops.

CR123A do not have a lot of energy for lights with more powerful emitters. When combined with the high cost of replacing them results in the more powerful torches using 8AA or 18650 or even 26650 or specialty battery packs.
CR123A in a P-rocket will last 1/2 as long as in a PD31 and the light output is only 1.5X lumens ~1.2X to your eyes.
I do not think it worthwhile going from a PD31 to a P-rocket XML. Minimum is an X-thrower XML but your battery runtime is only 1/3 of the PD31.

For 800 lumens You will have to invest in 4 or 8 Eneloops and charger(s) or 18650 and charger.

I have a small torch (Elektrolumens EDC P7) but it ran so hot I have to switch to my Mag after 5 minutes.
Others have the same problem:
From
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?213131-Nirvana-Elektrolumens-P7-18650
... After 10 minutes, the body became uncomfortably hot (keep in mind that I am in foodservice, and have been know to take pans out of the oven onto the stovetop with bare hands). After 20 minutes, the body temp was so high, that I turned it off for a few minutes because I feared for the Li-ion's safety. I let it could cool down, because of the high temps to the batts (sadly, I forget to take home the IR thermometer from work, so not sure of temp). Total run time was 45 minutes when I noticed a significant decrease in brightness, at which time I stopped the test.
Compact and 800 lumens do not go together.
The Zebralight Q50 will automatically power down from 800 to 500 lumens after a few minutes. The Q50 is not released yet but at 1.3"*1.3"*3.8" is probably the most compact 4AA XML.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?322460-Pre-order-info-about-Zebralight-Q50
 
Last edited:

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
I plan on using it for outdoor use. I live in a pretty quiet area, so having i'd like to upgrade to a more powerful light with a greater throw.
Get something with multiple modes, then -- possibly one that always starts on Low as well, so you don't accidentally blind yourself by turning it on full-blast when it's pointed at something right in front of you. The latter point depends on how good you are about remembering what mode you last used, but the former is a requirement for a light that bright unless you're intentionally using it for "tactical advantage".

Dereelight makes a 700-lumen 3-mode Cree XM-L drop-in. I have one stuffed into a Surefire clone. It works well; the modes are Hi-Md-Lo, and it remembers which mode I left it on, so I can leave it on Low most of the time and still have near-instant access to High if I need it.
 

EnduringEagle

Enlightened
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
307
Some of the new 4sevens maelstrom lights look promising. Call Marshall at goinggear.com. They have everything under the sun and give terrific advice.
 

Bbucs726

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Boston MA

Bbucs726

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Boston MA
Get something with multiple modes, then -- possibly one that always starts on Low as well, so you don't accidentally blind yourself by turning it on full-blast when it's pointed at something right in front of you. The latter point depends on how good you are about remembering what mode you last used, but the former is a requirement for a light that bright unless you're intentionally using it for "tactical advantage".

What about the TK35? its got multiple modes and the memory in it.
 

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
What about the TK35? its got multiple modes and the memory in it.
I'm not opposed to buying a monolithic light if its design particularly appeals to me, but when it comes to a light that meets a specific functional purpose, I much prefer modular lights so I can upgrade them easily in the future.
 
Top