New guy needs a real flashlight

[hyperloop]

I just clicked the link to your reviews in your sig and noticed your YouTube username. I watched your Romisen review last night and heard the shout out to Candlepower Forums. Thanks for the informative review!!!

Speaking of YouTube, I watched a review on the Quark AA2 and saw an instructional video on the AA2 Tactical. I really like the programability of the Tactical model. I'm really torn between the Quark and the Romisen now...I love the Romisen price but the Quark looks like it's a better quality light.

IMHO, the Romisen is a balance between quality and price, its really affordable (though some of my non-flashaholic friends balk at that price while shelling out hundreds of Singapore dollars for drinks :thinking and a decent quality.

Quarks would very likely be more durable but of course at a higher price, its like getting a decent 4 wheel drive or getting a customised Hummer, both will do the job but one may last through more extenuating circumstances than the other, nuclear attack, chemical attacks etc.

But if you dont really need something THAT durable, a decent quality light would be the Romisen, having a programmable light is great but i dont program them all the time, its just done to suit different needs, e.g. if travelling, i'd set the first mode on max or fast strobe for self defence, then the other modes to more general use modes. If going to the theatre, 1st mode minimum to see seat numbers etc and the other modes to whatever i think i might need.

If push comes to shove, just get what you REALLY want (note, "WANT" not what you think you need cos sooner or later, you're going to go for the Quark anyway, might as well just give in to the temptation now and be done with it).

GO QUARK!! (then get a Romisen later)

 

[e_dogg]

I was going to pull the trigger on a neutral white Quark AA2 Tactical when my wife asked "how much is it?" I told her $60 and she flipped. And her dad said "Get a Maglite!" :ironic:

So...guess it's the Romisen for now.

I really need to remember the adage "it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission" and use it more often.

 

[fiorano]

Remember to save some bucks by using the discounts from our fine CPF vendors:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=181841

 

[fiorano]

Another thing, e_dogg.

You, your wife and your father-in-law will be blown away by how much better even an inexpensive LED flashlight like the Romisen is compared to old crap plastic C and D lights and incandescent Maglites. No comparison.

We're way past the little 5mm key-chain lights nowadays - although those are very handy. Modern flashlights with Power LED emitters are incredibly bright for their size. Amazing really.

Welcome to the addiction - and hold on to your wallet!

 

[hyperloop]

I was going to pull the trigger on a neutral white Quark AA2 Tactical when my wife asked "how much is it?" I told her $60 and she flipped. And her dad said "Get a Maglite!" :ironic:

So...guess it's the Romisen for now.

I really need to remember the adage "it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission" and use it more often.

so true! but go for the Romisen RC N3 warm white, you will not regret it, get that, 4xeneloops and a charger and you are set! You MAY want to get some CR123s to use the light in its CR123 mode. You can get them at decent prices from batteryjunction or you could order from here, i have ordered these before and no issue with them as i use them in single cell lights only, if i wanted to use these in 2xCR123 lights i'd measure the voltages to ensure they matched as closely as possible using one of these DMMs it's cheap and it works enough for my purposes.

please post with your reactions and feelings about the light and its usage and also the reactions of your wife and dad in law, should be interesting to see their reactions to the Romisen as compared to the standard 3D incand maglite.

 

[jginnane]

I was going to pull the trigger on a neutral white Quark AA2 Tactical when my wife asked "how much is it?" I told her $60 and she flipped. And her dad said "Get a Maglite!" :ironic:

So...guess it's the Romisen for now.

FWiW, I got my four Romisens a couple days ago, decided to skip the 123As and use AA lithiums, and so I got an 8-pack of "Ultimate" Energizers and an 8-pack of backups. Then I loaded each light, and put one in each car. My wife was watching, tried the fourth which was intended for the house, said "Oh, that's nice!!!" and it disappeared into her purse. So now, I may have to get an extra light.

Last night (Friday) I'd turned in early. My wife was on the computer. She came running in and woke me up -- "The power is out!" So the first thing I grabbed was my keys, because they have an LED on the chain. Then I went to her car and retrieved the Romisen light ... and she found the one she'd just collected from me in her bag.

Once those two Romisens were on, she calmed right down. We stuck one in a cup (the bottom clickie doesn't let it stand up) and the light bouncing off the ceiling was enough to light the whole room. Then we sat using the laptops until the power came back up and the desktops turned back on.

From this experience -- I'm happy enough with single mode. I'd never need strobe, and reduced-power isn't something you want in this kind of a situation. (That's more for when you're out hiking, and absolutely must fine-tune battery life as long as you can.)

I also really like the "warm white". It's a very natural tone ... I would guess just slightly higher than 4300 Kelvin on fresh lithiums.

Build quality on the Romisens? If the top was equivalent to a Nikon camera, these would be like Pentax, Vivitar, or Olympus. One O-ring is sticking out on one, and on another light, there's something funny on the threads. (You'd need rubber-coated grips to be able to twist that particular connection apart, which unscrews easily on the other 3 lights.)

Since I wound up with one light less than I was planning for, I'm going to have to keep reading this forum until I find the "perfect" light for me -- 4 lithium AAs, focusable lens, "warm light", and about 300 lumens. That probably narrows it down to about a hundred models from 2 dozen brands, right?

 

[qwertyydude]

I'm really happy with my dealextreme C78 flood to throw zooming 1xAA light for $10 I don't think you can beat it for versatility with it's super smooth flood and it's absolutely astounding throw, 50 feet is nothing. Try 300 feet at least when zoomed all the way. It's very efficient with how it utilizes the light from it's led and did I mention it's only $10?

 

[carrot]

Since I wound up with one light less than I was planning for, I'm going to have to keep reading this forum until I find the "perfect" light for me -- 4 lithium AAs, focusable lens, "warm light", and about 300 lumens. That probably narrows it down to about a hundred models from 2 dozen brands, right?

More like 0.

Streamlight and Underwater Kinetics both make lights in that form factor (4xAA), but they are nowhere near 300 lumens. More like 80lm, max... if even that.

And the problems with the configuration itself... 4xAA is too long to be a single tube (unwieldy), and so has to be side-by-side... and it's very expensive to machine a side-by-side configuration out of metal. Molded out of plastic is cheap, so that's what is on the market.

 

[Max_Power]

Ah, you are now in the territory of CR123A primary batteries and Lithium-ion 18650 rechargeable cells.

Something I learned long ago, is to buy the quality stuff the first time, because if you don't then you will end up buying it anyway after being unsatisfied with the cheap stuff.

Check out www.malkoffdevices.com for "bulletproof" P60 drop-in modules and the MD2 body that houses them. Yeah, it's a $100 light. Actually more like $125, if you get the hi-lo ring for it (which I highly recommend, you don't want 230 lumens for raiding the fridge or reading a menu.)

But you only need to buy it once, and it will serve you for a lifetime. And if it doesn't, Gene's service after the sale is the best!

 

[Roberts30]

I think you would like a Solarforce L2, I love mine and am impressed everytime I turn it on..

 

[AusKipper]

I was going to pull the trigger on a neutral white Quark AA2 Tactical when my wife asked "how much is it?" I told her $60 and she flipped. And her dad said "Get a Maglite!" :ironic:

So...guess it's the Romisen for now.

I really need to remember the adage "it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission" and use it more often.

Dont forget to let us know what you think once you get it

 

[e_dogg]

Dont forget to let us know what you think once you get it

I definitely will! I'll probably pick up a pack of Eneloops and a charger too. I also saw a good deal at Costco for Energizer lithium batteries ($19 for 12) so I'll probably get those as well.

Is there much of a difference in running it with a CR123A battery vs. the 2xAA batteries? From what I can tell it's not a huge performance difference, right?

Thanks again, everyone, for all of your input and support! I really appreciate it!

 

[AusKipper]

I definitely will! I'll probably pick up a pack of Eneloops and a charger too. I also saw a good deal at Costco for Energizer lithium batteries ($19 for 12) so I'll probably get those as well.

Sounds like a good idea, squirrel away the lithiums for a rainy day and use the eneloops the rest of the time.

Dont forget, lithiums have a loong shelf life

 

[hyperloop]

I definitely will! I'll probably pick up a pack of Eneloops and a charger too. I also saw a good deal at Costco for Energizer lithium batteries ($19 for 12) so I'll probably get those as well.

Is there much of a difference in running it with a CR123A battery vs. the 2xAA batteries? From what I can tell it's not a huge performance difference, right?

Thanks again, everyone, for all of your input and support! I really appreciate it!

Its easier to carry around a 1xCR123 light in your pocket, heck, i have 2 on me right now, my EX10 and my RC N3 warm white and let's not forget my LD01 on keychain duty.

Powerwise, i find the difference in output higher on my RCR123s (4.2 volts fresh off the charger) than with 2xeneloops (roughly 2.6 volts) but runtime is vastly different.

have you received and played with your lights yet?

 

[Rexlion]

e_dogg, you weren't supposed to tell the wife what you were up to! Just order away and when the package comes, if she asks how much, you say as little as possible :devil: Or tell her you can always sell it later and get most of your money back anyway... which is about true if you sold in at the MP.

If you want a light that will blow your socks off, save up for a MG PLI or RX-1, around $60 for a quad-die light that will make you grin every time you turn it on high. Or pull a fast one on the family... they said get a maglite, right? Well, get a maglite that's modded with a hot P7 emitter (another quad die), and when it comes don't tell them it's special. They will think you are a good frugal purchaser, and you will get to enjoy about 700 lumens! I got my P7 mag from Dave, a/k/a kz1000s1.

The Romisens are decent lights, maybe a tad less bright for a lot less $$$. I have a couple (bought 5, gave 3 away as gifts recently). My latest is the RC-C6 with focusing head. I also enjoy the Fenix TK20 (wonderful warm beam) and Nitecore D10 (smooth piston instead of clicky) and PLI (almost as bright as the Mag). I just don't tell the wife what I'm up to... :naughty:

 

[e_dogg]

Its easier to carry around a 1xCR123 light in your pocket, heck, i have 2 on me right now, my EX10 and my RC N3 warm white and let's not forget my LD01 on keychain duty.

Powerwise, i find the difference in output higher on my RCR123s (4.2 volts fresh off the charger) than with 2xeneloops (roughly 2.6 volts) but runtime is vastly different.

Thanks for the info! I'll probably use it in 2xAA mode for now to preserve run time unless the need for smaller size presents itself.

have you received and played with your lights yet?

No, I just ordered the Romisen WW RC-N3 today. I just opted for the basic USPS First Class mail so it will probably take 4-5 days to get here from NY.

e_dogg, you weren't supposed to tell the wife what you were up to! Just order away and when the package comes, if she asks how much, you say as little as possible :devil: Or tell her you can always sell it later and get most of your money back anyway... which is about true if you sold in at the MP.

Yeah, I need to get better about asking for forgiveness instead of asking for permission.

If you want a light that will blow your socks off, save up for a MG PLI or RX-1, around $60 for a quad-die light that will make you grin every time you turn it on high. Or pull a fast one on the family... they said get a maglite, right? Well, get a maglite that's modded with a hot P7 emitter (another quad die), and when it comes don't tell them it's special. They will think you are a good frugal purchaser, and you will get to enjoy about 700 lumens! I got my P7 mag from Dave, a/k/a kz1000s1.

I looked around at that a little bit and that sounds kinda cool. Unfortunately, I suck with a soldering iron so probably wouldn't want to do the mod myself.

The Romisens are decent lights, maybe a tad less bright for a lot less $$$. I have a couple (bought 5, gave 3 away as gifts recently). My latest is the RC-C6 with focusing head. I also enjoy the Fenix TK20 (wonderful warm beam) and Nitecore D10 (smooth piston instead of clicky) and PLI (almost as bright as the Mag). I just don't tell the wife what I'm up to... :naughty:

Sounds like you've got it down!!!

 

[e_dogg]

Holy crap! I put in the order this morning and just got an email from Bryan at Shiningbeam with my tracking number. AWESOME service!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Rexlion]

Yeah, Bryan is always that awesome.

Bryan also carries the ITP A3 Eos (AAA) 3-stage twisty-switch lights. At about $20 these are another incredible bargain. So small, yet good output. I'm sure once you get the Romisen you will be back to Shiningbeam for more... I know I was.

 

[e_dogg]

Well, I got my light today! It actually arrived to my PO box on Saturday but I wasn't able to pick it up until after work.

I'm very pleased with the light! I ordered the RC-N3 WW in grey. The warm white color is really nice. It doesn't seem quite as harsh as a cool white would be (at least by imagining the cool white/blueish color of my crap multi-LED lights but Romisen bright).

The body seems to be very good quality without any noticable machining defects and the "O" rings seem to make a good seal. After loading it with a couple of Energizer lithium AA batteries, I didn't notice the rattling around that some people have mentioned on CPF. Maybe that only happens when the head is removed? Or maybe they've tightened things up?

After taking my dog on an evening walk and seeing how it performed, the beam seems to be really good for my needs. It lights up to the other end of the small park we walk to and penetrates the bushes very well. And it has a good amount of flood to it.

My only gripe is that I really wish it had a high beam and low beam. It's great for penetrating into the brush but if I need to see close up to clean up dog poop or something (joys of dog ownership :ironic it's pretty overpowering.

But, so far, so good! One of these days I'm going to try getting one of the Quarks so that I can get the different output levels. Hopefully they'll still have the warm white version by the time I'm ready to buy.

Thanks again for everyone's input! I really appreciate all the guidance and warm welcome!

lovecpf

Edit: I forgot I had a question...

Is there any reason I shouldn't run it without the reflector head on? It seems like that might be a good way of using the light in a "candle" mode.

 

[hyperloop]

glad you like it, i wish mine had a low mode too, but that can be easily solved by just getting another light!! or carry your other LED light with you to use when u need low mode.

As for using it without the head, i dont see any issues, just make sure that no water gets into it and clean any dust off it before replacing the head.

Next light, get an itp AAA light for your keychain so you will never be without light.