18650 light. Need help finding a small one with decent runtimes.

[DArklite]

You're in luck - I use the Dereelight CL1H v3 with the OP reflector as my handlebar light on my mountain bike attached to a Twofish Lockblock. It handles everything from commuting to pitch black riding (I also use a Fenix P1D CE Q5 as a helmet light with a Twofish Bikeblock).
Depending on which pill you toss into it, you're good to go with either two 123's or an 18650. Add the smooth reflector and it's an excellent thrower. It really is an outstanding value for the $.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Let's make this really simple:

A Dereelight CL1H will run for just under 2 hours on max (~1.2 amps drawn)

An 18650 based P7 light like a Wolf Eyes P7 Sniper will run for about 45 minutes on max. (~2.5 amps drawn)

Virtually any light using SSC or a Cree will be able to get you lots of light for about 2 hours. Just set the brightness accordingly. An 18650 has a finite ammount of energy contained within. How much power a driver/ led sucks out will determine your runtime.

If I can get something that can do 200 lumens for 2 hours, that's great. If I can get 300 watts, even better! And if I can get 400 watts at that runtime, OMG!!!!

Say what? I have no idea what you're talking about.
Do you mean 300 and 400 lumens?
Not yet, around 200 lumens is the max you can get with current technology and a single 18650. Don't get too caught up in the lumens. You won't be able to tell the difference between 180 and 200 lumens.

 

[Gunner12]

Well you can buy this light and use this drop-in. That should give you around 3 hours of runtime on 2000 mAh 18650 batteries. It won't be 200 lumen out the front though(around 250 lumen at the LED though), more like 170.

2 18650s should give you the output and runtime you need.

 

[rainbowbright]

Say what? I have no idea what you're talking about.
Do you mean 300 and 400 lumens?
Not yet, around 200 lumens is the max you can get with current technology and a single 18650. Don't get too caught up in the lumens. You won't be able to tell the difference between 180 and 200 lumens.

Oops! Sorry you were right. I just edited my original post to reflect the correct terminology (lumens instead of watts). Thanks for pointing that out.

I should've worded my post better. What I meant was that I just want a small single battery 18650 flashlight that can squeeze out at least 200+ lumens for 2+ hours.... with the help of you guys, I am down to deciding between these lights.
- Cree Q5 light (like the above recommended Dereelight CL1H or Fox 1X light)
- P7 light (like the MTE P7 light)

 

[Hondo]

rainbowbright, check my recent posts over in the thread LEDninja linked in the second post here.

Very important piece of info that you will be on a bike, I was thinking like others here that you were looking for too much light for walking, but there is no such thing when night mountain biking. I actually prefer two of this type of light on my bars, plus a helmet mounted light. Are you racing? If you are not, and you are cutting it close on runtime for the 1x18650 lights you are considiering, you could do what I do and just carry a spare charged 18650, they are small and quick to change. I have problems with heavier lights tending to bounce on the bars, especially with the Twofish mounts. That gives me almost a strobe like effect which I hate, so I try to select a short, lightweight light, since I won't need the mass for a heatsink, the airflow from the bike takes care of that problem.

BTW, I use a simple home made mounting system for these consisting of a small block of firm foam with two perpendicular grooves sanded into it (cut from dollar store flip-flop shoes) and a silicone wrist band/bracelet (simpler, cleaner replacement for multiple rubber bands). I found an online store with plain, black bands for 50 cents a piece, shipped (bag of 20). On the road, I will sometimes add a rubber band on top of the silicone band and use it to hold a spare battery piggy-back on top of the light, sitting on the silicone band loops.

 

[gilly]

That's a nice find! Unfortunately, it is only rated at 225 lumens at 1.5 hrs. I need at least 2 hours of runtime. :mecry:

JetPro III IBS = infinite brightness settings. You can do some experimenting and I'm sure you'll find a very bright setting (probably very close to your desired 200 lumens) that will last for the goal of two hours. The advantage of this light is that YOU set the brightness (up to three settings) that YOU need/want. I wouldn't write this light off so quickly!!

Good luck.

:thumbsup:

 

[1dash1]

Well, I need BRIGHT! I really have to light up the night. I guess I should've been more specific. I am going out into the woods, but this light is going to find it's use atop my handlebars. I'm going mountain biking, and it's a big safety issue to be able to see. The more visibility I have, the lesser the chance to crash and I will be moving fast.

Rainbowbright:

Have you considered dual MTE P7's, mounted side-by-side? They'd give you a lot of flexibility:
- Run one on low.
- Run both on low.
- Run one on high.
- Run both on high.
Used separately, they'd provide redundancy and double your runtimes.
Used together, you could aim them to overlap or you could aim them to provide broader left/right coverage or forward/downward coverage.

If you can handle the humbug, you could also consider the 5-mode lights. The medium mode might be just the right combination of brightness and runtime.

Lastly, you might consider a single 2x18650 P7 flashlight.

 

[rainbowbright]

rainbowbright, check my recent posts over in the thread LEDninja linked in the second post here.

Very important piece of info that you will be on a bike, I was thinking like others here that you were looking for too much light for walking, but there is no such thing when night mountain biking. I actually prefer two of this type of light on my bars, plus a helmet mounted light. Are you racing? If you are not, and you are cutting it close on runtime for the 1x18650 lights you are considiering, you could do what I do and just carry a spare charged 18650, they are small and quick to change. I have problems with heavier lights tending to bounce on the bars, especially with the Twofish mounts. That gives me almost a strobe like effect which I hate, so I try to select a short, lightweight light, since I won't need the mass for a heatsink, the airflow from the bike takes care of that problem.

BTW, I use a simple home made mounting system for these consisting of a small block of firm foam with two perpendicular grooves sanded into it (cut from dollar store flip-flop shoes) and a silicone wrist band/bracelet (simpler, cleaner replacement for multiple rubber bands). I found an online store with plain, black bands for 50 cents a piece, shipped (bag of 20). On the road, I will sometimes add a rubber band on top of the silicone band and use it to hold a spare battery piggy-back on top of the light, sitting on the silicone band loops.

Hondo, hi. Good to see another mtber on here. I'm surprised you didn't consider the P7. There are some posts of people using this light over at mtbr.com. I haven't made up my mind yet, because I think people on this forum are a little more knowledgable since it is a dedicated light forum and I've gotten some good tips here. I'm not racing, yet. I did that a few years ago and I'm just starting to come back. I just got into night riding and it's a total blast.

 

[rainbowbright]

Rainbowbright:

Have you considered dual MTE P7's, mounted side-by-side? They'd give you a lot of flexibility:
- Run one on low.
- Run both on low.
- Run one on high.
- Run both on high.
Used separately, they'd provide redundancy and double your runtimes.
Used together, you could aim them to overlap or you could aim them to provide broader left/right coverage or forward/downward coverage.

If you can handle the humbug, you could also consider the 5-mode lights. The medium mode might be just the right combination of brightness and runtime.

Lastly, you might consider a single 2x18650 P7 flashlight.

1dash1, that's a good idea. I thought about running two lights at the same time. Some people do that, but I think I just want the simplicity of a single light for the time being.

BTW, what did you mean? What is a "humbug"?

 

[1dash1]

BTW, what did you mean? What is a "humbug"?

For me, switching between modes is a chore. That's why I eschewed the 5-mode P7.

However, for you, the medium output mode might be just what the doctor ordered - so you might consider the 5-mode.

As a purchasing strategy, you could order one P7 with the thought of trying out the one-light setup. If it doesn't give you the runtime or beam pattern that you like, you can add the second light to augment it.

In all cases, make sure that you have a backup - whether that's a headlamp or otherwise. (That's one of the reasons to go with the two-light setup.)

 

[Hondo]

Hondo, hi. Good to see another mtber on here. I'm surprised you didn't consider the P7. There are some posts of people using this light over at mtbr.com. I haven't made up my mind yet, because I think people on this forum are a little more knowledgable since it is a dedicated light forum and I've gotten some good tips here. I'm not racing, yet. I did that a few years ago and I'm just starting to come back. I just got into night riding and it's a total blast.

So far, my take on the P7, which I am sure I will eventually succumb to, goes like this:

I am not a racer either (and never will be!) so I have reached a point of momentary satisfaction with three single Cree or Seoul lights running together for my max. conditions. I have a lot of variability that way, as I can run any number at one time as needed, and for some even use lower modes if I don't need a lot of light, i.e. mostly for on-road use.

The P7 is really just 4 Seoul P4 dies pushed together in one emitter. It is not any more efficient than the single die emitters, and needs a lot of power to make a lot of light, which is tough on single 18650's. It also generates a lot of heat, and is better suited to fairly heavy lights that can sink that heat away from the emitter. Lastly, it is a challenge so far to get good reflectors for it, especially if you want much throw. So I am taking a wait-and-see attitude for a while longer on these.