2-cell EDC dilemma.

[conwict]

Hey guys,

I would really appreciate some help. I am seeking help choosing a 2-cell CR123a light (preferably that accepts flat top 18650s but that isn't a dealbreaker). I'm going to list my criteria, with must-haves in bold.

1. Momentary-on tailswitch
   
2. Easily accessible strobe mode
   
3. Pocket-sized (mostly concerned with diameter)
   
4. Bright and better throw than the Quark X series
5. Reliable and durable
6. Accepts both 2-CR123a and/or (preferably and) 18650 (not insistent on this but I'd be surprised if this class of light didn't accept at least one of the two combos)
7. Sub-$100 (strong preference but not absolutely insistent on this)
8. Easy-to-use interface.

A "ring" interface a la Nitecore would be great but not a must-have. My 2 most common modes are strobe (I leave lights on this as I mostly carry this light to use w/ a gun in a low-light situation, with my Photon doing daily chores) and turbo (for spotting stuff when walking at night, or when running). A 3rd choice would be something like 50-100 lumens, task-friendly and not blinding, but bright enough to find something on the floor or whatever.

I've been through a fair number of lights and will list brief thoughts on a few of them to give a point of reference.

• Olight T10Q5 - loved this little thrower w/ 50-50 OP/smooth switch, but no momentary-on switch, gave it away to ex-GF...
• 4Sevens Quark Tactical 123 (R5 I believe, ~210 lumen max) - Loved the interface but lack of throw kind of lame in outdoor situations - sold it
• Nitecore Infilux IFE2 - cool light, great interface, strobe was noticeably dimmer than turbo and again pronounced lack of throw made it essentially only good (IMO) for white-wall indoor tactical situations - sold it
• 4Sevens Maelstrom X7 - LOVE this light. It's in a holster with a G19 (the G19 is equipped w/ a DG switch and Streamlight TLR-2 light/laser) hanging off the bedside under the mattress. Throw is PERFECT...interface is PERFECT...it's just too big to carry!
• 4Sevens Quark "X" AA - Got this during Black Friday sale and I like the size, interface, and overall package except it's really disappointing outdoors. I considered exchanging it for the 123^2 version but the OP reflector is turning me off.

So...basically, I have tried to search for the light of my dreams, but it seems hard to find something with good throw that is both EDC sized and has tactical momentary-on. And that's before I even start thinking about price or availability!

Some help would be....REALLLLLY...appreciated guys and gals! :sick2::duh2::wave:

Conwict

 

[Leadwind]

You might look into the Eagletac line such as the p20c2 mkII. The interface seems like it meets your requirements once you enable the strobe function. It will work with a 17670. I have an older version of this light with an R2 in it and it throws quite well.

 

[Danjojo]

How much throw are you looking for? Klarus XT2C would be good for what you want but it's not available yet, been advertised for about a week or so on here. As long as they ship them with the pocket clips these will be worth the wait I think. Lumintop ED20 is also right on the money - but it's only available straight from China, if you are ok with that then it has a nice 480 lumens out-put for over 2hrs which is unique for the category.

I got an EagleTac P20C2 MKII when looking for something similar but it's not 18650 compatible, think it's the best choice for size and criteria though. 1" or 25-26mm bezel is about right for pocket carry and gives you more throw than the Quark or Neutron sized lights. Main thing for me was lots of output without being too big for daily pocket carry or too small for large/gloved hands or using the bezel if needed along with instant strobe. I keep it on the general/medium 73 lumens for 10hrs setting and can double tap at any time to activate the 524 lumens strobe - it does good enough out to 150 yards for me but it's not going to throw like an XP-G or XP-E. I like the XM-L, like a light switch turning on that completely illuminateds a wide 50 yard path in front of you with no spotty tunnel vision.

 

[conwict]

Great advice, thanks. I had gotten a little bogged down. It's nice to hear what's current.

Goinggear appears to have the Klarus in stock. (Side note: the two-headed Klarus looks really...errmm, yeah, let's just say I don't want to have it in my pocket - it could give someone the wrong idea).

I'm kind of debating between the Lumintop and the Klarus recommended in the post above me.

 

[CarpentryHero]

Sunwayman maybe?

 

[Jrubin]

Have you looked at the predator?

http://www.armytek.com/armytek_predator.html

I don't own one but get great reviews

 

[conwict]

The predator is literally exactly what I wanted except for the 1.43" head diameter. That's a deal breaker though.

The xt2c did ship from Goinggear today though. Will report back with my impressions :)

Thanks again.

 

[Danjojo]

Very cool, looks like they were the first to get them in and you might be the first customer with one in hand :)

 

[conwict]

Yeah, I thought maybe they were just pre-order (I've had tons of bad experiences at other sites with the vendor not listing back-order, pre-order, out of stock, etc) until it shipped today! :thumbsup:

 

[conwict]

Received my Klarus XT2C day before yesterday, light. Ironically I was taking a low-light shooting course that day and didn't get to use it during the course since I'd left before it came in the mail.

It is subjectively not quite as bright as my Maelstrom X7 (but very close) and has a less-focused hotspot, which I like. It also has a cooler bluish light, whereas the 4Sevens has a greenish-white light.

The build quality is EXCELLENT, great UI/brightness options, and it's really well thought out and designed.

I have one minor complaint and two bigger complaints, although none are enough to make me return the light:

-No pocket clip included
-Major complaint: The "easy access strobe/mode button" is smaller than the main on/off clickie. The whole idea behind a strobe button being easy to access also seems to me to suggest that button should be the bigger of the 2.
-Really major complaint: If you hold the dedicated momentary-only strobe button for more than 2 seconds it locks the flashlight strobe ON until another button is pressed. THIS IS IDIOTIC; if I want strobe in constant-on I'll go through the clickie and select the strobe that way.

Seriously, what were they thinking? The two "major complaints" basically make this light a second choice to any surefire with momentary-only tailcap and twist-constant-on. I am keeping it because it's bright, cheap, and has a pretty good interface, but the two major design flaws that didn't even need to happen are a big con and should be carefully considered by anyone considering the Klarus XT2C. There may as well not BE a momentary-only 2nd button if that button becomes a "constant-on" button after 2 seconds...

 

[Dreamaster]

Huh... different strokes for different folks I guess. Constant on strobe is awesome... if a bad guy is disoriented I don't have to worry about my finger slipping off it to keep it on while I'm yelling commands at him full force at the top of my lungs. Or if he's not doing what I want, I can lay the smack down on him and keep it in his face for "re-evaluation" afterwards.

Love my XT10... just spend time with it learning and practicing with it.

 

[conwict]

My thing is that I like the light for clearing rooms with gun in hand or close at hand (in holster). You use maybe 1/4-1/2 second bursts of light. The problem comes in when you run into a bad guy, hypothetically, anyway. If you light the target up for ID, and reach for your pistol, you have under 2 seconds to release the light button before it is locked into ON mode. If things start to head south and you want to melt back into the dark you then have to consciously THINK about turning the light off, which is a big pain in the neck, particularly should you drop it for example.

 

[Bigmac_79]

Take a look at the V20C or P-Rocket from my signature line. I can't compare them directly to the Quark X series because I don't have any quarks, but one of them might be what you're looking for. It'll be tough to get good throw while maintaining small head diameter, but either of those I can fit in a jeans pocket comfortably.