#2: Time for an Olight T10 T!

[BigBluefish]

Having recently told Fenix how I think they should run their business, I'll do the same for Olight. Having just bought one of their 2008 T10s, I fell entitled to do so.

Part of my motiviation for this results from my having spent an hour or two last night reading the "when batteries go " thread, which has once again diminished my enthusiasm for 2 x CR123a lights. There are flaslights, and there are grenades, and I don't think combining the two in the same product is a real good idea.

Olight needs to bring out a T10 Tactical, or Military. Basically, what I want is 1/2 of the T20T or T20M: a 1 x CR123 light on a shortened T20 body with a T20 head and the UI of the T20T or T20M. This would be a light similar in form and function to the Surefire E1B, Amilite T5, and EagleTac P10C, but to me, more useful than any of the others.

Now, you are not going to get 2 hours of runtime @ 200 lumens out of one CR123a cell, so I'd be willing to sacrifice raw lumens for 1 to 1.5 hours of regulated runtime. So perhaps the "high" level would need to be 150 Olight lumens, give or take. The current T10 is rated by Olight at 180, but won't do an hour on "high," which is the only gripe I have about the light. Drop it down a notch so it will run at least 1 hour, and I'd be happy.

Now, the lower levels on the current T10 have great runtimes. So why not use the T20 format, with a shorter tube, keep the five levels of output, ditch the Strobe and SOS (unless you just HAVE TO have strobe on your "M" version), and use a forward clicky? I think it would be a good-looking, well proportioned light too, with the lines of the T20.

Does anyone else think this would be a great little light?

 

[RyanA]

Why not get a pre 08 version
It uses the same emitter but the output is lower so I assume drive levels should be less. No forward clicky, though.
They're cheap as well. Check out battery junction or 4 sevens.

 

[BigBluefish]

I'd thought of that. I think battery junction is offering the 2008 Q5, and the far earlier, non Q5 version. 4Sevens has a sale on what they say is a Q5 version, but when you read the specs, it looks like the older, non-Q5 version (which I bought anyway...we'll see what I get.)

If you look at the 2008 Q5 and the pre-2008 Q5, while the level 1 run time is almost an hour on the older version, the level 2 and level 3 runtimes are about half of those on the 2008 Q5 version. So you gets long runtime on high, or long runtime on not-so-high.

Either way, they are both nice lights, and I'm happy to finally be getting one. I just think my suggestion would be an even better light.

 

[BigBluefish]

Mods, could you combine this with "Time for a P1 CE R2" thread?

Thanks.

 

[RyanA]

I'm pretty interested as a pre-08 for a toss around myself. Are you getting a newer or older version. Let me know how it turns out. If there are 4 bond wires going to the emitter die it should be q bin (q4 I think, I could be wrong though). If you could I'd be interested in in seeing pictures of the reflector at an angle, so I can get an idea of the reflectors depth (depth is important with cree emitters). I can't seem to find any cad pictures of the light. Just as well I suppose, that sort of thing probably isn't any of my buisness.

 

[Xak]

This would be a light similar in form and function to the Surefire E1B, Amilite T5, and EagleTac P10C, but to me, more useful than any of the others.

I love my Amilite T5. Just though I'd mention that! Also love my Olight M20 Warrior premium R2 WD. Had to mention that too!

How about an M10 instead of the M20?

 

[NoFair]

Part of my motiviation for this results from my having spent an hour or two last night reading the "when batteries go " thread, which has once again diminished my enthusiasm for 2 x CR123a lights. There are flaslights, and there are grenades, and I don't think combining the two in the same product is a real good idea.

Olight needs to bring out a T10 Tactical, or Military. Basically, what I want is 1/2 of the T20T or T20M: a 1 x CR123 light on a shortened T20 body with a T20 head and the UI of the T20T or T20M. This would be a light similar in form and function to the Surefire E1B, Amilite T5, and EagleTac P10C, but to me, more useful than any of the others.

The risk of explosion is blown way out of proportion. Use good cr123s and keep them in pairs and there is no reason to worry.

A few years ago Li-ions very not used much and most high performance lights used 2 or 3 cr123s. There was no problem then and there still isn't in my opinion..

For tactical use 2 cells have a lot of advantages and the larger size just makes the light easier to use.

 

[MattK]

Interesting idea.

We never made an announcement but the T10's now feature a forward clicky but it's the same interface so you can program/memorize an output level but not a mode. Of course with the Olight T series interface while you have strobe and SOS you never need to cycle through them since they're switched at the tailcap rather than the bezel.

 

[BigBluefish]

I love my Amilite T5. Just though I'd mention that! Also love my Olight M20 Warrior premium R2 WD. Had to mention that too!

How about an M10 instead of the M20?

I'm enamored of that Amilite light, too, and it's on my wishlist for this year. I've had a couple of other SSC P4 lights, an LM31 and LM33, and I really like the beams, but think the high on the LM33 is just a bit too low. So I suspect I'll be loving the T5. I see it as being a sort-of floody ElB, which would probably be more useful for me than the Surefire.

I got the T10 this morning. The packaging doesn't give the bin of the Cree, heck, it actually says XR-E or Luxeon Rebel (there are T10s out there with Rebels?????). But the output chart on teh box starts at 180 lumens, which I think was only achieved with the Q5. (Edit: the chart on the back of the bos DOES say "Q5.")

My initial thoughs, although I really need to take it outsdie in the dark tonight, are that this is a pretty nice little light, and a great deal at the current price. I noticed a few things right off. 1) it's lighter than I expectd it to be; 2) it's a very comfortable size; 3) it has a very well defined hotspot. And as a general note, cycling through the 5 birghtness levesl, I was reminded you really need very little light to get around in the dark. Level 5 pretty well lights up a whole room, and by the time you get to Lvel 3, it's actually overkill. Level 2 and Level 1 will probably be usefull outdoors, where theres some ambient suburban lighting at night, and where I might need more throw. (Edit: 4) Level 1 IS very bright. ; 5) level, 2 rated by Olight at 105 lumens, seems almost identical on a ceiling bounce test to my L1T v2.0, which I think is rated by Fenix at 98 lumens; 6) the light is very smooth and slippery...easy on pockets, not so easy to hold on to.)

If the rest of my colleagues leave the office this afternon before I do, I'll turn off the lights and see how it does in the windowless interior hallways, which are looooong. (Doing this before my colleagues leave will surely make them think I'm nuts.)