Advance Auto Parts "Task Force 2C"

[SuperTorch]

etc, I don't have any mags to take pics of but it way more compact than the 2 C cell Mag and is built way better too.

Cheap price is always good, but its not good if you get something average, with the TF3W and the AAP3W you are geting a beam throw that is 99% of the uber Pros flashlights at $75+ retail. So my excitment on these light has always started with the 3 Watt Luxeon LED and the beautiful beam they have behind the collimator lens, then its just nuts now that you can have them with battereis and extras for $19.88+tax, its really an absolutely no loose flashlight.

my next buy will be some very high qaulity NiMH batteries, I wish Sanyo would get their new ones that hold a charge out in C cell size but that may be a while. Here they are in AA and AAA. http://www.thomas-distributing.com/sanyo-batteries.php While this charger does not charge C or D's http://www.thomas-distributing.com/la_crosse_bc-900_battery_charger.php its selling so fast they have a problem keeping them in stock and its geting/received killer reviews( I think its been out about a year), I'm pretty sure the market will respond with LCD info for every channel on all the big brands by mid 07, but I'm not buying anything that wont charge C and D and I want LED read out info for every channel and I want the new NiMH with the SUPERLATTICE ALLOY TECHNOLOGY that take care of the NiMH weakest issue of self-discharge.

Flying Turtle I had a feeling youd be back with a

 

[WNG]

I also had no luck. Bad day...
Mine flickered as described by entendu, and also settled at a dimmer setting.
My 1W Luxs' are brighter.
Mine's going back for a refund.

 

[etc]

I wanted to see how much bigger it was than a 2AA or 3AA light, in terms of carry. If it possible to carry in one's or too bulky.

It looks kind of small on the pics. Any way to post the length and the diameter of the body and the head?

Also, is the spot adjustible from flood?

 

[Flying Turtle]

Length is 6 3/4 inches, head diameter is 1 1/2 inches, body diameter is 1 1/4 inches. It fit okay in my coat pocket, but it is heavy. There is no beam adjustment like a Mag.

Geoff

 

[WNG]

It should be stressed that the light's battery tube is VERY thin. It unthreads from the 'star and electronics and feels light as paper. It would dent easily upon impact.

 

[entendu]

Super Torch- if you go the route of NiMH batteries you may want to mod the TF. The spring that makes contact with the battery is designed to contact the battery outside of the cap tip. Most Alkaline batteries positive ends have a fully exposed metal cap . The mod is simple . Bend the end of the spring towards the center so that it contacts the cap tip . The Powerex and Titanium brand batteries are covered with a plastic cover leaving only the cap tip exposed. With the AAP aka Professional's Favorite there is no spring so this mod isn't necessary. Yet one more reason to like it.


FYI while I' sure there are others available I found a good battey charger for AA C and D cells is the Vanson speedy box. Computer controlled and good price at Armondo


Heading to the Future at Light Speed

 

[SuperTorch]

Thanks for the tip on the contacts. Yes there are some killer chargers out there, I was kind of hopeing that the LCD read out for each channel would become standard very soon, but really I also wanted the SUPERLATTICE ALLOY TECHNOLOGY in a C cell its a killer development for rechargable battereis. I have 3 Headlamps that are AAA so I might be buying the above set up for those anyhow, it does have C & D adapters not for charging but to allow you to use 2 AA in you C Cell devise I guess I'd get about 1 hour out of them but since you could recharge them every night it might be something for me to look at untill the C's are made with the new technology and the fact that I have now spent $25 on batteries for my headlamps in just a few months.

AAP3W at $19.88 is just a steal. I thought Professionals Favorite was the Advanced Auto Parts brand name, kind of like Equate is Walmarts copy of everything and Lowes has TaskForce but if not it should be called Professionals Favorite 3 Watt. They have a website on the back but its just a parked domain www.professionalsfavorite.com to bad but I really don't need anymore info to know, I LOVE THE FLASHLIGHT.

 

[entendu]

WNG - Regarding the thin wall . Yes its thinner than the TF but I don't believe it will dent easily. I'm not saying you could run over it with a car and have it survive but unless you smack the end (with batteries out and end cap off) it real hard on a hard surface it seems to me it will survive and still function. It will surely survive a drop on a concrete floor.

Super Torch - Not sure of the name either but what the heck I know what to look for when I need another. I did find that although the head assembly of the two lights is not interchangable one can remove the led module and switch it to the other light.

I'm waiting for a new lense I ordered from cutter.com to see how the broader beam is on these lights . Will post my observations.

With all my lights I find that these lights have a great combination of beam shape and brightness as well as run time and price. But the form factor is what I really find is the thing I like the most. I know the AA size and 123 lithium lights are good but when I put them down and grab either the TF or the AAP / PF I don't want to put it down. And it easily fits in my back pocket or in a coat packet. I can't say the same for my MAglite 2 C cell light. Can't speak for all members who own them but my appeal for the smaller lights was the relative brightness to size . That appeal stopped when the lights got to the Dorcy super 1 watt size or smaller. I find the form factor and extended run time in these lights to have a greater appeal for a general purpose light and at these prices its hard to beat.

Thanks ledaholic for bringing this to the forum


Heading to the Future at Light Speed

 

[SuperTorch]

I'm waiting for a new lense I ordered from cutter.com to see how the broader beam is on these lights . Will post my observations.

AWESOME can't wait on that, you may need a tad thicker O'ring that seals the lens at the top of the flashlight, the lens I saw at Cutter had a small recessed rim where the lens rim in the TF3W and the AAP3W are flat all the way across but the O'ring inside these light may still be thick enough. I know Cutter has the 35MM Cree XR-E lens and P3 Cree XR-E so I've been very temped even though it would be overdriveing the Cree by a little bit. I think a Cree mod would have a brighter center spot and a WAY brighter spill which would be the ultimate beam imo. I wanted to wait on the Q3 but my itchy finger is ready to do the Cree XR-E mod just because its virtualy a 2-3 times more lumens.


On the thickness of the barrel, aluminum is deceptive like that its very light yet very hard, the barrel is only really thin where the rubber is covering it and that rubber would act as a shock absorber if hit hard. When droped 99% of the time it will hit on one end or the other and not the barrel. The Barrel is thin but imo it's a totally non issue and rarely would even rough use ever cause it to dent. The TF3W is only $29.95 and is WAY thicker so $11 would buy some peace of mind if thats something that worries you. What I really like about the AAP3W is it is noticably thinner, lighter and more compact than even the TF3W so that has value to me and out weighs any concerns over the AAP3W thoughness. I'm glad I own the TF3W and I will be geting another AAP3W and eventually all 3 will be Cree XR-E moded. I'm like entendu - I Love the C Cell form factor.

Advance Auto Parts store locator:http://www.advanceautoparts.com/#

 

[Stainless]

What kind of BEAM does this have?
Is it a tight spot like the Jupiter Luxeon lights, or a broader, more useable beam?

Personally, I think "2C" is the next form factor that should be developed.

 

[MojoLight]

Picked one up today and really like this light. It is about the same as the TF, except I won the luxeon lottery (color wise) with my TF!!!

It really is odd that it seems so much smaller. Sitting next to the TF there is negligable difference, but in the hand it just seems smaller.

Can't think of a better light for 20 bucks!

 

[etc]

Length is 6 3/4 inches, head diameter is 1 1/2 inches, body diameter is 1 1/4 inches

Interesting, if so, it's about the same length as MiniMagLite LED, which is 6.6" with 0.9" head and 0.66" body.

It's definitely smaller than 3AA MagLite.

 

[SuperTorch]

etc, its a tad smaller than the TaskForce but here is a direct comparison to a 2AA Mag http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/taskforce_3w2c.htm

Stainless, at 10ft from a white wall the Hot Spot is 12 inches across with spill out to 24 inches total then it drops quickly so I'd say it 10%-20% beam pattern, definately a spot type beam but it is useable as an every day flashlight.

Mojolight
Picked one up today and really like this light. It is about the same as the TF, except I won the luxeon lottery (color wise) with my TF!!!

It really is odd that it seems so much smaller. Sitting next to the TF there is negligable difference, but in the hand it just seems smaller.

Can't think of a better light for 20 bucks!

It's a very serious lumens thrower for $20.

 

[etc]

Well, on the pic it looks much bigger than the MiniMag.

It falls into that category, too big to pocket-carry (belt possibly, but not an option for me), but if you need serious lumens and run time, I would go for a 2D or 3D --- well D cell-based unit anyway..

I don't have any C cells. I standardize on D and AA cells only to keep things simple.

It seems like a nice lite but I don't see any real advantages over anything. For me, it would complicate things logistically.

 

[Stainless]

Supertorch:
Thanks for the info!
I already have a 2C Jupiter LED with that beam pattern - no need for me to get another.

 

[WNG]

Stainless:

The beam isn't like the Aurora/RR 2C Jupiter 1.5W 'moonbeam'.
Compared to it, it's a hell of a lot brighter. (and physically a bit shorter)
The beam is typical of a collimator, but has some spill compared to narrow angle collimated lights.

I got a replacement for my 1st defective unit, although the 2nd one is bright and very white, it appears my beam is misaligned. It's egg-shaped, whereas the 1st was perfect. Not having much luck!
I think I'll take it apart and see if I can fix it instead of another trip.

Don't want my experiences to sound too negative, I am trying to like this light.
Regarding my comment on barrel thickness....IMHO the barrel shouldn't have been turned down to recess the rubber sleeve. This took away structural strength from the tube. The rubber sleeve could have been slipped on without it. Or knurl it like the RR 2C.

I like the form factor of C cell lights too. And the dimensions of this one is great.

 

[Bozzlite]

After reading the comments on this lite, I just had to find out for myself. Since I drive by Advanced Auto Parts everyday on the way home from work, it was no problem.

I have to say, I am not a bit disappointed in this light. It has great throw and fairly usable side spill. It looks great too. The diamond knurling on the tail cap and head is nice. Rubberized grip. The tail switch feels solid. The padded sheath is almost worth the cost by itself. Batteries and lanyard are included. What a deal. Two thumbs up.

BTW, they are also having a sale on their store brand (Endurance) batteries.
$4.88 for an 8 pack of the C cells. Usually thats what 4 C cell Duracells cost.

 

[WNG]

Just a note:
The AAP/PF 3W uses the same collimating optic as the Electrolumens Blaster.
But compared to a Blaster-3P in a white-wall comparo, the AAP/PF is a lot brighter!
The Blaster is powered by 3 Duracell alks.
Looks like Lux-IIIs have improved over the years.

BTW: the 3W star has no description on the back of it.

 

[Flying Turtle]

Hey Bozzlite, thanks for the tip on the AAP battery sale. I won't feel so guilty burning up some lumens in this light.

Do everyone's lights do this "ramp up" to full brightness? After straightening out the optic, that is my only reservation about it. I'd hate to see it dim back down.

Geoff

 

[WNG]

My replacement did not ramp up or flicker between dim and full brightness.