Advice needed on new flashlight

[3liminate]

Hi guys this is my first post on CPF.

I'm looking for the brightest / best thrower for a flashlight under $250 . Any recommendations and would HID be the best option?

How do these compare to each other? Thanks in advance

Hid:

Ebay item: 330763991286

Or :

Ebay Item: 281117884826

Or: Fenix tk75
Ebay Item: 290846166393

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[ltsba]

the thrunite TN30 XM-L2 is a good choice

 

[stienke]

The Fenix is one of the best throwing multi emitter flashlights , HID is very good but it takes 20/30 seconds for warming up to get full output.
For HID the FF3 or FF4 is the best choice in my opinion but for daily use I prefer the Fenix , you can contact a member (Vinh) for a upgraded TK75 and you have almost a perfect flashlight.
Take a look at the reviews section , you can learn the different between the flashlights , good luck!

 

[Rafael Jimenez]

Nitecore TM11 is what I use and it's great, I think the TM15 is also a good choice. They have a very long runtime.

 

[buds224]

Just in case you're open to other options.....My Crelant 7G5CS (920lm) is a really good thrower, even more so with the collimator head option. Now, I hear there's a 7G5MT (1860lm) soon to be available. No price point yet, but if it's anything close to the 7G5CS, it should be under $100.

 

[lintonindy]

The Fenix is one of the best throwing multi emitter flashlights , HID is very good but it takes 20/30 seconds for warming up to get full output.
For HID the FF3 or FF4 is the best choice in my opinion but for daily use I prefer the Fenix , you can contact a member (Vinh) for a upgraded TK75 and you have almost a perfect flashlight.
Take a look at the reviews section , you can learn the different between the flashlights , good luck!

+1 on Vinh's modded TK75! I have one and it is a beast for sure! The FF4 will out throw it and has more lumens but it also has warm up times, shorter run times on max, shorter run times in general, less battery options, a bulb with a shorter life, and a lot more heat (which switches it down to a lower mode much faster than the TK75 will). Vinh is fantastic to work with and you will not find a better value in LED flashlights as one of Vinh's mods.

If you want the best thrower have Vinh build you a Dereelight with a custom pill at about 400k lux. If you want the brightest then check out the Black shadow terminator 3500 lumens, TN30 with the XM-L2s mentioned earlier 3500 lumens, a TM26 on a deal about 3500 lumens, or do what I did and have Vinh build you the ultimate flooder with 5 x XM-L2 dedomed or regular in a solar storm host at about 6000 lumens. The FF4 has the lumens of the solar storm and the throw of the Dereelight and that is why it has gained it's well deserved popularity. I just personally prefer the LED technology to HID for the previously mentioned reasons. Good luck and WOW are you starting off with a killer light no matter what you choose!

 

[LEDninja]

For the 2 HID suggestions:
I may be wrong but my quick and dirty calculations show a runtime of 23 minutes, not 120 as claimed. Keep that in mind.

I suspect the seller knows the light will get too hot to hold and you have to turn it down to low so the batteries will last 120 minutes. (I suggest you put your hand on a 60 watt light bulb, turn it on and see how long you can hang on to it before you get 3rd degree burns!!!) Those 2 lights are running 85 watts on max.

 

[3liminate]

Thanks for your suggestions so far :)
Keep em coming. Just trying to find the cheapest prices - hard

 

[Slewflash]

Thanks for your suggestions so far :)
Keep em coming. Just trying to find the cheapest prices - hard

Well $250 is a pretty big budget. First thing to note is lumens = total light emitted, cd = intensity which essentially measures throw.

For $15 you can get a Jacob A60, ~300 lumens and 55kcd.
For $120 you can get a BTU Shocker, ~3000 lumens and 130kcd
For $130 you can get a Thrunite TN31, ~1300 lumens and 130kcd.
For $180 you can get a Fenix TK75, 2600 lumens and 80kcd.
For $400 you can get an Olight SR95SUT, ~1000 lumens and 250kcd.

If you want to go HID for ~$100 you can get an eBay HID 85w with 4300k bulb, ~4500 lumens, 280kcd.
$240 you can get a FireFoxes 4, 6000 lumens, ~400kcd.

That's just off the top of my head, but there are way more lights out there. Just hang around on the forums and you'll keep finding lights you want.

 

[3liminate]

Thanks for your help guys.
I decided to purchase the Fenix Tk75. After reading reviews, this was my best choice. I managed to pick one up on special for $175 and purchased 4x Panasonic 3400mA Protected batteries :)