be a saviour - brightest and best light!!!

[jezza]

hey peoples, ive been browsing cpf alot lately looking to buy a cool flashlight. i was gonna end up buying the dereelight dbs, but ive realised that it will be a little too big for my pocket! i want a light that will have really good throw, aswell as really good, bright spill. ive looked at the dereelight CL1H, and see this as a good option for me, but i am wondering if there is something brighter and better then the CL1H. i want something around the same size as the CL1H v2 or v3, aswell as around the same price. can you guys help me out here? what is the best light to get with a really awesome throw, aswell as really bright, wide spill. this "future" light will be used in all areas, needing super throw for long distances, and super bright spill for closer viewing. all options will be considered, i just want the best and brightest thing around, that will really kick alot of butts anywhere i go with it. thanks!!!:twothumbs

 

[adamlau]

Seems as if you want what everyone else wants . The CL1H V3.0 1S SMO & OP is the right choice.

 

[jezza]

cool, are you sure. ive been snooping around some more, and some other lights seem to have higher lux readings from cpf members. i dunno what the best light is. still need more help, haha. thanks for the reply adamlau:wave:

 

[Jarl]

Super high throw, at close ranges, will make a very bright hotspot, making any spill seem weak in comparison. If you up the amount of spill, then the hotspot will suffer, and won't be as bright.

Good luck? Your best bet is probably a thrower, with a diffusion filter in your pocket for when you want spill.

 

[fireluvrandrew]

or if you want a WOW you could do like i did, malkoff quad in a 3d mag
but hey thats just me, i like insane amounts of light

 

[jezza]

hmmmmmm....... it could be good, but right now i just need a pocket light that is the best of its kind. it could be anything from a surefire, edgetac, anything!!! i just dont know much really good bright lights. the 3d mag would be way too big for my pocket, lol. is the dereelight cl1h still the thing to go to, or is something the same size, anything under 150mm better then it? thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Gunner12]

Well, define "better".

More modes?
Smaller?
Brighter?

The Dereelight is great because it is well build, can take 18650 batteries, priced well, and is easily upgradeable. There might be one or two other lights that throw a bit further for the size but they will be harder to upgrade.

I'd recommend buying 18650 batteries and a charger with the light if you plan on using it often.

 

[Derek Dean]

Yep, I agree with Gunner12, the Dereelight has an excellent combination of good build quality, upgradeable components, is rechargeable friendly, and all at a reasonable price.

However, depending on how much you are willing to pay for your "future light" you might consider the upcoming release by Surefire of either the UA2, which promises 200 out the front lumens, multiple levels of light control, AND a focusable beam... allowing you to customize the shape of the beam from spot the wide (and everything inbetween).... OR maybe go for the UB2 which also has multiple levels and a top end of 400 lumens... but no focusable beam.

Drawbacks.... not currently available (soon)..... may not be rechargeable friendly... and a price approaching $300...... BUT..... these have the potential of being two of the baddest lights around. Happy hunting!

 

[WadeF]

Other than the upcoming UA2, UB2, as mentioned by Derek Dean, the CL1H would probably be your best bet. You can easily switch between a smooth and textured reflector to see which works out best for your needs. Some others lights may have more throw, like a Regalight WT1 v2, DBS, Tiablo, MRV, etc, but they either aren't as versitile as the CL1H or as pocketable.

My CL1H with a smooth reflector does around 9,300LUX on my meter, which is pretty impressive for a light its size. The other great thing is 6-12 months from now there will hopefully be new pills with newer Cree's that put out even more light. Maybe we'll see Cree R4's or R5's by the end of the year, if not sooner.

Get 18650 batteries and a charger, and get one of the pills that works with 18650's like 1SD, 2SD, 3SD, DI.

 

[waxking1]

The Novatac 120 is not the brightest, but it seems like a lot of people think its one of the best. It may be a bit larger than you like but still relatively small. Price is a bit more, I just ordered one for $139 shipped.

 

[Zenster]

If the original OP likes the DBS except it being a little big, then at this point in time, I don't think there is any other option than the CL1H (preferably with the 3SD module for use with 18650's).

The even better part of that argument is that it will be easily upgradeable to the R5 modules when they become available, so for only another $35 bucks, the current CL1H will be pushed to a much higher level for very little cost.

 

[andylondon]

You may want to consider the Regalight WT1. Please see below for a hyperlink for more details.


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=179105&page=3

This light has got throw :twothumbs

 

[ThatGuyBri]

The cl1h overdrives the best LED currently available. You can't do better without using multiple LEDs. The cl1h will run for 1hour 40 minutes on a 18650. Multiple LEDs on a single 18650 battery would not provide practical run times. Multiple LEDs + multiple batteries = big light. For a small light, the cl1h is the best.

 

[FliGuyRyan]

This exact topic is being discussed here... http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2366748#post2366748

with beam-shots and discussion. Heavily involved already and it seems to narrow it down quite well. From this thread I've concluded that lux and all those number specs are like instructions when you buy a computer desk. Read carefully, but then you just have to go for it...

I know I'm going with some variant of the CL1H or the Xstar from Lighthound... http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3154
as I believe it takes a P60 module, is very small, HAIII coated, and looks to be a steal...

-RC

P.S. Oh, and the CL1H has a better beam than the Regalight WT-1... beam-shots tell all...

 

[litework]

Some great lights mentioned. You should also look at the Tiablo MA6. I carry this light regularly because of its various modes, long run time, and tremendous throw. I now have two DBSs, but I can't carry them as much due to their size.

 

[chewy78]

you could also check out some of fenixs' offerings. A fenix p1d or a p2d, they are compact and bright too.

 

[jezza]

Well, define "better".

More modes?
Smaller?
Brighter?

i mean better as in more of a "wow" factor, the most impressive light, such as the beam, or the throw in a small package.

awesome replies guys. well based on whats happening here in my post, id say ill have a go with the dereelgiht cl1h or the regalight wt1. everything else either isnt as good, or just not as bright. so now the question is........which one do i get? if im getting a cl1h, what version is the brightest and most impressive(v2 or v3). then, would it be a 3sd or d1? i need help here. and if im getting a regalight wt1, why would i choose it over the deree? i know the hotspot is brighter for more throw, but is it a better overall light, with a more impressive beam and more of a "wow" reaction to it? thanks, my pocket has almost been saved! :laughing:

 

[Derek Dean]

BTW jezza, welcome to CPF,
Just as something to think about, we get a lot of new posters here at CPF who start off by saying that they are looking for the most "WOW" from their new light, then after they get a few WOW lights they begin to understand that while the wow factor is fun for a while, maybe even a long while, that for actual USE, lights with more generalized beams (good mix of throw AND flood), often smaller pocket lights that can be carried every day (EDC) are ultimately more useful. I'm not trying to dissuade you from purchasing an excitingly bright WOW light, just trying to temper your excitement with a bit of thinking about how you see yourself using this light in the long term.

Ok, enough preaching. Here is a VERY useful site that will allow you to compare both lights.. side by side....including beamshots and all other relevant data:
http://lightreviews.info/reviews.html

And when you start thinking about getting some lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, be sure and start by going to this site and reading everything you can about the special requirements for their handling and use, as they can be quite dangerous if not handled with care:
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/

Happy hunting!

 

[I came to the light...]

While many lights have more throw than the CL1H, I don't think any single-die LEDs are brighter overall: that is, have more throw+spill combined (lumens).

I think the CL1H is your best choice. It is clearly brighter than others in its class: after all, it is being run at 1.2A, while competitors don't go over 1A. This of course leads to a shorter runtime, but I don't think that is an issue, as a) it still runs for almost an hour, b) it is still extremely well regulated, and c) the CL1H is very well heatsinked, so the extra heat generated does not cause a problem.

The brightest CL1H is the CL1H v3 3SD Q5. The v2 is an older model not available any more, and has some annoying flaws. The 1SD and 2SD pills are equally bright - the difference is the number of modes (first number in name). Q5 is the brightest LED currently available from Dereelight. They recently had a run of R2s, but they were not premium tint, and are sold out. The CL1Hs whose names start with M take more battery types, but a) they run at 1.1A, so are not a bright, and b) are very well regulated, but cannot acheive the D versions' regulation with any battery type.

You stated that you want a light under 150mm (CL1H v3 is 140mm), so I will not go into the "throwers." The WT1 is out of your range - it is 154mm long. The shorter of the two new U2s is far out of your range at 165mm. A far better alternative to the WT1 is the Tiablo MA6. I have one, and it definitely works as a "wow light." It is 5mm shorter than the WT1 and only 1mm wider, putting it in your length range. It throws far better than the WT1, and has multiple modes with a great UI. The UI is excellent for everyday use, but cannot be turned on for less than a second, as clicking within 1 second will change modes.

You may find that while the CL1H is pocketable, it isn't all that comfortable in your pocket. You will probably be even more amazed with some of the tiny lights only 1/4 the CL1H's volume, and half as bright. Two very bright (and relatively cost effective) EDCs are the Fenix P2D and the Nitecore Defender Infinity.

PS - lightreviews, linked earlier, really is an amazingly complete site to look through. Be sure to note spill lux readings as well as center lux readings.

 

[litework]

That's a very good description of the CL1H, Icttl! I avoided the CL1H and went with the Tiablo MA6 due, in part, to the fact that the CL1H with variable outputs cannot run on primaries-as you mentioned. This fact didn't stop me from buying two versions of the 3SD DBS, though.

I think my P1D has "wowed" more people than all my throwers combined. A lot of people have looked at this "cute" little unimposing light and were very surprised by the almost violent amount of light sent in their direction with the slight turn of the flashlight's head.