Best 1 x CR123 Light

[tallyram]

The Neutron 1C puts out a ton of light. I would agree that it puts out over 400 lumens on a 3.7v lithium rechargeable. I really like the turbo and firefly modes on this light!

 

[kaichu dento]

I should clarify that I would like to stay in the $50 range. I dont abuse any of my items infact they are babied. As stated this light will not get much use (hopefully), it will sit in the consol of the truck if needed and if I stop for gas or local pub or store etc in a remote area it will come with me as will my LCP/Glock 19 depending on the type of clothes and weather.

In that case I'd stay close to the MarketPlace and hope for either the E1B or E1L to come up in rough shape. Don't recall if I've ever seen one go that low but patience may pay off.

 

[StickThatClutch]

So Steve, which do you like more? Which do you use more? The M10R or the RRT-0?
I am thinking of buying a V10R Ti for my wife and for my sister...

Peter,

I generally put the M10R in my bag (my pocket edc is a 4 7's Preon 2). The floodier pattern is really more suitable for the situations I will likely find myself in (live in the suburbs, work in an office). I don't use li-ions, which the RRT-O will accept (my early production M10R doesn't support these - not sure if that's changed), so that particular advantage of the RRT-O isn't used by me. Both have similar high build quality and UI. The smaller size and the beam pattern make the M10R just more useful for me. A last note, I have the XR-E R2 version of both lights.

V10R looks beautiful. I'm sure they both won't be disappointed.

Best,
Stephen.

 

[TyJo]

For $50 go with Quark 123 mini if price is firm. Go with Quark 123 if you can go up to $58....less if you can find it in stock with a dealer who offers a CPF discount.

I agree with this. Get the 123 tactical if you want some programming. I used my Quark 123 Tactical as my EDC before I got my HDS rotary. 4sevens Quark are lego-able and offer a lot of accessories (tactical or flush endcap, various battery tubes, etc.). 4sevens also has great customer service (at least in my experiences).

 

[Nicrod]

The Neutron 1C puts out a ton of light. I would agree that it puts out over 400 lumens on a 3.7v lithium rechargeable. I really like the turbo and firefly modes on this light!

A 123 primary is 3v. On DMM fully charged reads 3.38 roughly. A li-ion fully charged is 4.17 respectfully. I find it hard to believe that if 3.38v is yielding 255 lmns, that .8v more is going to give an additional 150- 200 lumens. That can't be!
Unless it is possessing one helluva boost circuit.

Nick

 

[Monocrom]

I'm looking for a light to use in my truck in case of an emergency. This same light I would also like to pocket carry if needed. This same light I would also like to use in my off hand if needed to be used with a firearm.

Generally a multi-mode light is a very poor choice for something used in conjunction with a handgun. Bright as Hell with a momentary (twist for constant-on) switch is the best option. There is one big exception though . . . SureFire's monentary switch used on their L1 model. It's very different from switches on other multi-mode lights. Gentle pressure gets you low-mode. Hard press, and keep your thumb down, gets you high-mode. Bit of a twist gets you low, more twisting gets you to high. (Twist for constant-on.)

Yup, SureFire L1 meets all of your requirements and is multi-mode.

 

[flashflood]

The thrunite isn't 450 lumens. It's only 255 on turbo. Still bright as hell.

It's 255 when using CR123, 450 when using AW IMR 16340. Selfbuilt measured this in his review, and my own measurements agree.

 

[Nicrod]

Gotcha!My mistake. I Had no idea. How many volts are these aw IMR 16340? Because that's super impressive output from single 123.

 

[flashflood]

A 123 primary is 3v. On DMM fully charged reads 3.38 roughly. A li-ion fully charged is 4.17 respectfully. I find it hard to believe that if 3.38v is yielding 255 lmns, that .8v more is going to give an additional 150- 200 lumens. That can't be!
Unless it is possessing one helluva boost circuit.

Nick

In selfbuilt's review he mentioned that he was surprised by this as well. However, the measured output is what it is, so we can speculate:

Recall that even a brand-new CR123 that measures 3.38V on the DMM will sag under (this much) load to under 3V, which means you'll be using the boost circuit to reach the XM-L's 3.3Vf. With a fully-charged li-ion, voltage will sag to maybe 3.6V, which is still well above the XM-L's Vf, and therefore you'll be in direct drive. My guess is that the li-ion advantage in this light is due to a combination of bypassing the boost circuit, lower internal resistance in the battery, and higher discharge capability.

I suspect the reason we don't see such a dramatic difference between CR123 and li-ion 16340 in other lights is that the Neutron 1C on turbo is pushing a very small cell very hard, and most lights don't let you do that. There just aren't a lot of data points in this space. I can't think of any other single-cell CR123 light that's even 300 lumens, let alone 450. My hat's off to Thrunite for not letting their lawyers stick a current limiter in this little beast.

 

[flashflood]

Gotcha!My mistake. I Had no idea. How many volts are these aw IMR 16340? Because that's super impressive output from single 123.

3.7V nominal, same as other li-ion. IMR cells (lithium manganese -- I have no idea where the initials IMR come from) actually have less capacity than lithium-cobalt cells, but they have near-zero internal resistance and can deliver extremely high current, sustained, safely. Most lights are explicitly designed not to drive the batteries too hard; for most of my collection I find the higher capacity of lithium-cobalt to be a win because higher current isn't needed. But there are some lights that just really shine (ha) on IMR.

 

[Z-Tab]

There are a few 1x123 sized lights that are brighter, but they are not in the $50 price range. Mac's Tri-EDC gets 700, his SST-50 hits 540, and the Moddoo Pocket can put out 800 Lumens on one 123-sized IMR.

The Xeno E03 might be a nice choice here, and it can put out over 400 on a 14500 Li-Ion, but it's 1xAA sized. Still, it does have pretty great build quality and versatility for a $30 light. On a regular AA battery, it puts out a lot of light, and with a pack of L91s, would be a good glovebox light.

For a multi-mode light that may be used with a handgun, I 100% stick with my initial recommendation of a Surefire L1. For tactical, multi-mode operation in 1x123 size, it is the best, and more than bright enough with Surefire's great TIR optic. The Quark Tactical UI isn't bad, but it requires two hands if you want to be able to utilize both levels and I wouldn't trust my life to their build quality (speaking as someone that has owned and used both).

 

[don.gwapo]

Incendio V3+ with XM-L. 200+ lumens on CR123 and 600 lumens on RCR. .

 

[EngrPaul]

Quark Mini 123. They are cheap enough to scatter around the house and vehicles.

 

[TomnAl]

SureFire, 4Sevens, HDS System are the best ! You'll never go wrong with these brands !

 

[BigBluefish]

If you want to be able to pocket carry it, and use it with a handgun, it has to be small enough for the pocket, but large enough not to fumble it with the gun. If you are using it with a gun, it also has to be able to go to "high" each, and every time, when you want it to. You do NOT want to be in some low, moonlight or flashy mode when you need it to shoot. IMO, the best light to use with a handgun, for this reason, is a single level light. This doesn't make it as useful for other uses as a multilevel light, but it's a matter of priorities. It also has to be bomb-proof.

That said, there are a few two or mulit-level lights (there may be others) that I have experience with that I would be comforrtable using as a light with a handgun, though I fortunately have very infrequent need of those capabilites.

One is the HDS/RA. A 120 Tactical would be ideal, as it comes on to "high," but you can easily click to a lower output level if needed. There are brigther HDS lights, but the 120 is really pretty bright, and is the most economical of the HDS offerings.

The other light I'd recommed is a SureFire L1, the latest version with the 15 / 65 lumen output. The 65 lumen high is really closer to 100. This light will let you press the tailcap firmly to go into high, or you can depress lightly to go into the 15 lumen mode. You can also twist the talcap for constant on low, or constant on high.

And, while I haven't any experience wtih one, the E1B should also work well. 110 lumens on high, 5 on low. Comes on in high mode. Not ideal if you are going to be turning the light on and off while moving around, because the second time you turn it on, you will go into low mode, if it has only been off for what...2 seconds or less? That can be distracting and ... unfortunate. But if you aren't going to be doing that, and it's just going to come out and go "on" when the gun is drawn, it's probably a good choice. I had an E2DL, same UI, and it seemed to work well enough that way.

 

[_Event_Horizon_]

I really think the OP should take a look at the JetBeam BC10 for under $50. From my experience for CC I really like a forward clicky light for the mometary on function. Also no more than 2 output levels because you don't want to be trying to get to high mode. And since it won't get much use, why get spend a lot more than your budget on some of the other mentioned lights with many modes. For the extra $10 you can get 10 primaries for the light and then some.
I read a review that it's output with an IMR cell is roughly 470 lumens. Plenty on par with the ThruNite Neutron. And for CC reserve, you won't need a torch that throws very far. The BC10 has great and better throw than the Neutron does anyway. JMHO. :thumbsup: