Brightest Light For Search and Rescue

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luckyinkentucky

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Apr 20, 2008
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I just got a promotion today, and one of the things I am required to carry with me at all times is a "flashlight with a minimum of 4 watt LED power". Now, I'm no light techy, nor do I know a whole lot about them, but I'm assuming I need a bigger light than the 4 Watt LED flashlights I am carrying with Luxeon K2 LEDs in them. I realize they are rated at 4 watts, but I am needing something that will help me out further instead of just getting me by.

Could some of you who have had experience with them give me some suggestions, and point me in the right direction? I need a light that is handheld, light enough to carry for a few miles, and be able to "turn dark into daylight" so to speak. I would prefer a bright flood with a brighter spot beam. Am I making any sense?

Another thing .... I would like to stay within a reasonable price range. I don't want to have to pay $300 for a light.
 
Does it need to be LED? With your very lax requirements, there are dozens of lights that would work. How much would you like to spend? What other parameters does the light need to meet?

Some thoughts:

Fenix P3D Q5
Fenix TK10
Lumapower something or other
Tiablo (I'm not familiar with their lights, but they have some throwers I know)
Maglite RoP
Surefire E2L
 
I can tell you what I carry at work, a SF 6P with a Malkoff M60 (230 lmns for approx. 1 1/2 hrs.) & a SF G2 with a Malkoff M60LL (80 lmns for approx. 8 hrs.). I would also recommend the Fenix TK10, I've been "playing" with that since I got it and think it has some "potential". My .02 FWIW
 
I really just want the most light I can get for the money. :D I know that is kind of vague, but brighter is Better ..... brightest is Best! I'd love to have the brightest on the market in the pre - $300 range. Does that help?
 
I'm assuming you probably didn't want to buy a bunch of parts and "build" a light...for something "small", powerful, well made, and professional (and under a $100), try one of Inova's X or T Series...or wait until they come out with the K series. Or wait until SF comes out with a true 9-volt LED for the G-3. The Inova's tend to have better flood than most of the lights I own...just some ideas.
 
hmmm, i dont think anything stock gets much brighter then the tk10/t1 from fenix. For that price, i might suggest getting a dedicated thrower, such as a Dereelight, or Tiablo, AND a tk10, because its a good overall lgiht with alot of spill so YOU dont end up falling in the ditch too.

another thing that would probably work is potentially the surefire UB2 (400lumens!), but the beam pattern remains to be seen.

if you can move out of LED area...HID is probably closer to what you want..:)

Crenshaw
 
Crenshaw said:
hmmm, i dont think anything stock gets much brighter then the tk10/t1 from fenix. For that price, i might suggest getting a dedicated thrower, such as a Dereelight, or Tiablo, AND a tk10, because its a good overall lgiht with alot of spill so YOU dont end up falling in the ditch too.

another thing that would probably work is potentially the surefire UB2 (400lumens!), but the beam pattern remains to be seen.

if you can move out of LED area...HID is probably closer to what you want..:)

Crenshaw
Click to expand...

but out of the price range...
 
luckyinkentucky said:
...one of the things I am required to carry with me at all times is a "flashlight with a minimum of 4 watt LED power".
Click to expand...
I dunno, but whoever came up with such requirement had no clue how flashlight brightness is measured. My guess is they have a particular model/make in mind. Is there a supervisor or office admin you can ask exactly what they mean by "4 Watt LED power"?
 
Personally I would go with a light that will take a P60 module. You can get something plenty bright for well under your $300 dollar tag, and be able to upgrade it simply, easily, and for the most part, inexpensively. I would recommend a Surefire C2 as I have no experience with the other P60 hosts. It is probably not the brightest you can get with your $300 budget, but the ability to continually upgrade as each new wave of LEDs comes out more than offsets that IMHO.
 
If you don't want to spend $300 on a flashlight, then the brightest option you have is the Ultrafire WF-500 running on 2x AW protected 18650s. Its brighter than a Surefire M6 running on the standard MN20 250Lumen LOLA. This WF-500 standard setup gives about 60mins runtime.

The WF-500 is about the same size as my Surefire M3T but heavier due to its overengineered construction. The quality of the light, while not up to Surefire standards, is better than most Chinese made lights and would withstand a good beating.

For even more output, I have dropped a Lumens Factory HO-R5 lamp into my WF-500, and the output is darn close to the MN21 500Lumen HOLA. The runtime of the WF-500 on AW 18650s is reduced to about 30-40mins.

You can have the WF-500, AW 18650s & LF HO-R5 delivered to your door for less than $75.00 I don't know of any other light that offers you that kind of performance for $75.00 without custom parts & heavy modding.

There are even LED modules, a single CREE or hybrid if you want longer runtime with reduced output.
 
Last edited:
The shipping weight is 4.9 pounds, but that would include the rechargers, packaging etc.....you'd probably only have to carry 4.7 pounds around with you. Seriously though.....its heavy, but it looks like you could attach a shoulder strap to it.
 
ignore the 4W requirement, assuming the requirement is based on an old LuxIII emitters efficiency (which it probably is) what they really mean is that you should have at least a ~SOLID ~75 torch lumens to work with. With modern LED efficiencies, this can be achieved with 1W... but screw that, you want MORE than that!! (I would, if it were me).

I would look seriously at the LumaPower MRV with 18650 extender (from batteryjunction), or a WolfEyes M90 with Cree R2 emitter (from pts-flashlights). These options will run on a pair of 18650 cells, it's not exactly a pocketable size light (best size comparison is in the ballpark of a 2C mag), but they have long runtime and solid throwing power and plenty of spill light. These run around the 4W range, but are very high efficiency, probably 2-3 times the output of the "4W" light that they are using as a baseline requirement.

If your budget has room to move, you might consider an AE PowerLight
http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/productList.aspx?uid=38-39
they're designed for S&R and are basically like having a car headlight in your hands. They are a little larger than the LED options, but at 1000+ lumens, they are sure to impress your buds :)
 
How about run time?? That is no doubt as important (or nearly so) as the brightness. Yes, a HID would be brightest - but for a very short period!
 
For search and rescue it depends on terrain and distance. Sticking with a vehicle I'd use my POB HID. Gotta walk a little more I'm carrying my Borealis and my 3C with a malkoff drop in backed up with my P3D.

If I was rich I'd use on of the real hand held HID's. I like the small lights as much as anyone for most uses, but search and rescue its time for the big lights.
 
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12271

The Seoul Semiconductor P7 is something like 16 watts of retinaburn. This is one powerful light, though you'll have to pick up lithium ion batteries and charger separately, and lithium ion cells are still a bit touchy, generally. There's a couple of companies making safer cells - Emoli makes a C-sized one that's inherently safe - but that SSC light is pretty awesome.

Alternately, you could make a ROP. These are a cheap and easy mod, but if you want something without the pain in the ***, here's what I recommend based on my recent experience: get a pair of Emoli cells ($16/ea) from the buy/sell/trade board, a 3C Maglite, and a Pelican 3584 bulb set. FlashlightLens.com sells borofloat lenses pre-cut, and Fivemega and some other machinists here make high-temperature reflectors. If you're willing to cheap out, I got mine on KaiDomain.com, but waited weeks and weeks for shipping from Hong Kong. You'll still need a lithium charger; those start at $15 for cheapsies. You can get away for less than a hundred bucks there, everything included, and there's tons of support available if you want to build your own. The recipe there is certainly not the only one out there, and there's still improvement to the design going on, but it's what I would have done if I knew when I placed my orders what I knew now.

Alternately, a Surefire 6p or clone to carry the latest LED upgrade module is a bit steep, but the modules can be had ranging from awful cheap to awful nice (and expensive!). If you're going to stay on the cutting edge, this is the cheapest way to stay there over several years. The genuine Surefire is 3x more expensive than the clone, but has a real chance to last you several decades. Surefire's build quality and warranty support are legendary around here, and I now speak from experience

If you just want one light to do the job right now, the Fenix TK-10 is adjustable between bright and searing, pretty easy to use, and less than $80. (To contrast, my Surefire 6p with a Malkoff M60 was together $110, and while I got a good deal, it's not yet 'complete' - I want a tacticool grip ring for general use, and maybe a glow-ring or two for kicks and style.)

In conclusion, I don't think there's any way you'll regret buying the Fenix or the Surefire. There's definite room to grow if you're feeling adventurous, however.
 
thats easy.

1st off You might have an Inova T-Model.
Quite ok, if You dont count that 1.5-2 times current draw on expensive CR123 batteries
2nd: the one who gave that "Watts" requirement has no clue on lights at all, possibly once has purchased some cheap direct drive crap on E-Bay.

You budget is great!

Given Your imho most important requirements (lightweight, easy to carry), there is no other decent quality production light, than a Fenix L2D Q5,
Fenix P3D Q5, when You like to stick with the CR123s You are used to (+ runs on rechargeable CR123a Li-Ions also).

No other light beats that performance under the size requirement (and I personally hate useless tactical lights, that offer nothing but sharp edges to hurt oneself when light is pocketed).
No cheap insert for a SF 6P beats the Fenix package.

If You purchase the latest Inova T1/T2 (with that "great" new K2), You get a bright single stage light, that eats 1.5-2 times the power of the Fenix - for no output gain.
Except for this, they are great, and good priced.

If You really want to go special, purchase a SF 6P (or similar sized light), mod it with an 18650 Li-Ion cell (or get a model that has a body for them), build Yourself / have built a MASSIVE heatsink for a Cree, get a Flupic driver and a Sandwich Shoppe reflector and mount all this inside the aluminium light
(because its heastinking, most lights lack).
means in short: build You own Cree "pill" and have it press mounted to the body

I have such a light with a Cree "P4" bin atm, and it still outshines anything "newer" I come along.
 
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