Cree emitter C or D-cell light

[meuge]

I was wondering if any company has put made a Cree light that took C or D cells. I am looking for high intensity, but also a long runtime, and a C/D cell light would deliver the latter.

 

[Nake]

Have you looked at Maglite?

 

[revolvergeek]

I wish Fenix would come out with a L0-D-CE-LL ! :naughty:

 

[Curious_character]

It's pretty easy to put a Seoul emitter into a Mag LED drop-in.

c_c

 

[MorePower]

Coming soon to a Walmart near you:

3C Cree light

 

[Martini]

It's about time Fenix/Lumapower/somebody came out with a 1C light. Dimensions could be very close to a 3xAAA light, but with 10x the capacity. It would make a fantastic emergency light.

 

[JamisonM]

I wish Fenix would come out with a L0-D-CE-LL ! :naughty:

Seriously. I'd buy one if they did.

meuge, instead of looking for an entire flashlight how about taking a look at few drop-ins for maglites. Using them to replace the bulb and use the maglite as a host you can have a good bright light with decent runtime.The first one is Gene's drop-in. They're a bit on the pricey side and he uses SSC's instead of Cree's, but once you drop it in and take a look; I think you'll like it. As far as drop-in's go, Gene's drop-in is one of the better designed ones. Also take a look at the terralux minstar5. They're plenty bright and cheaper, but are also SSC's instead of Cree's.

 

[2xTrinity]

It's about time Fenix/Lumapower/somebody came out with a 1C light. Dimensions could be very close to a 3xAAA light, but with 10x the capacity. It would make a fantastic emergency light.

IMHO a 2C makes more sense than a 1C. Boosting 1.5V is simply an inefficient ordeal -- since in order to have a reasonable amount of ouput, the driver must take in a huge input current and transform the voltage up. This high input current leads to a considerable amount of battery sag, and furthermore, boosting from 1.5 up to 3.7V is rarely very efficient. This is why for example the Fenix L2D runs brighter, and more than twice as long on high as the L1D.

Considering that, It seems that a compact 2C light would be an almost ideal light to have. For example, the taskforce 2C modded to SSC is very nice, and unlike something like a Mag, the light is not too much larger than the batteries itself -- which lends itself nicely to being [jacket] pocketable, yet still having a fair amount of battery capacity from cheap standard cells.

I believe something even better could be done -- something with a more compact clicky switch, and head no wider than the battery tube itself could be quite nice. With a well-heatsinked PR base such a light could be extremely versatile -- LED modules could be run on Alkaline or NiMH (boost circuit based), or 2xLiIon C (buck circuit based). Best of all, such a light with LiIon would be a pocket-sized host for ROP (!!!)

 

[connortn]

I've been in the market for a nice smaller size 2C cell light for a few years now. Something like a larger streamlight task force or even Targets 2C riverrock without the optics.

A well designed 2C cree could last all night and maybe more on one set of batteries and be Bright at the same time.

How about it, flashlight companies.

 

[Bearcat]

I really would like to have a 2C flashlight with a Cree emitter that would have the same proportunate shape as a Fenix L2D. The 2C Mag-Lite is about 2 times to big if you don't need a club.

 

[meuge]

Thanks for your responses, everyone. It's been very informative.

The reason I asked about a "from the ground-up" flashlight, was because I am interested in getting a "serious emergency" kind of flashlight for my parents... that could run for many hours at high intensity, but would also have a low intensity setting that could run for much longer. Looking at the "low" setting of the L2D-CE, and its 60-hour runtime with NiMH, I wondered if a 3-4D cell light with the same type of multiple modes and regulation would have 300+ hours of continuous light on one set of batteries.

The MAGs are nice, but they will only run ~20 hours, because there is no low setting.

 

[luigi]

A 1xD cell with cree would be an awesome emergency light and long life beacon.

Luigi

 

[Pax et Lux]

Maybe worth checking out Elektro Lumens.

I know they were in the process of updating the Blaster line, provisionally titled the Dragster which, from memory, will allow the user to switch between three or four levels. If it is built as well as the forerunner, it should be a suitable emergency light.

 

[JamisonM]

Thanks for your responses, everyone. It's been very informative.

The reason I asked about a "from the ground-up" flashlight, was because I am interested in getting a "serious emergency" kind of flashlight for my parents... that could run for many hours at high intensity, but would also have a low intensity setting that could run for much longer. Looking at the "low" setting of the L2D-CE, and its 60-hour runtime with NiMH, I wondered if a 3-4D cell light with the same type of multiple modes and regulation would have 300+ hours of continuous light on one set of batteries.

The MAGs are nice, but they will only run ~20 hours, because there is no low setting.

IMO, a lower powered light (>10lm – possibly around 30-40) with alkalines is what I'd be looking for. I can see the advantages of having more then one brightness level and for rechargables batteries, but when the power goes out and you don't know when it'll come on again, rechargables have already been losing their charge while stashed in the light in a drawer (unless right off the charger) for possibly, months doesn't help and neither does actually using the light because that's going to drain an already lower charge. To me an emergency light is one that sits and waits to be used; nothing more. Using alkalines, it'll take years to get at the low voltage levels rechargables can get at in a few months.

In my last post, I recommended two of the brighter drop-in bulb replacements, let me recommend one other; everled. Not nearly as bright as the first two I talked about, but will last, I'm guessing, around 24 hours in a 3D light before you can see a really noticeable drop in output. While that's not your wanted 300+ hour runtime or 60 for the L2D-CE, but even after you see that drop, it will produce usable light much longer and most likely at the same level of the lowest level of the L2D-CE. Paired with a 3 or 4D maglite with alkalines and you're looking at a very decent emergency light IMO. Buy an extra pack of batteries or two (come in packs of 4 and 8 here so just make sure you won't have extras) of D alkalines and I think you'll have plenty of runtime and light to boot. If I remember correctly, putting everled in a 3D light will make it produce as bright a light as it's ever going to and adding extra cells (can run with up two 6 cells) will only increase runtime.

Another thing I think worthy of mentioning is the runtime of both the modded maglite and L2D-CE. The maglite with the drop-in bulb replacement I mentioned above will not produce as bright a light as the L2D-CE can, but will last much longer while giving out more usable light than the L2D-CE. Basicaly, what I'm saying is the drop-in modded maglite will still be producing more light that can easily be used while the L2D-CE will be only able to maintain its low setting.

I'd like to hear others opinions on this.