tjswarbrick
Enlightened
My name is Tom, and I am a flashaholic.
This looks like my 100th post - I want to make it a good one. Can you stand another "what's the best EDC"?
I'm looking for an EDC light that I like as much as my C2/M61W room lighter, MRV thrower, and TD15x darkness-remover.
One that makes me smile EVERY time I use it.
(I have a bunch of 2xCR123 lights - cool, neutral and warm; OP and SMO; XR-E, XP-E, XP-G, and XM-L; and am very happy with the collection I've built up.)
I have a handful of smaller, AA and AAA, lights - and none is my perfect EDC yet.
Fenix LD01 is too small, too cool, and too hard to twist.
Maratac AAA is great for carry, less great for use - I prefer something that doesn't get lost in my hand, and is clicky.
4-7's Preon 2 is too long/skinny, and tint's too cool.
Thrunite Ti is my favorite AAA so far, but it isn't quite bright enough and I'm afraid I'm going to leave it on "low" and think it's off. Plus I prefer something that fills the hand a bit better.
JETBeam E3S is darn close - but it's a little heavy, and the tint's a bit green.
I just ordered a Xeno E03 because I have heard great things about it, but I'm a little leery of the switch and its "budget" status. It hasn't arrived yet.
LuminTop P2C is very close, too, but winds up being too big in pocket after a long day. Plus, I wish it was OP for a smoother beam.
My ideal will be:
a) 3.5-4.25" long, and .7-.9" around, to fit my XL hands.
b) Clicky (Reverse and forward both have their benefits. I generally prefer forward, but it's not a deal-breaker.)
c) 1 - 3 oz.
d) Only neutral tint need apply.
e) Orange Peel / Textured reflector for a nice useful beam with no rings or holes.
f) XP-G or XM-L (or MC-E / SST-50?) for adequate brightness (150-400L max, depending on power source) and EDC-appropriate flood.
g) .9-4.2V to run on AA, eneloop, L91, or 14505 (I prefer primaries, and don't have a Li-Ion charger as yet.)
CR123 would be great, too, but singles tend to be too short (get lost in my palm) , and clicky doubles too long (a little much to disappear in the pocket.)
h) Relatively elegant; distinctive in appearance, tough enough to withstand the occasional "oops".
i) When I clip even a small blade or light to my pocket I can't comfortably remove my keys, so I always remove the clip and deep-pocket carry.
My EDC knife is a sprint-run Spyderco Para2, and I'd like something similar in carry ("small" for it's size), ergos (fits the hand like a glove), use (does lots of things well), function (simple, elegant, smooth, solid, oozes quality), performance (never ceases to amaze me), and price (~ $100-150.)
I'd love Ti, if it wasn't (generally) so pricey.
I've considered one of Mac's EDC's. I'd probably jump if they weren't optimized for Li-Ion. Convince me that they're still fantastic, and worth the price, as a 2-mode on CR123, and I'll re-evaluate. On a primary, is Medium adequate to be considered "Hi"?
I'm going to get an HDS (Hi CRI) when they become available again, but it is for a specific purpose, and possibly not showy/fancy enough for this job.
If 4-7 was still making Ti Quarks, I'd probably grab one.
Failing that, I'm thinking of picking up a Ti Mini AA for the body, and a Neutral Tactical AA2 or Neutral Tactical X AA2, and popping the head and tail on the mini Ti body, and running a 14505 (primary 14500.)
Have you tried it? Do the tactical ends fit the mini body? How does it look? Can you provide photos? In the tactical head, does the XP-G or XM-L offer the most useable beam?
Anything better?
Thanks for listening, and your help and suggestions!
- Tom
This looks like my 100th post - I want to make it a good one. Can you stand another "what's the best EDC"?
I'm looking for an EDC light that I like as much as my C2/M61W room lighter, MRV thrower, and TD15x darkness-remover.
One that makes me smile EVERY time I use it.
(I have a bunch of 2xCR123 lights - cool, neutral and warm; OP and SMO; XR-E, XP-E, XP-G, and XM-L; and am very happy with the collection I've built up.)
I have a handful of smaller, AA and AAA, lights - and none is my perfect EDC yet.
Fenix LD01 is too small, too cool, and too hard to twist.
Maratac AAA is great for carry, less great for use - I prefer something that doesn't get lost in my hand, and is clicky.
4-7's Preon 2 is too long/skinny, and tint's too cool.
Thrunite Ti is my favorite AAA so far, but it isn't quite bright enough and I'm afraid I'm going to leave it on "low" and think it's off. Plus I prefer something that fills the hand a bit better.
JETBeam E3S is darn close - but it's a little heavy, and the tint's a bit green.
I just ordered a Xeno E03 because I have heard great things about it, but I'm a little leery of the switch and its "budget" status. It hasn't arrived yet.
LuminTop P2C is very close, too, but winds up being too big in pocket after a long day. Plus, I wish it was OP for a smoother beam.
My ideal will be:
a) 3.5-4.25" long, and .7-.9" around, to fit my XL hands.
b) Clicky (Reverse and forward both have their benefits. I generally prefer forward, but it's not a deal-breaker.)
c) 1 - 3 oz.
d) Only neutral tint need apply.
e) Orange Peel / Textured reflector for a nice useful beam with no rings or holes.
f) XP-G or XM-L (or MC-E / SST-50?) for adequate brightness (150-400L max, depending on power source) and EDC-appropriate flood.
g) .9-4.2V to run on AA, eneloop, L91, or 14505 (I prefer primaries, and don't have a Li-Ion charger as yet.)
CR123 would be great, too, but singles tend to be too short (get lost in my palm) , and clicky doubles too long (a little much to disappear in the pocket.)
h) Relatively elegant; distinctive in appearance, tough enough to withstand the occasional "oops".
i) When I clip even a small blade or light to my pocket I can't comfortably remove my keys, so I always remove the clip and deep-pocket carry.
My EDC knife is a sprint-run Spyderco Para2, and I'd like something similar in carry ("small" for it's size), ergos (fits the hand like a glove), use (does lots of things well), function (simple, elegant, smooth, solid, oozes quality), performance (never ceases to amaze me), and price (~ $100-150.)
I'd love Ti, if it wasn't (generally) so pricey.
I've considered one of Mac's EDC's. I'd probably jump if they weren't optimized for Li-Ion. Convince me that they're still fantastic, and worth the price, as a 2-mode on CR123, and I'll re-evaluate. On a primary, is Medium adequate to be considered "Hi"?
I'm going to get an HDS (Hi CRI) when they become available again, but it is for a specific purpose, and possibly not showy/fancy enough for this job.
If 4-7 was still making Ti Quarks, I'd probably grab one.
Failing that, I'm thinking of picking up a Ti Mini AA for the body, and a Neutral Tactical AA2 or Neutral Tactical X AA2, and popping the head and tail on the mini Ti body, and running a 14505 (primary 14500.)
Have you tried it? Do the tactical ends fit the mini body? How does it look? Can you provide photos? In the tactical head, does the XP-G or XM-L offer the most useable beam?
Anything better?
Thanks for listening, and your help and suggestions!
- Tom
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