First good light

[Arcmay]

I have decided to finally get a good quality flashlight, and need some help deciding what to get. Output, runtime, and ergonomics are at the top of my list. Some of the the lights I have been looking at are the Eagletac P100C2, Eagletac T100C2, Eagletac T10LC2, (hmmm, do you see a pattern?) ITP E50, and Fenix TK11. I don't have the experience to decide on one, so am looking for some input.

 

[johnny3073]

Help us out with a little more info. about what you will be using the light for, what you expect for your money, and what features are most important to you.

There is no one perfect light for everyone, as we all have different needs, wants, and expectations. Not to mention the budget.

The term "Flashaholic" is a very broad term that describes many different "sub species" such as:

"Throwaholic"
"Floodaholic"
"Runaholic"
"Blingaholic"
"Tinyholic"
"Clickaholic"
"Twistaholic"
Etc., etc., etc...

Of the particular class of lights you posted, the T100C2 is way ahead of the others in just about everything (except price . That is just my opinion of course, and your needs, wants, and expections may be very different than mine.

:welcome:

 

[Arcmay]

Sorry about not including enough details. Just so long as the price is below $100 I'm OK. I would probably be a "throwaholic", but not to the point where it not usable at close range. This will be a genaral use light, both indoors and out, close range and far. One importand the is the tint of the LED, it has to be either cool or nuetral. I would also like to have a low mode that is actually low, below 1000 lux or 30 lumens. One last thing, forward clickies only.

 

[dave101]

I was in the same boat. Being a total nub, I had no idea what lumens I needed for general tasks.

I really wanted something simple and inexpensive for my first one and was ready to pull the trigger on Eagletac P100C2 but then looked into the ITP C10T and really gave me more bang for the buck.

* 6-230 Infinite Ramping.....I was floored by how much light 6 lumins is in a totaly dark room.
* Simple twist of the head to ramp the light up or down.
Oh, and no SOS or Strobe on this version.
No idea how long 123A cells will last but I've been using these for weeks!
I'm really happy this with first light!

Hope this helps.
Dave

 

[Toaster]

T100C2 is an excellent choice for a first good light. You won't be disappointed :thumbsup:

 

[Arcmay]

The T100C2 looks great, but I have a few concerns about it.
- is the hotspot to tight for close-up or indoors?
- the low mode is still pretty bright.
- is the performance gain worth the size gain over the P100C2?

Not to say I won't get it, I just want to know all the details before I do!

 

[Mjolnir]

If you get the P100C2, you will not be able to use 18650 rechargeables, and will be forced to use 17670s, which have less capacity. the P100C2 also has a little less throw.

 

[johnny3073]

Again, this is just my opinion:

The smooth hot spot/spill is very useable indoors/up close for me, but I only use the general mode for that anyway. The general mode is enough light for 90% of what I need.

If I need to light up something far away, I just twist the bezel and the T100C2 will throw out to 200+ yards pretty easy. The light doesn't get hot like some others I've had in the past either.

As for size vs. performance, again that really depends on what you need. To me the slightly larger size is more than worth the capability to fit a 18650 for all the guilt free lumens you want, not to mention it will fit any standard 1" weapon mount (which is HUGE to many folks).

I think EagleTac offers a tail standing forward clicky if that's what you need.

All of the improvements were worth the extra $5 to me.

If you have to have a low setting, EagleTac is coming out with a new model soon that will have one. There's a thread in here somewhere about it, but I forgot where it's at. :thinking:

 

[Toaster]

What constitutes a too tight hotspot at close range is a rather personal preference. T100C2 hotspot may be on the smaller end for lights in it's class, but it more than makes up for that imho with it's smooth transition into spill and artifact free beam. The quality of the spill light is much more important to me at short range than the hotspot.

It's not really a low mode. More a general and turbo mode. If you want an ultra low mode this isn't the light for you.

The increased size gets you 30-40% more throw and 50% more runtime. Whether that's worth it is up to you.

 

[gallonoffuel]

Yes I see the pattern.

Look at a Surefire 6PL. American made. Ergonomically similar to your mentioned lights, but with a defined upgrade path (P60 compatible modules) and a lifetime no-BS warranty. If you want 2-mode, get a 6P Original and a wolf-eyes D26 2-mode CREE module. That's what I run now, after trying a ton of different lights of similar form factor. I spent a lot of time and money trying the latest and greatest, and I came full circle to the 6P.

 

[Arcmay]

200 yards!! wow! the lights I have right now go to no more than 50 yards.

I think my decision is nearly made, the T100C2 wins

 

[Toaster]

If you're looking for a place to buy:

Eagletac T100C2 + 2x Eagletac 18650 li-on - use code CPF8 for 8% discount on your order
Yoho-122 charger - Much better than the crappy Ultrafire chargers.

 

[NonSenCe]

umm dont have eagletac but i just dont believe into that 200yd mark.

i dont think my fenix tk11 reaches that far either and it should be about as good of a thrower.. i might light an object at 200 but not enough to "see" it clearly.. but maybe my eyes are just too weak and want MORE! hahah

 

[Painful Chafe]

I have the T10LC2 and would recommend any EagleTac. They are great. One light I would also look into if I were you is the Regal WT1. I have no idea why this light isn't touted here more often. I have searched and read up on it and can't find anything not to like in a compact thrower. It is amazing for its size, comes with a smooth and textured reflector and a forward and reverse clicky. Check the review at http://www.light-reviews.com/reviews.html

There is a lot of great info on that site.

 

[Arcmay]

Thanks for all the great info all! lovecpf

 

[Mjolnir]

Eagletac is going to be offering a tailstanding tail cap for the T100C2 in the near future, but I am not exactly sure when it will be available.
I doubt that any of these lights will be very useful at identifying objects at 600 feet, but you may be able to see the light hitting things at that distance.

 

[fishx65]

I would look at a 6P or a Solarforce L2. These would give you nice drop-in options. I was pretty much blown away when I put a 10 dollar DX R2 drop-in in my 15 year old 6P. For $25.00 shipped, the Solarforce R2 5 mode is an awesome little torch. A 6P host is almost a must for any good CPFer!

 

[Gunner12]

If you want to start at a lower price, just to "test the waters" I'd suggest the 2 AA 2 stage Romisen RC-N3 Q5 from Shiningbeam(6% off coupon is "cpfuser").

But if you want to jump in per say then the Eagletac should be a good choice.

:welcome:

 

[Nightstalker1993]

Eagletac is going to be offering a tailstanding tail cap for the T100C2 in the near future, but I am not exactly sure when it will be available.
I doubt that any of these lights will be very useful at identifying objects at 600 feet, but you may be able to see the light hitting things at that distance.

the Malaysian distro is gonna have them latest by end of June, so expect it to be in 4-sevens by then...

gonna get my tailstanding tailcap for my p100a2

rm20, roughly usd6-7

 

[jhc37013]

Another vote here for the T100C2 it out throws my TK11r2 and has a longer runtime with no cree rings but the low/general mode is not as low as you mentioned you wanted. I think it 55 lumens.

Oh yeh almost forgot if you get a T100C2 do yourself a favor and get the EagleTac holster its pretty nice.