First Post, First Light, First Questions.

[Zatx Woopyoax]

Greetings all. Just ordered my first real flashlight that I intend to use as an every day carry.

I ordered the Nitecore D10 SP R2 w/clip. I figured this would make a great companion to my other every day carry item.. my Spyderco Caly 3 w/carbon fiber scales.

As I wait the 2-3 days for my light to get here I have some questions for you regulars.

1.) Battery recommendations... something non-rechargeable and hopefully can buy locally.

2.) Glow ring in the cap. Saw some pictures around here. Where do I get one of these? Looks cool and I see the utility in it if you drop your light in the dark.

3.) Clip... how do I get this thing less shiny so it isn't as obvious sitting in my pocket.

Thanks guys!

 

[calipsoii]

First off, congrats on the light purchase. I have a feeling you're going to love it. I've been wearing the exact same light clipped to my pocket every day since I got it.

If you're dead-set on using primaries (non-rechargeables), I'd probably recommend dropping the money on a pack of Energizer L91 lithiums. They're the silver ones with the 8x on the packaging. That said, they can be expensive, so maybe look at what it'll cost you to pick up a charger and some Eneloop rechargeables. I feed my D10 a fresh one every week and haven't bought batteries (except for more Eneloops for my growing collection >.>) in months.

DealExtreme.com sells GITD glow rings, just search for them there. Pick up one of those 10-packs of keychain Fauxtons too - they're great gifts.

As for the clip, I'd try it for a bit the way it is. Honestly, the shiny metal looks pretty classy and I don't think I'd want mine matte. Unless you have access to a bead-blaster or something, you might have problems getting an even matte finish that doesn't look like you took sandpaper to it. Eventually the clip will get scratched on all it's own and you won't have to worry about it.

Grats again on the new light, I think it'll do ya well!

 

[bjt3833]

1. The D10 is the AA version so any alkaline or lithium primary is fine.

2. Don't own one to tell you how people attach gitd o-rings but I do know some people machine slots into the piston button and epoxy a tritium vial in.
Lighthound.com sells GITD o-rings tho

3. Isn't the clip already brushed finish? Not much more I know you can do to a piece of raw metal. Again I don't own one so I haven't tinkered with one.

With them moving away from the infinite brightness ui I doubt I ever will either.

Seems someone beat me to it while I was typing my post.

 

[Zatx Woopyoax]

What size glow rings are needed for this light?

 

[calipsoii]

What size glow rings are needed for this light?

You've probably already seen this thread, but under point #7 at http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=255627 it says 18mm o-rings will fit around the piston.

Here's a link to the blue ones, the site has more colors:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7319

And seriously, while you're there, get a pack of these shipped, your friends/family will love them:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1253

Cheers!

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

You could get the clip coated with cerakote to make it less noticeable. Something that small shouldn't cost you much if you're willing to wait for them to be set up for that color.

 

[flatline]

Don't carry that light with an alkaline battery. If an alkaline battery leaks inside an aluminum flashlight, you might never be able to get the battery out of the light. Only use alkaline batteries inside an aluminum light in an emergency and once you're done, pull the batteries out immediately.

So what are your options?

Start with a 4-pack of energizer lithiums.

If you use the light enough that you're swapping batteries more often than once every 2 months or so, consider getting some quality low self discharge (LSD) NiMh rechargeable cells and a decent charger. It'll pay for itself in 18 months or so.

If you find yourself swapping batteries every 3 weeks or less, then you don't need the LSD cells and can go with the cheaper regular rechargeable cells, but I wouldn't. LSD cells are just better cells. The non-LSD cells capacity will degrade much faster and towards the end of their life will actually have considerably less capacity than a similarly aged LSD cell.

Just food for thought.

--flatline

 

[John_Galt]

Nice Choice!

As far as batteries go, don't even think of alkaline. Go with Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA's. If you're a member of Sam's Club they have 12 packs of these for $20, which is the cheapest I've seen anywhere.

 

[Zatx Woopyoax]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Anyone know what size GITD ring I would need for placing under the lens? I've seen a few pictures with rings there so they are activated by the light while it is on.

Thanks again.

 

[hyperloop]

Don't carry that light with an alkaline battery. If an alkaline battery leaks inside an aluminum flashlight, you might never be able to get the battery out of the light. Only use alkaline batteries inside an aluminum light in an emergency and once you're done, pull the batteries out immediately.

So what are your options?

Start with a 4-pack of energizer lithiums.

If you use the light enough that you're swapping batteries more often than once every 2 months or so, consider getting some quality low self discharge (LSD) NiMh rechargeable cells and a decent charger. It'll pay for itself in 18 months or so.

If you find yourself swapping batteries every 3 weeks or less, then you don't need the LSD cells and can go with the cheaper regular rechargeable cells, but I wouldn't. LSD cells are just better cells. The non-LSD cells capacity will degrade much faster and towards the end of their life will actually have considerably less capacity than a similarly aged LSD cell.

Just food for thought.

--flatline

+1 on the above, i would strongly suggest just getting some sanyo eneloops (think they come in a set of 4 plus charger) and never have to worry about spare cells again. You can also order these AA cell cases to store your spares, i have 6 of these and would offer to send you one for the cost of postage but postage from singapore to anywhere in the US or Europe would make it a lot more cost effective to just order that case from DX and be done with it.

 

[gnicky11]

I am a little surprised there are no recommendations for AW 14500s. A little more expensive, but great cells.

 

[flatline]

I am a little surprised there are no recommendations for AW 14500s. A little more expensive, but great cells.

I'm always cautious about recommending Li-ion cells to someone who hasn't already done some research on them. Especially in this case where the original post indicated that they weren't interested in rechargeable cells.

I bought some 14500's to get the most out of my Quark AA, but after learning more about the risks involved (and the fact that the Quark doesn't have the proper over discharge protection), I decided to just run NiMh cells to avoid the worry. From now on, I only run Li-ion cells in lights that have the appropriate protection built in (I don't trust crushable protection circuits on the cells themselves). Fortunately, my LF5XT plays nicely with Li-ion cells, so the money spent on the cells wasn't a complete waste.

--flatline

 

[computernut]

1. I use Energizer Lithiums and Duraloops in my D10.

 

[Zatx Woopyoax]

Anyone tell me what size GITD ring to put in the bezel of this light? I understand 18mm is needed around the piston cap, but I'm looking to put one under the bezel as well so it is activated/charged when the light is on.

Thank you.