Girlfriend wants the Brightest flashlight that will fit in pocket.

[bstrickler]

If you pick a 18650 light in the end, just make sure it can take CR123s/16340. Some 18650 lights like SC600 don't. You want her knocking on your door with fire in her loins, not on them.

Fixed that

On a serious note, though...

I EDC a Surefire U2 in my pants, and have no problem with it.
The biggest decider is a few things...

Does she wear those pants that have shallow pockets? If so, then a Solarforce L2m with ManaFont's SKU 5720 with an IMR 16340 would be your best bet, although the problem would be a VERY short runtime (about 6 minutes on high).

If not, then look at the 4Sevens Quark CR123^2 turbo for $70 ($35 if you use coupon code "VOTE2012" before November 6th)

 

[roadkill1109]

Jetbeam PA10 1xAA 650 lumens - nothing is brighter than this on a 14500 cell.

 

[juandajuan]

Jetbeam PA10 1xAA 650 lumens - nothing is brighter than this on a 14500 cell.

surely you do have this. ENVY:devil:

 

[Dubois]

I cant recommend this enough. Try out the Klarus xt11. 600lm on one 18650 but 850lm on 2 rcr123's. Check out selfbuilts review on the xt11.

I'm puzzled why anyone recommends 2 rcr123's for a light where the manufacturer clearly states "use of 16340 batteries is not recommended". It's a nice light, but the 600lm drops to 70% after just 3 minutes. I'd go for the SC600.

 

[roadkill1109]

surely you do have this. ENVY:devil:

Haha! I passed on this light. Need modes too! It would be hard to have to switch cells to change modes. I spoke to Jetbeam about why this light had no modes, it was because the led was being driven so hard, the driver was unstable to switch modes so they abandoned it altogether so now when the light has a 14500, it turns into a directly driven circuit hence the 650 lumen output. But you can't keep it at high for long because the light gets too hot to hold. Plus the cell should be a protected cell because it could blow up due to being driven too hard.

So PA10 650 lumens, absolute max lumens you can still buy today in a tiny 14500/AA light.

If you want a safe 14500 light, most are in the 400-500 lumen range and still retain their modes. The Quark AA XML 14500 is such an example. One of the best EDC's out there. I never leave home without it.

There are 700+ and 1000+ lumens flashlights in a tiny package, but these run on 18350's which have slightly more capacity and can stand more load. But these rare lights have since been phased out and faded into memory.

 

[moozooh]

I would avoid having your gf run unsafe cell configurations (such as two lithium-based cells like CR123s in series) if she doesn't know the risks very well and isn't prepared to handle them. So it's either (multi-)AA or a single lithium.

Not sure what exactly is too thick in your case, but ZebraLight SC600 and ThruNite Scorpion v2 are the two 1×18650 lights that do 750 lm and are reasonably compact for their brightness. The SC600 is an efficient floody light while the Scorpion is an exceptional thrower. Both are highly favored here.

 

[Wacki]

I would avoid having your gf run unsafe cell configurations (such as two lithium-based cells like CR123s in series) if she doesn't know the risks very well and isn't prepared to handle them.

What are the risks? I've been running lithium for a while and never had a problem. As long as you use protected batteries and good chargers you are OK right?

 

[HaileStorm]

I'm puzzled why anyone recommends 2 rcr123's for a light where the manufacturer clearly states "use of 16340 batteries is not recommended". It's a nice light, but the 600lm drops to 70% after just 3 minutes. I'd go for the SC600.

It's not recommended. Meaning you can still use those cells for sheer output. I'd read selfbuilt's review for more info

Anyway, with regards to the 3mins on turbo, it's long enough. You did keep in mind that it is a tactical flashlight after all, right?

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