Hello everyone, and a bit of advice, please...

fenix-store
J!m

J!m

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
150
Location
Long Island / Connecticut
Hello to everyone!

I stumbled across this site last night while doing some research for a new light for myself, as well as finding a possible sponsor for an upcoming trip across the Americas we are in the planning stages for now (www.drivetheglobe.com).

As such, you are free to make suggestions regardless of price; however do understand that something like the 'tank light' that reaches Venus and reflects back is a bit outside the scope.

Now, as I have done some research on my own, I have a short list compiled. Understand that we are a vehicle based expedition company, and are not completely out in the middle of nowhere; however a reliable light is essential to innumerable tasks we might run into on a day-to-day basis. It's easy to say "give me the best" but we all know it's never that simple.

So, here's my list as of now: (in no particular order)

Surefire U2
Surefire Kroma (Mil Spec)
Inova T4 Li-Ion rechargeable
Streamlight TL-3

Considerations that went into this list are:
  • On line reviews
  • Hard anodize (for aluminum)
  • Several output levels and/or long battery life
  • rechargeable (so it's always ready)
  • [I understand that some of these are not rechargeable]
  • Vehicle mount size (3-d Mag lite size maximum)
  • Personal carry size (2-aa mag lite size)
  • Durability, reliability- in summary, no tolerance for down-time
Typically, we go for mil spec products, as their tolerance for failure is lower than mine (but not by much). I have been using Mag Lites for years, and had my share of failures for various reasons, and plan to up-grade them all to LED this year. (I also have a 6-d police-issue Mag Lite that I'd like to convert. Does anyone make a 6-d LED drop-in?)

Anyway, I have rambled along enough for now. Please give your collective knowledge to this topic so I can make the right decision for the group, and then try to get us a sponsorship from that manufacturer...

Thanks in advance to you all!
 
Welcome! I have and regularly use both a U2 and Kroma. My personal opinion is that the U2 would be a better choice than the Kroma. The U2 is a nice combination of throw and flood, and that makes it a great utility light. In addition, its selectable 6 levels of output allows you to tailor the output to your needs. In a situation where runtime matters, using the lowest setting which is still bright enough to navigate and even work by (at close range) will give you 40 hours of light from one set of cells. Some folks have had tailcal failures, but three ae also many (including mine) that have seen hard use with no issues at all.

The Kroma offers multi color output. It's low and high beam is a spot with a fair amount of spill, especially for an optic based light. It is not as bright on high as the U2. Its low white output it about 50% of the U2s white output, but the run time is actually less. In addition, navigation using low white is a bit more tricky because it's output is more throw. If you need the colored output, then the Kroma is the ticket. The colored output of the 3mm LEDs is all flood and you can easily navigate at night using them. I usually refer to the Kroma as an excellent low output tactical light. That's where it really shines.

Many people here like the TL-3. If memory serves me correctly that is a bi pin bulb that can come loose and thus go dark if the light is dropped. I believe it is also mostly good for throw.

The Inova lights are rock solid. I have an older optic based XO3. The Inova's lag behind a bit in output and run time, but if durability is your primary concern there is little to go wrong here. Inova is going to be updating some lights and releasing new ones, including some mil-spec lights this year.

To summaraize.....

Flexibility, best utility, best run time on very useable low, and very dependable = U2

Flexibility, colored wide flood output, and extremely dependable = Kroma

Rock solid construction and extremely dependable = Inova

TL-3 = Probably the best thrower of the bunch. Only light that uses a standard bulb, so potential bulb failures are an issue
 
Welcome...note the Fenix T1 and Fenix P3D. Good place for them is here. "Regardless of price" means you might want to consider these excellent lower price options as well....
 
J!m, I will let others that are much more knowlegeable than I answer your questions... I wanted to welcome you to CPF, and tell you that you came to the right place to get your questions answered. I have been to your web site and looked around, looks very interesting to say the least!!! I am surprised you do not already have a flashlight sponsor...

:welcome:
 
Agree that the U2 would be more useful than the Kroma. I used a TL-3 for years; it's a great light, small for what it does with great throw, but issues with bulb loosening through O-ring problems would make me hesitant to use it for long term heavy use in rugged conditions. Although it's heavy beyond it's utility, I would consider a Fenix T-1 to replace the TL-3. No bulb issues, an indestructible light with good runtime, and puts out as much light as the TL-3 with one less battery. And you could use R123's if you wanted. Not that the TL-3 is not a great light, but you would be forced to carry some spare bulbs if you used it heavily...and there is one stored in the light itself, which might help....but the T-1 is an impressive light. It also has two output levels, with long battery life on the regular mode.
 
nerdgineer said:
Welcome...note the Fenix T1 and Fenix P3D. Good place for them is here. "Regardless of price" means you might want to consider these excellent lower price options as well....
Click to expand...

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and the fast response!

And yes, regardless of price means that low and high price should be considered.

Hell, I'm all for "bang for the buck"; however one thing (such as the hard anodize) is something I cannot compromise on, based on my experience (this only applied to an aluminum body, of course).

Keep the info coming! It looks like I will spend another night of research tonight...:thinking:
 
J!m, just my 2 lumens worth, you will get alot of good advice on LED lights just by coming here. Please consider taking along at least 1 incan light also, something along the lines of a Surefire G2, (brite and compact), because all lighting needs arn't at night, during the day with all of the ambient light around sometimes a incan light better, good reason to have one around.

Chuck
 
GreySave said:
My personal opinion is that the U2 would be a better choice than the Kroma. The U2 is a nice combination of throw and flood, and that makes it a great utility light. Some folks have had tailcal failures, but three ae also many (including mine) that have seen hard use with no issues at all.
Click to expand...

This sounds good to me...

GreySave said:
The Kroma offers multi color output. It's low and high beam is a spot with a fair amount of spill, especially for an optic based light. It is not as bright on high as the U2. Its low white output it about 50% of the U2s white output, but the run time is actually less. In addition, navigation using low white is a bit more tricky because it's output is more throw. If you need the colored output, then the Kroma is the ticket. The colored output of the 3mm LEDs is all flood and you can easily navigate at night using them. I usually refer to the Kroma as an excellent low output tactical light. That's where it really shines.
Click to expand...

Actually, a single color (red) low-output LED would be fine for my map-reading-in-the-dark type of tasks...

GreySave said:
Many people here like the TL-3. If memory serves me correctly that is a bi pin bulb that can come loose and thus go dark if the light is dropped. I believe it is also mostly good for throw.
Click to expand...

This, obviously is unnacceptable. Mini (AA-size) mag lites suffer from this as well. I may need to throw a light a reasonably far distance to another person (say two car lengths or so) and have it hit without incident if not caught...

GreySave said:
The Inova lights are rock solid. I have an older optic based XO3. The Inova's lag behind a bit in output and run time, but if durability is your primary concern there is little to go wrong here. Inova is going to be updating some lights and releasing new ones, including some mil-spec lights this year.
Click to expand...

This bears further scrutiny for me...
 
(OK, don't mess up this time, lost three long posts to my stupidity)

The Fenix Lights should be fine, then can take quite a beating. I would suggest the P3D-CE Q5 or the L2D-CE Q5/Rebel 100. It would be easier to find AA batteries then CR123 batteries. 8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8".

Instead of the T4(unless you are waiting for the current gen LED one), I would get another light. If you want cradle charging, the Pelican 7060 would be a brighter option.

For something maglite sized, I would recommend a Multi LED setup, like the 1500 lumen WiseED Tactical(make sure it is the Seoul P4 U-bin version, that is the brighter one), or a HID setup like the Warrior III.

For the maglite you have now, if you want the brightest single LED drop-in, malkoffdevices would be it. You can also make mods or send it to someone else to modify the light for you. The Dereelight DBS(along with other LED throwers, the DBS being the best throwing) will throw further then the Malkoffdevices though.

2 Car lengths should be no problem for even the previous gen LEDs.

I'd recommend reading the Welcome Mat to get you up to speed(if you haven't read it already of course).

:welcome:
 
WOW! The information is pouring in.

I certainly came to the right place!

This evening I will put together a list (a poll perhaps?) of all the suggestions with the votes for each. BUT, more than the opinions of everyone, I most value the real-life experiences of you guys, the users of these lights. Don't be afraid to tell me the bad stuff too- I need to know it all!

Remember, the light chosen will then be the basis of a sponsorship (attempt) campaign by me on behalf of Drive the Globe, and we will have more than one light among the group I would hope... Failure is certainly inconvenient, but I will not be alone with one light to survive on, so a failure is perhaps a bit less critical than I may have made it out to be earlier (but it is the 21st century and we should be able to make a good light by now).

Currently I carry at least three mag lites in my truck: 2X 3-D mag lites (one on each side of the cab, for driver and passenger) and the 6-D mag lite in the rear of the truck. In addition, there are normally 2X headlights and at least one AA-mag light floating around. These will be converted to the Mag-LED conversion (still no info on the 6-D lite conversion)

All that being said, I do not typically carry a light on my person daily; if I am likely to need one I have one in hand (or pocket)...

Thanks again, guys! This is going great!:twothumbs
 
Also, it would help us to narrow our suggestions down if you answer these questions as well:

Do you have specific size preferences?

Do you have a preferred batter chemistry? (Some research may be necessary)

Do you have a preferred switch type? There are several, all with pros and cons.

NB:
If you're looking for extreme durability, LED based lights are a good choice. However, don't assume that just because a light has an LED instead of an incandescent lamp, it will be foolproof. The quality of construction matters as well.

Oh, and :welcome: Please keep us updated about your adventure. It sounds like a great time.
 
That looks like an interesting mod; however I decided based on other's advice (and availability issues) that I will keep the 6D Mag Lie essentially stock (I will go with LED drop-ins on my 3D mags however).

I am now giving serious consideration to using a new 4D bulb in the 6D light to get that bulb glowing brighter. (6V rated bulb running on 9V).

How do we think this will hold up? Will the bulb last at least as long as the batteries, or will I have a rather expensive flash bulb with a long doorstop attached? This is a 50% over voltage, but the resistance will increase with heat, so maybe it will be OK?

I will stick with the standard alkaline batteries to power the club, if that matters...

Off to Wal Mart now for LED drop-ins and maybe a bulb for the 6D club...
 
I've got 2 words for you:

Head
Lamp

you mention needing a light for all the possible "tasks" that are bound to pop up... how many of those tasks can be done with 1 hand easily? Would having 2 hands free and light wherever you look be worth looking geeky?

Check out the headlamp section of the forum and see what's hip.

Other than that- I just wanted to point out that a Mil spec finish on an aluminum light does not make the aluminum much if any stronger, it's still a soft metal, the finish only keeps the light from being nicked and scratched by other hard sharp objects. The reliability of a flashlight has little to nothing to do with the finish on the aluminum. The quality of the switch is probably the #1 issue that should be considered as that is the most likely component of any flashlight to fail, even SureFires have their fair share of switch failures.

oh, and WELCOME TO CPF!
 
Thanks for the idea, and yes, headlamps are quite prominent in the trucks. I have two Wal-Mart specials (LED equipped) that were quite cheap. They work great, but one has a dead white LED now (originally with two white and one red LED). These will probably be Petzl in the future...

Oh, and the update on the latest trip to Wally World this evening...

I went in to get LED drop-ins for my old 3D mag lites and they only had one there. So, I grabbed that (and a Valentines Day card- DON'T FORGET!) and was out the door.

When I got home I grabbed the two lights from the truck and brought them inside. I tested them both: both were working but one was definitely brighter than the other (old batteries, and cold weather lately). I took the DIMMER of the two and replaced the bulb with the LED. (super-simple by the way) and now this dead-battery old Mag Lite is brighter than the one with the good batteries! (and brighter by nearly 100%!)

I'm impressed. I knew the LED would increase battery life but the light output is just great. I will get another drop-in when they come back in stock (or at the next retailer I'm in).

If you are on the fence as I was just a few hours ago, JUMP! Do it! This has to be the best 'bang for the buck' mod to a light you most likely already have anyway. Highly recommended!

One caveat: The light pattern from the LED is decidedly less 'broad' no matter where you set the reflector. It goes from intense spot to donut in about one turn and then back again as you continue to turn the reflector. Not a big deal for me, but I thought I'd mention it. Since I took an obsolete flashlight with dead batteries and made it at least competitive with the current offerings for under $20.00 is pretty good in my book.

Will this negate my need for a "true" super LED light? HELL no. BUT, I'm sure you will not be able to replicate this for under $20.00 out-of-pocket either...
 
Guess what, with this simple mod(well relatively simple), you can double the output of that drop-in.

The one problem I've heard about MagLED drop-in(besides the lack of heatsinking) is the LED popping out from a strong impact or repeated impact.
 
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