Help decide which HID to purchase

[FollowTheLight]

I'm getting ready to purchase my first HID. I'm leaning towards the Eznite 10W or the Microfire 10W T502. I'm interested in knowing which HID is built using the best components, workmanship, reliability, etc... Also, feel free to suggest other HID's.

I'll be using the light mostly for my daily walk with my dog each night (miniature dachshund). I live right next to the mountains (in Utah) and there are several coyotes, cougars, etc... that frequent the area where I walk. I would really like to light the area up in more of a "flood" and less throw.

I appreciate your input on this subject. This is my first post, but I've read hundreds of posts over the last couple of months. I own the Fenix P3D Rebel and the Fenix L2D Rebel and really like both lights. I'm looking for something with a little more power and flood to add to the collection.

Thanks for your help.

 

[FollowTheLight]

Bump

^^^ Bump ^^^

 

[iced_theater]

Re: Bump

Well I have no experience with the Microfire, but I'm currently trying out a EZnite HID and it has an adjustable reflector and would work good for your purpose. Though I'd suggest buying a lanyard as well if you went with it as the light is pretty slick.

 

[scott.cr]

I'm getting ready to purchase my first HID. I'm leaning towards the Eznite 10W or the Microfire 10W T502.

There's a great Eznite review by Ra, if you haven't seen it yet you can easily find it with the advanced search feature. There's also an Eznite passaround in the Marketplace but I haven't had my turn with it yet so I can't give you an anecdotal review.

I do have a Wolf Eyes 123X that I bought from pts-flashlights.com using the CPF member discount. It's an awesome light for the money, one of my favorites, and I have a TON of flashlights hahaha.

If you decide to go for the T502, get it from opticshq.com and register as a CPF member. You'll probably deal with Kobi, he's a great guy and the service is awesome.

 

[FollowTheLight]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

 

[kakster]

I received my Microfire T502R a couple of days ago from Fenix-store.com, and have been playing with it since.

First impressions are pretty good, with the light being machined out of good quality aluminium and finished with what seems to be a decent matt black annodize.

The shape of the body lends it self well to gripping, resembling an oval version of the Surefire M6. Its also pretty heavy for it size giving it a nice heft in the hand.

The rechargable version gives a consistant 85 minutes on a charge with the added bonus of being able to use 4 CR123s in a pinch.

The beam may not suit your needs tho, since the HID bulb gives its best when tightened down to a narrow beam. It *is* adjustable from spot to flood, but the flood beam is fairly artifacty with an almost orange centre with a purple corona. I think this is simply the nature of the HID bulb.

But even with the beam focused to a narrow spot, the spill is plenty bright.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with it, and I'm happy I chose this light for what is also my first HID. If you've got your heart set on a HID, this would make a pretty good buy.

If you're prepared to look at non HID lights, for this kind of money you can get a Surefire M6 with a beamshaper for when you need flood.

 

[FollowTheLight]

kakster,

Thanks for the information - this helps make the decision easier. I really like the fact that the T502 has an adjustable focus - nice to know how it works in "flood" mode.

Cheers.

 

[Patriot]

My only experience with Wolf-Eyes HID is with the Boxer24W. It was well built and provided a lot of bang for the buck. It's funny how the light gets gobbled up by the surroundings out in the open and if you don't need more that 60 minutes of light the 24W will really blow your doors off if you haven't seen that kind of output before. If run-time is your primary concern I think you're on the right track with the 10W. The WEs HID reflectors are pretty textured and will give you a very nice combination of throw and flood vs. say, a AE Powerlight or Xenide, that is all throw. I think the WE lights would fit your purposes well.

 

[Patriot]

This might be a little different than what you're looking for but I had to mention is because of the price. It's a heck of a deal for a new 20W.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?p=2083508#post2083508

Here are the specs:
http://batteryjunction.com/aex20.html

 

[Patriot]

The 20W Xenide at the marketplace being just dropped to $300

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?p=2083508#post2083508