Help me choose a 18650 light

[monkyboy]

So I'm a bit of a newby here and thought I would ask you guys(and gals) because I can't decide what light would be best for me.

I'm looking for a single 18650 LED light to use for everything, it will be the first flashlight I grab and will be with me when hunting/camping and doing various things in the urban environment. The light needs to have good throw to illuminate objects in fields and down roads etc. But I still want it to be useable for using around a campsite or working on a car in the dark. And it has to be bright.


So I have narrowed the choices down to 3 lights after reading a lot of reveiws

• Eagletac T20C2 MKII
• Olight M20S
• Jetbeam RRT-2

I'm also open to other suggestions.
At the moment I'm leaning towards the jetbeam but not sure that it would be the best for anything other then throw. And not sure that its the brightest. Would I be better off with the eagletac because it has a decent amount of throw and flood? It also has to be availabe from a retailer with international shipping to Australia. :twothumbs

Thanks

 

[march.brown]

Solarforce L2 with whatever dropin you desire.
I have one with a single mode for round the house ... Easier for my Wife to use ... I also have a couple of five modes with memory , but I don't like the strobe or the SOS , so I have now got the three mode dropin with memory which is a straightforward High , medium and low ... This is my preferred dropin ... All these dropins cost about £8 or so on 3bay ... The torch , without dropin is about £12 or so ... This is great value , so why not get two ... I get about two and a half hours continuous use out of the high mode with a single 18650 cell.

 

[gcbryan]

The best of both worlds would be to do as March.Brown says and get two however I would put a Thrunite 3 mode XP-G R 5 drop-in in one of them.

If you don't like crenelated bezels (I hate them) get the smooth bezel accessory for another $5.00 or so.

 

[jhc37013]

I have both the T20 MKII and RRT-2 and they are both great lights. The RRT-2 does throw better but the Eagletac is brighter in the spill. Don't get me wrong the RRT-2 still has plenty of bright spill to just not as bright as the Eagletac.

I love the output selector ring on the RRT-2 it is one of my favorite UI's. How much throw do you really need can you give the distance?

if you go with the Eagletac I would suggest the textured reflector because with the smooth their is a dark spot in the center of the beam which almost totally negates the benefit of the smooth reflector for throw, with the textured the beam is flawless. I don't think you can go wrong with either and if the Eagletac is easier for you to get I would say go for it.

 

[monkyboy]

I'm thinking that the eagletac is coming in at the top of the list.

But I'm very interested in these solarforce lights. I'm thinking about getting an L2 (or two ) and then getting a masterpiece head as well.
I think this may be the best option. That way I will have a few lights for roughly the same price and the solarforces are upgradeable and they use P60 hosts!

Does this sound like a good idea?

 

[jhc37013]

The T20 MKII is also upgradeable but it's not P60 but rather Eagletac's own screw in design rather than a drop-in. Right now all there is is the XP-G and XP-E Q4 drop-ins in either smooth or OP reflector hopefully there will be a SST-50 screw/drop-in for it sometime down the road.

 

[derangboy]

I have an RRT-2 which I feel is a nice light. However, I find the selector ring performs poorly in dusty, dirty environments and the strobe function right next to low annoys me. In retro-spec, the thirty or so additional dollars that would have put me into an HDS twisty would be well worth it. Side by side, the HDS is not as bright, but its' beam pattern still allows me to easily check horses at night from a fair distance.

 

[monkyboy]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

I think I will go with the solarforce lights. Just because they are so easy to upgrade

So I'm going to buy:
Two L2 hosts

And I need to get two P60 dropins....
And I'm thinking a thrunite XP-G R5 or a Nailbender SST-50 or XP-G R5.
Which dropin will give me the best throw. Have been searching but theres to many out there.

 

[HDS_Systems]

MonkyBoy,

You may want to consider the HDS Systems EDC Executive (or Tactical or Custom) with the 17670 battery compartment. Although not a full size 18650, it will still provide a typical 2.5 hour on the high setting - and over 3 hour before dropping below 50%.

Henry.

 

[tcr03]

id get the 4Seven Quark AA R5 and order the extra 18650 body. it would put you well under the $100 price and have many features.

it would use the 18650 battery, with the ability to switch the body back to the AA in the case of an emergency and that was the only battery around.

it goes really bright 206+ lumens and really dim .2 lumens for a low.

has strobe and beacon if you like that.

good luck with your purchase

 

[pipspeak]

Solarforce L2 with whatever dropin you desire.

+1

Cheap, indestructible and flexible... you could even buy different dropins for different duties (urban, camping etc.). I have an L2m with single-stage Thrunite XP-G and tactical clicky... it's become my most used light around the house. My next upgrade will be a nailbender SST50 :devil:

 

[gcbryan]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

I think I will go with the solarforce lights. Just because they are so easy to upgrade

So I'm going to buy:
Two L2 hosts

And I need to get two P60 dropins....
And I'm thinking a thrunite XP-G R5 or a Nailbender SST-50 or XP-G R5.
Which dropin will give me the best throw. Have been searching but theres to many out there.

I'd go with the XP-G R5 (I have the Thrunite 3 mode) and a XR-E R2 if you want something with a bit more throw.

 

[mrcandyman]

I'm loving my Solarforce L2M so far. I got the bare aluminum one and it is SOOO SEXY! I did end up sticking the XP-G single mode I got into it though because it's my work light and it just made more sense. I have an Ultrafire L2 that I put the 5 mode XR-E from the L2m into. The 2 lights have very close to the same light, but the XR-E does get a bit more throw.

Personally, I think the switch on the solarforce works best for a single mode light because it requires more force and is just harder to find the middle point on in a hurry. The Ultrafire has a softer switch which is much easier to change modes with.

I must say I'm very happy with my solarforce purchases (L2m, 2 dropins, batteries)

 

[skyfire]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

I think I will go with the solarforce lights. Just because they are so easy to upgrade

So I'm going to buy:
Two L2 hosts

And I need to get two P60 dropins....
And I'm thinking a thrunite XP-G R5 or a Nailbender SST-50 or XP-G R5.
Which dropin will give me the best throw. Have been searching but theres to many out there.

check out the solarforce L2P, its has better anodizing, and is a tad shorter.

best throw would probably be a drop-in using an XR-E or XP-E with a smooth reflector.

have you considered the jetbeam RRT-1 or dereelight for throw?

 

[monkyboy]

Ok so I have made my decision I'm going for the jetbeam rrt-2 after seeing these beam shots http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=253295
It is exactly what I am looking for.
Thanks for all the recomendations, really helped me decide on what I wanted.


And also decided to pick up a solarforce and nailbender sst-50 later on down the track. Dam this place is going to cost me a lot of money. :devil:

 

[monkeyboy]

Raptor RRT-2 is a good choice. I don't own it but I've handled one and the user interface (UI) is superb (although I'd change the position of the strobe). You might also want to consider the Fenix TK11, XP-G R5 version. It's about the same size but with a simpler UI and more efficient LED.

BTW What's with that user name? :welcome:

 

[4D223]

Olight M20, Does everything very well! It has become my EDC for work (Housing Maintenance) and play (hunting,fishing etc) Good value as well.

 

[Jack Reacher]

[...]
So I have narrowed the choices down to 3 lights after reading a lot of reviews

• Eagletac T20C2 MKII
• Olight M20S
• Jetbeam RRT-2

The "original" Olight M20 was one of the contenders on my original short list — as a first-time LED flashlight buyer.

If the M20S had been available "way back" when, then it probably would've been my torch of choice. It now has an OTF rating of 250 lumens from a 320 lumen emitter rating.

As you're in Oz, this guy is very easy to deal with, and seems happy to negotiate on price too.

http://www.jpt-australia.com/lights/olight/M20S.htm

—Happy hunting, Jack.

 

[carrot]

Malkoff MD2

 

[Light11]

Ok so I have made my decision I'm going for the jetbeam rrt-2 after seeing these beam shots http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=253295
It is exactly what I am looking for.
Thanks for all the recomendations, really helped me decide on what I wanted.


And also decided to pick up a solarforce and nailbender sst-50 later on down the track. Dam this place is going to cost me a lot of money. :devil:

Good choice,I own an RRT-2 and its one of my favorite jetbeams!