Highest Lumens on one 18650?

[zip]

I'm looking for a compact LED Flashlight that takes a 18650 rechargable battery.

All suggestions welcomed.

Thanks!

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

I'm looking for a compact LED Flashlight that takes a 18650 rechargable battery.

All suggestions welcomed.

Thanks!

Dereelight DBS v2 or RaidFire Spear. These are not the most compact but are probably the brightest in this class.

 

[FirstDsent]

All lights using an 18650 will be the size of a light using two CR123s. The best way to make a light compact, is to use a twisty head instead of a tailcap switch. However, I'm not aware of any really bright 2 X CR123 or 1 X 18650 lights like that. Therefore, your light will have to be roughly the same size as all the 2 x CR123 lights. If you want compact, you may find one without a wide head though.

A light running one LiIon battery is very capable of driving an LED at the practical maximum of 1000mA. So you should look for a light using a Cree XR-E Q5 bin making around 230 lumens. I know they're out there, but I don't have the time to do the looking for you.

If anyone knows of a twisty light like a Fenix P1 with a longer body for an 18650, I would be interested too.

Bernie

 

[LEDninja]

:welcome:
There are not that many 18650 lights that do not have a big head. More in the 2xCR123A size.
This is not available yet but will be one of the most compact:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=194979

 

[KeyGrip]

Elektrolumens FireLion. 580ish lumens. http://elektrolumens.com/FireLion/FireLion-III.html

I believe the Peak First Responder will also run on one 18650, it should be in the vicinity of 400 lumens.

 

[Marduke]

Fenix is working on a 18650 light. Hopefully it will be in a P3D style

 

[WadeF]

Dereelight DBS v2 or RaidFire Spear. These are not the most compact but are probably the brightest in this class.

These lights generate a high LUX value as they are designed to throw, but they don't really put out any more lumens than other lights driving a Q5 or R2 Cree at 1A or more. I can move a pill from a DBS to a CL1H and it's still the same lumens, the CL1H will just have a larger and less intense hot spot, more spill, etc.

The new DX P7 light may put out a lot of lumens from a 18650, but there aren't too many reports or reviews about the light just yet. I've seen one review so far.

 

[Chronos]

There are limitations on the amount of draw a protected 18650 can handle before tripping its protection.

I have a high-draw custom LED light putting out in the neighborhood of 800 lumens, but it requires the use of an a123 cell.

Depending upon your desired price range there are many choices for 18650-based lights. You can move up to utilizing Surefire heads on custom 18650 bodies (such as the Leef bodies at LightHound.com). There are also several Chinese made lights, as mentioned earlier. You can even search for a custom McGizmo HD45 running one of the rare X-bins... what a light.

Also, some of us believe that the way the lumens are managed are at least as important as overall output (ok, lumen management is more important).

Do you want a light with throw? Spill? A floodlight? There are many questions to ponder to identify your specific requirements.

Hope this helps!

 

[glockboy]

RaidFire Spear.

 

[bondr006]

I carry this Milky modded U2(U2by2). It rides in the side pocket of my carpenter jeans, or in my jacket pocket. It takes one 18650, and puts out 500+ lumen on high. It has 6 easy to change(selector ring), useful levels in all...From a nice useful low...All the way up to Nuclear

20 Feet in a darkened hallway

40 to 50 feet to the corner of the fence

 

[olrac]

Fenix is working on a 18650 light. Hopefully it will be in a P3D style

Yeah, I have been wondering when we might see a sneak peek of it or at least some teaser info.

 

[jumpstat]

Welcome to CPF ZIP!,

Whats your budget? Usually a light that uses 18650 is much bigger compared to those using smaller batteries. When it come to high lumens lights, custom is the way to go. Look around the custom forums and the custom B/S/T and see for yourselve what is available at the moment...

 

[Marduke]

Yeah, I have been wondering when we might see a sneak peek of it or at least some teaser info.

Hopefully 4sevens will come back with some awesome pictures from his trip to the Fenix factory in China. Too bad we won't find out until late next week.

 

[bondr006]

When it come to high lumens lights, custom is the way to go. Look around the custom forums and the custom B/S/T and see for yourselve what is available at the moment...

Yeah. There is the Gotham by Leef and Milkyspit that's a nice compact high output 18650 light.

Gotham Thread

 

[Yapo]

maybe one of those dx/kd P7 might work?

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

How about an Xtar Cree P4 light. It's more compact than most of the 18650 lights and only $25. It isn't the brightest but the beam goes a long way.

 

[zip]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions! :wave:

I will be using the flashlight mostly for jogging at night.
I know it sounds strange but that's when I like to run. :shrug:
Headlamps are not and option for me.

I like Bondr006's light, but I've never modified.
I would rather just buy post modified.

So I'll be researching and lurking.

Thanks again! :thumbsup:

 

[270winchester]

Elektrolumens FireLion. 580ish lumens. http://elektrolumens.com/FireLion/FireLion-III.html

that would be my guess as well. Too bad all the people suggesting the "throwers" probably have never heard of it.

i believe that as soon as Wayne ramps up the tooling for a single P7 DD on a 18760 or (maybe) a C sized body in a Firelion sized light, it wold pretty much be the light of the year for me.

for those who have never seen a firelion, it's built for a 10w LED, trust me.

 

[Zenster]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions! :wave:

I will be using the flashlight mostly for jogging at night.
I know it sounds strange but that's when I like to run. :shrug:
Headlamps are not and option for me.

I like Bondr006's light, but I've never modified.
I would rather just buy post modified.

So I'll be researching and lurking.

Thanks again! :thumbsup:

The most compact I think you're going to get with an 18650 would probably something like the Deree CL1H. I'd recommend getting it with the 3SD module so you have choices of 3 power levels (and therefore runtimes). I'd also go with the OP refector and forget the SM. It's much more useful with the OP in it.

At $85, you can't go wrong, and with two or three 2600mah 18650 batteries, you won't spend a nickle on it for years once you're all set up.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=173730

 

[Gunner12]

The brightest woul be something that direct drivers a Seoul P7, but I haven't seen any good stock ones yet.

The brightest stock one might be the FireLion. It's more of a floody light though.

:welcome: