I am new and don't know anything and need help.

Scorpion1080

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Messages
31
Location
Australia
Hey guys. Sorry to be posting a thread like this. You probably get them all the time. I have tried searching but have not come across anything specific to my needs.

Basically I am after an LED light. I will be using it for work on a daily/nightly basis. I need something extremely bright with good throw yet, if possible, smallish in size.

I will be able to write it off in tax to price is not too much of a concern.

I need as much intense light as possible for a distance of 19.4 metres.
Basically I need to be able to walk around a 747 and other aircraft and have a good light on any part of the plane to be able to see things which should not be there.

So do you guys have any suggestion for an LED which has good throw and good output?
 
As to define the size. I have a surefire L7 which I currently use and love.
So anything the size of the surefire L7 or smaller.

The L7 is great but it has a very wide beam.

Also, as for batteries, it does not really bother me what type of batteries it uses as most batteries these days can be found in a rechargeable form.
 
Fenix L2D-CE.

Uses ordinary AA cells, 100+ lumens, nice balance between throw and spill, excellent build quality, and only costs about $55 US (which means that you can buy several spares for the same price as one Surefire U2! :D)
 
The Surefire A2 Aviator was originally designed for the job you are describing. It is a hybrid incandecent/led light with full regulation for the incandecent. I don't know how it stacks up to the new led's, but I'm sure it still does a fine job at what it was designed for.

There is also a thread here started by js that describes the virtues of the A2, can't seem to find it this morning with the search function.
 
Thanks for taking your time to reply guys. Appreciate it.

A couple more questions.

1) I looked though that cree XR-E thread and a few caught my attention. What is the Lumapower M1 like as a flashlight? The build quality, throw, etc?

I know surefire has probably got the best reputation around and I love my L7 to bits but with more manufactors and lots of people here making their own is the gap in quality still large?


Also, I had a look at the Surefire aviator and that is what I was originally going to get, but I know it has been around for a few years and know LED's have really advanced in that time. That is why I am asking around.

Also, I had a look at the fenix and it seems really good, I will wait to see what other people recommend before I chose the flashlight for me though.

Thanks guys.

Thanks for helping out guys.
 
I sure like the idea of the L2D-CE also. It take normal batteries, it's twice as bright as the SF Aviator, and has great runtime.
 
welcome to cpf...

some advice, don't do pre-pays and do your research into dangers of li-ion usage before purchasing.
 
You could always try a ProPoly.

The Huntlight FT-01XSE Cree has about the same throw (point brightness) as the ProPoly, but a wider beam angle gives it a much larger spot.

The L2D-CE and A2 also sound like good choices, but I don't know about the U2. "Wall of light" is nice, but it's not throw. I don't think it fits the OP's requirements.
 
Is reliability more important to you than brightness & runtime?

At this point there are still no high-volume flashlight producers with a rock solid reputation for absolute top notch build quality [Surefire, Inova, Peak, ....] that use the new, brighter and more efficient Cree/Seoul LEDs, so you have to decide if reliability or brightness + runtime are more important.

I'm not saying that the other lights are bad or un-reliable, just that they don't yet have the same reputation as the more established companies. There are very good lights that use the newer LEDs, but they may not have the very high level of reliability that lights from the mentioned companies do. I'm not sure how rough your light will be handled - rain, cold, vibration etc.

You may want to get an L2d-CE or Lumapower M1 or Huntlight Cree [forgot model designation, but I think it has the most throwy beam of these three] now, which will probably hold up OK, and will have enough output. If in time the light is not performing - by then some of the compainies with a better quality reputation will have Cree based lights.
 
GeorgePaul said:

Sort of. Yes, that is the second thread. JS points to his original thread in his opening post you linked to.

Thanks for digging that one up. While there have been many improvements in technology, I believe the A2 is still at the top as far as a regulated incandecent. I wonder if there is a benefit of incandecent light for this kind off application?
 
Consider the new Lumapower M1 Cree (see Lumapower in the Manufacturer's corner) with 2 x AW's protected 18650's and a DSD charger (see AW's Li Ion batteries thread, Dealer's corner).

Very bright, good throw, now includes a holster, focussable beam and great runtime - this setup with the two batteries will run all night!

$99 for the light (shipping included) from Lumapower, and $38 plus shipping (about $6.50) for the batteries and charger together from AW. Should suit perfectly. Good luck!
 
Hi scorpion, welcome to CPF.

You have already an L7. This is a quality light, in make,performance and reliability. Obviously my recommendations would be for another Surefire, and the A2 comes to mind. Its smaller compared to L7 and also was designed for pilots hence 'aviator'. By no means other makes have their pros and cons. As for me having used Surefires I find it difficult to turn to other makes. It doesn't mean that others are not good. Its just me...my 3 cents
 
Welcome to CPF.

Probably you've been lurking here for a while before you posted but it is still possible that you don't know about flashlightreviews.com : there.
This is one of the best source of information you can find on flashlights.
 
Last edited:
scorpion: I somehow don't think that LED light would be ideal for your application since I believe they cause too much glare especially on lightly coloured surfaces.
 
jumpstat said:
As for me having used Surefires I find it difficult to turn to other makes. It doesn't mean that others are not good. Its just me...my 3 cents

Same here. I also find the reverse clickie switches on all Chinese lights are a real turn off (no pun intended) :laughing:
 
For preflight inspection on large aircraft throw is pretty important. I'vce spoken with a number of people, both military and civilian, pilots and gound crew, who work around big jets and they're always concerned about being able to throw a bright spot on the vertical stabilizer 50-60' high. All of the lights mentioned are excellent but not all have an especially good throw.

I'd consider some of the following(from smallest to largest):
LumaPower D-Mini
LumaPower M1
Inova T3
Inova T4 (rechargeables)

The LumaPower lights are considerably brighter than the Inovas.
 
Top