Is there a light brighter than Pelican M6 2390?

[Lithp]

Is there such a light that is as bright or brighter than a Pelican M6 2390 3W?

I have been lurking the forums off and on for quite some time now. Lots of good information is coming in from everywhere! Unfortunately I am not all that tech savvy when it comes to this stuff. So my question is as posted above.

Or is there a light the same size or a little bigger that is the brightest? Is it a 5W? 7W? light?

In my line of work (LEO) I use my flashlight constantly. I would like to have a compact light roughly the size of the Pelican (so that it fits on my duty belt) that is as bright as possible.

SO.... what is the brightest? Tell me and I will buy it.

thx

Edit: oh. Throw/flood...I'm not too picky. I do vehicle and house searches alot so flooding the area with light is necessary. But I also would like to have good throw. If I had to choose I would say I prefer throw over flood. Of course a good mix would be awesome. I just want the best light there is.

 

[Brighteyez]

One of the long time favorites in that department is probably still the Streamlight Stinger. While there is a LED version out now, the incandescent version is still brighter and will throw farther than the LEDs. The Stinger is a bit larger, more like the length of the M3. The Streamlight Strion would be about the same size as the M6 and would be considerably brighter and throw farther; it's also rechargeable.

There are also a number of incandescent 2 x CR123 lights from companies like Streamlight, Surefire, and Pelican that are suitable for use in the public safety arena that will be brighter and throw farther than the 2390.

You should be able to use any of the 2xCR123 lights or the Strion in the same leather that you're using for the M6.

Is there such a light that is as bright or brighter than a Pelican M6 2390 3W?

 

[cratz2]

The Strion is great. Another one to consider if you don't need the convenient rechargeable feature of the Strion is the Streamlight TL-3. It's probably three times as bright as the M6 and throws three times as far/well. Batteries last about half as long, assuming primary CR123As, but there are rechargeable options that don't sacrifice throw or brightness at all.

If you are 100% set on an LED, the LumaPower M1 Hunter is just about the king of the reasonably-priced LED lights right now. Check out the review here compared to the 2390 here.

The M1 is a 2-stage light and even on low, it's as bright and throws as well as the 2390. High is more than twice the throw and twice the brightness and if you are interested in and/or allowed to use 18650 LiIon cells, the runtime is crazy!

The 2390 is awesome and I remember the mild frenzy when it came out. It is still a very usable light but for someone interested in more brightness and esp more throw, most of the Cree lights are well beyond its abilities.

 

[irjws]

Electrolumens has the brightest LED's that I am aware of.

 

[jsr]

I've read that the PentagonLight L2 is a bit brighter than the PM6, but likely not enough of a difference to justify picking one up. In your line of work, I'd assume you need momentary on functionality, which many of the very bright LED lights current lack as most are made in Asia where reverse clickies are abundant and standard clickies with momentary are virtually non-existant.

The upcoming Surefire L5 is 120 lumens out the front and similar size to your PM6 (2cell also). It's not out yet though, so I'm not sure how long you can wait for a new light. It has momentary since it's US made.

You may also want to look into Wolf-Eyes lights. Their xenon lights offer similar (if not slightly better) output to Streamlight, Surefire, Pelican, and PentagonLight xenons. They also offer a Cree LED drop-in that is a bright LED option. Wolf-Eyes lights have momentary on.

 

[Lithp]

Interesting. Thanks for the replies. many points came up that I didn't consider. First, I am not too concerned about purchasing batteries as they are purchased for us. Although I still by my own 123's from batterystation just in case there are none in the box when i get to work.

Second, I prefer LED. I just like the colour of light better.

Third, While I like the Strion and many of my coleagues have one at work, i am not a big fan of rechargeables. With my 2390 I can just throw in a fresh set of batteries and off we go.

Fourth, another good point that was brought up was I do need a tail clicky with momentary on.

I guess I should have been a little more specific. Thanks for the observations and tips.

The L5 sure does look nice

But isn't there a 7 or 10 watt LED flashlight out there yet that is super bright with my specs?

Don't get me wrong. I love my Pelican M6 2390. Like I said, I use it constantly. I am always stopping vehicles at night and lurking in dark places.
I'm just always looking for the brightest and the best.

But then again aren't we all?

 

[jsr]

The 7W, 10W, 18W, 1bajillionWatt lights are just marketing crap. Virtually all of them are LuxIIIs or K2s that are heavily overdriven. They are bright, but not any brighter than lights that use the latest Cree XR-E, SSC P4, and Edison Edixeon LEDs. They're brighter than the standard LuxIII offerings though, but that's because they're really driving the (same) LEDs very hard.

As I mentioned, most of the lights with the latest gen LEDs are asian-made and thus have reverse clickies (no momentary on, only momentary off). If you're unable to wait for the SF L5, my best recommendation to you would be to pick up a SF 6P, Z2, or C2 or a Wolf-Eyes 6-series light and buy one of the Cree XR-E drop-in modules from Litemania (Solatek), Wolf-Eyes, or Lighthound. That will provide you with over 100 lumens of LED output out the front end, brighter than your PM6, and won't cost that much depending on what the base light you choose is. The Wolf-Eyes do have momentary clickies which is nice.

Then when the new SF L5 comes out, you could always pick that up too and use the Cree XR-E drop-in light you picked up earlier as a backup.

Good luck.

 

[Gunner12]

+1 on the Lumapower
On high it is quite bright and throws a fare distance.
Reviews on both lights: Pelican and the Lumapower
These are for the Lumapower
FYI: the Lumapower can use two CR123 batteries
Rechargeble batteries here(BatteryJunction) or here(Dealextreme,much longer shipping time)
And charger here(BatteryJunction) or here(Dealextreme)
You can also find batteries here on CPF by AW and probabily chargers too.

This is only if you need it now. Like jsr said, the chinese lights only have Reverse Clickies which means the flashlight only turns on when you release the button after clicking.

Good luck finding what you want, and you can always ask for Custom flashlights.

 

[LED_Thrift]

As jsr stated above the statement "8 Watt light" (etc.) is just marketing crap. Almost all are not nearly as well made and as durable as a Pelican. If you are going to use it everyday, stick to well respected brands like Pelican, Streamlight or Surefire. There are probably a few others also. They are the ones that will stand up to everyday use. You may be able to find a light that can run on a rechargable pack OR primary batteries.

 

[cratz2]

Yeah, I think for now, the way to go if you want throw is Cree or SSC and if you want a floodier beam, an L5. The Crees tend to be more effecient and have less issues with heat.

The M1 really seems to be the value light to beat right now for someone wanting a throw-oriented light. I know you said you prefer primaries, and that's fine. But this particular light gives much better runtimes with rechargeables because of being able to fit the 18650 vs the considerably smaller 17670 cell many 2x123 lights fit. But primaries run it just fine... better than the LiIon cell in fact.

And I'm not 100% sure, but I think it comes with two sets of tail cap innards... One that is the 2 stage which I don't think has momentary, and another tactical with momentary capabilities.

But if you are willing to pony up the $$$ for the L5 and you get help with the batteries, then not many that have used one would try to steer you away from it. But the M1 definately looks like it throws better.

 

[slim shady]

'http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=147729

 

[Lithp]

Thanks to everyone for all your help and advice. Like I said before, I love my Pelican so far. The L5 has definately got my interest now.

As for the 7W,10W thing well.... I guess I was just hoping for a technological breakthrough in LED technology by now. It seems that 3W LEDs have been the norm for quite some time now. Even though they are getting better, with the way innovation has been steaming along now I would have thought there would have been LED flashlights with phenominal light output by now. I guess we can only wait. I am ignorant in the field of LED technology. I guess it's showing

Thanks again everyone!

 

[o0o]

The 2390 is a perfect candidate for a Cree emitter IMO.

I love the 2390... its probably the best bang for the buck, and I actually use it more than many of my Surefires.

However, it could be better if the standard emitter was a Cree.

 

[ADDICTED2LITE]

You can get a surefire 6P or 9P and a Cree drop-in for it. I've have both and prefer the 9P for its slightly larger feel. Both will fit a holster designed for the 2390 as long as the holster isn't an enclosed holster. The 9P also has a bunch of options as far as bulbs for far greater output than the LED. The surefire comes with a momentary switch but you can get a momentary clicky switch for it. Many, many options for the surefires.