LED Flashlight @ $400

[apjohnson73]

Hi All,

I've decided to treat myself to a new .308 and an LED flashlight, have the first one sorted however i'm struggling with the flashlight. Currently I have a couple small flashlights (tk11 r2, e2d, ta21) but i'm after somthing a good bit bigger, tactical with a long beam and high power, not really after flood if I can get away with it just a tight beam, also I would like them to take rechargables so I can get a long run time out of it.

I am pretty new to the fascination of flashlight collection but getting addicted and would like someones advice on what to look out for.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

Andy

 

[run4jc]

Jetbeam M1X is large, but offers what you ask for. Get the extender and you can run 18650 rechargeables - take an extra set or two and you are able to run on 'high' for a long time. Lower settings last much longer, of course. Without the extender 18500s will give as much brightness with slightly shorter run times. I lots of lights, but for maximum reach I always go for my Jetbeam....see here for reviews. Oh, and it is less than $150 - add in some batteries and you are well below $200...

:welcome:

 

[apjohnson73]

Thanks for that, it looks a really nice flashlight and a steal at that price. I hear a few people say you have to be careful when recharging the 18650's are they pretty safe with a good charger?

 

[mdocod]

I think something like the M1X sounds like a solid recomendation.

Use a quality charger like the Pila IBC and do some due diligence to get some respectable protected 18650 cells and you should be pretty well off.

 

[duboost]

Thanks for that, it looks a really nice flashlight and a steal at that price. I hear a few people say you have to be careful when recharging the 18650's are they pretty safe with a good charger?

here's a very informative thread on li-ions :thumbsup:

 

[apjohnson73]

:twothumbsThanks guys, really appreciate all the advice your giving.

 

[Mjolnir]

With that high of a budget, you might want to look into an HID light instead. You could get a decent 24 or 35 watt HID that would be MUCH brighter than most LED lights. It will definitely have much more throw, as LED lights that approach 2000-3000 lumens usually use multiple LEDs/Dies and are therefore mostly flood. You could get a "flashlight" form factor HID light with a lithium ion battery pack.

You stated that you wanted a light a fair bit bigger, and most 24-35 watt HID flashlights are a little bigger than a 3D maglite. They are a lot more impressive than any LED lights in that price range in terms of sheer output and throw.

 

[LG&M]

What rifle are you getting. .308 is a great round.

 

[saabluster]

With that high of a budget, you might want to look into an HID light instead. You could get a decent 24 or 35 watt HID that would be MUCH brighter than most LED lights. It will definitely have much more throw, as LED lights that approach 2000-3000 lumens usually use multiple LEDs/Dies and are therefore mostly flood. You could get a "flashlight" form factor HID light with a lithium ion battery pack.

You stated that you wanted a light a fair bit bigger, and most 24-35 watt HID flashlights are a little bigger than a 3D maglite. They are a lot more impressive than any LED lights in that price range in terms of sheer output and throw.

Or a DEFT.:poke:It is close to his $400 request at $425. It throws farther than any HID that I know of that is the same size and even some larger 35W HIDs. It runs off of normal AAs including rechargeable ones without having to worry about li-ion "issues". It does not have the HID warm-up time or need to allow the lamp to rest in between turning on and off. The only area HIDs of similar size beats the DEFT is in flood. Since he does not seem too concerned about flood the DEFT would seem to fit the bill and then some.

 

[apjohnson73]

thanks for the advice guys, i've been looking at the HID, but wondered how roust they are and if they can take a knock??

Yeah .308 and .338 my 2 favoured rounds, i have a AI AW and getting a Unique Alpine...

 

[apjohnson73]

That Deft looks great and has one hell of a throw on it, thanks for the heads up on that i'll do some reading on it.

 

[Mjolnir]

HID's have no filament like incadescent lights do. They are essentially as durable as LED lights in most respects. They also have much longer bulb lives than incandescent bulbs (although they don't last as long as LEDs, but they still last for 1,000+ hours).

The DEFT is a good option, but on the more expensive side. Although the normal one is all spot and no spill at all, there is also a diffusion lens available which apparently adds some flood(ish) capability (obviously saabluster can elaborate on this way more than I can).

An HID will give you both throw and flood. Depending on the model it could have a shorter range than the DEFT< but it could also cost a bit less. With the DEFT you only have 200-300 lumens to work with, but with an HID you have 10 times that. I personally feel that the overall higher output of an HID is more useful in most situations than a very thin beam like the one that the DEFT has. Unless you are going to be using this light at distances of around 1000 feet, and HID flashlight will probably be more useful. If you need to locate something a few hundred feet away, it will be way easier to do so if you can light up a decent sized area then with a "pencil thin" beam.
It really comes down to what purpose you need this light for (not that a purpose is required... none of us here need half of the lights that we have).

 

[waddup]

you can get a $600 light for $300 here

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/forumdisplay.php?f=123

 

[gilly]

You'll be very pleased with an M1X (and get the extension tube also). Along with a Pila IBC charger and a couple sets of AW 2600 mah 18650s you'll be in business!

Good luck!

 

[apjohnson73]

Now i'm like a kid in a sweet shop:twothumbs

I'm still sold on the long runtimes of the LED lights though, its going to be somthing thats hard to dismiss in comparison of the long throwers.

 

[deeuubee]

You didn't say what the purpose was or what you consider long range?

Do you want to light up the area or just illuminate the target at night?

If your looking close range, any of the 180-200 lumen P60 type like AELight PI, SureFfire, Solarforce, etc... will do out to 50-75 yds. Just pick your style.

If your looking further, why not use one of the green laser wide beam target illuminators like a Laser Genetics ND-3.

They will get you out to 250 yds.

I'm hoping for one in the stocking myself. They're around for < $250

One CR123A - 7 hours continous use... then you could use any light for illumination.

http://www.lasergenetics.com/nd3-laser-designator.aspx



edit: I haven't tried this one yet, but I read a pretty good review on an AR site...Guide Gear® 450 - lumen Battle - ready Tactical Flashlight 3 cr123 < $90

 

[apjohnson73]

Sorry its just to illuminate a specific target with a small ammount of illumination, however the torch is going to be used in a variety of terrains so something rugged with long battery life is a big bonus anf the suggestions thus far have been great.

 

[bondr006]

I also suggest the JETBeam M1X. Very durable light with a lot of output, and great battery life. It has several rechargeable battery solutions, and a great UI. If you decide this is the light you want to get, I have had several great purchasing and customer service experiences with this dealer. And, you can save 12% using their CPF discount code CPFSAVE12 at checkout. JETBeam has become one of my favorite light companies along with Surefire.

Here is a great review of the M1X...

 

[apjohnson73]

Thanks for that, it looks like the m1x is getting some really good reviews and the price is pretty resonable as well...

 

[shuter]

Take a look here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=230868&highlight=stanley+hid

An absolute steal on a high power, tightly focused beam HID available at Wallmart for around $70.00.