Looking for LED flashlight

[Trace]

As I don't know what to search for in the archives I'll try asking in stead. And please consider that at the moment I'm not very familiar with flashlights.

I'm looking for a LED light with the following characteristics:
1) Bright (not necessarily looking for a mod...) but I'd like so see where I go in the forest.
2) Preferably some sort of voltage regulator (boosting) so light output does not fall when voltage in batteries starts to fall. (Is this necessary? As I understand it leds have more of a cutoff voltage level?)
3) Long battery life. At least 5-6 hours, preferably > 24h.
4) Durable, should preferably withstand dropping from 1.5m (5 ft?) and "waterproof".
5) Should work with rechargeable batteries (preferably "normal", AAA or AA size)
6) Able to change beam angle (like MagLite) on the fly
7) "Small is beautiful"
8) Shipment outside the U.S. (I live in Finland)
9) Coolness is always cool. :-)
10) Max. price 100 Euro (~115-120$). Preferred price around 60 Euro.

What I'm looking for is a compromise. I want both a small flashlight (pocket size and easy to handle) and something with enough light to light up half the forest or shoot 100m (300 ft?) away.

I also have a few questions...

- While surfing on the web and looking for led flashlights I have noticed that many have no or nearly no reflector. Is this because the led itself has a narrow angle or is it just bad design in the flashlight?

- Will I get more light (candela?) out of a standard off the shelf led flashlight than from a traditional one?

- If I just go out and buy one, what's the possibility of getting a really crappy one? Is there a lot of crap out there?

- Any good sites where I can find comparison, side by side between different lights?

- The mods for example MagLite (replacement led-"bulbs" sold), will they give at least the same amount of light? How good are they? In what way will I see the difference?

- The way flashlights are measured. Is it a linear scale or does it follow the human eye?

 

[Steelwolf]

Trace, Welcome to the forums.

The criteria you listed is practically impossible to fulfill in a single flashlight. This is because, as in everything, there is a compromise.

You want bright enough to light up half a forrest, you need lots of power, which means lots of cells. And you want it to last 5-6 hrs, >24hrs preferred, which either means even more cells if you want it to remain as bright throughout, or else you have to dim the lamp. But all those cells mean you can't exactly put it in your pocket. But it would take a long post and alot of time to explain everything, not to mention that it would be dumb since there is already heaps of information out there.

To get all the knowledge so that you understand the limitations of current LED technology, you need to look at the LED manufacturer's pages. Currently the 2 biggest producers for retail sales are Nichia (www.nichia.com) and LumiLEDs (www.lumileds.com).

Also, you'll want to have a look at flashlight manufacturers. Arc (www.arcflashlight.com) and SureFire (www.surefire.com) are the first 2 that come to mind.

And probably the best resources for flashlight information are websites run by some very dedicated CPF members. The LED mueseum (http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm) is probably the best. It has reviews of lots of flashlights and links to some of the other members' pages.

But to save you some time, you'll probably want to look for the following flashlights.
Bright Stuff:
Arc-LS, LGI, SureFire KL1, SureFire KL4, Electrolumens Blaster.

Small Pocket, long burning:
Arc-AAA, UKE eLED, CMG Infinity Ultra, CMG Infinity.

That's all I can pull from my mind at the moment. There is a lot to explain and I hope you stick around long enough to learn about everything.

 

[Roy]

Look in the Elektrolumens Forum for the Blaster-1R and Anglelux. They both have the same electronics package and will give a runtime to 50% brightness of about 24 hours. The optics in the Blaster-1R creates a beam that is narrower than the Anglelux and thus should have a longer throw. The other thing is that they both use two "D" size batteries.

 

[Hoghead]

Trace
Welcome to CPF!
Check out Quickbeams site
http://flashlightreviews.home.att.net/index1.html
Read a lot and learn before you spend your money. Enjoy your search.

 

[Trace]

Thanks for all the answers!

First of, I am aware that my "wishlist" is quite impossible to fulfill. But one can wish, right? :-)

I read through some of the led manufacturers pages and think I basically understand them (but I am not about to build anything myself now). The important thing seems to be that the LEDs have a regulated power source, specially if I plan to run it on rechargeable batteries. On the other hand, that (the lower voltage of rechargeable batteries, the regulated powers source always makes sence, right?) might not be of such great importance if the LEDs give out usable light for long over 24 hours. I will not need to buy many sets of batteries a year and I don't either have to worry too much if it is too cold etc.

At the moment I'm thinking of getting a headlamp and a flashlight. The headlamp will probably be a Petzl Tikka Plus, as I can get it in the shops here in Finland and it will do for my short term needs... The flashlight I haven't decided on yet, I need to do more "research".

Well, I'll be in touch when I need more help or comments...

 

[Charles Bradshaw]

Being able to use Alkaline, Lithium, or NiMH (all AAs), in a single light is a boon.

You just need to take your time and research before you make a decision.

(Btw, I use an operating system that was started and maintained by a famous Finnish man: Linus Torvalds)

 

[SockMan]

An Arc LS might be a good compromise. It's bright, tough, regulated, and pocketable. With the 2AA battery pack, it's the size of a 2AA Mini-Mag and will give you a few hours of light on rechargeables.

However, like Steelwolf said, bright flashlights with long battery life aren't necessarily pocketable. I recommend carrying two flashlights: a dim flashlight with long battery life and a bright flashlight that can be used whenever you need longer throw and more light.

Personally, I carry around two EDC (every day carry) flashlights: the Arc LSL-S and the CMG Infinity Ultra. I encourage you to do some research and find out what flashlight or combination of flashlights will suit your needs best.