need 400 lumens incandescent setup

[boosterboy]

i need an affordable (around 100$) incandescent setup that puts out 400 lumens for around 45 minutes.

rechargeable is highly preferred. Preferrable common rechargeable cells like 18650s or 18500s

something that I can buy spare bulbs for. I plan to use this light for distance spotting during hikes, in conjunction with Novactac 120-T and my M1-T.


What do you guys think of the L600 at lighthound, it uses Philips 7388 Bulb.
Do all these G&P/Ultrafire OEM lights that share the same body even put out light anywhere near 400 lumens for total output?

Since the L600 uses a philips bulb, i can probably buy spare bulbs from an American retailer and just extract burnt bulbs from the lamp assembly and replace them with 7388 bulbs.

I mean I'm seriously leaning towards the Tiablo A9 with Q5s, at least those lights put out 190-200 lumens, realistic output.

 

[lctorana]

The RoP-Low would put out about 400 lumens, and to achieve 45 minutes runtime, you would need about 1.5 Ah (say 1.8).

Seems to me like the Mag 2C with the tailcap mod for 2x18650 (or a Mag 3C with a 20mm insulated metal spacer) will do the job nicely.

And should be just about do-able for $100 if you have some of the parts already.

 

[DM51]

Take a look at the Wolf Eyes 9AX Raider ($45) with a Lumens Factory EO-9 LA ($15.99) rather than the stock WE 9v one. The EO-9 will give you 380 lumens. Not 400, but you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

You can run this set-up either with 3 x CR123A Lithium primaries or 2 x AW Protected 18500 Li-Ion rechargeable cells which are $10 each. AW also sells a charger for $15 which is OK for these cells (but should not be used with unprotected Li-Ions). Run-time with these would be ~35-40 mins.

Total $95.99 including charger
Or if you already have a Li-Ion charger, you could get 2 spare AW 18500s, and the total will be $99.99 !!

 

[FILIPPO]

+1 to ROP mod...
I'd suggest to build it in a mag 2D...becouse nimh are more popular than li-ion (safer too) so you just need rop bulbs (10$), metal reflector (25$), glass lens (5.5$), battery holder from FM (39$), 6 nimh AAs (+/- 20$), charger...under 100$ and about 400L with LOW lamp...really over 400L with HIGH lamp!

 

[boosterboy]

as much as I like these ROP mods, I'm kinda afraid of exploding lights.

 

[j3bnl]

Take a look at the Wolf Eyes 9AX Raider ($45) with a Lumens Factory EO-9 LA ($15.99) rather than the stock WE 9v one. The EO-9 will give you 380 lumens. Not 400, but you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

You can run this set-up either with 3 x CR123A Lithium primaries or 2 x AW Protected 18500 Li-Ion rechargeable cells which are $10 each. AW also sells a charger for $15 which is OK for these cells (but should not be used with unprotected Li-Ions). Run-time with these would be ~35-40 mins.

Total $95.99 including charger
Or if you already have a Li-Ion charger, you could get 2 spare AW 18500s, and the total will be $99.99 !!

Heartily agree, this is IMHO the best value sub $100 setup.
If you had a few more $$ would go for the M90 13v with the EO-13 700 lumen bulb.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

The Raider's cells are on the small side. With a high-output lamp, they might deliver 45 minutes when new, but not after after a year, unless you've charged them in a Pila smart charger..which costs $45.

I suggest the Wolf Eyes Rattlesnake (2x168A or 2x1860), Lumens Factory EO-9 (450 lumens, designed for throw), and 18650 protected cells from AW (with applicable charger), or maybe Tenergy's new 2600 mAh protected cells, which are dirt-cheap.They don't deliver a true 2600 mAh, but you can probably count on 2300 mAh.

 

[j3bnl]

Good choice paul (forgot all about that option).

 

[LED61]

I agree on all the above suggestions. Except if your 400 lumen requirement is for torch lumens, everything will fall short except the WE M300 Lion with its three 18650's stock and 380-400 regulated torch lumens. it can be had for $190.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

I agree on all the above suggestions. Except if your 400 lumen requirement is for torch lumens, everything will fall short except the WE M300 Lion with its three 18650's stock and 380-400 regulated torch lumens. it can be had for $190.

+1

The M300 is just awesome. And it comes with everything you need, there's no need to search for batteries and chargers.

 

[robm]

as much as I like these ROP mods, I'm kinda afraid of exploding lights.

There is no significant danger of a 2D/6AA NiMH exploding, thus this suggestion:

+1 to ROP mod...
I'd suggest to build it in a mag 2D...becouse [sic] nimh are more popular than li-ion (safer too) so you just need rop bulbs (10$), metal reflector (25$), glass lens (5.5$), battery holder from FM (39$), 6 nimh AAs (+/- 20$), charger...under 100$ and about 400L with LOW lamp...really over 400L with HIGH lamp!

 

[mdocod]

+1 on Pauls recommendation,

+1 on the 2D ROP if you want to go with a safer chemistry



I would like to point out, that you shouldn't set your heart on "400 lumens" exactly, because it takes a pretty significant difference in output to make a practical difference in functionality. The difference between 300 and 400 lumens is barely noticeable, the beam profile will have a much more profound effect on perceived usefulness for a given situation.

Having said that, your cheapest route to something in that ballpark that is li-ion powered is going to be the ultrafire WF-500 ($26.50 at DX). Bulbs are a few bucks online ($5.60 ea last I checked on DX), (buy a bunch when you order to save yourself waiting for them in the mail after you burn one out). You can pick anything from a $5 DSD charger up to a $50 pila if you are willing (highly recommended)... Pretty sure UltraFires protected cells will light it up, (double check that one), but I suggest some quality Pila, Wolf-Eyes, or AW cells to power it. You could be out the door with 4 cells and 3 spare lamps and charger for well under $100.

In all seriousness though, I'd rather see you go for something like a Wolf-Eyes so you have a better quality product from the get go, if you have to sacrifice a few lumens or pony up some more cash to step up to the higher powered stuff I'd recommend doing so.

 

[daveman]

Take a look at the Wolf Eyes 9AX Raider ($45) with a Lumens Factory EO-9 LA ($15.99) rather than the stock WE 9v one. The EO-9 will give you 380 lumens. Not 400, but you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

You can run this set-up either with 3 x CR123A Lithium primaries or 2 x AW Protected 18500 Li-Ion rechargeable cells which are $10 each. AW also sells a charger for $15 which is OK for these cells (but should not be used with unprotected Li-Ions). Run-time with these would be ~35-40 mins.

Total $95.99 including charger
Or if you already have a Li-Ion charger, you could get 2 spare AW 18500s, and the total will be $99.99 !!

Why hasn't anyone recommended the WE 9M Cobra? With 3 cr123s, it can run the D36 E0-9L 450 lumen bulb for 30 minutes, compared with the Raider's E0-9 380 lumens/35 minutes setup?

 

[j3bnl]

Good suggestion mate, the 9M is sometimes forgotten for some reason.

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

Good suggestion mate, the 9M is sometimes forgotten for some reason.

It fell off the radar of U.S. CPFers when Pacific Tactical Solutions decided not to sell it.

It was in late 2005, I think, when I posted a message along the lines that no hotwire should settle for a light that yields less than 100 lumen-hours per cell. The OP now seeks a light that delivers 150 lumen-hours per cell (400 lumens x 0.75 hour = 300 lumen-hours, divided by 2 cells). We're not quite there yet, but we're closing in on it.

 

[Strauss]

Just another option for you to take into consideration is a MagCharger with a WA1160 bulb upgrade.