need help choosing

[shadeyspam]

Im bout to buy a new flashlight and i narrowed it down to two:

Surefire G2-LED Black G2 80 Lumens and SureFire G3-BK Nitrolon



If anyone knows anything about these can you please give me some advice, i dont wanna spend more the 60 bucks and i think these fall under that category. Which one has a greater distant which one is brighter, thank you.

 

[Gunner12]

Out of those two I'd pick the G2 for smaller size. They both have the exact same performance(they both use the P60L) but the G3L last longer regulated then the G2L.

But given the choice to pick any light, there might be other lights that work better.

What do you need the light for?
Would you like multiple modes?(low, medium, strobe etc.)
What runtime?
How much throw?

:welcome:

 

[shadeyspam]

im a security guard, i need a strong light that can cut through tint and can be viewed from the other side of a large parking lot. i dont care about different modes, one mode is fine for me. i wont have it on for long periods of time, just while i do my patrol every hour for about a couple of minutes. brightness and distant is what im lookin for, thanks!

 

[Size15's]

Welcome to CPF! :welcome:

The G3L will give you a flashlight intended for night-shifts - you never know for how long an incident will last.
Also, the longer G3L (compared to G2L) will be easier to hold, easier to find etc.

If you want a flashlight that can be seen by people in the distance then the G3L/G2L will certainly be obvious to those around you.

However, if you want a flashlight that can be used to see things/people in the distance then the G3L/G2L is not as focused (sic) on this task as some other flashlights.

For example a SureFire E1B projects a more concentrated powerful beam at targets at greater distances compared to the G2L/G3L...

Perhaps an option would be to get a G2L and then research whether there are any aftermarket LED drop-in modules that cast a tighter beam [than the P60L].

 

[Tempest UK]

The advice Size15s has given is good. But as your first post only mentions the G3, not the G3L, you should be careful when you order. The G3L is $89, compared to $59 for the G3.

The G3 is incandescent, whereas the G2L uses an LED. The G3 will give you 105 lumens for 1 hour, and the G2L a maximum of 80 lumens for several hours (usually 4-5, in my experience) with diminished output thereafter to make up the full 12 hours quoted on SureFire's website.

For outdoor use and for that extra "punch" I would go for the incandescent G3. I appreciate the colour rendition of an incandescent light, and to my eyes they always seem to perform better than LEDs when used outside. Obviously the downside is the much shorter runtime.

Regards,
Tempest

 

[Gunner12]

Brightness and distance.

How far?
I'm guessing 60 lumen minimal.

It is possible to get 80 lumen out the front from a single AA battery, runtime would be much shorter though and it would run best on rechargeables or lithium AAs.

The Tiablo A9 would be better for you seeing as it can project useful light for over 100 meters. Here's one of the cheapest place to buy them but there has been some debate on weather they are as good as the higher cost ones. Shipping is also pretty slow.

There's also the Fenix TK10 and T1 you can look at. 8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8".

But if you are set on buying Surefire, the P60L drop-in equipped lights aren't the best throwers. I'd get a 6P incan and swap the P60 for a LED drop-in.

 

[shadeyspam]

the Fenix TK10 and T1 seem pretty interesting, does anyone have one and know if they are as good as they say?

actually they exceed my budget, i was trying to spend under 60

 

[Gunner12]

There's quite a few reviews of those lights around here. Just do a quick search and you should come up with a few. Here's one from another site, TK10 and T1. Comparison between the P60L and the Fenix T1.

The T1 was the first. Then Fenix read the comments and improved the light and came up with the TK10. Some people asked for 18650 battery powered and then Fenix came up with the TK11, all within this year.

4sevens has sent a few T1s out to test how durable they were. One person tested the crush force, here's the video. Here another interesting one.

The TK10 and T1 use the same circuit and reflector so they are the same performance wise.

Performance wise, the Fenix TK10/T1 is around 180-200 lumen out the front on high and probably around 45-50 lumen out the front on low. Fenix, along with most other flashlight companies state at the LED lumen, which is lower then out the front which Surefire states, but it seems like the newer Fenix lights are pretty close to their stated lumen out the front.

Both company make good lights, just be very careful when you compare them, it can start a very ugly debate.

Do you need it to cut through tint of a car parked on the other side of the parking lot?

Also what light are you using now?

 

[digitaleos]

Surefire E2DL :thumbsup:. It has good throw/punch and has two levels of brightness.

Chris

 

[shadeyspam]

if theres a flashlight that can cut through tint on the other side of the parking lot i want it, especially if its under 60 dollars. right now i have some cheap 10 dollar led flashlight that can barely bright up a car 50 feet away.

 

[Gunner12]

How big is the parking lot?

The E2DL is way over the OP's budget.

The T1 is $62.20 after the 8% off coupon "CPF8" but the knurling has been called slippery and the clip is deemed pretty useless by some.

 

[shadeyspam]

maybe about 300 to 300 feet, maybe a little bigger. maybe 400 feet even.

 

[Woods Walker]

I worked as a security guard for years when going to school. Was nice to do homework on the man's dime. However the pay as not all that great. Too bad as for the most part it is important work. But whatever SF light you get make it an LED. I had an outside tour that took 45 minutes. It ran though a set of CR123s. Not cheap. I had to use the company Mag light as the cost was just too much. If I had the LED Surefire it would have made it possible to use the thing.

 

[GPB]

MagLites don't get a lot of love around here, but you could pick up this light: ( Maglite 3D Incan ) for $19

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1526

Then put this in it
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-6exb.html

for $22

and for around $40 you've got something putting out 150 lumens, is focusable for long distance, is pretty rugged, and runs on standard D cells.

 

[BlueBirdTS]

MagLites don't get a lot of love around here, but you could pick up this light: ( Maglite 3D Incan ) for $19

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1526

Then put this in it
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-6exb.html

for $22

and for around $40 you've got something putting out 150 lumens, is focusable for long distance, is pretty rugged, and runs on standard D cells.

I don't think that's what security guards should be using in the 21st century. If he's going to be using the light for extended periods of time, size, weight, and runtimes are at least as important as sheer output and throw.

 

[GPB]

Perhaps I misunderstood the parameters. I thought he had to do rounds every hour that only took a few minutes. In that situation, carrying a full size mag wouldn't be a burden. I suppose he could switch to a 2C mag and get the corresponding terralux module. I just thought he should know about an option that would be quite bright and less expensive to purchase and to feed.

 

[Gunner12]

I'm not sure how much you'll see at 100 yards with the P60L module. Keep in mind that this drop-in is more runtime oriented.

The best thrower within your price range is the Tiablo A9 but shipping from KD is slow(and the light isn't "tactical" like the site says). The light does throw 100+ meters of usable light though.

 

[shadeyspam]

you guys convinced me to get the tiablo a9, thanks alot for the info!

 

[GPB]

cool. Be sure to come back and tell us how you like it.

 

[Gunner12]

I hope you like it!

if you ordered from KD, you would have to wait a bit though. Shipping is slow from them.