Need some advice for multiple lights

[Sparex]

thank you that some great advice im defo going to get the xt20

as for charging batteries in the car is this possible ?

also will the sunwayman t40cs be a good thrower better than the xt20

thanks in advance

if i use the xt20 as my primary light

what small 1x 18650 Light would you recommend ?

need to have varied light levels fairly bright top end and a low moonlight for stupidly long run time
need to be able to take a beating and be ipx8 again


thanks in advance and great advice so far

 

[Sparex]

Hello guys Just Joined the forum As i am looking for some help with picking some flashlights i have multiple uses for flashlights as i work nights in underground tunnels as big as a house wide and tall for many miles

i also live in a very rural area in south east England and have a horse stables

i also do alot of camping and walking and searching


so there my back ground hehe

i would like around 3 lights

1 for general keep on me all the time with multiple light levels for reading if needs be but still very powerful to light up like 150 yards away if needs be but still a good spill need a moonlight level for emergancys and saving batteries i do alot of camping and hiking

1 for working under ground in the tunnels its cold dark wet and very industrial need to see long distances to read signs but also up close inspection and general walking in the tunnel i will carry the every day light with me also so if this cover some of the up close feature that will be fine needs to throw a fair distance

1 need a big light 1500+ lum as i have 10 aches to look over and a long beachline need to last a while not on turbo but on other setting as i dont want to go out for a 3 hour search and be running out of battery would also like some way of charging the batteries in the car would be nice weight and size are not an issue well a little but the tk70 is not to big but of the bigger side of what i want


now just a couple of secondary things the 2nd light i mentioned i need would be good if i could weapon mount it for hunting on my air rifle and has alot of accessory's like pressure switches ect with a fairly god throw

the big light i been looking at the fenix tk70 looks nice but dont know if there's anyway to charge it in the car or the batteries

also looked at the Sunwayman T40CS and Klarus XT20 LED Flashlight they look cool and the fenix tk45 for work torches

durability is a big thing i also want it to be waterproof if i drop it in a puddle or 1m or water all need to take rechargeable batteries and have multiple light level or at least a low and high


thanks in advance
darren



1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :-)

Less than $300.


3) Format:

I want a flashlight.

I want a lantern.

I want a portable spotlight.


4) Flashlight-specific format/size:

Keychain size.

Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
Holster carry.

Big enough to need its own travel caseJ.





5) Emitter/Light source:

LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)



6) Manufacturer:

____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a “host” or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a “drop-in” emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.


7) What battery type do you want to use?


____I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn)

____I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. 18650

____I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights)


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (0-10 lumens).

I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).

I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.

____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)

____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
____150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)


10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).

____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)

____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights.


Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).

Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).



12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):


I don't care.



13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

I don’t care.



14)Material/Finish/Coating


____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today’s flashlights).
____Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)
____Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).





15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.

 

[angelofwar]

I think the Surefire U2 will fir both of your needs for your 1st and 2nd requirment. They can be had bored for 18mm cells as well, which would allow you to use R/C's. Tape-switches can be hand anywhere for them (any tape switch that will work on a 6P/M9x series light will work on the U2). 6 settings that are controlled by a water-proof ring. Lens is glass, so it can be easily cleaned (seems like it may be getting rather dirty, doin' tunnel work), so you'll always have a clear crisp beam. The low is good enough for reading and has excellent runtime. It can easily be mounted on a rifle. You could even get adapters to utilize it even more).

Hope this helps, and welcome to CPF!!! (Check out the MP for good deals...U2's can be had for ~$125)

 

[reppans]

Take a look at the Quark "X" AA^2, plus an extra 1xAA body. They're on sale for <$45 now (+$20 for an extra body).

Has the long running moonlight plus other good lows for using around the camp site (3 + 24 lm).
Will hit 400 lumens first 3 mins on the high end.
Swappable 1xAA tube is a great size for pocket EDC carry and if you run 1x14500 Li-ion, you'll still get the full high-end
Neutral whites available at full price
XM-L emitter is pretty floody up close, but it's power will also give good throw

 

[TEEJ]

I have some ideas, just trying to narrow down the best ways to go if I understood a few points in more detail.

For the throw "Down the beach" etc...how many yards did you want to light up? ~ 150 yards was mentioned in one context.

For the weapon use, did you want a tight, target sized patch of light, or, a view of a large area to find/lead the target with it bright enough to aim on target?

For the large tunnels, how far down the tunnel do you need to light up?

When you are lighting up your three scenarios, how important is color/detail? For example, for mechanical/hydraulics, etc...color rendition and detail/features can be very important, and a beam with poor color rendition can make it hard to SEE detail, textures, etc.

 

[Sparex]

I have some ideas, just trying to narrow down the best ways to go if I understood a few points in more detail.

For the throw "Down the beach" etc...how many yards did you want to light up? ~ 150 yards was mentioned in one context.

For the weapon use, did you want a tight, target sized patch of light, or, a view of a large area to find/lead the target with it bright enough to aim on target?

For the large tunnels, how far down the tunnel do you need to light up?

When you are lighting up your three scenarios, how important is color/detail? For example, for mechanical/hydraulics, etc...color rendition and detail/features can be very important, and a beam with poor color rendition can make it hard to SEE detail, textures, etc.

well we have a big amount of land so around 300-400 yard maybe more is required at some points other time maybe only 100 depends where the horse are

weapon use is for an air rifle mainly shooting rabits and other vermin dont need no more throw than 60 yards but need to light the area up well

and in the tunnel sometimes maybe 100 yards with a direct hot spot beam is us
normally required

ive been using some cheap £5 pound lights but they break alot dont have much light very orange color and as soon as the get wet its game over

i am an electrician and color rendition and detail/features is very important

thanks for all the reply's guys surefire is out of the question as its not readly available in the uk

but other brands such as sunwayman fenix olight jetbeam klaris are all easy to get hold of

 

[Sparex]

also would like the size to be 2x 18650 if possible and have the light is use for work also to weapon mount

sround the size i want is the sunwayman t40cs or the xt20

the search light size is not really an issue but i would like to be able to change batteries or light in the car

thanks

 

[angelofwar]

well we have a big amount of land so around 300-400 yard maybe more is required at some points other time maybe only 100 depends where the horse are

weapon use is for an air rifle mainly shooting rabits and other vermin dont need no more throw than 60 yards but need to light the area up well

and in the tunnel sometimes maybe 100 yards with a direct hot spot beam is us
normally required

ive been using some cheap £5 pound lights but they break alot dont have much light very orange color and as soon as the get wet its game over

i am an electrician and color rendition and detail/features is very important

thanks for all the reply's guys surefire is out of the question as its not readly available in the uk

but other brands such as sunwayman fenix olight jetbeam klaris are all easy to get hold of

Check out this place:

www.cpfmarketplace.com

Enjoy! (And watch yer wallet :0))

 

[TEEJ]

also would like the size to be 2x 18650 if possible and have the light is use for work also to weapon mount

sround the size i want is the sunwayman t40cs or the xt20

the search light size is not really an issue but i would like to be able to change batteries or light in the car

thanks

The Klarus XT20 would be pretty good then for you, as it has a floody beam with throw, and also has a useful medium and low, works great as a weapon mount, no problems with recoil, and its pressure switch is one of the only ones that allows you to not only turn it on/off like the others, but to also adjust the brightness, etc....same as the tail cap.

If you were ok with ~ 300 yards range, I'd say its perfect, but at 400 yards, while the "throw" officially reaches, personally, I think the amount of light at the 0.25 lux level, at 400 yards, is too dim to really function in the way I think you want to use it. You could see a horse at 300 yards, 400 yards it might be a hard to see w/o a target with reflecting eyes, etc...clearly.

It does use the double 18650's...is super easy to use, IPX-8 for submersion (2 meters, etc...), but if you really need to SEE things over 300 meters or so, it might be too floody to have that range.

400 meters or so, not "official throw #'s" but of real useful light is getting into heavy hitter categories (Official throw #'s are based upon 0.25 lux on target). 0.25 lux is fine right in front of you, but too dim to use to focus on a target at that range, as even in daylight, a target 400 meters away is hard to resolve well....make the light dim, and, well, its a lot harder, etc.

The Olight SR90, the Fenix TK70, can reach. The Deerelight, Lambdalights and DEFT lights, etc, can reach, but it gets down to how large a patch of light you need to arrive that far away. Most of the throwers put a small circle of light, to concentrate the lumens they have into the smallest surface area/largest lux on target. If the lights are floody, like the TK70, by the time you're at 400 meters, MOST of the lumens have fallen on/been dispersed by things along the way, and are no longer available for the long range targets. The SR90 might put the same lux on target for example, with ~9k fewer OTF lumens, as its a more highly focused beam.

If the time/cost ration works out, you can consider walking 100 meters closer vs buying a light to reach the added distance......and carrying it, etc. Or, you can take the Flashaholic answer, and get both.

:D


So, the XT20 would get you 1,200 OTF lumens on rechargeable 18650's, or you could throw RC123A primaries in there if you wanted to as well, as a dual fuel option.

With medium at 370 lumens and a low at 10 lumens, it might cover a lot of options for you.

Its a bit large to put in your pocket, my jacket pocket works, but a pant pocket would be a bit over matched...not from the battery tube which is normal/18650 sized, but the head. The holster you get with it works great though.