New guy with the LED bug

[riceboy72]

Greetings,

I'm a long time lurker and I'm think I'm ready to participate now that I think I understand enough to not sound like a total doof. Long story short, I've been a flashlight fiend since I was a kid; I remember being 9 and wanting more flashlights than any kid should have. Much like the prized Red Ryder BB gun, I had to have a flashlight that the Boy Scouts of America sold, with a red glow ring and metallic body. This, I think, began the madness.

Over the years, I bought what I believed to be the coolest flashlights out there based upon what I heard from people since there was no internet (and certainly no CPF) to teach me what was best, including all the technical stuff about flashlights. I had my affair with the MagLite and Mini-Mag when they were in their prime. Of course, times have advanced and there's a slough of flashlights on the market to make anyone's head spin. Thus, my dilemma.

I have the LED bug now. I had a Surefire G2 that was my favorite light since I bought it nearly four years ago. I went through three bulbs and who knows how many batteries, but it was what I knew to be a superb light for a decent price. Last year, I added the P60L and thought I had found the better-than-sliced-bread combination of flashlights. Ha! Then I found this forum and realize I've been in the dark about lights all this time. :candle:

Anyway, the G2 is now my truck light with the P60L in it, and I EDC an A2 which I love. I wanted a hefty light for camping, shooting, and tromping through the woods so I bought a Surefire M2. Disenchanted with the light produced by the incan, I slapped a P60L in it and that worked for me. Earlier this week, I found the goodness known as Malkoff and I am hooked. I now have the M2 with a Malkoff M60L in it. I don't know what I've been missing until now.

So, that's it. That's my longwinded history of my addiction, and my new thirst to teach myself all that I can about lights. I have a birthday coming up and my girlfriend has offered to get me a new light, but I have no idea where to start. I admit I have drank the Surefire Kool Aid and I'd like to stick to their lineup, but I welcome any suggestions from those in the know. I would like another EDC light so I'd prefer to have it fit in a pocket. I'm looking for something with good throw and nice spill, but that darn M2 won't fit in the pocket very well. I'm considering the L2 and the E2DL.

Thanks to everyone for this site and the information; I have learned more here than anywhere else and I certainly appreciate it.

 

[Metatron]

:welcome:

 

[TDKKP]

:welcome:

One month member welcomes 4 months one? Where have you been riceboy72? This is your first post since March?


BTW, :welcome:

 

[roymail]

Welcome aboard CPF... it's a great resource in many ways.

:welcome:

 

[isneyk]

One month member welcomes 4 months one? Where have you been riceboy72?

hahaha....




E2DL period. (then the L2, E1B, invictus & so on.... :wave

 

[Niconical]

Assuming you want to stick to CR123A, and you want a small pocket light, I would keep things simple and go for the Fenix P1D Q5. With similar output clickies and many others available, plus the new EX10/D10 from 4sevens, the humble P1D seems to have been almost forgotten, but it is a reliable twisty, very bright, and a good price. Even with what is available on the market today, the P1D Q5 still holds its own in any "If you could only have one light...." discussion, which makes it perfect for a spare/backup.

https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_65&products_id=354

Use CPF8 as a discount code for 8% off.

 

[Mostly]

Depends on how you count... by my way of reckoning, I'd be a three month member welcoming a five month member. :welcome:

If you've been lurking since March, you're probably aware of the Fenix lights, the Liteflux LF5XT, the Nitecore EX10/D10...

A more overlooked light is the Proton Pro (see this_is_nascar's review)--it is a single AA, very reasonable at CFRlights and this_is_nascar's review has me nearly sold on it... incredibly long runtime on an extreme low setting, if that impresses you, but decently bright on high too, and comes with pocket clip, for < $45.

Where to start? For EDC carry and sticking to CR123A, you'll find it hard to beat Niconical's suggestion of P1D. You can get a budget version and an E01 AAA together: COMBO: Fenix Digital P1D Black Textured + E01 I'd shop around at 4sevens.com (cpf8 discount code works there too) and then whatever light piques your interest, search for that light name + "review" here at CPF and see what you can learn, or you could just browse the reviews forum--Flashlight Reviews - CPF, then go search for vendor's sites of the ones that grab your attention. It is a place to start, and it is how I spend terrible amounts of my time. :/

Good luck with your LED addiction!

 

[riceboy72]

Excellent. Thank you for the warm welcome and it looks like I've got some deciding to do. I do like what I see with the Fenix, and will seek out the reviews for more information.

This reminds me of when I first got into guns - so much terminology and a ton of different models to learn, but once you've got it, you've got it.

As for why the first post after so many months? I didn't want to post and seem like a newbie nimrod so I read lots and learned what I could so I could kinda sorta sound edjumakated.

Great forum, and I'm glad to be here!

 

[lightsandknives]

Another vote for the Fenix P1D-Q5! It's an awesome little light with a big output! I also really like my NiteCore EX10! I think you'd be impressed with either (or in true CPF fashion, both)

And :welcome:

 

[Gatsby]

:welcome: and you're off to a real head start given your "indoctrination" to the cult of Surefire! :devil:

As you've no doubt figured out, however, there is a wide and wild world of quality lights that extend beyond the Surefire range. Surefire has a niche, and fills that niche with aplomb, executing their strategy to the fullest. However, there are some interesting and equally well executed lights out there outside the Surefire lineup.

Given the lights you currently have, I'd think that you're well situated for one of two potential additions. The first would be a more pocketable Every Day Carry light - admittedly I'm a minimalist in this regard and smaller is better, but I found my E2e to be too big for daily carry. The second, would be a keychain light (which you may, or may not want). I'll recommend something for EDC assuming a typical Surefire budget is acceptable to you - keychain lights are discussed thoroughly in other threads and that is a trickier set of possibilities depending on your preferences and budget:

EDC - Novatac 120P or if you're willing to wait until later in August, the Ra Clickie. I've bought and sold more than my fair share of lights (not as many as someone like ThisIsNascar, but still) and I don't think there is a better or more versatile EDC light than the HDS/Novatac/Ra series of lights. Built like tanks, which you'll appreciate as a Surefire fan, and rugged for real EDC use. They use CR123 which you're familiar with, and also work very well with RCR123 cells which would save you a bit of cash on batteries. But the balanced beams of nice hotspot and smooth surrounding spill with an even transition are outstanding for most uses. Not the biggest throwers, but you've got plenty of oomph in your collection - and re reading your list - let me restate - LOTS OF OOMPH ! But really well balanced and gorgeous beams. Plus, you can program 4 levels of light from a maximum brightness level which is plenty for most tasks, primary and secondary for most daily uses, and perhaps the lowest low setting around for navigating in the dark, camping, etc... when you have dark adjusted eyes. But what sets them apart is that you can go directly from any level to any of the other levels without ramping or clicking through the other settings to get there. AFAIK this is novel to these lights and what makes them most useful. If you want to ramp up any level it is easy to do with a few short clicks. Or you can set them and just use them. Very flexible. And they also include useful features light battery protection shutoff circuits, temperature control circuits to keep them from overheating, a host of options to really customize how the light works for you, etc... The only knock on them is that for a single cell light they are not the smallest, but still smaller than an L1 for example, and the price, which is not obscene by Surefire standards. I highly, highly recommend checking one out. Not the latest and greatest per se (the Ra Clickie is new but is more a continuation of the proven HDS/Novatac designs than a revolutionary light) and not necessarily the hottest lights on the boards right now, but proven and reliable designs that really work well.

 

[Gunner12]

Remember that Surefire isn't the only one that produces bright but small lights.

How much throw anf how much spill?
Also what size would be best?
Multimode?

The Nitecore D10 or EX10 seems to be pretty interesting.

:welcome:

 

[roksx]

The L2 is my favorite from all the lights that I own, but I must admit that since it is my first one, partly it's for sentimental reasons. My fenix P2D is a bit brighter and only uses one primary to last the same amount of time, but the design of the L2, the weight, the feel, the color of the beam and the wide spill make it my favorite light to use. However due to it's size it's not perfect as an EDC, it barely fits in my front pocket.

I got the fenix as and EDC, but comparing the beam to the L2 made me realize I prefer a wide spill indoors. Also, I find it uglier and am no fan of the clickies. I'm now waiting for my L1 to use with a McGizmo Mule head which hopefully will become my fav EDC.

And definitely get one of those nitecores everyone is talking about, it's a sweet light with a unique construction.

 

[riceboy72]

Thanks again for the information from everyone. Gatsby ~ your well written post was very informative. Read it three times to make sure I didn't miss anything. The CR clickie looks very, very appealing.

When it comes to lights, I only have Surefire because I did exactly what they, as a company, meant to do - they appealed to the general user by advertising to the masses, marketing their features well, and taking care of their customers when necessary, so I admitted loyalty by buying their lights. Until I found this website, I knew there were other lights out there but I didn't know there were that many top quality lights that could compete with, or even outdo, the empire we now know by their black and red packaging and their classic and original design, the 6P.

I guess when it comes to my EDC light, now that I've read some suggestions, I certainly don't need another 4.5" - 6" light. It's just what I'm used to having, and many of you are correct in that I have what I need for the time (did I just type that?) in the way of medium to high output lights. A small task light, capable of disappearing into a pocket and not taking up all the room, is probably the next best purchase. If I were to use the M2 in a car to light up a map or in a small room to find my keys, I'd be seeing spots and wishing I had a smaller light (assuming my A2 wasn't in my pocket). Thus, I can see the need for a single cell light. I certainly don't intend to light up the whole backyard when I take the dog out at night, but it happens because that's what I have right now.

I now have a list and hope to find a store somewhat in the area so I can check these out. Hopefully I don't get all confused and run looking for the Surefire Kool-Aid guy to come running through a wall.

Thank you again, gentlemen. Your knowledge and helpfulness astound me.

 

[Gunner12]

Good luck finding most of the mentioned non Surefire lights in stores.

For most of them it is much easier to buy online then to search for stores.

If you have a friendly Flashaholic nearby, they might be willing to meet up with you and let you see some of the lights they have.

The number of cells don't determine the output. If you don't mind torturing the cell(and short runtime), you can probably get over 200 Surefire lumen from a single CR123 battery. The output is determined by the driver of the light and if it is multimode, what mode the light is on.