New Incan Fan

[Sailboat]

Hey guys, I have the same story of playing around with various lights and trying LEDs of questionable quality.

I bought a Quark AA^2 and realized I TRULY hated LEDs! So just for fun, I bought a Gerber RX-350, to see what something more powerful than a Maglite was like.

Needless to say, I love the little thing! I knew it wasn't going to be some pocketable spotlight, but I truly love it.

I'll probably upgrade at some point, but it out-throws my Quark by MILES, and has my 3D Maglite just about tied.. Not bad for something that costs the same as the Maglite but is only 3 inches long.

I'll be digging around the incan forums looking for something that strikes my fancy, but for now I am very pleased with the Gerber for EDC.

I'm sure as I become a flashaholic I'll want something with which I can start fires.

Sailboat

 

[Dioni]

Always is good to see new people joining the incan fan group. Welcome to incan world and....

:welcome:!

 

[kramer5150]

:welcome:... Welcome to CPF!

One thing I have never understood is why theres always such a HARD line distinction between the LED and incan fan-base. IMHO they are BOTH great in their own ways. My personal favs are a 2D ROP-L, SF-A2, SF-M2 and a 2D-26650-6D Xenon mag mod.

Its nice to have options:thumbsup:

 

[ebow86]

Hey guys, I have the same story of playing around with various lights and trying LEDs of questionable quality.

I bought a Quark AA^2 and realized I TRULY hated LEDs! So just for fun, I bought a Gerber RX-350, to see what something more powerful than a Maglite was like.

Needless to say, I love the little thing! I knew it wasn't going to be some pocketable spotlight, but I truly love it.

I'll probably upgrade at some point, but it out-throws my Quark by MILES, and has my 3D Maglite just about tied.. Not bad for something that costs the same as the Maglite but is only 3 inches long.

I'll be digging around the incan forums looking for something that strikes my fancy, but for now I am very pleased with the Gerber for EDC.

I'm sure as I become a flashaholic I'll want something with which I can start fires.

Sailboat

:welcome: Just wait until you use a surefire incandescent, you won't look at flashlights the same way afterwards.

 

[ampdude]

Hey guys, I have the same story of playing around with various lights and trying LEDs of questionable quality.

I bought a Quark AA^2 and realized I TRULY hated LEDs! So just for fun, I bought a Gerber RX-350, to see what something more powerful than a Maglite was like.

Needless to say, I love the little thing! I knew it wasn't going to be some pocketable spotlight, but I truly love it.

I'll probably upgrade at some point, but it out-throws my Quark by MILES, and has my 3D Maglite just about tied.. Not bad for something that costs the same as the Maglite but is only 3 inches long.

I'll be digging around the incan forums looking for something that strikes my fancy, but for now I am very pleased with the Gerber for EDC.

I'm sure as I become a flashaholic I'll want something with which I can start fires.

Sailboat

Try out a Surefire E2e.

And then pick up a Lumens Factory EO-E2R and a couple of AW's IMR16340 cells in the Marketplace with a WF-139 charger and two aluminum charger spacers for free lumens. :thumbsup:

 

[wyager]

I had an rx-350 (it's in my avatar). I hated it, so I took off the reflector assembly and stuck an LED on the top

OP, try a high-cri LED....

 

[Imon]

:welcome: Just wait until you use a surefire incandescent, you won't look at flashlights the same way afterwards.

Wait until he sees the price on the A2 Aviator.

Or perhaps the M6.

 

[Dioni]

Wait until he sees the price on the A2 Aviator.

Or perhaps the M6.

I'd say "wait until he see the quality on A2 and M6" :nana:

 

[oldways]

Wait till he sees the BEAM of the M6 and A2.

 

[ebow86]

Wait until he sees the price on the A2 Aviator.

Or perhaps the M6.

The A2 aviator is a steal for the price their selling for.

 

[ampdude]

The A2 isn't exactly what I'd call a "wow" incan light anyways.

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

Hey guys, I have the same story of playing around with various lights and trying LEDs of questionable quality.

I bought a Quark AA^2 and realized I TRULY hated LEDs! So just for fun, I bought a Gerber RX-350, to see what something more powerful than a Maglite was like.

Needless to say, I love the little thing! I knew it wasn't going to be some pocketable spotlight, but I truly love it.

I'll probably upgrade at some point, but it out-throws my Quark by MILES, and has my 3D Maglite just about tied.. Not bad for something that costs the same as the Maglite but is only 3 inches long.

To be fair the Quark AA^2 is not at all a good comparison for throw as the tiny reflector and XP-G R5 emitter creates a large spot compared to say a XR-E with a larger reflector.

 

[Sailboat]

Thanks for the warm welcome (literally! Love them incan colors!) and light recommendations guys!

To be fair the Quark AA^2 is not at all a good comparison for throw as the tiny reflector and XP-G R5 emitter creates a large spot compared to say a XR-E with a larger reflector.

Reflector isn't much smaller than the RX, but obviously the teeny tiny filament on the Xenon bulb makes much better use of the limited reflector.

Throw isn't as big of a factor for me though.. I have a sailboat with lots and lots of lines.. all of which are color coded, and the same diameter. This is very nice during the day, but at night I can't keep things in the cockpit straightened out very well. Having perfect color rendition is probably the most important thing, so I know I'm pulling on the right line! The AA^2 didn't offer that..AT ALL.

Price isn't a huge factor for me. It's for safety on my boat. The Gerber is actually very good for me because blasting a bright light at white fiberglass hurts like hell. That's another reason the comparatively bright Quark was bad. If I turned it down enough that it didn't hurt my eyes, I couldn't see anything except what was in my hand!

Salient points: Good throw, (critical in case I have electrical failure on-board and my nav lights go out, lighting up the sail is the SOP) good output adjustments, and I have to like the light enough I'll always remember to carry it on board. That is critical.. If I don't like it, I'm not thinking about it, and I WILL forget it.

I think this is one case where Incans are CLEARLY superior. An LED can't even come close. How I am supposed to find the red rope when it looks the EXACT same as the brown rope, and see where a tangle or snag is, all without getting them confused and burning my retinas out?

More throw with less lumens and better color? Oh hell yeah!

 

[KiwiMark]

and has my 3D Maglite just about tied..

Wait 'til you get that Maglite modded.

 

[Imon]

The A2 isn't exactly what I'd call a "wow" incan light anyways.

Meh, it's a regulated incandescent. You don't see many production regulated incandescent lights.

 

[wyager]

Meh, it's a regulated incandescent. You don't see many production regulated incandescent lights.

What's the point? If you want regulation, just get a high CRI LED! :shrug:

 

[Hack On Wheels]

What's the point? If you want regulation, just get a high CRI LED! :shrug:

For sheer lighting pleasure, an good incan still beats out a high-CRI LED. That being said, I was dreaming of an A2 Aviator with high-CRI LEDs for the secondaries... that would be amazing.

My D10 with high-CRI LED is great for a compact EDC, but as soon as it gets to a 2x123 or 1x18650 form factor, then its time to take a serious look at an incan option. I love the E series incan options. So many to choose from! I have lights from 60 to 300+ lumens, and no bigger than the 2x123 size. Eventually I might even put together one that is 1000+ lumens... :devil:

For general carry at night, I love the ROP-Lo in my 2C Mag. Somehow it seems like far more light than it should be from the approx. lumens. I'm using an MOP reflector and the beam is gorgeous. Also, the flat output curve of li-ions with a reasonable power draw means it might as well be regulated.

I'll be soldering up a total of 3 new LED setups with a mix of neutral and high-CRI emitters tomorrow, but I'm still dreaming up new incan setups at the same time. lovecpf

 

[SureAddicted]

Try out a Surefire E2e.

That would of been my suggestion as well, or an E2d.
The best utility lights money can buy.

 

[ampdude]

Meh, it's a regulated incandescent. You don't see many production regulated incandescent lights.

What's the point? Any flashlight run on lithium ion rechargeables is fairly regulated anyways, as the voltage stays fairly consistent. The A2's I've owned were some of the most orange tinted incans I had, the Li-ion and IMR powered lights are much brighter and whiter. An E2e with an EO-E2R is much brighter, smaller and runs longer as well, compared to an A2. I got rid of my A2's for this very reason.

 

[UnderTheWeepingMoon]

What's the point? Any flashlight run on lithium ion rechargeables is fairly regulated anyways, as the voltage stays fairly consistent. The A2's I've owned were some of the most orange tinted incans I had, the Li-ion and IMR powered lights are much brighter and whiter. An E2e with an EO-E2R is much brighter, smaller and runs longer as well, compared to an A2. I got rid of my A2's for this very reason.

Should've tried the HO-A2 while you still had your A2s. Much whiter and smoother beam than the stock MA02. I can't compare to the EO-E2R but I preferred my A2 to my E2D that was running a HO-E2R. The E2D has now been sold.