New to Forum - Need Advice

[x89Q]

Good afternoon -

I found this Forum by accident, spent the last couple of hours reading some of the threads and decided to sign-up. My first comment is one of thanks to the members for all of the detailed product reviews! My second comment is that the Forum seems to have a lot of knowledgeable members - some border line crazy (and I mean that as a complement!!).

On to my situation. I travel to Central America frequently to see Mayan ruins and have complied a few points on usage & requirements:

Usage
--Lighting interior rooms at archaeological sites
--Occasional use in caverns, caves
--Lighting a trail at dusk and at night

Top Requirements
--Durable, reliable in wet muddy conditions
--Reasonable runtime
--Occasional need for strong lighting

After reviewing many of the threads, I am leaning towards a SureFire U2 Ultra. It seems to have reasonable runtime, I like the ability to vary the light strength and SureFire seems to have a good reputation for durability/reliability.

Any thoughts, suggestions or alternatives?

Thanks in advance.

 

[NonSenCe]

there is nothing wrong choosing a surefire. (those whom have one love them.. i dont have one as i dont need that bombproof flashlight and dont have afford to get one.. i will be a.ok with several cheaper ones)

my general advice:
1. get a headlamp!
2. get plenty of spare batteries! (dozen is too few in my mind)
3. get the surefire or similar light you can trust.
4. get a backup flashlight that uses the same battery as the main light.. but only one cell.. the surefire uses two cr123s so the backup that should be on your person at all times only use one cell. and this light should be on your person all the time.
5. get a flashlight that uses a very common AA or AAA battery. (easily found in every corner of the world)

so my minumum would be 4 lights. 1 big, 1 small, one headlamp, and one last resort backup that uses common batteries.

 

[EV_007]

Here's what I look for in lights nowadays:

- Variable power output
- Neutral or warm tinted LEDs
- Swappable battery options (legoability)
- Waterproof, solid construction

A headlamps is a nice option as well.

Of course as I always say, two is one and one is none yet three is fun.

 

[x89Q]

OK - thanks for the input - all seem very reasonable/do-able. I'm thinking about the following combo:

--Primary - SF U2 - need to purchase
--Back-up - an existing LED CR123A
--Have on me all the time - SF T1A Titan - need to purchase
--Headlamp that I already have

Any further comments or comments on the U2/Titan combo would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[SFG2Lman]

well surefire do have a great reputation and i own several myself, the 2 modes on the U2 seem great and all, but as a tried and true flashaholic 100 lumens isn't really going to "light up the night" for that price you may have a walmart/target special outshine you lol. Its unfortunate, but surefire is so large that they cannot feasibly retool every time a new LED emitter comes out, thats why many of us go with the Surefire 6P or clones thereof. Its a little more simplistic, but you can easily buy a new drop-in module for 10-60 USD (depending on quality/output/modes/emitter scarcity) and you don't have to know how to solder and build new circuits. The 6P is just as bomb proof and then you can have your choice of efficiency and output and hi/med/low/strobe modes or whatever just by shopping around here a bit. Also, when the newest most efficient emitter comes out, its an easy dropin. Granted, if you buy the cheapest drop-in your reliability will be lower. I just wanted to make sure you are aware of all the options before jumping headlong into a $250 flashlight. You CAN have a $75 light and buy a more efficient and higher output drop-in, and still only spend half as much. Just my .02

 

[ZMZ67]

No personal experience with the U2 but I think some of the other offerings from SF would be a better choice at the same or even less cost.Considering how much you are willing to spend you will have some options.Reading up on some of the more popular lights here and checking the reviews is worth your while before you drop $500 on a couple lights.

 

[OfficerCamp]

If you plan to do some "caving" and spend time in other unfriendly environments, you may want to check out a RA clicky with the high CRI emitter. It will provide great runtime, excellent color rendition, more than adequate brightness, and a tough, dependable design. And the price is right.
Good luck
Chris

 

[hyperloop]

i agree with all that has been said so far, while Surefire is a very reputable brand with incredible durability, there are other brands out there that are also very durable.

A flashlight using rechargeable batteries that can also use primary cells would be a good choice so that you can have options in places where you may not be able to recharge or run out of juice without the time to wait for your batteries to charge.

Brands like Fenix and Jetbeam are very durable, you could consider the Jetbeam Jet III Military, it can use CR123s/RCR123s or a 18650 (longer runtimes) cell, with the head tightened you get very bright light and with the head loosened it enters a user programmable mode so you can actually program the light for the level you need. It also has hidden strobe, SOS and beacon modes should you require these modes.

For the smaller light, you could look at Ra lights or Nitecore's EX10 which also use CR123s.

However, seeing that you travel to Central America, you may wish to consider AA lights as these are widely available (i hope) worldwide. In this instance, i would say consider the Fenix TK30 and one of the other Fenix or Quark ranges that run on 1xAA or any of the other offerings from manufacturers like Quark, Olight etc.

However, and this is my personal opinion so as not to step on anyone's toes, if it was durability, i'd say surefire as my 1st choice, Jetbeam and Fenix tying for 2nd place. My 3rd choice would be my Nitecore EX10.

again my personal choice for lights,

Surefire A2 Aviator with white LEDs
Jetbeam Jet III (either military or Pro ST) for 2nd light
Nitecore EX10 R2/GDP (non SP) for my pocket light

all lights above can use RCR123s.

(if i could, i add on a headlamp for situations where you need your hands to be free, zebralight sells a nice range)

 

[Zeruel]

In case you've missed them, here're reviews of good AA and 2AA lights done by Selfbuilt. But a few newers ones are not reviewed yet.

When you mentioned wet muddy environment, it reminds me of Marduke's post where Fenix TK20 seemed to perform well with ease. This applied to Zebralights as well.

 

[jhc37013]

I don't think you can go wrong with a U2 they are indeed very durable and the different outputs are nicely spaced and easily changed. I think the 100 lumen output is closer to 140-150 it should be plenty bright enough on high while being able to choose a lower mode to best use in the current situation.

As for a backup check out the E1L or what I would feel best with in extended emergency usages is the E2L which can run around 6hrs. on high at 60 "Surefire" lumens which probably translate to around 80 or so lumen. I don't even know how long the 3 lumen low on E2L will run but its the light I would use in emergency's.

You travel frequently to the Mayan ruins, that sounds really cool I would love to go just once and I intend to one day.

 

[x89Q]

Fantastic response & advice!!!! Keep it coming!!

 

[hyperloop]

well, it would be nice to know what YOU are considering right now each of us have different preferences and lights that we like, what matters is that you find one that suits you and that you are happy with.

 

[x89Q]

well, it would be nice to know what YOU are considering right now each of us have different preferences and lights that we like, what matters is that you find one that suits you and that you are happy with.

See #4 above. I'm also learning there are less expensive alternatives. Maybe a used U2 from the Forum. I really like the variability aspects of the U2/Titan. Above, someone raised the point about 100 lm not being a big throw. So I will need to look into some of the test results & pictures since I don't have ANY experience with higher powered lights.

Thanks!

 

[carrot]

Are you sure you don't want a headlamp? The Surefire Saint would be an excellent choice here, backed up with a Ra Twisty or Clicky. The man who designs and makes the Ra lights is a caver himself, so he understands what it means to rely on a light.

Or you could in fact go all Surefire with the Saint and the U2. The U2 is a great light.

 

[kaichu dento]

If you plan to do some "caving" and spend time in other unfriendly environments, you may want to check out a RA clicky with the high CRI emitter. It will provide great runtime, excellent color rendition, more than adequate brightness, and a tough, dependable design. And the price is right.
Good luck
Chris

I bought a high CRI Ra Clicky just last week out of curiosity, even though I knew it was bigger than I wanted to carry (I prefer single cell AA/AAA lights) but have been carrying/using it everyday since!
It was mentioned above to have a backup that could run on a single cell, but considering the brightness that I get out of my single cell lights I see no need to even feed a light 2 batteries at a time unless it offers something necessary that can't be found in a single cell version.
The Ra can go from moonlight to headlight levels in a heartbeat and each of it's 4 levels is programmable to give the exact amount of light you want at any given time.
An extreme low setting is very valuable in saving power, but also in allowing you to see where you're going, or what you're looking at, all the while allowing you to still see around you when you're not in a completely dark situation. Not only that, but it also uses the least power of all other modes!
Even if you decide on another light, at least do some reading on the Ra lights to find out why these blocky (and in my opinion, ugly) lights have made so many converts out of members here who never thought they'd want one, much less buy one. Incredibly tough, reliable, versatile, very decent throw and combined with the high CRI SSC P4, one of the best man-made light sources available!

 

[hyperloop]

See #4 above. I'm also learning there are less expensive alternatives. Maybe a used U2 from the Forum. I really like the variability aspects of the U2/Titan. Above, someone raised the point about 100 lm not being a big throw. So I will need to look into some of the test results & pictures since I don't have ANY experience with higher powered lights.

Thanks!

i'm afraid i wasn't clear enough, what i meant was after reading some of the recommendations of fellow CPF-ers, have you any other lights that are now under consideration?

Edit: also, you can go check out this beamshot collection and check out the beamshots of various lights, i like the TK20 and it was this beamshot collection that tipped the scales for my purchase of the TK20, its a GREAT light and very tough too.

 

[x89Q]

Hi All -

Thanks again for all the interest. I've decided to go with the U2 & T1A Titan. While I have limited need for more power on this particular trip, I absolutely need reliability/durability. The U2's orientation to a broader and variable beam really seems like it will fit the situation. The T1A Titan is small enough to stay in my pocket all the time. I also like the run times of each.

HOWEVER, something strange has come over me in the past week since joining the Forum. It seems there is way more depth to this subject than I realized!! Sooooo - I now see the need for a greater variety of lights in my arsenal - Fenix TK40, Ra Clicky, Illuminati CA1, etc, etc, etc.

Is this the first stage of an addiction????

 

[carrot]

Oh yes, you are addicted.

Your wallet is doomed.

 

[DuncanHynes]

PM sent, my .02 worth.

 

[kaichu dento]

Hi All -

Thanks again for all the interest. I've decided to go with the U2 & T1A Titan. While I have limited need for more power on this particular trip, I absolutely need reliability/durability. The U2's orientation to a broader and variable beam really seems like it will fit the situation. The T1A Titan is small enough to stay in my pocket all the time. I also like the run times of each.

HOWEVER, something strange has come over me in the past week since joining the Forum. It seems there is way more depth to this subject than I realized!! Sooooo - I now see the need for a greater variety of lights in my arsenal - Fenix TK40, Ra Clicky, Illuminati CA1, etc, etc, etc.

Is this the first stage of an addiction????

I had a U2 on loan for a while and I think you're going to like the feel and operation a lot! Not sure what you'll think of the tint but you can always change that later if you want. Also on the T1A, you may want to think about getting it modded here to one of the high CRI emitters!

As for the addiction, you're probably already gone! Welcome friend!