New to forum.

[William A Moncrief]

I recently purchased a MaxFire LX Lithium Xenon Flashlight and was amazed at the brightness 117 Limens (according to Brinkman)and projection. Problem is run time is only one hour which may be normal but the batteries at Walmart cost about 9.00 for two. I strated looking into what Police Officers carry thinking that a run time like that would be a problem for them. I looked a Streamlight,Surefire,Pelican and some other so called tactical flashlights. I want the size of the MaxFire for the pocket or purse but equal brithtness and projection hopefully without the limitation of 1 hr run time. Guess I could always carry extra batteries. What do so called better lights with less lumens cost twice as much. Thanks for any infor. Remember I am a newbie.

 

[SafetyBob]

Welcome to the forum!!

I had the same exact problem when I first got here too. Those little CR123 based flashlights are so wonderfully small, and powerfully bright as can be. They sure eat the batteries though.

First off, one hour does seem a bit short but you might have been using ordinary CR123 batteries. It has been suggested that using Enerjizer Lithium photo batteries will give you great run time, superior storage life, excellent performance in cold weather, and something else I can't remember right now.......

I just check. Somebody must be looking out for you, or we as a community of flashlight nuts must be doing something right. If you go over to www.lighthound.com and click on batteries, then CR123 Lithium, you will see energizers for 1.40. Last year at this time I believe they were around $1.75 for 1-10, and maybe 1.60 for 10-20. So that 1.40 pricing is terrrific for this kind of a battery. Yes, it is significantly less than WalMart or any other store you could find around you. DFW based, it won't take to long to get to your house for a reasonable price for shipping.

Been using Lighthound for right at 2 years (got most of my Fenix lights there) and have yet to have anything under superior happen to me.

Get some batteries from Lighthound, then keep surfing the forum for your next light........ok, you need to get a surefire just because.....but there are some really, really nice lights out there. Just keep reading.

On a closing note. If you think you are going to go crazy into flashlights....please consider getting a really good charger (hint, you won't find it at Lowes or WalMart) and some quality rechargeable batteries (hint, you won't find them at Lowes or WalMart)......surf and all will be seen.

Bob E.

 

[StarHalo]

There are a whole range of lights that meet your criteria that can easily outblast and outlast your Brinkman. A good place to start is Fenix flashlights, which provide great bang-for-the-buck and are most often the new flashaholics' first "serious" light. See them here (just a few of them, be sure to browse around the site): https://www.fenix-store.com/index.php?cPath=22_65

One good example, with a similar form factor to your MaxFire, is the Fenix PD30; it's a 2x123 light that can output a regulated (never fading) 220 lumens for an hour and a half. Since it's multi-mode, when you need more runtime, you can just turn down the light - it has a 117 lumen mode that lasts *four hours*. And its lowest output level, 9 lumens (about the same as a MiniMag) it will remain on for over three days. See it here: https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_65&products_id=358

 

[mdocod]

Tactical lithium powered incandecents pretty much all have between 20 and 60 minutes runtime. There are a few configuration options outside of the standard offerings using after-market bulbs that can improve the runtime some at the expense of output, but overall, if the cost of operation is your main consideration here then your best bet is to get a good multi-mode LED light, or a rechargeable option for a flashlight, or some combination of both.

I suggest BatteryStation brand CR123s ordered direct from BatteryStation.com , they are priced reasonably and are very good performers made right in the USA. Cheaper does not always translate to better so be careful with ordering batteries online, many of the really cheap ones are made in china and more prone to explode.

 

[divine]

What you need is a 12 x 18650 configuration! :D

Hi, welcome. :)

Would a rechargeable setup sound good to you? How much runtime do you need for one day? Fivemega has just released a C body, which will give about three times the runtime if the incandescent lamp can run the higher voltage of rechargeables.

 

[Gunner12]

You might want to check out high power LED lights. More efficiency = higher output same runtime or same output longer runtime or same output same runtime but smaller size.

As for dimmer lights costing more, well, the lumen ratings usually aren't comparable. 100 lumen from one company could mean max output at the bulb while 60 lumen from another could be minimal output out the front(after optical losses). Also development cost should be included too.

Decent/good CR123s are only $1 for one online and you might also be able to find bulbs for rechargeable batteries.

:welcome: