Newbie needs a few lights

[vaizki]

First post and 2-3 serious flashlights needed.

I know practically nothing about flashlights. The best ones I have are a random Inova job picked up on whim (CR123A) and a 7x C-cell maglite which is very practical if you need to beat up people but not too great for portability. I understand it's a rare one so it's staying (but if you can suggest a LED upgrade for it, go ahead!). I live in Finland and it's dark, cold and frankly a bit miserable here starting from now until March.. So I need a bit of light and since one size rarely fits all I think 2-3 lights are going to be required .

Some thoughts.. (forgive me if I stamp on some dogma here)
- Waterproof! Give me o-rings, I go boating a lot and camping and forget my gear in the rain (like this laptop I'm writing on). I'm too old to learn not to.
- .. and decent threads. I don't want flimsy jobs that I need to take apart and clean first thing. I don't want to strip threads when changing batteries.
- Not a big fan of overly long and thin lights. The 7C mag is nice but not very handy.
- Why do they need to look like light sabers? I like technical and functional, but the design of most lamps looks whimsical to the extreme.
- I wear technical clothing a lot and many lights look like they would rip a jacket. I'd prefer a bumper to make it survive a fall instead of a ninja-weapon on the end.
- Batteries.. I think 18650 would work for me fine. CR123As are very very expensive here and hard to find. Yes I could buy bulk but I'd rather recharge. And I know my way around LiPos etc due to RC cars..
- Modes.. I'd think 3 should be enough especially if you have to cycle through all of them to switch between to high / normal power. I can handle 5 but it should have a memory then so the wife doesn't beat me to death after being blinded.

Scenario #1 - General purpose good flashlight for everything where I'd actually go and pack a flashlight for
- Needs an ultra-low power mode for reading light and high power to illuminate a larger area (collect firewood, set up tent, clear snow from in front of car etc)
- Should be able to take a few knocks and heavy rain
- Doesn't have to be ultra small but jacket pocketable
- Quick googling result: Fenix TK35, lots of power, separate mode switch, 12 lumen "tent mode", IPX8, stubby and practical one-handed, am I way off?

Scenario #2: Portable searchlight
- I need a light with a looooong throwing spot for the small boat, there's an H3 searchlight but if my engine dies that's going to go very soon after. And it can't be used in all sectors because it reflects back off the boat so easy. So not a lot of spill
- Battery powered is also a safety concern. Light will be needed when the engine breaks down...
- Well waterproofed, it will get hit by direct & heavy seawater spray

Scenario #3: General purpose small lights
- 1x18650 or 1-2x AA
- A wide beam, not much throw or spot needed, mainly for my summer cabin where it's very very dark this time of year, the outhouse is not exactly close by etc.. so lots of walkabouts in the dark forest paths.
- Needs to be cheap so I can buy 3-4 of these and it doesn't matter if they're sometimes in the wrong place
- Low and "normal" power would be great. Memory is pretty essential.

Heeelp.. Do I need 3 separate lights or can #1 and #2 be the same one?

I hope I got the terminology right :devil:

 

[Derek Dean]

Howdy vaizki, and welcome to CPF!

Honestly, it sounds like you've got a pretty good idea of what you want, and that's a good thing. There are huge number of lights to choose from, and knowing what your needs are will help you weed out the lights that don't fit.

I think you will get some very good suggestions from folks here on CPF, but your best bet for getting the lights you need is to be prepared to do some serious reading over the next few weeks and become an informed consumer, and you are definitely in the right place for that.

First, here are some excellent flashlight review sites:
http://www.light-reviews.com/reviews.html
http://www.sliderule.ca/flashlight.htm
http://www.lygte-info.dk/review/Reviews UK.html

Now, just to make sure you are up to speed on rechargeable batteries, here is an excellent resource for that:
http://batteryuniversity.com/

Don't forget to check out the "Flashlight Electronics, Batteries Included" section of CPF. There are some fine discussions on batteries and chargers over there.

Now, to some of your qualifications:
1. Waterproof: Look for the IXP-8 rating, that means it should be able to stay submerged at 2 meters for 30 minutes without leaking.
2. Good threads: Look for square threads, that seems to be the new standard for high quality threads, but don't discount a light simply because it doesn't have square threads.

Some things to pay attention to:
1. UI (user interface): This is the control system for the flashlight. Is it an end clicky, or a side clicky? Does that matter to you? Is it a forward or reverse clicky? A forward clicky will allow momentary on, a reverse clicky won't. Is it a mechanical switch or an electronic switch? There are pros and cons to both.

Some lights these days offer an infinitely adjustable control dial, but how it's implemented can make a difference.

Are the levels adjustable, or fixed? Does the high level come on first, or the low level, or does it have memory (as you've mentioned)?

2. LED TINT: This is a hot topic on CPF at the moment. Some folks prefer a cool white tint, some prefer a warmer tint (feeling it's better for outdoor lighting), and still others prefer a more neutral, pure white tint. Just be aware that there are choices.

I'm not going to make any suggestions at this time, but I'm sure other CPF members will have some good recommendations.

Take your time and start checking out those review sites and reading as much as you can here on CPF. Pretty soon you'll begin to see which lights might work best for you.

Have fun!

 

[archimedes]

The requirements and specifications you listed are quite specific (and thus helpful in narrowing down appropriate selections), but how much you were planning to spend (either per light, or total) would be very useful information....

As for your question regarding lights for functions #1, #2, and #3 - I think that #1 and #3 might overlap much more than #1 and #2, since an extreme thrower ("searchlight") is rather specialized and usually less convenient for more general purpose lighting tasks (due to much greater size, weight, output, etc.).

If budget were not an issue (but you weren't looking for custom torches), I might suggest:

#1) HDS/Ra (Clicky or Rotary), which can be run on an RCR123 rechargeable,
#2) JETBeam M1XL, which can be run on 2x 18650 with the extender tube, &
#3) Peak Logan 17500 QTC, which can be run on AAA, AA, CR123, RCR123, 17500 (among others, and most any battery chemistry) with the battery adapters.

 

[yifu]

The post above me has some pretty good points, but i have some to add, first off, IPX 8 doesnt mean 2m fo 30 mins, it generally means at least IPX7 (prevention of water ingress at 1m) if the manufacturer doesnt add anything. Square threads are pretty good, but not the best mechanically speaking, ACME threads are trapezoidal and have the best wearing characteristics of all threads, but it generally doesnt make much difference in smoothness.

1. Zebralight SC600 is 95 dollars and fits all your requirements, has a high high of 750OTF lumens, and a low low of 0.1 lumens and everything in between. It has more output than the TK35 in selfbuilt's ceiling bounce tests and is MUCH smaller and lighter and cheaper.

2.Mmmm, not sure what you mean, do you want a pocketable searchlight or a full sized portable one? If you want the best throw, look at some of the short-arcs in the thread here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?315896-Superlights-shoot-out-2011-The-Short-Arcs , all of them will throw 1+ mile no problem at all. If you want a pocketable "searchlight" you can look at some of the popular thrower lights out there, like the 4Sevens Maelstrom G5 or the best small thrower out there, the OMG DEFT EDC. Either one of those should overthrow the "1 million candlepower searchlight" from Walmart.

3. 1 and 3 can be the same light, but if you want a 2AA light, popular recommendations often include the 4sevens quark series etc.
Hope that helps!

 

[derek75]

I hope im not to far off here but check out the 4Sevens Maelstrom X7 or even the Maelstrom G5. I little pricy but it meets alot of your requirments. Also I can testify to their product support, and it is excellant. When things go wrong with a product is good time to judge the company and 4Sevens gets a AAAA+ from me.

 

[vaizki]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

First of all, budget.. well I'm not looking for the ultimate lights as I know the law of diminishing returns very well from my other "hobbies" (obsessions). Then again I want something that will last me as long as that 7C maglite and won't die from a small knock or a bit of water on the bottom of the boat.

The UI.. I didn't even realize there's a fwd/reverse clicky different. Ugh. Yes I'd prefer to have a momentary on with all my lights so that I can retain night vision and save on the batteries as well. Side clicky sounds more convenient (I'm thinking maglite) but is probably not so easy to engineer well and will take up extra room inside? End clicky is fine too if the light is small enough. Light levels can be fixed but especially the Zebralight and 4sevens seem to have taken some novel approaches to the UI that I'd probably appreciate.

I may have overspecced the boat "searchlight" a bit. I don't need a one mile throw on it, I need something more portable like a flashlight but even a half-mile throw would be great. The Finnish archipelago is such a maze of islands that it's not often that I'm even a mile off-shore from some piece of land! My bigger boat has the radar set to 1 nautical mile usually :rolleyes: Latest google find is Olight SR51 XM-L (U2).. Something in that league (if the specs are even close to the truth). Or maybe even a 35W HID light though there's some sticker shock there.

LED tint.. not TOO picky about that but I'll have to see. As a photo hobbyist I'm pretty conversant in color temperature and CRI, so yes of course I'd prefer a 90+ CRI and a bit warmer color temperature than the Zebralight 6500K for example (that's pretty cold) but I understand the price + power implications.

As to the suggestions,
- The zebralight SC600 looks great, I need to google some pics of the beam as it's very cool temp.
- The shortarcs are interesting but a bit too specialized for me. and too big/heavy.
- 4sevens Maelstroms look nice as well, will need to investigate them.
- HDS/JetBeam/PeakLogan.. never heard of these guys before so off I go to research.

It seems like XM-L are the lights to go for now, they pop up everywhere?

 

[Derek Dean]

vaizki, you catch on quick :). I don't think you'll have any trouble finding the right lights.

One more quick tip to help your research. Learn how to use the Google search box located at the top left of most CPF pages. Leave it check marked for "CPF Only" and it will lead you to threads on CPF about whatever light your interested in. I've found it very helpful in my quest for lights.

By the way, I just got a Zebralight SC600, and I must admit it's just about the perfect light for me. I really like the side mounted electronic switch, and it should give less problems than a mechanical switch. And, the levels are well chosen and easy to access. An all around great light, but a fairly floody one (which was what I was looking for).

The only issue I've had is the tint of the cool white XM-L T6 LED. Mine has a green/yellow spot and corona and a lightly blue spill. I was able to correct the tint of the spot with a magenta filter, but that has left a slightly purple tint to the spill. They are supposed to be coming out with a neutral LED soon, so keep your eyes open for that one.

In any case, I think you are off to a good start.

 

[vaizki]

Thanks Derek, I'm really liking the Zebralight UI (on paper as I've never seen one in the metal) and it looks like they have the quality and features to match the price. I've also to consider the wife and kids with these general use lights so I might go for a SC600 + SC80 from them for #1 and #3 to start with. The SC80 seems a bit overkill but I'd prefer to have the same UI for all the "family use" lights.

I'm guessing the neutral led versions will be sold out for a while when they come out..

Still also looking for the perfect narrow beam thrower.. the JetBeam M1XM might be worth a try, if I can find someone who sells it to Finland. Fenix TK-70 also on my list but looks to have too much spill. Edit: And it's D-cells I just noticed.. argh!

 

[yifu]

One more note, the SR51 has less lux at 1m than the Thrunite catapult(40 000 lux) so it should only have around 200m effective throw (root of 1m lux measurements). If you're satisfied with 200 ish effective then those two would be a pretty good option, a "half-mile thrower" really demands aspherics lens/HIDs/short-arcs or something with a HUGE reflector like the Olight SR90.

 

[vaizki]

Thank yifu, I did research a bit more yesterday and it seems like the SR90 is pretty much what I'm looking for. It doesn't have a momentary on fwd clicky though and the price is high enough to make me think a few times if this is the ideal light :eek:

TK70 looks the business but too much spill vs spot. Too many lights to choose from :confused:

 

[yifu]

Thank yifu, I did research a bit more yesterday and it seems like the SR90 is pretty much what I'm looking for. It doesn't have a momentary on fwd clicky though and the price is high enough to make me think a few times if this is the ideal light :eek:TK70 looks the business but too much spill vs spot. Too many lights to choose from :confused:

Well its really too big to have a foward clicky at the back, it does have the best throw out of all production LED lights(the best throwers are not LED based however) thou, and even beats some of the aspherics. If you are using as a portable searchlight you wont be dissapointed and the price is reasonable as well. BTW it doesnt ouput 2200 lumens as advertised but rather closer to 1400 Out the front lumens. There are HID lights of similar size but outputing 3 times as much light (Polarion PH40/45/50), Boxer 24w etc but they cost more.

 

[joe1512]

I would recommend a keychain light for you. I started carrying one and it has been incredibly useful since I always have my keys with me. There are tons of choices so I would look for something that is designed to be on a keychain using a RCR123 battery or an AAA.

The RCR123 one will be able to light up a larger area with about 2.5 times the output of the AAA. But the AAA is even lighter and 1/2 the diameter if slightly longer. I personally carry a Quark MiniX 123 with an RCR123 battery which does slightly overdrive the emitter. So I have a good 250+ lumens on high mode for short duration. With 3 modes and a twisty to ensure it doesn't come on accidently, I really like this one. A cheaper version would be the itp A1 (or the new olight i1).


Having 1 keychain light ensures you never forget it and always have a light on you when you need it, and were not expecting to need it. (happens more than you'd think) It is better than having multiple lights laying around the house.


For housework, you might consider some ebay flood to throw lights. They are 10 bucks each and produce a decent amount of light. What is nice is that they are great for working on stuff up close because they have no hotspot in flood mode. You can adjust them to have a good deal of throw (or anywhere inbetween). They are quite cost-effective and cheap...and use 3xAAA batteries so you don't need special batteries for them.

-----

Hopefully you can combine #1 and 2 together into 1 decent sized light that has good enough throw. Still, I'd hate to lug around a SR90 with me! That is kinda overkill for most people.

 

[vaizki]

Well everyone... I've gone off the cliff and ordered a ZL SC600 for #1 and Xeno E03 X-ML NW for #3. I think the #2 will have to wait a bit, seems like my boating season is coming to an abrupt and premature end for this year with a bunch of work travel getting scheduled. So let's see in March where the thrower market is :shrug:

I also ordered a ZL H51Fw because it seems I'm not going to get my yard lighting done before the ground freezes here. So the H51Fw will be my firewood fetching and BBQ companion (it's also my first headlight ever!).

Keychain light is a good idea, I've got a local dealer with a good deal on iTP A3 EOS Titanium, might go for that. The wife actually has a keychain light but it's crap so maybe 2.. Not sure about the titanium though, I could do stainless steel (I hate how anodized lights get scratched by keys). Other ideas?

So that's 3 incoming with 2 keychains and a mega thrower still on the shopping list! I'm well doomed with flashlights now. :shakehead And now I know too much to stop!

 

[Derek Dean]

It sounds like you've got some nice lights coming your way. Let us know what you think of them after they arrive.

 

[yifu]

Have fun with your new lights when they come in! Make sure to get the 18650s and 14500s if you havent already, the SC600 doesnt work with CR123s.

 

[vaizki]

I will report yes.. it will take some days-weeks to get them, Finland is not the center of the universe ;)

I have some 18650s already and I intend to run AA eneloops otherwise, I have maybe a hundred of them (krhm!) but hey I need them for my photographic flashguns, handheld GPS etc ;)

 

[minnstars]

I am a newbie too and recently purchased several lights based on advice from these forums. I own a Xeno E03 XM-L NW and ITP A2 EOS upgraded XP-G. The later is easily the best value in the 1 X AAA format light out there, fits nicely on a keychain and really does almost everything you need. The Xeno E03 is a great value also. A very floody light, just fine with a AA battery, but a barn burner with a 14500! I have also bought a Jetbeam BC40, which is a great bargin for a big output light with a very repectable amount of throw in the 2 X 18650 format. I still would like to own a 1 X 18650 light and the Zebralight SC600 would be my first choice hands down. There are larger / heavier 1 x 18650 lights in this class that have more throw, but the SC600 has the best output efficency ratio of any at this time.

 

[vaizki]

Zebralights are at the post office.. fetching today.. mmmmm... :party:

minnstars, do you mean ITP A3 EOS and not A2? The A2 is an AA light.. I think I'll plunk for those titanium A3s myself.. 10 grams without the AAA.. :eek:

 

[stickx]

I have several of the ITP A3 EOS in aluminum and stainless steel and love them. My wife and daughter like the light weight of AL on their keychains and I like the scratch resistance of the SS. I have a titanium on order, but have read that the galling on the threads bothers some people. You definately should get the Upgrade model with 3 levels low --> med --> high. They do see to be getting hard to find now that Olight is marketting their own version so don't delay.

 

[vaizki]

Well I got my Zebralights finally. Wow.

The SC600 is ridiculous! Yes it's a bit floodier than I was maybe expecting but ot puts out a real tsunami of photons to compensate. Very pocketable but the clip seems a bit weird to me... Somehow like an afterthought. I like the different mode levels but not very easy yet to time a turn-on-to-low.. I tend to get medium a lot :)

The H51Fw IS my first headlight ever so can't really compare with anything but another Wow here. So small & light, runs Eneloops and the high is great for yard stuff at night yet the low low is perfect for reading. The clicky switch is just right, unlike the SC600 which is quite stiff. But I guess you don't want those 750 lumens burning in your pocket... The bit flimsy headband seems to it's job because the light is so featherweight.

I can see myself taking both of these along for any excursion at night, maybe just wishing the SC600 could do momentary on but I can't have everything in just one light can I.. ;)

All in all, very happy with ZL, a brand I didn't even know existed before joining the forum. Thanks everyone, at least until the credit card bill ;)