Newbie needs advice

[ogre]

I'm new to this site and was trying to find a low cost LED that could be mounted to my M4 for combat. Is a Romisen capable of handling the recoil?

 

[Viper715]

First we really need some more info;what is low cost to you, what amount of light do you need and do you want throw or flood?

I am probably going to by a Olight M20 Warrior for my M4 which has multiple modes so I can use it for other things and it is very bright 225 Lumens. Currently I have a Command Arms vertical grip/1 inch flashlight holder with a Surefire G2L producing 80 lumens. I do like the grip and Surefire but the higher output of the M20 is very enticing. I plan on getting the offset rail mount for the M20 and a remote pressure switch it should make a nice set up. But any 1in light that you find that you like you can get mounting rings for it and make it work. the Surefire is around $50 I think and the Olight can be found for a little less than $100.00 and there are many many more choices out there. Some are cheap like the light you mentioned but I would bet you my Surefire that you would break 5 of those lights before my Surefire ever failed. In my opinion you get what you pay for and in the long run cheap can cost more in money and safety. I'm in LE and I wouldn't put anything on my M4 that I don't think I could take through hell and come out the other side with the light still working and the devil blind :devil: . I have never had my Surefire G2L fail and thats what I want reliability. Sorry for the long post I'm kinda addicted to flashlights and very passionate. :candle:

 

[Derek Dean]

Howdy ogre and welcome to CPF,
A big ole' welcome to you too Viper715. It sounds to me like Viper715 is giving you some good advice (a welcome thing from a new member).

First of all, be sure and check out the CPF Welcome Mat, as it will answer MANY of your questions and help get you thinking about what it is that you really want:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=172991

Then start reading. Especially the CPF review area, and also these other flashlight review sites:
http://www.light-reviews.com/
http://www.cpfreviews.com/

And then to get a good understanding of rechargeable batteries (which many of us on CPF REALLY like) check out these links:
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=201375

I know that seems like a lot to read, but the best light is the one that works for YOU, and there are so many lights because everybody likes something just a bit different for THEIR light..... so spend a bit of time reading through that info and looking around CPF and pretty soon you will begin to see what light will work for YOU. Have fun!

 

[ogre]

I'd like to keep the cost under $75.00 but want at least 150 lumens. I like the Pattern of the CREE 5Q as far as LED. It will mount on picatinny rails and I would like push button on/off and momentary on/off.

 

[Mjolnir]

For $75 you should probably get something in the fenix/eagletac/olight range, note the romisen range. You won't get momentay on/off with a cheaper chinese light unless it only has one mode, since they have reverse clickies, which are used to change modes.
Take a look at the Fenix TK11 R2 or the eagletac T10Lc2, or the T10L if you want to use only rechargeables.

 

[Painful Chafe]

Make sure you know the exact diameter of whatever you choose. Lots of times the diameter of the light listed is possibly the head or some other part that is the largest diameter. I have the T10LC2. The diameter is about 23 cm. I did have a reducer for my mount to go from 1'' to 7/8 or so. For some reason it is hard to find out what the body diameter is. You would think manufacturers would want to make this know since a lot of people will use it on a gun. The T10LC2 has 25% further throw than the T10C2 which is why I bought it even though I will probably never use the 18650 battery it can use. The only thing you may have to worry about if you do get the EagleTac T10LC2 instead of the T10C2 is the CR123's don't fit tight in the battery tube since the light is also sized to take 18650's. The T10C2 doesn't have this problem. They are making and will be available soon, a spacer tube to give the CR's a tight fit. Or you can just use o rings around the battery.
The Olight M20, mentioned by others, is also a great choice. THe EagleTac is a bit brighter, but I think the Olight has a little better throw. Whichever is important to you. The Olight is up around $100 though.

Others to concider. You can't go wrong with any:
Regal WT1. Make sure it is the second version. Great throw, great runtime with CR123's. Amazing light IMHO. This will probably be my next one.

DereeLight CL1H 2.0

Fenix T10 or T11 or T1(you can find used T1's for a good price)All these Fenix's are built like a tank.

 

[Gunner12]

The Cree(company) XR-E(model) Q5(flux bin) is only a LED, the reflector/optic determins the beam pattern.

I wouldn't trust budget lights like the Romisen for combat use. Some of them do come with a forward clickie or have that option.

For your price range, look at the Fenix TK series, Eagletac lights, Olights, Dereelight, or Surefire + good LED drop-in.

:welcome: