Before anyone starts reaching for the "Do a search" autoreply, hear me out, please!
I've only been here a couple of months, and already I have too many torches, and I'm coveting others. Reading the "Which lights would you NOT have bought" thread made me realise, I wish I knew then what I know now.
I'm sure I'm not alone in having jumped in and started buying torches before I really knew what I was looking for.
I came mainly interested in LED torches, and I've stayed that way so this is focused on them. I may be wrong,so please correct me. I've said a few things that are probably quite controversial but I've tried to simplify the situation as I understand it from the research I've done.
If I was a complete noob I'd want to know:
Torches can be great "throwers" which means they have a tight beam that is useful over a great distance, or the y can have a great flood which means they light up a broader area but not as far, or somewhere in between.
"Throwers" will often be too bright to use for lighting up near objects - eg when trying to read etc.
LEDs: There are many different types of "bin": Cree and Seoul are the most respected. The Cree Q5 is the best, having superceded the P4.
Batteries: I may well be wrong, but it is my understanding now (having bought a handful of expensive R(echargable)CR123s, that a torch which takes CR123s and 18650 batteries will run longer on the 18650 at the same brightness, and that a torch specifically designed for 18650s will run longer AND brighter than its CR123 counterpart. (Please correct me if this is wrong)
Coating: HAIII is the most popular coating and is very tough
Therefore, my advice to myself three months ago would be buy a torch that only takes 18650s, has a Q5 emitter, has 2 modes (so that it can be used upclose) and has HAIII coating if possible. Have a look on DealExtreme for a torch (I reckon it would be this one) that fits these criteria (unless you plan to use your torch only with your feet kicking it on and off, in which case go to Surefire), buy some rechargable 18650s and a charger, and (sitting on your wallet the whole time) step away from CPF until you've lost that torch and need a new one.
If I'd known that I could have saved myself a fair bit of cash (and had a lot less fun admittedly).
I've only been here a couple of months, and already I have too many torches, and I'm coveting others. Reading the "Which lights would you NOT have bought" thread made me realise, I wish I knew then what I know now.
I'm sure I'm not alone in having jumped in and started buying torches before I really knew what I was looking for.
I came mainly interested in LED torches, and I've stayed that way so this is focused on them. I may be wrong,so please correct me. I've said a few things that are probably quite controversial but I've tried to simplify the situation as I understand it from the research I've done.
If I was a complete noob I'd want to know:
Torches can be great "throwers" which means they have a tight beam that is useful over a great distance, or the y can have a great flood which means they light up a broader area but not as far, or somewhere in between.
"Throwers" will often be too bright to use for lighting up near objects - eg when trying to read etc.
LEDs: There are many different types of "bin": Cree and Seoul are the most respected. The Cree Q5 is the best, having superceded the P4.
Batteries: I may well be wrong, but it is my understanding now (having bought a handful of expensive R(echargable)CR123s, that a torch which takes CR123s and 18650 batteries will run longer on the 18650 at the same brightness, and that a torch specifically designed for 18650s will run longer AND brighter than its CR123 counterpart. (Please correct me if this is wrong)
Coating: HAIII is the most popular coating and is very tough
Therefore, my advice to myself three months ago would be buy a torch that only takes 18650s, has a Q5 emitter, has 2 modes (so that it can be used upclose) and has HAIII coating if possible. Have a look on DealExtreme for a torch (I reckon it would be this one) that fits these criteria (unless you plan to use your torch only with your feet kicking it on and off, in which case go to Surefire), buy some rechargable 18650s and a charger, and (sitting on your wallet the whole time) step away from CPF until you've lost that torch and need a new one.
If I'd known that I could have saved myself a fair bit of cash (and had a lot less fun admittedly).
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