Overwhelmed

[vondy]

I've spent way too much time trying to decided on a new flashlight. Little did I know that Streamlight and Surefire where not the only two "pro" flashlight brands. Right now I have about 8 tabs open in my browser of different brands and they all seem to be good.

Ultimately I'm looking for 2 lights, an everyday light for me and a tactical light for my wife.

First my light...
600-800 max lumens with various power levels
prefer one that is rechargeable with the option of using 123 cells
prefer a nice flood beam with natural light, no spot
use for around the house, working on car, walking dog, camping, boat light for night docking

Some that I am liking...
Nitecore P25
EagleTac TX25C2
Fenix TK22
Olight M21-x warrior
comparable Sunwayman

Leaning towards the Nitecore P25 because you can charge the light directly
Someone like the idea of a control ring for different levels but don't know how well it works

If anyone has any insight or any other recommendations I would very much appreciate it.

For the wife I'm looking for a small light she can stab somebodies eyes out with :crazy:. One that runs on 123 cells. A defensive purse light if you will. Not too picky.

Thanks guys! I've had a Streamlight poly stinger and a Surefire 6p so I'm not totally new at this but still overwhelmed by all the brands out there.

 

[hazy]

I really can't help you but, I totally feel your pain. I have spent way too many nights now reading about lights for literally hours! I'm talking 3-4 hours at time just like you with 20-30 tabs open in Chrome reading articles and reviews and comparing lights. It gets kind of ridiculous at a point.

I don't have enough experience to give you advice on specific lights but I would just tackle it like any other purchase: narrow down your specs to a "must have" range, find something within your budget, pull the trigger and hope for the best. Ultimately the more you look the more lights you'll find and it becomes impossible to pick, I think that's why you see so many in the flashlight community with 20+ lights (and some with much much more) there's just too many cool lights, a first world problem as it were :P

Good luck finding something though, try not to go too crazy ;)

 

[tubed]

My two cents:
if you want to use the light for boating ( i do) a good feature is a light that can go from very low to very high instantly as those seem to be the most used modes by far. In the boat you generally want to preserve night vision while looks at charts, parts, or dials. so a good low, low is a must. But then you need to quickl ramp up to turbo for that "thing in the water". Many lights require you to switch through all modes - a total pain, and you often overshoot and end up in some blinking mode.

I have the nitecore MH 25 which is similar to the one you mentioned (no side switch and a slightly different charging cable). I like it ok. it can go from low to turbo with a quick head twist (done with one hand). my biggest problem is that the low is too high (like 40 lumens). I don't know about the P25. Foursevens, (and i think other brands) make lights that can be "programmed" to be basically a two mode light of your choosing. I have a Quark AAx2 that dose this and like it a lot. -they call them the tactical UI as opposed to the professional UI.

 

[Chevy-SS]

A flashlight is not a weapon. Not at all. Should your wife actually happen to strike someone with one of those crenelated edges, then I believe her attacker would likely get enraged and take revenge and it wouldn't be pretty.

Anyway, for the wifey I would focus on something that had an awesome strobe. Many of the LEO's on this forum seem to agree that a good strobe will likely disrupt an opponent for a few seconds. This should give the wifey time to get away. The light I use for EDC is a Quark 123*2 'Tactical'. This light (has a good strobe) allows two settings that you program in, and then select either with tight head or loose head. This is nice, because you always know which setting the light will come on in, without having to fumble through any modes.

 

[sinnyc]

If instantly accessible strobe is something you want for your wife's light, look into Klarus lights. Some of them have dual clicky buttons with one of them a dedicated strobe. Their XT1A is a 1 x AA light that might work for her.

 

[weekend warrior]

The Klarus RS11 is another light that can be charged via USB, only with 18650's though. It also has an easily selectable strobe mode and strike bezel but is a little too big for purse carry imo.

 

[Chevy-SS]

If instantly accessible strobe is something you want for your wife's light, look into Klarus lights. Some of them have dual clicky buttons with one of them a dedicated strobe. Their XT1A is a 1 x AA light that might work for her.

Some of the LEO's here have remarked that this two-button setup is tricky to hit strobe in high stress situation. I have Klarus XT11, a nice light, with the two-button setup. But I still carry my single-button Quark, if I want instant strobe with button press.

JMHO

 

[ledmitter_nli]

I really can't help you but, I totally feel your pain. I have spent way too many nights now reading about lights for literally hours! I'm talking 3-4 hours at time just like you with 20-30 tabs open in Chrome reading articles and reviews and comparing lights. It gets kind of ridiculous at a point.

I don't have enough experience to give you advice on specific lights but I would just tackle it like any other purchase: narrow down your specs to a "must have" range, find something within your budget, pull the trigger and hope for the best. Ultimately the more you look the more lights you'll find and it becomes impossible to pick, I think that's why you see so many in the flashlight community with 20+ lights (and some with much much more) there's just too many cool lights, a first world problem as it were :P

Good luck finding something though, try not to go too crazy ;)

^^
LoL

Flashaholic in the making :D

 

[vondy]

Thanks for the response everyone. I keep researching and now am considering a Sunwayman V20C or EagleTac G25C2 MkII.

I like the idea of the continuous mode on the V20C but it seams like the G25C2 has a longer throw. Although I might opt for the natural light in that one which would bring the lumens down.

Any thoughts on those 2?

 

[sinnyc]

Thanks for the response everyone. I keep researching and now am considering a Sunwayman V20C or EagleTac G25C2 MkII.

I like the idea of the continuous mode on the V20C but it seams like the G25C2 has a longer throw. Although I might opt for the natural light in that one which would bring the lumens down.

Any thoughts on those 2?

I have the V20C as well as a V11R (which is my EDC), both of which use the variable brightness control ring. I don't have the Eagletac G25C2 and don't know much about it other than what I read for specs on the EagleTac site, and according to their numbers, the G25C2 is twice as bright as the V20C. According to Selfbuilt's reviews of both models (V20C and G25C2), the EagleTac out-throws the Sunwayman by a significant margin as well. So, if straight up numbers in brightness and distance are what you're after, there's really no contest: it's EagleTac all the way.

Having said that, I really like the V20C. It feels solid and well made. The threads and the action on the control ring are like butter. It puts out a very nice, floody beam with a largish hotspot and I find it to be very useable, if that makes sense.

Plus, I have brighter lights that as well as a few purpose-built throwers (the flashaholic addiction hits hard and fast ;) ) but I tend to keep the V20C in reach at home. I got it to be a jack-of-all-trades sort of light and I think it does the job well. I can dial it down to just a couple of lumens as I walk around the house at night, crank it up a bit more if I have to go into the recesses of my basement or garage storage area, and it will also light up my yard or the street on max.

As a final caveat, I'm fairly new to a lot of this stuff, too, and there are many, many people at CPF with more experience. Like you, I also spent hours and hours reading and researching on multiple browser tabs and I have come to believe that there isn't a "perfect" light for me. Instead, I think there are lots and lots of lights that are perfect for specific uses.

Good luck!

 

[vondy]

Yeah if the Sunwayman had a bit more lumens there would be no question. Still may go with it because I love the way the ring works.

This will bring me to a battery question. What is recommended for protected 18650 batteries and chargers?

I've also been looking at Amazon to buy, I have prime so free 2 day shipping is nice there. I can't imagine anyone else being cheaper. Thoughts?

All good opinions BTW. I'd love to go on a flashlight buying spree but we have twin 1 yr olds so I'll be lucky to get one right now.

The wife saw a friends streamlight that had the tactical stab-your-eyes-out head so she has already decided she wants one. She'll never actually use it but I agree the a strobe feature would be her first line of defense.

Thanks!

 

[gradio]

Wife - SureFire E2D Defender/Executive to 6 D-Mag Light
You - yer on yer own

Gouging one with a little light would be less effective than a light attached to 40S&W to 12ga.