Princeton EOS or L2D Q5?

[fleetparadox]

I was wondering how these two lights would match up...

1) L2D Q5

or

2) Princeton Tec EOS w/ Seoul P4 Mod

I haven't owned either one and was thinking buying one (maybe both) for camping/hiking/general outdoors use.

Which would have better throw/flood/runtime... etc.

Any opinions would be appreciated. I'm quite new to flashlights, only experience being a PT Aurora.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Mattebox]

In the great CPF spirit, I'd say get both! :twothumbs

I have a EOS w/ Seoul P4 mod and a L2T V2.0. I mainly use the EOS and I carry the L2T for backup and for spotting something far away. The L2T is definitely way more powerful than the EOS, but you rarely need that kind of power around camp, etc.

If you can only pick one, I'd say get the EOS w/ Seoul P4 mod. IMO, a headlamp is more useful than a flashlight around camp/hiking/general use. Having your hands free is a huge benefit. But if you can get both, I'd get a flashlight too to compliment the headlamp and to serve as a backup.

 

[hopkins]

yep both good lights. Ask Santa to get you both for Christmas.
Just be ready with the answer for the embarrassing question of 'why do you need TWO flashlights ???

A: Because I might have to loan you one of them and would'nt it be sad it I
only had one.

 

[Oddjob]

I'm not saying buy both just because it is a motto around here. I say buy both becasue they serve different purposes. It's always great to have a headlamp while camping/backpacking etc. for hands free. I also like having a handheld light with more throw for objects in the distance and for those times when I do not want light everywhere I look (I hate being temporaily blinded by someone looking at me with a headlamp on)

When I first got it I found my EOS had a fairly tight beam so I opened it up and put some diffusing material (PDA film) in front of the optic to create a more floody beam. The floody beam is more useful on a headlamp IMO. I can walk around camp and see much more in my field of vision and if I need to see something in the distance I have a light on me that has some throw.

For a really cool headlamp may I suggest looking into the Zebralight. It does not have a reflector or optic so it gives a very broad pure floody beam. Beyond it being a good headlamp, I am suggesting it so you can eliminate having to carry both AAA's and AA's

 

[fleetparadox]

You guys are making some excellent points. The L2D Q5 will most likely be a great "throw" light but will tie up one of my limbs to hold it during campground rummaging. Having a floody headlamp would probably be a great complimentary light.

Although sharing the same batteries would be a plus...

What do you guys think about:

Zebra light versus PT EOS w/ mod + stippled reflector for flood??

Which would be better...? (There's a ton of threads on this already. I should just read those. haha)

 

[Mattebox]

The buying both comment was made in jest. Although in this case it really does make sense because headlamps and flashlights have unique advantages of their own so they compliment each other well. But again, if I only had a choice to get one, I would highly recommend a headlamp over a flashlight for camping, hiking, general close range use, etc.

A lot of us who did the EOS mod did it because we already had it lying around. If I had to do it all over again, I would seriously think of getting the Zebralight because of the AA battery commonality. I have a GPS that uses AA too.

But personally, I'm waiting for Zebralight to update their light with a clickie and maybe add a little more throw. For me, the modded EOS with stock optic is the best compromise for now between flood and throw without having to use a flashlight so that's what I like to use. Other people may want more of a pure flood. All of this is highly dependent on personal preferences so it's hard to make a recommendation for someone else.

 

[hopkins]

Think a handheld light with a flip up/down diffusor like the petzl MYO XP
would be nice so you could have both throw and flood when needed.
twisty bezels are a bit slow.
Having your headlamp and handheld able to both switch between flood and throw
could be useful.

 

[half-watt]

I was wondering how these two lights would match up...

1) L2D Q5

or

2) Princeton Tec EOS w/ Seoul P4 Mod

I haven't owned either one and was thinking buying one (maybe both) for camping/hiking/general outdoors use.

Which would have better throw/flood/runtime... etc.

Any opinions would be appreciated. I'm quite new to flashlights, only experience being a PT Aurora.

Thanks for your time.

after decades of backpacking and more recently years of ultra-backpacking, i switched a couple of years or so ago from purpose made headlamps to flashlights.

now, since i use trekking poles (in both hands), i need hands-free lighting. in this regard, my preference is for head-mounting versus back-of-the-hand, wrist, forearm, belt (pant or pack) and packstrap mounting.

depending upon the size/weight of the light and what headgear i'm wearing, i either clip the light to my ballcap brim/visor using a clip from a $3.95 Mini-MagLite Accessory kit (this clip can be gently reformed to fit most any AA and many CR123A flashlight barrels/bodies/tubes), or i use a JakStrap (original or the newer JS II) to side-mount the flashlight near my right temple (you could also go with left-side mount).

the Cree emitter flashlights offer excellent burntime on lower o.p. (output) settings, better throw, and, generally, sufficient flood to spot indistinct, faded, low-contrast blazes on rocks and tree trunks marking bends/turns on trails.

the flashlights are generally lighter too. plus, the ones that one would consider side-mounting to the head use only 1 or 2 cells versus 3-4 for most headlamps (though there are some smaller headlamps that use only 2 cells).


go with the Fenix flashlight of your choice. that was my decision and i've never regretted it (i used to do a lot of nighttime trekking - rising at approx. 0200 to begin the next "days" leg of the trek [body generates heat while hiking, so a somewhat smaller, lighter weight sleeping bag can be carried, important for the ultra-light hiker carrying only 5-10lb of gear, since one is in it during, generally, warmer portions of the night and is on the move during the coldest hours]).

 

[hopkins]

Hi half-watt
You are the Man! Up at 2am -eat,pack, start walking.
Now with reliable long runtime LED H/L's I can do that in the Sierra's
where in the past it was a bit of work to carry a flashlight at all.
Relied on moon, stars or campfire to see by. I got good at
reaching out from my lean-2 and restarting the fire in the dark for
breakfast.

Have you wondered like me about how a light attached midway
up a trekking pole would work. Closer to the target so it could run
at low power and give better illumination than from the forehead to
ground distance.?