Questions

[banthony]

I have been away from this forum for several years....
I have not kept up with what is happening in the "flashlight world".
I notice several different lights being touted that I am unfamiliar with.
I have owned and given away as gifts to family members several AAA Arc lights. The one I use for EDC has served me well for over 10 years without a problem and has never refused to work perfectly.
Recently, I have purchased a new Arc light... the higher capacity one and it is brighter than the old Arc and seems to be just as well made, still, I am curious about the new lights.
I also own these:
1) 4 D cell Maglight
2) Lightwave 2000 Pro
3) Lightwave 4000 Pro ( I think Lightwave is no longer in business but I have had no problems with these lights)
4) Surefire Outdoorsman
5) A couple of Princeton Tech AA lights, not sure of the models.

My questions are (finally)..
What flashlight, in similar price range, is better for EDC than the Arc and why?
What flashlight would you recommend for EDC, no matter the price(within common sense).
What flashlight is a better choice for home use than what I have and why?
Please give reasons for any response.
Thanks in advance for any and all recommendations.
Bob

 

[Lobo]

Whew, that's a BIG question. There are so many new lights out and it has happened so much the latest year that you wouldnt believe. I never owned an ARC, but from what I've heard, it seems to be a fine piece of engineering. Allthough most lights (even the cheaper ones) will blow away the ARC when it comes to brightness and runtime today. And since most lights are also multilevel, you'll get the best of two worlds, superbright high level, and longrunning low level. It would be easier to narrow it down if you add:

Budget, what's the limit?

Type of batteries and size(some are fine with EDCing a 2xAA and some can't have anything bigger than a CR2-cell)? AAs, AAAs, CR123, 18650 etc.

What kind of beam? Flood, throw?

EDIT: To compare with your ARC, here are the top of the crop when it comes to AAA-lights now IMHO.
Fenix L0D Q4
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=171179
Tiablo A1
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=169729
Lumapower Avenger
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=171917

 

[quatra2008]

+1 for the tiablo a1 it is a great little light with an extremely bright mostly flood beam. i also carry my e1l cree which is more of a thrower (despite the 30 lumen claim of surefire) these two are great by themselves as edc. for walking to the fridge or bathroom at night i use my inova x5 with red leds because it is easy on the eyes. hope this helps!

 

[Marduke]

One serious competitor for the ARC is the Fenix LOD, which is slightly larger but multimode, and the Q4 version can pump out 75 lumens on high, vs. 10 for the Arc +P DS

https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_52&products_id=370

Ends up being cheaper than the Arc, since you get 8% discount and free shipping.

The E0 is a competitor to the Arc standard CS, with better regulation.

 

[banthony]

Thanks for the responses and the recommendations.

As far as budget goes, I am more interested in quality than the cost. I would like to keep the EDC light under $60 or so.

As far as a home light goes... no more than $125 or so.

I think the Fenix looks like a good choice for an EDC light.

I would appreciate some recommendations on a home light.

Thanks again.

 

[Lobo]

Fenix are hard to beat when it comes quality around the 50USD mark. But if you're talking about AAA-lights, the new Lumapower Avenger looks very impressive also.

For what are you going to use your homelights? And what do you use now?
One easy, economical and very good solution would be to buy a LED-dropin for your maglight. It will be a lot brighter, better whiter beam for indoor use, and it will run for ever.

 

[Gunner12]

First thing first.

The newer LEDs can easily hit 150 lumens and the top of the line ons will easily exceed 200 Lumens. They are the Cree XR-E P4-R2 Bin, Seoul P4 U bin, and Luxeon Rebel 100 and Rebel 80. These newer LEDs are at least twice as efficient as the Luxeon I, III, V and K2 LEDs. Meaning for the same power, they will produce twice or more light then the previous Luxeons.

There has also been a flood of cheaper light with these new LEDs, mostly from Dealextreme and Kaidomain(In the Cree/Seoul/Rebel section). They are usually of average build quality(Look for the ones getting good reviews). The good ones can output over 100+ lumen out the front and throw 100+ meters. They also have a bunch of DIY parts(LEDs, drivers, etc) that you can buy to modify your lights. Included shipping usually take about a month.

Well, for the maglite, first get a Malkoffdevices drop-in or(And wait for the next wave to come) or buy a Terralux Drop-in.

For the Surefire, which Outdoorsman do you have? 1 CR123, Get the KX1 head, 2 CR123, get the KX2 head. Or send it to Milkyspit to be modded.

For a home light, what are you looking for?

How about a Fenix L2D-CE Q5? 8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8"

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