Recommendations needed for noobie.

[Mii]

Hello everybody!

im new at the forum and new to the world of lights.:wave:

I just recently bought my first led flashlight fenix p3d q5, and its been really greate!! i didnt know that so small flashlight could output that much light!!.
I work as a paramedic and time to time, (especially at winter) we need good working light. i wanted a flashlight that i could use for various situations.
flashlight that has got long throwing beam, good run time and allso various output modes for in door use. Most importantly my light had to to be small enough to carry in belt holster.
I based my desicion to by p3d mostly from what people talked about it in this forum, so many thanks to everyone for their expert opinions:twothumbs

In finland most of our ambulances have maglite rechargeables so i base my comparisons to that one. last night i compared maglite and p3d and maglite had further throw then p3d (but not much) and its more yellow light was more visible.

So it seems that im hooked to flashlights, im alredy considering buyin new one (maybe JETBeam JET-1 Pro or LiteFlux LF5 XT) before i do that i would like to ask more opinions and noobie guestions...:thinking:

1. I understand that further throwing beam depends on reflector and output of the led? is that correct?
2.fenix TK 11 is advertised as a longer throwing beam (over 200m) is this because of the reflector and how is it different to one in p3d q5?
3. Liteflux LF5 XT has cree r2 led yet it seems to output smaller amount of flux than p3d(http://www.light-reviews.com/compare.html), is this because it uses only one AA?
4. which flashlight would you recommend for furthest throw?

Thanks!
mii from finland

 

[HKJ]

1. I understand that further throwing beam depends on reflector and output of the led? is that correct?

Yes.

2.fenix TK 11 is advertised as a longer throwing beam (over 200m) is this because of the reflector and how is it different to one in p3d q5?

TK11 has a bigger and smooth reflector and more light output.

3. Liteflux LF5 XT has cree r2 led yet it seems to output smaller amount of flux than p3d(http://www.light-reviews.com/compare.html), is this because it uses only one AA?

LF5XT has a small reflector and the actual output from the led depends both on the led type and the current in the led.
The difference between the Q5 (p3d) and R2 (LF5XT) bin is very small, that means that most of the output depends on the current in the led where a 2 cells CR123 light has a big advantage over a AA light.

4. which flashlight would you recommend for furthest throw?

A dedicated thrower light, look at these reflectors:

The lights are: Maglite, Tiablo A9, Fenix TK10, Fenix P3D and Fenix L0D.

The smooth reflectors gives the best throw but the worst beam (rings in the beam).

The A9 is a thrower, other similar throwers are: RaidFire Spear, Lumapower MRV, Dereelight DBS.

 

[Jarl]

Furthest throw is a aspheric mag mod. If you're not interested in that, then the throwers mentioned above would be good choices.

If you want a more yellow light, then look at 5A tints or greater. IIRC, dereelight make a 5A drop-in, so if you get a dereelight thrower, you could get the 5A drop-in and have a far throwing yellow beam (though not as yellow as the mag) with decent efficiency and dimming capabilities.

 

[Gunner12]

Usually the larger and deeper the reflector is, the more throw you get for the same output. Output also helps of course.

LEDs can be driven at different currents for different outputs. For the LF5X, the LED is driven at a lower current then the P3D.

How much throw do you need/want?

:welcome:

 

[Mii]

:thanks: for answering my questions.

previously i have been using that maglite and its throw seems good. It would be really cool to beat that with a much smaller flashlight:naughty:. But my flashlight has to be easily carried on my belt, so that limits my options.
if fenix TK10 or TK11 had more output modes i would consider buying one of those. so p3d q5 and LF5X compared p3d has got better throw? anyother small enough models out there? how about JETbeam JET-1 PRO compared to p3d? maybe i should wait for newer leds and flaslight to come out.
though i would really want operation modes like in LF5X...

or should i by them all?

 

[Marduke]

or should i by them all?

That's generally the "recommended" course of action

 

[Raytech]

Hello everybody!

im new at the forum and new to the world of lights.:wave:

I work as a paramedic and time to time, (especially at winter) we need good working light.

I guess I don't have to tell you to be careful when using your LED light to check pupil reaction. LOL

 

[I came to the light...]

:thanks: for answering my questions.

previously i have been using that maglite and its throw seems good. It would be really cool to beat that with a much smaller flashlight:naughty:. But my flashlight has to be easily carried on my belt, so that limits my options.
if fenix TK10 or TK11 had more output modes i would consider buying one of those. so p3d q5 and LF5X compared p3d has got better throw? anyother small enough models out there? how about JETbeam JET-1 PRO compared to p3d? maybe i should wait for newer leds and flaslight to come out.
though i would really want operation modes like in LF5X...

or should i by them all?

It seems like you already found light-reviews.com, which is probably the best source for lux numbers and runtimes of a wide variety of flashlights. You can check the numbers for most of the flashlights I mention there. For more detailed reviews on a slightly smaller inventory, search for selfbuilt's reviews on this forum. He has done roundup reviews of single AA and CR123A lights that should help a lot.

The JET-I PRO is the best thrower using a single AA cell. It will throw further than the P3D or LF5XT. The latest model uses JETBeam's IBS circuitry, which has 3 settable brightness modes, and is brighter than the non-IBS version reviewed at light-reviews.com.

I own a LF5XT and highly recommend it. My only problem is the slight delay before everything (on, off, mode switch, settings, mode jump...), but I am already getting used to it. It also has narrow spill, but for me that is not an issue. Everything else is perfect The beam is the smoothest I've seen from a CREE LED, and the spill is the brightest I've seen from a single LED. The combination makes it perform like a flood light up close, but still have very good throw (just barely better than a P3D). Build quality is simply impressive. The interface is actually very easy to use, and while programming may take a few minutes to learn, it is fairly natural too.

The furthest throwing LEDs use an aspheric lens, which sacrafices everything else for throw. Then you have dedicated throwers with reflectors, which are the four lights mentioned by HKJ in his last line. They are more compact and have spill, but are still geared towards throw. There are many excellent lights slightly bigger than your P3D Q5 that throw over 3x as well, but it sounds like you may want something smaller than that. The JETBeam JET-II IBS PRO has the best throw of a 1xCR123A light. It uses the same circuitry as the JET-I PRO IBS. Second place in output and throw is the Nitecore Extreme. I own the latter, and recommend it over the former. Build quality is excellent - it seems to be one of the toughest lights out there. UI is great - ideal if you want a simple forward clicky but don't want to give up adjustable brightness, strobe, etc.

One last word. If you wait, a better flashlight will come out. But do you really need more? I spent my first year as a flashaholic waiting for a better model, before I realized that eventually you just have to take the plunge. I am fully satisfied with what I bought, and I would think I'd bought that mythic "perfect flashlight" were it not for these forums

 

[Mii]

i've been considering lights you recommented and desided to buy one of jetbeams models. I just can't decid betweent JET-II I. B.S, JET-II PRO or JET-III PRO:thinking:

i would buy one of JET-II series but im worried about short usage time.

JET-III has got longer longer run times, but is it too big to be carried on a belt holster? edc?

i couldn't find many pictures or videos where these lights ware on use. If anyone got some pics videos for size comparison it would be helpfull? for example compared to a hand or P3D.

PS. thank you all for your advice:twothumbs