I've only recently started looking at some of the better flashlights - Surefire, Eagletac, Fenix, etc and am unsure of which will suit my needs best. I have two fundamental requirements. One is that I need a nice broad beam that lights up a good chunk of the back yard when I go out to the barn, and the other is that I need to be able to narrow the focus tightly to look up into the distant trees or far off properties when the cats go missing at night. A waterproof flashlight would be a big plus too. At the moment I prefer the size of the 2-C cell Maglight over the 2-D cell Maglight. Any opinions from anyone?
Recommendations?
- Thread starter pweber
- Start date
An LED light with an XM-L emitter would probably satisfy your desire for both a broad beam (plenty of spill) and distance (good throw), without the difficulty of finding a light with variable focus. Besides the brands you mention, also consider Lumintop, JetBeam, Skilhunt, Thrunite, 4Sevens, and others - browse the Flashlight Reviews forum, including Selfbuilt's wonderful 2011 100-yard beam shot comparison.Oh, and welcome to CPF!
Hi pweber, it will take some time for people to get to you with their experiences but be patient and welcome. I agree the XML LED which is larger in diameter therefore does not get concentrated in the reflector will give you a wide wall of high powered light and a number of light manufacturers offer models with the XML LED in them or as a drop in upgrade. You would probably be best with a 2 x AA light but others will put their 2 cents worth in to the mix. I say AA because they are easy to get and can be used in lithium, alkaline and Ni MH recharge. The focusing feature I am afraid throws me out of the conversation as typically the lights discussed here have no ability to do that. Again most of the lights discussed here are recharge, CR123 or AA lights with only a few offers for D type lights such as the Fenix TK50 (cannot focus beam). My pick (uneducated guess as I only have a few lights) would be the Eagletac P20A2 MKII (2 x AA) with the XML LED as a drop in (see www.illuminationgear.com).
Last edited:
skyfire
Flashlight Enthusiast
:welcome:
you need to think about what type of power supply you want to be using.
such as more common cell "AA" which are available in many types of chemistry, lithiums and nimh rechargeables being the best options for AA. Alkalines are not recommended for high powered lights, for many reasons. poor runtimes, changes of leaking, poor output.
another route is the CR123 lithiums, and lithium-ion route. which have an advantage in terms of capacity, output, weight, size, etc. but availability is not as good as AA.
but since this is for home use primarily. I would suggest using 18650 li-ion rechargeables, and having some cr123 lithium primaries as back in case of power outages, and emergencies.
lithium primaries have over a 10 year shelf life, and high temperature tolerances.
for your larger/thrower light, something like a thurnite catapult v3 neutral XM-L would light up an entire tree from a distance. best used with 2x18650, and can also run in single 18650 configuration, as well as use 2xcr123 or 4xcr123.
for your more floody light, you have plenty of great options. i would recommend something that uses 1x 18650, and the list of options is still really long. so more research might be in order to find something that will really fit your needs.
you need to think about what type of power supply you want to be using.
such as more common cell "AA" which are available in many types of chemistry, lithiums and nimh rechargeables being the best options for AA. Alkalines are not recommended for high powered lights, for many reasons. poor runtimes, changes of leaking, poor output.
another route is the CR123 lithiums, and lithium-ion route. which have an advantage in terms of capacity, output, weight, size, etc. but availability is not as good as AA.
but since this is for home use primarily. I would suggest using 18650 li-ion rechargeables, and having some cr123 lithium primaries as back in case of power outages, and emergencies.
lithium primaries have over a 10 year shelf life, and high temperature tolerances.
for your larger/thrower light, something like a thurnite catapult v3 neutral XM-L would light up an entire tree from a distance. best used with 2x18650, and can also run in single 18650 configuration, as well as use 2xcr123 or 4xcr123.
for your more floody light, you have plenty of great options. i would recommend something that uses 1x 18650, and the list of options is still really long. so more research might be in order to find something that will really fit your needs.
Thanks to all for the advice. I finally went with two Eagletacs - the P20A2 and T20C2 from frogwild.com. Both of them are terrific. The T20C2 came with a wonky UI (it wouldn't go into any mode other than turbo), but frogwild promptly replaced it with no hassle at all. I'm thinking about a ZebraLight now to round out the collection.
