Seeking Recommendations

[Mr. Glass]

Hello Everyone,

About 2 years ago, I purchased a Fenix TK40 after CPF's glowing recommendations. It has served me very well, so much so that I bought another a year later.

They work quite well for everyday use, but I am looking to add another light to my collection that packs a bigger punch.

I am seeking something of similar form factor/size to the TK40, with a similar beam style (flood?), that is as bright as possible. When I am out camping in the woods, I want something that projects greater distances than the TK40.

I'm guessing that this would be an HID light. Li-ion batteries are fine as long as I can get additional replacements at a reasonable price and charge them externally.

My goal budget-wise is under $500, but I am willing to stretch it a little if necessary.

Another requirement is that I am looking for is similar great durability of the TK40.

I am new to the area of HID lights and don't really know where to start, so any suggestions are very much appreciated!


Best Regards,

Glass

 

[990Brogan]

Microfire K3500 same kind of form factor as tk40 although the its 8000k

 

[dudemar]

The Titanium Innovations L30 has the same form factor and it is very nice. 4200K bulb, 2700 lumens for 1 hour, 1800 lumens for 1 hr 20 min. If you don't want the throw, it has an included diffuser you screw on the bezel. Built like a tank. It is made of solid aluminum, despite the photos of the light making it look plastic. Overall very solid light, love the dual output 20/30W feature. It can switch output while the light is on.

 

[Mr. Tone]

There are quite a few HID lights out there with a flashlight form factor, but I would suggest really taking a look at the Titanium Innovations N30. It has a form factor and size much like a 6 volt floating lantern. It also has a useful LED light that will run for days. I just ran mine on the LED's for 6 straight days before deciding to terminate the runtime and charge it up. It was still going, though. It will give you around an hour of 3200 lumens, 250,000 candlepower and a nice 4200K tint. There is somebody on ebay right now selling a couple of Amondotech N30's for $99 which is a heck of a deal. The N30 has a nimh pack but if you want lithium then you could upgrade to the L35. At least check them out at BatteryJunction under there HID section.

 

[BVH]

I would go into those lights on Ebay "planning" on the batteries being kaput! If not, great, but cost-wise, I'd add the cost of a new battery to the light to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

 

[Patriot]

I am seeking something of similar form factor/size to the TK40, with a similar beam style (flood?), that is as bright as possible. When I am out camping in the woods, I want something that projects greater distances than the TK40.

Howdy Glass,

The TK40 is a pretty small light so it's hard to find many HID's that even come close. You'll be limited to a couple of 24W HIDs in that size range, one being the Wolf Eyes Boxer 24W. It provides about twice the lumen output and substantially more throw than the TK40.

Going to a 30-35W light you'd experience yet another performance increase but that usually means a bit more size and weight, since it will require enough li-ion batteries to supply reasonable run-time. Due to this weight, a light with a top carry handle is typically preferred by those of us who are familiar with and have experienced several types. The top handle lights are often designed with slightly larger bodies and reflectors than tube style lights because there's no longer any requirement to grip the body of the light. The larger reflector of course, lends itself to increased throw with few if any negative effects to the ergonomics. You might consider some of the lights from Titanium Innovations including the N30 that others have mentioned.