small 18650 thrower

[Toaster]

Saying a Jet-III Pro Ultra isn't much bigger than a Jet-III Pro ST is like saying a Fenix TK11 isn't much bigger than a Fenix P3D. There's a definitive difference in size and handling between the two lights. The OP said he was looking for the shortest possible 18650 light without any giant reflectors or attack bezels which is why I recommended the Jet-III Pro ST. But it appears maybe the OP changed his mind as he's considering a Fenix TK11 so I guess the point is moot now? In that case might as well throw in all the other "tactical" style lights for consideration like the Eagletac T10L, Dereelight CL1H, Olight M20, etc.

 

[I came to the light...]

Some flashlights that come to mind are the Fenix TK11, Dereelight CL1H v4, JETBeam Jet-III Pro, and the Urnabeam beacon. The last hasn't seen nearly as much attention as the others though, so it could have some flaws I am unaware of. A light I like that is between these lights and throwers in size is the Tiablo MA6. And the Olight M20 is about halfway between the tiablo and the rest in terms of both size and throw.

The Jetbeam ST has very little throw because of its compact size. The JETBeam ultra adds a much larger head but gains relatively little throw over the Pro. EagleTac and Wolf Eyes do not design their lights to throw as far as possible.

If you want compact size there are a number of CR123A flashlights that throw very far, the most noteable of which is the JETBeam Jet-II IBS - not the newer pro version.

hope this helps :)

 

[olrac]

Probably the most compact of all 18650 lights http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=184071
Also very modable.
Norm

+1

 

[linterno]

Probably the most compact of all 18650 lights http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=184071
Also very modable.
Norm

I have one. Good flashlight but not a thrower.

 

[Hondo]

+2, or 3, I guess, for the Sgt. Burkett. Since I have the L-Mini too, I can answer that and say it does seem to throw a bit more than the Sgt., but none of the compact, straight side 18650 lights can be compared to the larger head models. A larger reflector WILL throw more, but will be a much bigger light.

 

[Toaster]

The Jetbeam ST has very little throw because of its compact size.

That's a rather inaccurate statement. The Jet-III ST does not have great throw compared to some of the more powerful 18650 powered lights which is to be expected because of it's smaller size. But it possesses decent throw overall. It for example throws farther than a Fenix TK20 or 2D Maglite, both of which are considered fairly decent throwers by CPF standards.

 

[NightTime]

[...]The Jet-III ST does not have great throw compared to some of the more powerful 18650 powered lights which is to be expected because of it's smaller size.[...] It for example throws farther than a Fenix TK20 or 2D Maglite, both of which are considered fairly decent throwers by CPF standards.

Toaster,
I'm suprised about your statement. I'm sure this is a great light, but more throw than the Fenix TK20? Of what I've read, the TK20 is producing over 6000 lux and the JETBeam JET-III Pro ST is producing over 4000 lux. I'm not saying 4000 isn't good for a small flashlight though.

BUT, this is all technical infos. I also looked at this thread HERE, download the full archive (pictures are small in the post) and than compared the TK20 with the JETBeam JET-III Pro ST at 40m and 100m. From these shots and battery questions aside, I whould take the Jetbeam over the TK20.

 

[Toaster]

Toaster,
I'm suprised about your statement. I'm sure this is a great light, but more throw than the Fenix TK20? Of what I've read, the TK20 is producing over 6000 lux and the JETBeam JET-III Pro ST is producing over 4000 lux. I'm not saying 4000 isn't good for a small flashlight though.

BUT, this is all technical infos. I also looked at this thread HERE, download the full archive (pictures are small in the post) and than compared the TK20 with the JETBeam JET-III Pro ST at 40m and 100m. From these shots and battery questions aside, I whould take the Jetbeam over the TK20.

The Jet-III ST in the review you linked has OP reflector. For max throw you want a smooth reflector. See selfbuilt's review of the Jet-III ST with smooth reflector which achieves 6,500 lux. You can compare this to selfbuilt's 2AA comparison here where Fenix TK20 achieves 6,150 lux. So I feel I'm quite accurate when I say the Jet-III ST achieves equal or greater throw than TK20. With smooth reflector of course ;)

 

[NightTime]

The Jet-III ST in the review you linked has OP reflector. For max throw you want a smooth reflector. See selfbuilt's review of the Jet-III ST with smooth reflector which achieves 6,500 lux. You can compare this to selfbuilt's 2AA comparison here where Fenix TK20 achieves 6,150 lux. So I feel I'm quite accurate when I say the Jet-III ST achieves equal or greater throw than TK20. With smooth reflector of course ;)

You got it right Toaster. I looked back to were I had the 4000 Lux reading for the Jet-III ST and it was with the OP reflector! That's basic stuff I usually think about... :oops:Sorry!

 

[copperfox]

I have the Urnabeam Beacon with the selector ring. It's about the size of a Surefire 6P, however it has better throw than the 6P w/Malkoff M60 I used to have. According to some reviews it has somewhere around 10,000 lux.

 

[Shorty66]

Well, i didnt really chnage my mind about wanting to have the smallest possible 18650 thrower, though i realized, that having a small reflector just doesnt give me the throw i want. I thought about lightening a path in the mountains for the next 200-300m to make decisions about how to go on.

Last weekend, i met a friend of mine who owns a few camera lenses. We had the idea, of focusing the beam of my zebralight h60 with one of the lenses wich gave us a pretty perfect image of the LED-chip on the wall. I think, the light was coming out of the lens at an angel of less than 10 degrees.
That way we were asble to throw the light of the h60 about 200m far - even though te h60 is a complete flood light.

Thats why i had the idea, to combine a really small reflector with a good aspherical lens to get more throw with a really tiny flashlight head.

Is there any such reflector/lens combination on the market? how much throw do i get with that?
$$s should not be an issue for this problem...

 

[Fallingwater]

There are aspheric lenses on sale. You could get any EDC 18650 and fit one such lens on it (if they are available at the right size, of course).

 

[I came to the light...]

The Jet-III ST in the review you linked has OP reflector. For max throw you want a smooth reflector. See selfbuilt's review of the Jet-III ST with smooth reflector which achieves 6,500 lux. You can compare this to selfbuilt's 2AA comparison here where Fenix TK20 achieves 6,150 lux. So I feel I'm quite accurate when I say the Jet-III ST achieves equal or greater throw than TK20. With smooth reflector of course ;)

Toaster, you're right. I had noticed the OP reflector, but most (all?) other JETBeams gain fairly little in throw with a smooth reflector, so I had not thought to check for this exception. In that case you are right, the throw is very good for its size, and decent overall. However, it still does not compare to the other lights mentioned, which are around 10,000 lux at 1m.

Thanks for pointing out my mistake :ohgeez:

 

[I came to the light...]

Well, i didnt really chnage my mind about wanting to have the smallest possible 18650 thrower, though i realized, that having a small reflector just doesnt give me the throw i want. I thought about lightening a path in the mountains for the next 200-300m to make decisions about how to go on.

Last weekend, i met a friend of mine who owns a few camera lenses. We had the idea, of focusing the beam of my zebralight h60 with one of the lenses wich gave us a pretty perfect image of the LED-chip on the wall. I think, the light was coming out of the lens at an angel of less than 10 degrees.
That way we were asble to throw the light of the h60 about 200m far - even though te h60 is a complete flood light.

Thats why i had the idea, to combine a really small reflector with a good aspherical lens to get more throw with a really tiny flashlight head.

Is there any such reflector/lens combination on the market? how much throw do i get with that?
$$s should not be an issue for this problem...

lol, I tried the camera lenses too. I have some pictures I haven't gotten around to posting, with very good 3D images of the LED chip, as well as the coil in a Mag85.

To answer your question, aspheric lens systems generally outthrow reflector systems - even a $30 maglite mod kit from KD will outthrow the DBS. You probably won't get the same results from an untested match, but you should still be able to get significantly more throw than the other flashlights mentioned here. But keep in mind that the beam will look similar to that which you got from your camera lens - a projection of the LED with no spill. So while you could look up the trail very far you might want a different flashlight for looking around you. A thrower with a reflector would not be great for close range work because of the sharp contrast between spot and spill, but would definitely work.

BTW, my comments were about aspheric lenses, not lenses for flashlights in general. There are other optics, like the malkoff dropins and Surefire's TIR, that produce different beam characteristics. And sorry, I don't know where to buy a lens or which matches will work.

 

[NightTime]

Well, i didnt really chnage my mind about wanting to have the smallest possible 18650 thrower, though i realized, that having a small reflector just doesnt give me the throw i want. I thought about lightening a path in the mountains for the next 200-300m to make decisions about how to go on.[...]

I don't think you can find anything better than the TK11 for your task. I can't think of any flashlight with a better size/throw ratio using a 18650. Treat yourself with the new R2 version and you will definitely obtain the range you need.

To give you a good idea of the real size, I made a composite picture. I respected their relatives size. Should be accurate.

Fenix flashlights images are from http://www.light-reviews.com
Mini Maglite (incandescent 2AA) is my wife's.

 

[Shorty66]

To answer your question, aspheric lens systems generally outthrow reflector systems - even a $30 maglite mod kit from KD will outthrow the DBS. You probably won't get the same results from an untested match, but you should still be able to get significantly more throw than the other flashlights mentioned here. But keep in mind that the beam will look similar to that which you got from your camera lens - a projection of the LED with no spill.

Yeah, i thought so. But as i would have the h60 around when using this small-super-thrower, i think i am adequatly suited for the closer range. I really only need maximum throw at low losses and low weight.

Does anyone know of a working small 18650/asph. lens combination that will work?
I would be happy with any small light for this combination - maybe a cheap ultrafire or the jetbeam st.

Thank you for not considering me stupid.
christian

Ps: while the tk11 seems great, a smaller light would be very welcome...

 

[I came to the light...]

Yeah, i thought so. But as i would have the h60 around when using this small-super-thrower, i think i am adequatly suited for the closer range. I really only need maximum throw at low losses and low weight.

Does anyone know of a working small 18650/asph. lens combination that will work?
I would be happy with any small light for this combination - maybe a cheap ultrafire or the jetbeam st.

Thank you for not considering me stupid.
christian

Ps: while the tk11 seems great, a smaller light would be very welcome...

I guess I was thinking you'd only want to bring one flashlight. If you're bringing an H60 too, then by all means go aspheric :).

 

[Toaster]

Yeah, i thought so. But as i would have the h60 around when using this small-super-thrower, i think i am adequatly suited for the closer range. I really only need maximum throw at low losses and low weight.

Does anyone know of a working small 18650/asph. lens combination that will work?
I would be happy with any small light for this combination - maybe a cheap ultrafire or the jetbeam st.

The solution I believe is very simple. Get an aspheric lens + Minimag lens holder. The Minimag lens holder will slip onto the head of any 1" diameter light. No need to mod the light, just slip on/off as needed. It just so happens the Jet-III Pro ST head is 1" in diameter so this mod will work for it :thumbsup: See these threads for more details on what I am talking about:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=200487
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=217679&highlight=aspheric+18650


You will want to order the following:
Aspheric Lens - It's a half ball in case you are wondering
AA Mini Maglite Anti-Roll Device / Lens Holder - I think Sandwich Shoppe also carries these but I can't find it on their site. Might be worth emailing them to see if they have it.

 

[Toaster]

If you are looking for a more permanent solution, you may be able to find an aspheric lens from Surplus Shed that will fit whatever light you choose to go with. You can see an example of this type of mod in this thread.

 

[Shorty66]

this is a great solution!
i am somewhat irritated by the material used for the lens though. Acrlyc doesnt deliver the efficiency i would like. Perhaps its sufficent, but idont like inefficient systems.
Talking about efficiency, i just read about TIR-optics which are said to be better than asph. lenses. What do you think?

I also read about some modded lights and now i am quite sure that ill find a light that suits my needs. Perhaps i will even go for the suggested maglite adapter.

As such thrower would not need much runtime but incredible output i am considering using an MC-E powered light for the task.
Is there any 1" MC-E light wich fits the mag adapter?
Or any 18650 MC-E light wich can be used with any other asph. lens or TIR optic?
Thank you.