small/compact HID-Flashlight

[Kalle]

Hello,

are there today good smaler HID-Flashlights?

I don´t know very much about HID, but they were always interesting for me, unfortunately very expensive in the past...


Greets,
Kalle

 

[dudemar]

There are quite a few good ones you can get for a few hundred dollars, sometimes less. Depending on your definition of small, there's the Jillite, Wolf Eyes Boxer and Shark, AE Light Xenide and Powerlight, etc. These are all tube style lights. The Amondotech N30, Power On Board, etc are great lantern/spotlight style lights.

There are the more expensive options from Polarion, XeRay and Surefire but those will run you up a few thousand dollars.

So depending on your needs, what you want and what you can afford, there are lots of options.

I know there are a lot more, but I'm too tired to think of them right now.:laughing:

 

[Kalle]

It shouldn´t cost not more than 400$ and it should have more than 20W.
I think a 10W Wolf-Eyes makes not much sense, because there are p7-lights which are as bright as them...

What do you think of the G&P GP771 35W?

 

[Kalle]

Now i´ve read that the GP771 is not so good tested here...


I think interesting are->

Microfire K3500R

Wolf-Eyes Boxer 24W

I think the Microfire is a very good light. What is your opinion?

Where are these flashlights available for a good price?

 

[dudemar]

The Microfire and Boxer are ok lights, but they're not very rugged and have very high color temperature. Replacement parts are also another issue. The Microfire's lumen rating is considered by many to be overinflated, more likely closer to 2000 - 2500 lumens. If you're in the budget for the K3500R, you might be interested in the AE Light Xenide 25W. Excellent light.

The Amondotech N30 is 35W and 3200 lumens. Great light! Unfortunately they won't be making anymore until next year. The Amondotech Mega Illuminator is still available however, and from what I hear it's not half bad for $160.

You live in Deutschland, so the only issue left is shipping... that can get pricy. All that said I think you can get one for under $400.

Like I said I would tell you more, but it's 2:17 over here so it's way past my bedtime. I'm sure the others will chime in on this.

 

[Kalle]

Thanks for the answer!

The N30 maybe a good flashlight but its much to big!

i´m searching for a tube-style hid-flashlight >25w, not longer than 30cm.

Are there some other possible lights with this specifications?

 

[dudemar]

If the form factor you're looking for is tube style, then your best option is the Xenide 25W. It's close to 35 cm. If you're willing to make an exception the Xenide 20W is just under 30 cm. I own this model and it's an amazing light. The Microfire K3500 is an option, but for that money you can get a much higher quality light (such as the AE).

The N30 does look big and chunky, but it's actually quite compact. There are a few comparison photos in this thread if you're interested:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=208912

...and here's a great deal if you're interested:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=184890

He says shipping is in Scandinavia only, but I'm sure he can make an exception for Deutschland. For that price you get an extra battery, so it's definitely a steal. That combined by the fact they are becoming rare.

 

[Kalle]

Is the aelight xenide really much better quality than the microfire?

it seems to be much fatter.

I´m searching for a small HID. I doesn´t have to be as small as a Fenix TK11 but on the hand other also not so big as a 4D-Maglite.

Are there some other alternatives?

Or does it make no sense in the todays time to buy a HID-Light because of the good LEDs?

 

[dudemar]

If you're in the budget, right now is a great time to own an HID. LEDs just don't have the throw/power to reach out and touch someone because its light comes from a flat base- not in a suspended fashion like an incandescent or HID bulb.

Before I delve any further into this, I think you should know the five fundamental elements that makes for a great HID (in no specific order):



1. Reflector- A reflector should provide a high quality beam, whether it be throw or flood. IMO a good reflector can provide a little bit of both, but I prefer throw over flood. It's also a matter of personal preference.


2. Ballast- This provides and regulates power to the bulb. The wattage is how much power it can deliver to the bulb. A high quality ballast will stand up to shock and will last a long time.


3. Bulb- A good bulb will last for hundreds, if not thousands of hours. They are also very resistant to shock because there's no filament to break. Color temperature is an important factor to consider. Generally the lower quality bulbs tend to have a very high color temperature (6500K+). It's not to say blue-colored light is useless, it's just not the most ideal color for general use. Anything under 6500K is much easier on the eyes as well.

The focus is another thing to consider. If you want a pencil-thin laserbeam, go for it- but that's all you're going to get out of it. If you want more flood/spill, then buying a light with a diffuser option is optimal.

I would consider brightness secondary to a bulb's color temperature. An HID can have 5000 lumens, but if the beam's pencil-thin and it's bluer than anything, it's just not very useful for everyday use. If it's mostly a diffuse beam, it doesn't throw very far- which kinda defeats the purpose of an HID. Balance is key.


4. Build Quality- If you're a heavy user, IOW you drop your light a lot or put it through rough use, this should be a huge consideration. There are HIDs that can be completely submerged, and there are those that can't even be splashed with water. Some can be dropped from a short distance with no problem, and there are others that will break/dent upon impact.


5. Battery- Having at least an hour of runtime is optimal. A light that runs for about 10 minutes is pretty much useless.:shrug: Getting maximum runtime with maximum brightness is the goal. Even better, if the battery can be switched with a higher cap battery that's always a plus.:twothumbs




Now to answer your questions:

Yes, the AE is MUCH better in quality than the MF. The AE is built like a tank, I'm convinced it will survive an explosion. In fact I've dropped it on purpose on multiple occasions, and it lights up every time, no problem. It's also waterproof, and with the right battery it's submersible. The high quality reflector gives a nice combo of throw/flood.

In terms of tubular style HIDs and the 4D Mag length you stated, I strongly recommend the AE. Unfortunately there just aren't too many tube-style HIDs over 25W. The Wolf Eyes Shard 10W/24W is probably the next closest contender, but I'm not sure about the overall quality.

I wouldn't recommend a MF. Looks nice, but there are MUCH better lights out there. It's at best splashproof because there are openings under the head.:thumbsdow:duh2: The reflector is orange peel, so you don't get the good amount of throw. On top of all this they give bogus specs for their lights. They claim it's 35W and it pumps out 3500 lumens, but it's more like 2000~2500 lumens.

The Jil-Lite Eznite is another one to consider, but it's over $400 and it's a handheld 10W.

 

[Patriot]

Kalle, I agree that the AE is probably better quality than the Microfire but at this time both my Microfire and two AE lights have been working perfectly. If they were torture tested......who knows which would really win :thinking:.

In any case I think you have to ask yourself the question of why you want an HID, especially since you're looking to go "small." You really don't have many choices. As dudemar already pointed out, you're going to be looking at the Boxer24W, Microfire K3500R or Xenide20W. All of these lights will outperform the best multi-emmiters excluding some $1000 custom exotic. In this regard the tube HID's are better but HID's also become more efficient as the wattage gets higher. At 24+ watts they really come into their own. A small 30-35W light like the N30, or Acro RL-11 is much more powerful than any "tube" light with only a slight penalty in size. I don't think any of the HID regulars around here consider the N30 "much too big" since we agree that they're handy and convenient for utility or even night walks. I would even go so far as to say that the N30 is easier to carry than my Xenide since the handle diameter is much smaller.

 

[dudemar]

Thanks for chiming in Pat36, I thought I was alone in my opinions for a second there!:sweat:

While I never personally handled an N30, I'm going to go out on a stretch too and agree with Pat36- it's probably easier to carry than a Xenide. The handle diameter looks very small, and the overall size of the light is in fact much smaller than most spotlights. I'm betting it's much lighter, too.

 

[Kalle]

The problem is that these flashlights are to big.
I wrote "not so big as a 4D-Maglite".

What do you think of the Wolf-Eyes Boxer 24W?
How is the quality of this light?
It seems to be the smallest HID with this power.

 

[mrQQ]

I was also looking for 35w tube style hid, but except for k3500w which everyone says is subpar i didnt find anything..

 

[Kalle]

what means "subpar"?

 

[dudemar]

In short it means it's ok, not the greatest quality. In other words you can be getting something higher in quality for your money.

Unfortunately there just aren't too many tube style HIDs out there. It's just easier to cram bigger batteries and large reflectors in a lantern style light. I think the few exceptions are the Polarion and Surefire Beast, but that will run you up a few thousand dollars.

I don't own any Wolf Eyes HIDs, but from what I heard the Boxer and Shark 24W are pretty good. The beam quality's decent and it's pretty reliable. If you plan on using them normally they should do fine, just don't expect them to survive severe drops. Like I said I've never handled one, so you might want to ask Patriot36. I believe he's owned a few models.

I know it's hard to do, but try to look past the lumen numbers when you think of HIDs. Build quality is every bit as important as lumens because it's such a huge investment.