Smallest 2x123 P60 style light?

[KillingTime]

Hi,

I'm about to jump on the Cree P60 drop-in bandwagon. LED advancements are happening so quickly now that it doesn't make sense to buy a whole new light every time a new LED appears on the block.

I've been looking at hosts that will take a P60 drop-in, and it is apparent that some are built like tanks, with strike bezels and fancy flared clicky switches, while others are much smaller & do without the heavy duty machining.

Does anyone know if there's a flashlight host that is smaller than a 6P, that will take 2x123 (or 1x18650) and a P60 lamp assy?

Rear clicky not that important.

Thanks.

 

[jbosman1013]

save yourself the trouble and get the 6PD:twothumbs

 

[litho123]

Not really.

How much do you want to spend on a host?

I have a NIP Brinkmann Maxfire LX and I just rec'd BugOutGear USA's new Q5 Dree drop-in Cree. Together they make a great combination!!!

PM me if interested in picking up this combo.

 

[USM0083]

Grant and G&R Tactical makes an E-series dimensioned body that takes a C-bezel and E-tail cap. Comes in 6V or 9V lengths.

http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bi...lates/FullNav/SearchResult.html&category=GRTA

I don't think a 18650 would fit, though a 17670 most likely would. The 9V body could take 2x17500, would be fairly thin and depending on the lamp, have a pretty good throw and runtime.

 

[mspeterson]

I use a E2E body, an E2C adaptor, and a 6P/C3 head...nice and small with the added bonus of a pocket clip. If you're using a LED drop-in, the Sandwich Shoppe has tailcaps w/ two-stage switches that fit on the E-series bodys as well.....
The E2E body also makes a great host for the Surefire turboheads!!

It's the light on the right.....

 

[pvalopes]

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=2657

KD's Price:$17.99


- Uses CREE Q2 LED bulb.
- Uses one 18650 battery or two 3V CR123A
- 7135 regulated board, no flicker across all modes.
- Most efficient driver ever made

Runtime (Sanyo 2400mA 18650 battery):

- High: 2 hours constant output runtime
- Med: 3.5 hours constant outpt runtime
- Low: 10 hours constant output runtime

 

[Curious_character]

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=2657

KD's Price:$17.99

- Uses CREE Q2 LED bulb.
- Uses one 18650 battery or two 3V CR123A
- 7135 regulated board, no flicker across all modes.
- Most efficient driver ever made

The last claim is pure fabrication. The 7135 is a linear, not switching, regulator. This means it has the same efficiency as a dropping resistor furnishing the same voltage drop. At an average voltage of 3.6 volts per cell for two CR123As and 3.6 volt Vf for the LED, this regulator's efficiency will be 50%. Common switching regulators are routinely much more efficient.

With a single 18650, the 7135 will be regulating only for the first small fraction of the discharge period, until the voltage drops to about 0.2 volt above the LED voltage, or about 3.8 volts. Below that, it doesn't regulate.

The 7135 is a very nice linear regulator, and it's cheap (which is probably why it's used in this light). But it most certainly isn't the "most efficient driver ever made".

c_c

 

[pvalopes]

i bought one
what driver you recommend me ?
( from kaidomain or dealextreme)
for 18650 and 2xcr123/18650

 

[richdsu]

You may want to consider this flashlight :

Dealextreme SKU 3371 ( Ultrafire WF-502B ).

:naughty: compact, solid, good feel, light, quite well built.

Take a look at review & photo here:

http://www.lightch.com/ultrafire/wf502b.html

 

[KillingTime]

Thanks for the info everyone.

There does not seem to be much in it as far as size goes, so I'll go with a 6PD & trade the strike bezel for a normal one (cheaper than buying the Z59 in addition to the std 6P).

 

[jumpstat]

Should have gone for the m2, better quality overall

 

[RebelXTNC]

I also want to find a C head to E body adapter, but LightHound still seems to be out of stock. I recently had great success turning my unused 3P into a tactical powerhouse with parts from LightHound and now I want to do the same for my E2E and replace the older KL1 with a P60 drop-in.
Any other sources for the adapter ring?

 

[ampdude]

Vital Gear F2 with E to C adapter is the smallest I can think of.

 

[brunt_sp]

Register your interest here :
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=179019

I also want to find a C head to E body adapter, but LightHound still seems to be out of stock. I recently had great success turning my unused 3P into a tactical powerhouse with parts from LightHound and now I want to do the same for my E2E and replace the older KL1 with a P60 drop-in.
Any other sources for the adapter ring?

 

[wjf2000]

How about a g2. It is the same size but is only about $30.

 

[pbs357]

Vital Gear F2 with E to C adapter is the smallest I can think of.

Is the adapter necessary? I thought I read a review that stated the Vital Gear flashlights used a P60 sized lamp? Please correct me if this is not the case, I do not own one. :duh2:

***EDIT*** OOPS I think you mean VG body only, then yes the adapter would be necessary for a 6p/9p sized head.

 

[Scattergun]

The Vital Gear F2 already use a P60 as is, but if you want a C-series bezel on a E-series body, the adapters are the only way to do this.
I built a E2e-Z44 setup with the E2C-adapter from Lighthound(currently out of stock) and it worked fine with a Cree-module. The only downside was that the outer sprign was not possible to use with the adapter, and I had to solder a flat spring onto the negative outer ring of the PCB to make a functional connection between led-module and flashlight body. A little fiddly, but after some work a very nice solution.

 

[RebelXTNC]

Thanks for the link Brunt SP. I have added to myself to the growing list.

 

[StainlessSteel]

Grant and G&R Tactical makes an E-series dimensioned body that takes a C-bezel and E-tail cap. Comes in 6V or 9V lengths.

http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bi...lates/FullNav/SearchResult.html&category=GRTA

I don't think a 18650 would fit, though a 17670 most likely would. The 9V body could take 2x17500, would be fairly thin and depending on the lamp, have a pretty good throw and runtime.

HUGE PLUS ONE.

Look at these things, they come in both 6 and 9 volt configurations. All you need is a tail cap of your choice, and a Z44 head, and then you can swap out the LED assemblies as they become available.

 

[SeeThirty]

You generally won't find 'smaller' than a SF 6P in the 2*CR123A light category. Since they're all pretty much 'clones' of the SF lights, anyway. The smallest P60 I've seen uses the FiveMega 1-cell SF-compatible body. Either swap head and tailswitch from an existing SF you have, or assemble your own from parts. That'd be probably the smallest P60 light you could ever get. It'd cost you roughly $50-$65 to assemble, I think. Nice compact light. There are smaller CR123A lights, but they don't use P60's. If you want it for the ability to swap out lamps (which is really the only reason to get this kind of light), either take the slight cut in output by going with a 1-cell body, or any of the 2-cell P60 modules should be more or less identical in size.

Me, I'm going for a setup where I can get anywhere from 1, 2, or 3-cell capability by swapping out tubes. I like options, and since no specific size or configuration will meet 'all' of my needs, I'm looking for modularity. The P60 is absolutely modular. There's nothing like knowing you can re-configure your tools, rather than having to pay for a new one. :thumbsup: