Suggest a flashlight

[RyanA]

The 70 degrees thing is a bit odd. the only thing I can think of is that it's some sort of oddity thats been carried along when the descriptions where added. Also as a bit of a side note. What's going on with this?
http://www.rei.com/product/784343
Anyone heard anything?

 

[deranged_coder]

Also as a bit of a side note. What's going on with this?
http://www.rei.com/product/784343
Anyone heard anything?

I saw that at REI earlier tonight. Looked kinda interesting but it was not interesting enough for me to pick one up to try out. They also had an Option 60 which came with 2xAA (the Option 50 came with 1xAA). Again, looked kinda interesting but not interesting enough for me to pick one up to try out. :thinking:

 

[Me+Light=Addiction]

If it's important to you that you will see almost everything at 30M + flood, expand the budget, a dealextreme thing won't last that long, better spend double the budget and last 3 years then the budget and last 6 months doesn't it?

 

[darklord]

If it's important to you that you will see almost everything at 30M + flood, expand the budget, a dealextreme thing won't last that long, better spend double the budget and last 3 years then the budget and last 6 months doesn't it?

Kind of, but not absolutely..:thinking:

It's for expedition use. The expedition is one month long, and then the next expedition will be at least two years away. In that time I imagine there will be a whole lot of progress ;)

My heart says 'sod it, buy yourself a nice Fenix or Nitecore'. My wallet says 'do you really need something that good?'

To be honest, I would hardly ever be a flashlight user in normal circumstances in the UK - I would invariably use a headtorch for whatever activity, whether it be caving or taking the rubbish out at night or fell running or looking under the bonnet (hood). This is a one-off experiment to see whether, when working in bigger caves, a floody headlamp plus separate flashlight for occasional passage spotting would work.

But on top of all the other expedition and gear expenses (e.g. insurance is $250 for the month!) I don't know whether I can throw much money at the 'extra light' - it's not like it's the main useage light.

 

[darklord]

Latest thinking...

Continued research seems to be narrowing it down to two or three lights:

* Lenser LED P5
* Maglite LED 2AA
* Streamlight Task-Light 2AA

Lenser P5
+ single AA (compact), high output, adjustable focus, 3watt Cree
- runtime may be low (using my rudimentary math!), unregulated,

Maglite LED
+ 2xAA (bigger fuel tank), adjustable focus, waterproof, 3watt LED, regulated, reasonable run-time (given the regulation)
- still not quite the run time I'd like, know nothing about lumens output or throw, body length

Streamlight Task-Light
+ 2AA (fuel tank), Hi/Lo power levels, excellent runtime, waterproof
- relatively low output (but maybe quite sufficient), unregulated

The maglite crept into the equation when I found it during research and seems to get quite good review, cheap enough here in UK, too. In fact all lights mentioned can be bought for under $28 equiv. (note: my price observations suggest we generally pay 33% more in UK for any given model)

Decisions, decisions....

 

[RyanA]

I might have to make a trip to REI and see if the option 50 is in stock. It makes me wonder if it's either so old or so new that I can't find anything about it.

As for a minimag led I'd recommend looking at a standard incan version. And something like this
http://www.lighthound.com/ArcMania-...for-Mini-Maglight-Flashlight-SMJLED_p_83.html
The output is pretty similar to the gerber light. Supposedly the one at the sandwich shoppe is a bit brighter (2 dies as opposed to four it is claimed, I can't vouch for this as I have no experience with the sandwich shoppe version)
http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_52_82&products_id=940
It is focusable and runs forever (I've seen 35 hours listed on lamda's site). It is not regulated, So it will dim over time, but with a regulated light you won't have the same runtime, although the output curve will be flatter. Advantages/Disadvantages. I'd say the Mj led is an ideal light to have around the house in case of an emergerncy. So it may be able to fill a secondary role after your expedition.

You might also be able to get away with having multiple modes by using a Nite-ize IQ tail switch. My guess is that it is a pwm dimmmer circut and not current regulated, but someone else might know better. I wouldnt use the two in conjuction unless you had an extra led or knew for certian.

This is an option for regulated,
http://www.batteryjunction.com/mifledupform.html
So you'd have good runtime, decent light, and an agjustable beam, just not multiple modes.:shrug:

 

[darklord]

Thanks for those, RyanA, I like the idea of drop-in mods to an old incan. Unfortunately, 2 things:
1. I lost my maglite incan when it fell 10m down a very narrow cave crack!
2. I'm leaving in a week and don't really have time to get a new incan AND get the mods from the states. Least, I wouldn't want to bank on it. so I'll probably go with the stock product (if I go with Maglite)

Nevertheless, I'm printing this suggestion out for future use - I'd like to try it! Thx.

 

[deranged_coder]

I might have to make a trip to REI and see if the option 50 is in stock. It makes me wonder if it's either so old or so new that I can't find anything about it.

I usually check out REI once every couple of weeks and I only saw the Gerber Option 50 (and Option 60) last night so I am fairly sure it is a new light. Looks to be similar in spirit to the Gerber Omnivore (can take AAA, AA or CR123 batteries) but the Option 50 is a bit larger in size. :shrug:

 

[darklord]

Maybe I should just strap a firecracker to my head and be done with it?

That's a Gerber Firecracker, I mean.... ;)

 

[RyanA]

The firecracker is a nice little light. With an L91 it would make for a good light to leave in the car or around the home. I've got a few I'm thinking popping in a bugout bag, in the car, around the house etc. Also a spot beam though.

I'm going to have to hitup my local REI's flashlight section to look for the option 50 soon. Not good, they probably already think of me as "that crazy flashlight guy":grin2:

 

[darklord]

I've done a search for the Option 50 and can't find much except the REI page, nothing UK at all.

All these mods you talk about sound so tempting, but alas over my head. I've as much chance of soldering something as a frog has dating Kim Bassinger.

they probably already think of me as "that crazy flashlight guy"

shine on you crazy diamond!!

 

[deranged_coder]

they probably already think of me as "that crazy flashlight guy":grin2:

I think most flashaholics would view that as a compliment. ;)

 

[RyanA]

Thanks.:D

Sorry, I should have mentioned, an L91 is basically a 1.5v lithium version of the AA. Nice easy drop in mod. They're available just about every where that sells energizer batteries. They have a nice long 10 year shelf light and are less likely to leak and ruin your light. ;)

 

[Strauss]

If it was me, I would cough up a few extra dollars for a Fenix. If this is a trip that will only happen every couple years, I would want to make sure things go as planned. You will appreciate having that extra output when the time calls for it. Even more so, the light will WORK when it's called upon.

Even though it isn't your primary light source, I would still want my back-up light to be of good quality in a caving scenario. You never know what could happen down there, and I wouldn't feel like risking my safety for saving a few bucks. Plus having that extra output of the Fenix may help you see things you wouldn't with some of your other choices...leaving you with better memories of the trip :)

If the light was just a back-up for around the house duties or power outages, I would say go for the budget buy. This light is for a caving trip that you don't do every year, so I would want to make sure things go right. I think you would be happier with the Fenix, even if your wallet doesn't share the same joy ;)

 

[darklord]

Appreciate your points, Strauss, and I don't dispute the quality issue.

But in my eyes (and many of the world) the Maglite has been the quality torch for decades! I and many others have used them in cold, wet, gritty UK caves for years as backups and they're fine (as long as you don't drop them down inaccessible rifts ;) )

Similarly, Lenser quality sounds good from feedback here, even if people have other issues (unregulated, runtime overclaims etc.) with them. And likewise Streamlight, I doubt whether they'd be still in business if they didn't make pretty good quality gear.

I'm sure the Fenix are good, but from what I can tell on these forums they are towards the 'tactical', 'specialist' end of the spectrum. I have no idea what "tactics" are in this context - I assume hunting or gunsight mounting or something like that? But I'm not in that game at all.

Sure I want a reliable torch - but I think all the ones I mentioned will be adequately reliable. And in terms of output?...you really don't need nearly as much light in a 'completely' dark environment as you imagine.

And finally, from what I can tell, Fenix are unfocusable? I want a light I can twist out to a floodier beam. A tight white spot alone is pretty useless for purpose.

 

[darklord]

OK, there's a lot of folk who would recommend a Fenix or similar. Scenario for you...

I've landed in a big trunk passage, 20m wide and 30m high, with all kind of leads in the walls and roof. One high up in the wall looks interesting...I can make it out with my headlamp, but need more detail. Switch on the flashlight.

I'm maybe 30-40m away. There is no ambient light at all, just the headlamp and flashlight. Looking at my possible passage in the roof from that distance, what width of beam will a Fenix (model?) have a that distance? Or perhaps which model of Fenix would I need to get a 5-8m wide spot at that distance?

Whilst the Fenix's aren't focusable (I don't think?), I do like the ability to have choice of power levels. So I won't rule them out, even though they are twice what I want to spend.

Maglite still looks favourite, though.

 

[Illumination]

+1 on Fenix and Nightcore lights. Mags are machined well compared to most everyday lights, but the quality doesn't touch the high-end Chinese brands. Mag's biggest issue though is that they never caught up to the flashlight world with regard to use of high-end leds.

I don't know about shippiong rates to the UK, but make sure you look at GreenLed's list of dealer discounts...will bring down the price of some of the lights mentioned above. In particular check out 4 Sevens (8% discount) and Battery Junction (5% discount).

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=181841

 

[Gunner12]

Fenix is actually geared much more towards the normal user, only their T/TK series was built with tactical use in mind.

The only current Fenix that won't throw 30 meters is the E01 and maybe the LD01/L0D-CE/L0D-CE Q4. The E01 uses a single 5mm LED and is more of a back up, long runtime light. The LD01/L0D-CE/L0D-CE Q4 has a small reflector and that's the only reason why it might not throw 30 meters. In a dark cave the LD01/L0D-CE/L0D-CE Q4 might work though, I'm not sure(probably more like the headlamp, you know something's there but can't make it out clearly).

The Fenix E20 is essentially what the MinimagLED should have been. Current gen LED, focusable, forward clickie. Runtime isn't 3+ hours though. You can go for the L2T V2.0. Low mode will last a while and high mode gives the output you need.

 

[darklord]

What about the L1D Q5?

 

[Illumination]

Great light for all-around use.

You can also get a L2D tube and freely use either depending on whether you want the smaller 1AA size or need the extra lumens from the 2AA tube.

Note that the LD10 is an updated version with a lower low (useful to preserve night vision), equal high, a slightly different body (to prevent rolling) and supposedly an improved reflector. The parts are interchangeable with the LXD series so you can get the LD10 and L2D extra tube.

I gave an L1D and L2D to my dad...he loves it.