The Future of the Tiger11 and Tiger85

[Josey]

I use the TL11 every night for a few minutes. I live 7 miles off grid in the middle of the woods. It gets dark big time. The TL11 is an awesome light. My favorite. I did blow one bulb, but only after months of use and turning it on right off the charger.

I don't know what your 2nd Gen will be, but the stuff you have made is great -- really great. I didn't get the TL85 because I thought it would be too much of a bulb-popper and have too little charge time.

I still have a stock unit if I need more run time, but if run time and bulb life are that much of an issue, it's LED time.

Jim, I really appreciate your projects, the quality of your lights and your great service. Thanks.

Josey

 

[js]

Josey (and CromagNet),

Thanks so much for your praise of my work! I really appreciate it; I put a lot of time and effort into the TigerLight Upgrades.

And I want to point out that the "flaws" of the Tiger11 and 85 aren't really an issue for many CPFers, and some--like yourself--haven't found them at all. For a while, in fact, I was fairly sure that the 1111 on 6 NiMH was a perfect match: over-driven as much as possible with only a very low risk of instaflashing, and a short, but still acceptable bulb life. But now I'm not so sure, and hard evidence points to the combination being on the bleeding edge.

This concerns me greatly when the lights are being used by LEO and S&R and others in similar lines of work, but the Tiger11 and Tiger85 are still awesome lights, and I'm very proud of them. They're high-strung to be sure, but that's part of their charm and power. With a little caution in use, and some common sense, this trait is a non-issue for most people, as any Tiger11 or Tiger85 owner will tell you.

 

[brightnorm]

Oklalawman's comments remind me of our professional members' need for absolutely reliable equipment, whether firearms or flashlights, and contrasts sharply with our "recreational" use of these cutting edge lights.

As a civilian CPF'er I am eager to see future editions of Jim's creations but I would be sad to see the complete demise of marvels like the Tiger 11 and Tiger 85.

Brightnorm

 

[paulr]

I've been away for the past week but I'd say go for the 2nd gen. The TL85 has interested me mainly as an "insanity" light but the USL is even more insane. I hope the 2nd gen is M6R-style regulated? That would be fantastic.

There's another thread where I wondered about a completely custom made hotwire light as an alternative to the compromises of a TL or M*g mod. I'll see if there's been any updates in my absence.

 

[Prolepsis]

I'm on the fence, but I too, would probably lean towards voting for 2nd Gen.

My Tiger85, however, is awesome. I am well aware of the fact that I can't turn it on fresh off the charger; however, I suspect that others would happily(?) sacrifice a certain level of brightness in order to not have to worry about the risk of the bulb flashing. The KISS principle, mainly.

I did burn out a bulb once, even though I waited more than one hour. Mea culpa. Unusual circumstance though--I had charged the battery using a smart charger (the battery was out of the TL body). I guess the smart charger "charged" the battery moreso than the TL modded harness/trickle charger. I should've waited overnight in that case /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

For the most part, as long as your user knows about and accepts the fact that he or she shouldn't turn on the light right away, then things should be ok.

 

[Catdaddy]

I just topped off my new Tiger85 tonight and compared it to the Tiger11 I have owned for a long time and loved.
WOW! The Tiger85 is definitely noticabally brighter! I love it! I didn't think it could get much better than the Tiger11. But this baby is FUN!

That sums it up for me...FUN. Sure I could have a more reliable and longer running light. But, no doubt, it would no longer be FUN to simple use it.

I already have many practicle flashlights. I want you to PUSH THE LIMIT and give me more FUN!!!

 

[CroMAGnet]

Viva La FUN!!!

 

[js]

[ QUOTE ]
Catdaddy said:
I just topped off my new Tiger85 tonight and compared it to the Tiger11 I have owned for a long time and loved.
WOW! The Tiger85 is definitely noticabally brighter! I love it! I didn't think it could get much better than the Tiger11. But this baby is FUN!

That sums it up for me...FUN. Sure I could have a more reliable and longer running light. But, no doubt, it would no longer be FUN to simple use it.

I already have many practicle flashlights. I want you to PUSH THE LIMIT and give me more FUN!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, don't worry, the Gen2 TL's will do this, and seriously, too.

BTW, what kind of sicko would sell his Tiger85. That's got to be one disturbed individual. *cough* *cue003* *cough*

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif Just kidding, Curtis. Funding the USL, are you?

 

[js]

OK. The results of the poll as of this moment are:

21 in favor of concentrating on the 2nd Gen mods.

11 in favor of offering both

and only 3 in favor of avoiding any delay and offering only the first gen mods for the upcomming build run.

So here's what I'm going to do. I will sell a handful of Tiger11/85 kits and maybe one last complete TL kit, and that should satisfy those people who voted for option 3.

Then, I will develope the 2nd Gen mods, and I'm pretty sure that people will be happy with them, and I will field test them and do a build run for whoever is interested in them. Plus, at this point I am planning to also offer the Tiger11/85/74 mods. So that should cover all the bases.

Again, I want to stress that I will always continue to support all of my mods that are in the field. If you own a Tiger11 or 85 or 74, you don't have to worry about not having replacement parts for it--assuming I'm still alive and capable of doing the work involved, that is.

Thanks everyone for voting.

 

[oklalawman]

If you need a bata tester???????? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/takeit.gif

 

[TimAckerman]

I am just getting into this Flashlight addiction thing , but the more i read about the TigerLight the more i want one or more of your mods js, i am REALLY looking forward to what you have to offer next!

 

[js]

TimAckerman,

Thanks. Thanks very much. I think that people are really going to like the Gen 2 mods. I'm certainly very excited about them.

oklalawman,

Thanks for the offer. I may take you up on it.

 

[bwaites]

Heck,

I'M excited about the Gen2 TL and I'm a Mag kinda guy!

I'm suspicious Jim will have more of my money than I can really afford before its over, but his work is genius level, and his attention to detail is incredible!

Bill

 

[js]

WOW! Coming from you, Bill, this is high praise indeed. Too high, but that's OK. I'll take it. Thanks.

 

[67L48]

Whatever became of the next generation TL modified lights?

Thanks.

 

[js]

[ QUOTE ]
67L48 said:
Whatever became of the next generation TL modified lights?

Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, don't worry. They are alive and well. You will be hearing about them this summer sometime. I'm very pleased with them.

 

[cue003]

I will be on the lookout for these. I loved my Tiger85. Hope the new lights can have at least 30 min+ runtime.

Thanks

Curtis

 

[Bullzeyebill]

js,I found this thread, and it looks like a good place to post. I am new to TL's, and thanks to Tom I am using one of js's Sanyo 2150 packs. I tried both a new and old TL LA, and settled on a Streamlight 20X LA for now, which has an excellent beam, and about the same overall light output as the stock TL 20X LA's (bounce tests with LM631). I am pushing the 20X LA, but so far so good. I would vote for the 2nd gen TL upgrade, particularly if it would incorporate a soft start feature. I also like idea of being able to switch out bulbs, so the current "ring" set up sounds great. The idea of reliability is very appealing, and I look forward to your upocoming TL efforts.

Bill

ps, thanks for TL summery.

Bill