The Perfect Lights For Me

[chaosmagnet]

My name is chaosmagnet, and I'm a flashaholic.

I am simply astounded that there is so much information about flashlights here on CPF. It's mind boggling. But even more mind boggling is that there are so many other people who have the same addiction. I can already tell that you will not be helping me "kick" this habit.

So, I'd like to talk about what the perfect light is for me and why, for each of several roles. All will be LEDs; I can't imagine wanting to buy an incandescent light again, given LED's superior lifetime and power efficiency.

EDC: I'm thinking that the Fenix P2D will be close to perfect; at least I hope so, because I've ordered the 4in1 pack http://www.fenixlight.com/viewnproduct.asp?id=22 and expect it to arrive today or tomorrow. It combines long burn time (on low mode) with a serious tactical capability to pair with a pistol. I've only seen it online, but the only thing it's missing that I would like to have is a pocket clip.

The other option that came to mind was a SureFire E1B. At $110, it was too expensive to pass by my wife. Also, while 80 lumens is adequate for tactical visibility in most likely conditions, I'd prefer a light that would cause a bad guy to drop his weapon and cry for his mommy. The 180 lumens that the P2D is rated for comes closer to that ideal.

Right now my EDC is an Inova X1, found on sale at Target. It's okay. It's a bit big, and of course at 40 lumens it's not all that bright. I'll drop it into the bug-out bag I keep in my car after the P2D arrives.

Tactical: This is the light that sits next to my favorite 1911 in the handgun safe. I currently have a Xenon Streamlight Scorpion. There are a lot of things to like about this light. It's bright as heck, almost perfect form-factor, and I love the rubber armor for grip. I consider the switch to be perfect: it's easy to use momentarily or just turn it on, one handed. Unfortunately, it didn't come with a wrist lanyard. I fixed that. Worse, it's not an LED. Burn time and reliability will suffer.

Perfect would probably be the SureFire UB2 Invictus. I can't imagine my wife's reaction if I bought one. I'm sure it wouldn't be pretty.

Weapon: I don't (yet) have any guns with light rails, so this is rather more hypothetical. I figure SureFire for this. For me, a handheld tactical light is more important than a weapon-mounted light.

Work: I keep a Mini Maglite LED (2-AA) in my laptop bag. It's nice and bright for network closets, and has awesome battery life. It keeps working when dropped and it's cheap enough that if I break it or lose it, it's not a big deal. But there are some better lights out there at this price point and form factor. I'll have to think about what to replace it with.

House: We have two 3-D cell Maglites with Mag's LED upgrade modules installed. Bright, awesome battery life, tough as hell. These are great for power outages, filling sandbags in the middle of the night or digging in to an electrical or plumbing problem.

Perfect for this would seem to be a SureFire Optimus UA2. But again, wanting to enhance marital bliss, it's not on my shopping list.

Car: I keep a Mini Maglite in the glovebox and a 2-D cell Maglite with the spare tire in both of our cars. If I win the PowerBall I would replace these with one UA2 per car.

Emergency: Here's where the extra L1D body in the 4in1 pack will go. I already maintain a large stash of AA's. There's also a large stash of D batteries for (yet another) 2-D Maglite. I have a solar-and-crank powered flashlight-radio combo, and another crank-powered LED that also has a 12-volt outlet to charge cellphones.

A shake-powered light wouldn't be on a regular replacement schedule.

 

[Jarl]

Bare in mind that the P2D is rated 180 emitter lumens, and the SF is rated 80 out-the-front lumens- the difference won't be as extreme as you imagine, though there will be a difference.

As for tactical/weapon, the upcoming fenix TK10 would probably be a good light. If that's too much for your wife, the T1 could be the answer. Also, you can lanyard the T1, and at 225 rated lumens, and apparently 210+ lumens out the front, this will have him screaming for mommy


I'm not sure the L1D would be the best choice for an emergency- when boosting from 1.5V, efficiency really suffers. An L2D, which only has to boost from about 3V would be much better both for efficiency, and because this and the 2 cells, would have more than double runtime on low.



I kind of agree with your incandescent statement, but incans are still king when you need a LOT of light. LED's such as the P7 are starting to close the gap, but not much can beat 50W+ incans for simplicity and low cost, with LOTS of light.

 

[Abumustafa]

:welcome: Hmm your not a Flashaholic, but will be when your Wallet is Crying

 

[parnass]

My name is chaosmagnet, and I'm a flashaholic.

I am simply astounded that there is so much information about flashlights here on CPF. .....

Right now my EDC is an Inova X1, found on sale at Target. It's okay. It's a bit big, and of course at 40 lumens it's not all that bright. .....

:welcome: Welcome to chaosmagnet.

BTW, the Inova X1 emits much less than 40 lumens.

 

[Gunner12]

:welcome:

You can looks at Dealextreme for some lower priced lights with the current gen LEDs(Cree/Seoul/Rebel). Just get the ones with good reviews so you don't get one with bad quality(Romisen seems to have really good quality for the price). Shipping would take a while though.

The P2D does not have a forward clickie, so it's not suited to tactical use(that was also not the intended use of the light).

For tactical, you also have many options. If you already have a 6P or P60 type module accepting light, then you can buy different LED drop-ins for the light. There are also many other good options out there for under $100.

For work, house, and car, check DX and see if anything there suits you.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[chaosmagnet]

BTW, the Inova X1 emits much less than 40 lumens.

Good to know. It seemed to me to be about as bright as the River Rock 1xAA that I lost. How many lumens is it?

 

[chaosmagnet]

Bare in mind that the P2D is rated 180 emitter lumens, and the SF is rated 80 out-the-front lumens- the difference won't be as extreme as you imagine, though there will be a difference.

Good to know; I didn't realize that they were rated differently.

As for tactical/weapon, the upcoming fenix TK10 would probably be a good light. If that's too much for your wife, the T1 could be the answer. Also, you can lanyard the T1, and at 225 rated lumens, and apparently 210+ lumens out the front, this will have him screaming for mommy

That would be great for a handheld tactical. My only concern is that Fenix hasn't been around nearly as long as SureFire, and they haven't had a chance to prove themselves for long-term reliability. On the other hand, 210+ lumens now is better than 400 lumens never.

I'm not sure the L1D would be the best choice for an emergency- when boosting from 1.5V, efficiency really suffers. An L2D, which only has to boost from about 3V would be much better both for efficiency, and because this and the 2 cells, would have more than double runtime on low.

Fenix rates the L1D for 25 hours at 12 lumens. The L2D is rated at 55 hours for the same output, using twice as many AA's. So if the ratings are to be believed, it's a 10% difference in efficiency at this level of output, which is certainly significant. However, the 4in1 pack made it cheap enough for me to actually buy one. For now I'll just pack some more AA's.

I kind of agree with your incandescent statement, but incans are still king when you need a LOT of light. LED's such as the P7 are starting to close the gap, but not much can beat 50W+ incans for simplicity and low cost, with LOTS of light.

A good point.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

EDC: I'm thinking that the Fenix P2D will be close to perfect; at least I hope so, because I've ordered the 4in1 pack http://www.fenixlight.com/viewnproduct.asp?id=22 and expect it to arrive today or tomorrow. It combines long burn time (on low mode) with a serious tactical capability to pair with a pistol.

I didn't now about the 4in1 pack, very cool package! ... I think the main thing I'd question is that last phrase in that last sentence. Serous tactical capability? Well, I guess it depends. I would never consider a light that has a reverse clickie and therefore no momentary capability to be a serious tactical ... I'd consider it last-ditch at best. That may be more than good enough for your EDC light, which will more likely be used for utility work, and even in the worst case probably will never see the kind of use for which momentary capability is desired. Just some expectation-setting rather than criticizing the choice.

 

[chaosmagnet]

I didn't now about the 4in1 pack, very cool package! ... I think the main thing I'd question is that last phrase in that last sentence. Serous tactical capability? Well, I guess it depends. I would never consider a light that has a reverse clickie and therefore no momentary capability to be a serious tactical ... I'd consider it last-ditch at best. That may be more than good enough for your EDC light, which will more likely be used for utility work, and even in the worst case probably will never see the kind of use for which momentary capability is desired. Just some expectation-setting rather than criticizing the choice.

Well, the mail just came and I'm holding the P2D in my hot little hand. It was a little tough at first to twist the bezel tight enough to access turbo mode, but it's easy now.

A better way for me to have put it would have been "serious tactical levels of light." Now that I have it, I have tested my theory that in turbo mode, I can push it partway for off, and let off the button to turn it back on again. It's not my first choice for a tactical light, but it's bright enough and it's small enough that I'll actually have it on me.

The only difficulty I'm facing now is if my wife notices that it doesn't look very much like the Inova it's replacing.

 

[Jarl]

That would be great for a handheld tactical. My only concern is that Fenix hasn't been around nearly as long as SureFire, and they haven't had a chance to prove themselves for long-term reliability. On the other hand, 210+ lumens now is better than 400 lumens never.

Fair point about long term reliability, but have you seen what the T1 went through in the torture tests?!! That's one tough sucker (and I doubt the upgraded version will be much worse )

Good luck with the P2D!

 

[chaosmagnet]

Fair point about long term reliability, but have you seen what the T1 went through in the torture tests?!! That's one tough sucker (and I doubt the upgraded version will be much worse )

Where do I find the torture tests for the T1?

Good luck with the P2D!

After a bit more than half an hour I'm as happy as I can be.

 

[gallonoffuel]

When it comes time to replace the MagLED 2AA in your laptop bag, look for the 2AA Rayovac Sportsman Extreme, also known as the River Rock 2AA Camo, the Nuwai X3, and the Cabelas 3W 2AA. Much bright and well built compared to the minimag.

 

[LED_Thrift]

Where do I find the torture tests for the T1?

welcome to CPF!

If you do a search, using the search function for "torture" and "T1" you will find the thread.

The lights you listed are good choices.
If I may make two recommendations: that the car lights and/or emergency lights get loaded with lithium batteries so they will always be ready if/when you need them. Lithium AAs are not too expensive online [places such as BatteryJunction]. Or you can get a light that is designed for lithium CR123 batteries. Also, get a headlamp for working on things around the house & car etc. You will be amazed at how useful a headlamp is letting you work with two hands free.

 

[chaosmagnet]

When it comes time to replace the MagLED 2AA in your laptop bag, look for the 2AA Rayovac Sportsman Extreme, also known as the River Rock 2AA Camo, the Nuwai X3, and the Cabelas 3W 2AA. Much bright and well built compared to the minimag.

That light is sitting in the main gun safe next to the 9mm. I like it a lot. When I upgrade my main tactical light I'll trickle down the Scorpion over to the 9mm, and move the River Rock 2AA Camo into my laptop bag.

 

[Gunner12]

When it comes time to replace the MagLED 2AA in your laptop bag, look for the 2AA Rayovac Sportsman Extreme, also known as the River Rock 2AA Camo, the Nuwai X3, and the Cabelas 3W 2AA. Much bright and well built compared to the minimag.

I'd recommend then RC-N3 if you can stand the 2 week to month wait for shipping. Brighter, forward clickie, and pretty well built(some say Fenix Quality).

But the Rayovac is easier to buy.

Fenix T1 abuse threads:
chibato's thread
1 what's thread
Whit's end's thread
datiLED's thread
litho123's thread
Marduke's thread
Esthan's thread(P3D abuse)
greenLED's thread

 

[chaosmagnet]

I'd recommend then RC-N3 if you can stand the 2 week to month wait for shipping. Brighter, forward clickie, and pretty well built(some say Fenix Quality).

Looking at my flashlight-related purchases in the last few weeks, I've got:

Streamlight Scorpion (Cabela's) $40
SureFire 12-pack of 123A's (Cabela's) $30
Fenix Power Pack 4in1 (Amazon) $73 shipped
8x Energizer AA lithiums, 12x Titanium 123A's, Titanium battery case (Battery Junction) $44 shipped

$187.

The RC-N3 looks very nice.

 

[Pistolero]

Might want to check marketplace for hot deals and coupons for cpf-friendly dealers.

 

[Curious_character]

House: We have two 3-D cell Maglites with Mag's LED upgrade modules installed. Bright, awesome battery life, tough as hell. These are great for power outages, filling sandbags in the middle of the night or digging in to an electrical or plumbing problem.

Interesting choice. I prefer to use both hands when fixing electrical or plumbing problems and filling sandbags. So I use a headlamp instead. But then some people are a lot more dexterous than I am, I have to admit.

c_c

 

[chaosmagnet]

Interesting choice. I prefer to use both hands when fixing electrical or plumbing problems and filling sandbags. So I use a headlamp instead. But then some people are a lot more dexterous than I am, I have to admit.

I bought them over seven years ago and upgraded them with the LED modules when those came out. Until very recently I didn't think I'd be able to find a headlamp that was bright enough to be worthwhile. I've gotten really good at propping up a Maglite where I need it to be, or drafting one of my children to hold it for me.