tk 40 vs catapult

[nodoubt]

seems like ive lost my well loved dorcy 220 lm flashlight....havent seen it in weeks so im thinking about getting one of the above mentioned.....
can you really see the 300 or so lm diff between these 2 lights??
anybody been able to compare the 2 side to side??
how much brighter will the catapult be than the dorcy i had ?
tx for the help.....

 

[king2penn]

The Catapult would be able to throw further, but the TK40 will have a much brighter spill. (app.400m to 300m)

The Catapult can use either 1 or 2 18650, and the TK40 can use either 4 AA or 8AAs.

The TK40 is thicker and bigger than the catapult

The catapult uses an sst-50 emmiter(1 die) but the tk40 uses an mce(4 die) emitter.

 

[Fusion_m8]

king2penn: Has Thrunite solved the problem of leaking coolant fluid from the SST-50 dome yet??? This seems to be a recurring problem with many of the Catapults that have been sold.

 

[makapuu]

king2penn: Has Thrunite solved the problem of leaking coolant fluid from the SST-50 dome yet??? This seems to be a recurring problem with many of the Catapults that have been sold.

Wow !!! I didn't know that.
Thanks for the tip.
Now that makes me wonder if that was a defective batch that other company's that are using on their SST-50 lights.
Thrunite..............Can you comment and put our mind at ease.

 

[skyfire]

i recently bought a catapult, i knew about the grease issue, and bought it anyways cause i couldnt wait any longer, and when not in use i tailstand the light, so far no problems.

so far i really like the light, and it will stomp all over your dorcy's 220 lumens. but really they are completely different. after using it this week, it makes all my other lights look weak. and i cant help but smile whenever i turn it on. mine has a smooth reflector and it throws nicely.

cant say anything about the tk40 since ive never used one, but my friend does have a jetbeam M1X, and the catapult throws better with a tighter hotspot. the hotpsot on the jetbeam is wider though with the donut hole. the jetbeams spill is wider also, but not as bright as the catapults spill. the tint on the catapult is also cooler than his M1X.

i think it comes down to the batteries. i really like the tk40, but the 8xAA i dont.

 

[Jash]

High mode on the TK40 is about 270 lumens (already stomping the Dorcy), turbo is over 600, which is quite simply jaw dropping.

You're talking about going from a Ford sedan to a Porsche 911 turbo.

Yes, they're both cars, but not at all the same.

The beam on the TK40 is a perfect balance between throw and flood. Smooth edges on the hotspot and really usable spill.

 

[357mag1]

I have both the TK40 and the Catapult and there is not a big difference in brightness. The Catapult throws a little farther and the beam on the TK40 covers a larger area. I would not call the TK40 spill any brighter just more of it lighting up a larger area. Zero problems with my Catapult.
If I had to choose between the two I would base my choice on batteries. If you already have AAs go for the TK40 and if you already have 18650s the Catapult would be your choice. If you are set up with both battery types already the TK40 will run off 4 AA batteries (takes 8 normally) so it is the easiest to find power for in an emergency situation.

 

[Hfili]

What about the TK30? Same beam as the TK40 but with different battery options. I just got mine and I love it!!!

 

[uncle wong]

king2penn: Has Thrunite solved the problem of leaking coolant fluid from the SST-50 dome yet??? This seems to be a recurring problem with many of the Catapults that have been sold.

I sold my catapult 2 weeks after i bought .
Wet around the led all the time .

 

[jcw122]

I sold my catapult 2 weeks after i bought .
Wet around the led all the time .

Why didn't you just return them if it was 2 weeks?

 

[nodoubt]

Why didn't you just return them if it was 2 weeks?

yeah id like to hear more about the problems too....

 

[nodoubt]

king2penn: Has Thrunite solved the problem of leaking coolant fluid from the SST-50 dome yet??? This seems to be a recurring problem with many of the Catapults that have been sold.

didnt know flashlights had coolant.....whats the deal ??

 

[scott2907]

For my money, I think the tk40. The catapult will throw quite far, especially if you go for the black widow, but the tk40 can throw further. Also, the elastic snaped on my catapult once, and now it won't throw at all.

 

[reeso]

 

[nodoubt]

For my money, I think the tk40. The catapult will throw quite far, especially if you go for the black widow, but the tk40 can throw further. Also, the elastic snaped on my catapult once, and now it won't throw at all.

informative info.....tx alot..

 

[Fusion_m8]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=262183 Look at post #43.... scary!

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=250804

I'm sure these may be the odd "monday morning" flashlights that may have come off the production line, but it was enough for me to buy the Jetbeam M1X instead.

didnt know flashlights had coolant.....whats the deal ??

 

[276]

I store my catapult head down and have had no issues, i have had mine since November i think.

 

[joe1512]

It depends on your applications. Do you really need the super throw of the catapult? When walking, I personally prefer more spill. Higher throw means a brighter blinding hotspot in front of you which can be a negative.

As said earlier, I'd base it on battery choice. If you have eneloops and/or a charger for AAs, then the TK40 is great. If you have 18650s and/or charger, consider the catapult.

 

[jcw122]

I'd say go Catapult. The TK40 should be considered less-safe because of the high number of batteries it uses. This increases the chance of batteries discharging unevenly, which creates a danger of the batteries being damaged/leaking/exploding.

4Sevens has said that they have had PLENTY of customer issues from the TK40 from this exact reason.

 

[jp2515]

I'd say go Catapult. The TK40 should be considered less-safe because of the high number of batteries it uses. This increases the chance of batteries discharging unevenly, which creates a danger of the batteries being damaged/leaking/exploding.

4Sevens has said that they have had PLENTY of customer issues from the TK40 from this exact reason.

That's because people were putting in lithium AA in the carrier incorrectly. Doesn't make it less safe, since inserting batteries the wrong way will result in negative consequences in any chemistry. Besides the light will not take li-ions.