What is missing?

fivemega

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 28, 2003
Messages
5,601
Location
California
What Incandescent flashlight(s) can be made but nobody make them.
What would you like to own which is not existed but doable with today's technology?
What body size? Head size? Form factor? Battery chemistry? Battery configuration? Number of cells? Brightness? Run time?
Let's be realistic and concentrate to Incandescent only.
 
How about a WA1111 in an M3, C3, G3 or Leef?

FM 1111 Bi-Pin

Since it's you asking I'll need to think about the question a little more. FM can make anything. I have really enjoyed the modifications you've done on my wallet. Much easier to slip in and out of a pocket now.

- Jeff
 
A small (keychain size, if you may), bright incan flashlight. It'd be nice to have a strong incan contender in that category.
 
Are there IRC bulbs made in smaller wattages? Smallest I've seen mentioned is 35 watts, which is fine for tinkerers, but something on the order of 10 watts or so would enable a pocket-size light with serious punch and non-ridiculous runtime and help with heat issues. I.e., remove some of the compromises which exist in the small-but-powerful incan category.

edit: well, I found at least one mention of a 10W IRC bulb, in a Topeak bicycle light, apparently the bulb itself is from the Osram Decostar line. However my weak attempts to find a source for low-wattage Osram Decostar bulbs brings up a steady stream of non-US websites and wattages only down to 20w. Does Osram not sell in the US?


edit again - hey look at this! Osram "Mini Star", bulbs with their own built-in relfectors, IRC, 10W available. But where? :confused:

Check out the 12v, 10w axial reflector bulb on the last page.

http://www.osram.com/_global/icons/pdf.gif
 
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Porcupine/Pineapple Body/Grenade-Combat Feel
3c or 2d Litho (Medium Size Feel)
Over power phillips bulb or Wa
45 Min Run Time
Regulated for multiple Settings
Built in or recessed led's near tail for Ambient Mood lighting
(Red or Blue) -
Clickie Switch
Black or Gun Metal


just brainstorming
I know it's a stretch
 
A F-cell flashlight with a high-power Xenon globe.

Or even the high-power Xenon globe as a PR drop-in.

We've seen "Super Krypton" and halogen high-power globes, but it's time to take the next step.

By "high power", I mean 8W or above.
 
How about a dual-filament bulb with low and high beam (similar to some car headlight bulbs)? Battery type should be either AA or RCR123A, 12V, and as much output as possible. Size should be no bigger than a 3D Mag, maybe even 2D, but with a much larger reflector than a Mag. Adjustable focus would be awesome, just like a Mag (without the dark hole would be best). And lasty, I don't know if this has been tried or if it would even work, but how about a reflector that had a smooth portion at the narrow end of the cone and orange peel for the outer sections of the reflector. This could, in theory, provide a long-throwing hot spot with decent side spill.

OR... instead of the dual-filament bulb, why not put a potentiometer in the light and make it infinitely adjustable for light output?
 
I'd like something that takes a pair of rechargeable NiMH AA cells side by side (to keep it small and compact). Aim for slightly less than a 1C discharge rate to give an hour of runtime. It might make sense to put some kind of regulator circuit in there for soft start / constant output / cell protection.

Actually, I'd probably just spring for something like the Surefire A2 if there were a decent rechargeable option for it. The existing choices don't pack enough capacity. LEDs not required.
 
To answer your question, FM, I think the niche is for a good incandescent that has enough battery power to use it all night long without changing batteries--maybe 100 lumens for 8 hours? D sized li-ions? 6x 18650? Probably would require a soft start circuit as well. I think there are a lot of security officers and outdoors enthusiasts (like me) that would be interested in such a light.
 
How about a mini-elephant? An exact copy of an elephant, only much smaller in size? Perhaps, powered by 12 x AAA or something like that. Or an even smaller version than that?

Just an idea...
 
An Incan which is around 700 / 800 lumens, SF M6 size/style, 2 hour run time, can run on a variety of batts eg. primaries / rechargeable etc, beam which is half throw / half spill - possibly adjustable....
 
Something that makes use of Sub-C cells, since they are the mainstay of the RC crowd, they have some of the best advancements and cells available. 4500mAH in a package the length of a AAA and less girth that a standard C. Honestly I'm not sure what configuration would be best, maybe a 3x sub-C with a bezel supporting D26 lamps, maybe a 6 sub-C running 2 a breast that has a magish size head (turbo). Would be great for running globes like the 5761 for almost an hour in a package the length of a 2D.
 
anything li-ion and regulated.

That's it right there. When I start my flashlight company the first light we're going to make will be an incandescent roughly the size of a SureFire E2e with Willie Hunt's LVR and able to use Li-Ions. Somewhere between 60-80 lumens for a basic model would be good.
 
What Incandescent flashlight(s) can be made but nobody make them.
Nobody makes a bipin socket for the A2 that fits the Strion bulb. No sir, even though many people have asked.:whistle: It is roughly the size of an E2e with Willie Hunt's LVR and able to use Li-ions.

BTW the IRC is available in 20w here, but only with an attached dichroic reflector. The problem with IRC is they are all 12v bulbs that require ~18v to look good, and 5 Li-ion or 15 NiMH makes for a big light. Hopefully they will make some 6v ones in the future.
 
I'll echo posts 5 and 11.

A good, small, keychain-sized incan would be really nice. The only two lights I can think of in this ballpark are the Mag solitaire - which is too dim - and the Surefire E1e w/lumens factory bulb - which is a bit big. I readily accept the fact that no incan's going to rival my Draco's 100+ lumens using the same form factor, but a solitaire-sized incan that could push out even 30-40 lumens would be great.

But post #11 really hits the nail on the head. It'd be great to find a light that could provide 100 lumens for the entire night, without needing to replace the batteries. (I'm guesing you'd need regulation for that as well.) But darn it - if you can pull off 800 lumens for an hour with your 1-hour ROP, there's got to be a way to get a solid 6-8 hour, 100 lumen light. I'd buy that.

- FITP
 
Do you think you can outdo BigLeef System + M head/KT4? In stainless steel may be?

img7820lq1.jpg

 
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