What is your DREAM flashlight?

[270winchester]

A HDS EDC U85GT(unless there is a U120 out).

Or a Regulated Surefire E2e.

 

[assassin337]

What are these so called darpas I cant find them on surefire website, but anyway mine wuld be the surefire beast though I only heard of one a long time ago in only one thread, does it happen to be a fantisy or something?:sweat:

 

[Icebreak]

*Four 3W 365nm Luxeon glass UVs mated to shock isolated 4into1 one-piece crystal optic with single point source 1mm cabochon emitter.

*Graduated partially light stippled 2" reflector.

*Power source 6 3000mAh 2/3 A NiMhs.

*2hr runtime on full.

*Variably regulated circuit with stobe/dazzle mode.

*Sinked to body.

*Partially finned head and body.

*Midnight purple HA III.

*Range 1 mile.

 

[rikvee]

I never had a dream flashlight, but CPF helped me find many flashlights better than I had even imagined, the biggest surprise a Sandwich Shoppe 3wLuxeon pill on a 14500 rechargeable in an 1AA MiniMag, it gets close to a Surefire L4, while I find a cutdown MM much easier to carry everyday...

to quote tron3: "provide a link to your dream flashlight"

to learn how to do this, just hit "quote" on any post with a link in it (like this one) and all will be revealed.....same for different fonts, colors, etc.

 

[Skyclad01]

Two ways to answer. Name the flashlight and provide a link to your dream flashlight. It can be one you own, or wish to own.

Spec out your own flashlight, or name a mod you wish you could do on an existing flashlight.

For me it's the same 15 million CP flashlight I am lamenting buying. http://www.clevergear.com/website/store/product_detail.asp?UID=2005080915482076&item%5Fno=53149&keyword=million&cat%5Fkeyword=&search%5Fpage%5Fno=1

I would LIKE to mod it with LED's to make it just as bright, if not brighter, with a variable dimming switch. Plus replace the 12v 7 amp lead-acid battery with battery pack of 10 NiMh D-cells at 10 amps. Maybe use those 3.6v D size batteries.

As any good flashaholic knows, lead acid batteries have a near continuous voltage drop throughout the entire drain. Where as battery chemistries like alkaline, lithium, and NiMh sustain higher voltages for longer periods of time.

"I have a dream..." -M.L.K.

I hope you know you can get one of those at Costco for $30 (not the same brand, and I dont know about the quality. I looked at one there, it it seemed decent for the price.)

 

[Solstice]

My dream flashlight doesn't and can't exist yet, but just might be feasible within the decade. LEDs are still only 20% effecient, max (I'm pulling this figure out of my a**, but I recall it not being too far off), much of the energy going to heat or photons that don't make out of the front of the LED. Once they gain closer to 80% efficency (they are supposed to double in efficency every year or so...we'll see), I'd like a single AA or AAA powered light with variable output that could run for hours at hundreds of lumens, or days/weeks/months at more moderate levels.

Until then, I'll settle for a fine quality single AA luxeon/xlamp/k2 light that is small as it can be with a very intuitive, easy to use user interface for at least 2 brightness levels.

 

[Schuey2002]

An E3E with a turbo head would be schweeeeeeeeeet! KL1 or KL3 heads with reflectors on an E-series body would make me happy, too..

 

[Firebladz]

I actually have my dream flash light!

It consists of:

- G&P 3 watt LED
- Aleph 2x123 Flared Body
- Vital Gear head
- Aleph two stage tailcap
- titanium clip

and I LOVE IT! it's freakin awesome! :rock:

But if I didn't have that and just wanted a pure toy, I guess I could go for a SF Beast for it's sheer power / output and rarity... :naughty:

Firebladz.

 

[offroadcmpr]

an HDS EDC, the brighter the better!!

 

[gadgetnerd]

Hmmm, my dream light, using today's technology:

- Fenix sized/shaped 1AA
- HA III
- Lux III (perfect tint of course)
- UCL lens, antireflective
- Same beam properties as Fenix
- 3 stage brightness 80/40/5 lumens, with 1hr/2hr/many hours runtime
- When off it actually flashes faintly every 10 sec
- Totally waterproof to 10+ m
- approx $50

Using tomorrow's technology (eg very efficient LEDs with almost no heat output):

- Same form factor as above but polymer body (since there's no heat to dissipate
- Unscratchable ceramic lens
- 3 stage brightness 200/50/5 lumens with 2hr/8hr/many days runtime
- approx $50!!!

 

[KevinL]

Proud to own mine - the U2. For some reason I got one that's ultra bright, so it is all it can be. No mods needed.

If I was to think of improvements these would be largely incremental, such as 250 lumen maximum output power (or, basically, as many lumens as I can get based on what the technology will yield) and a slightly dimmer lowest level. Wouldn't need to change anything else.

The only real fundamental change I can think of is to pack all of this power into an L4 sized body, but that would change the dynamics, beam shape, and power pack dramatically, and I'm not necessarily sure I want this. A 1" reflector would give me an L4 beam profile (too much flood for my taste), and the E-series body would force me to use 17670s (too little capacity).

 

[nerdgineer]

My dream light would also be a Fenix variation, but my tastes are simpler.

All I want is a Fenix L1P with a twisty!

And not one of the spring-in-the-tailcap-floating-plate type twisties either. I want a plain old fashioned Arc AAA/CMG Infinity type crush-your-battery-if-you-want, no-moving-parts twisty. It would take 3/4" off the length of the Fenix and give me a hole in the tail for a lanyard.

Because nothing else could be as absolutely, positively, no-flicker-ever reliable, always...

 

[VT-Metal-VT]

I love my x990 and my inova T4.........but my dream light is a 100W HID!! :rock:

 

[scudinc]

Something with the size and solar recharging of the Skylight Comfort, with a Photon Freedom UI, massive maximum output, and variable focus.

 

[JimH]

........but my dream light is a 100W HID!! :rock:

Me too - but I want the pocket version. I'd settle for a Mag 1C form factor though.

 

[rmacias]

For me it would be the one and only Surefire Beast.

Some day I will have the privilege to hold it in my hand.

RJM

 

[PeLu]

I'd like a 1AA headlamp about like a Petzl Zipka+ but smaller, and with a red LED added for night vision. It should use the Nichia CS leds of course.

Yes, Paul, I too thought about mixing a LRI Proton with a Zipka, this would give an almost perfect EDC, additionally using the beam spreader from a Tikka XP.
This could be made in a really tiny housing.

 

[Neg2LED]

For me, a MiniHID and rechargable battery pack.

I would love one of those!

--neg

 

[LEDMaster2003]

Mine would be one that had a xenon flashtube but running constantly. (probably wouldn't be very effective/efficient/probable in the real world). It would be shaped like the Rayovac Workhorse AA, run on... ??? :thinking: maybe a custom rechargeable battery pack. It would be made either by SureFire or Streamlight and probably called "Xenos"

 

[McGizmo]

An E3E with a turbo head would be schweeeeeeeeeet! ...........

Agreed!

:green: "baby M3". Too bad it never went into production but then Team PK could and have made so many variations that they could confuse even flashaholics let alone muddy the "real market" with way too many choices!! :shrug:

Say and think what you will but at SF, R&D isn't a concept, it is a day to day reality!! They have earned my respect and admiration regardless of any marketing games or biased perceptions. :thumbsup: I know that I am incredibly fortunate to have insight and understanding upon which I base my perceptions and I can't expect others to take simple words on faith. If the topic is a dream flashlight, I automatically look to SF as the most likely and capable source for its creation. My bad?

"What is your DREAM flashlight?" Ironically, there is a good chance that SF has visited it, or something similar, already. If their focus went beyond tactical, things could be real interesting!

Sorry for the SF "Fanboy Hype" but it just came out!

On topic, my dream light would be a refined version of the SPY005 with some additional attachment/ carry options and of most importance, a rotating bezel which adjust the optics and result in a beam that would fan from spot to flood. I have some ideas on this but I think we need more efficient and smaller LED's with less thermal relief requirements.

Oh yeah, in reality, I guess some of my own designs qualify as dream flashlights since they do seem to pop in to my mind, even while asleep! :green: Perhaps I should consider the question as pertaining to fantasy and not merely dreams. I get to realize many of my dreams and I hope you guys do too!!!! :thumbsup: It's the fantasies I am still working on! :nana: