Which Compact LED flashlight? Say $200 max.

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koti

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A few months ago Ive bought a setup from Fivemega from this forum...2x18650 tube + a couple of reflectors and a few ultra powerfull incadescent 1794 bulbs - incredible power for such a small light - I love it.
This time Im looking for something more practical so I figured LED because its energy efficient and its more friendly for general use.
Im thinking of getting the Surefire G2 LED for general use in my car, to carry around on trips, etc.
It has to be small so I can easly carry it in my jeans pocket, glove compartment, Id preffer a size to fit in the palm of my hand.
Im thinking an ideal light for me would be something with a single 18650 battery and some high power LED drop in but Im not experienced so I may be wrong.
Thanks in advance and a happy Christmas to all of You photon freeqs :)
 
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Sounds like you need a Dereelight CL1H v4 with one of the 3SD pills. I'm pretty sure the G2 LED won't take an 18650, plus it's plastic and doesn't dissipate heat at well.
 
rc-c3 cree q5 @ shining beam = 200 lumens tiny and $22.00:thumbsup:

buy several.

leave em everywhere.

i did:twothumbs
 
waddup said:
rc-c3 cree q5 @ shining beam = 200 lumens tiny and $22.00:thumbsup:

buy several.

leave em everywhere.

i did:twothumbs
Click to expand...

That one looks realy cool, Im gonna get a couple of them :)
Any other recommendations ?
 
G2's battery tube will not even come close to working with 18650. For under 200 though you can pretty much get anything you want :)

For glovebox duty I like my G2 with a pair of primaries, and an M60wlf. 4+ hours runtime, plenty of light to work on and around the vehicle if needed. Oh, and the bonus from the flood that I hadn't even thought of is it makes it WAY easier to read maps when your eyes are dark adapted. For general duty though I prefer stuff with pocket clips and more output. I EDC a malkoff equipped C2, but then I wear comfortably loose pants and don't worry about the size of it, it's not too big but you won't forget it's there.

The e2e/L4 size lights are what I consider perfect for pocket carry, unfortunately surefire doesn't really have anything that slim in the 200 lumen class, except possiblly the e2dl. I hate electronic multimodes but maybe you'd like them :) The L4 is what I consider a nearly perfect light for edc, if surefire had seen fit to stuff it with a warm tinted MC-e or a sscp4 with the original floody beam, I'd have one in my pocket right now
 
waddup said:
rc-c3 cree q5 @ shining beam = 200 lumens tiny and $22.00:thumbsup:

buy several.

leave em everywhere.

i did:twothumbs
Click to expand...


These really are the ultimate cheapie in every pocket kind of a light.

The Sgt. Burkett is an 18650 that is only 10cm long and is made by a member here. Look in the dealer section in the marketplace. Should be able to get what you want for under $50. It is next on my list.

You could do a lot worse than a Dmini with the 18650 extender. I have one with a digital q5 light engine and it will do anything you could want for under 90 bucks for sure. Check out Battery Junction and the Lumapower thread in the manufacuterer's section in the marketplace. liion's or CR123 primaries work great. Days of runtime on the 18650 and two configurations give you a ton of versatility. High, med, low on the digital lights.

A deal from Lumapower:
http://www.lumapower.com/Offer_D081101A.html
Steal.

Add the 18650 tube, you can run everything from AA's to the big Liion's.
 
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This is my current favorite in a slightly larger than very small form factor:

IMGP2401.jpg


IMGP2402.jpg


It's an old style round-body E1 tube with an old E head carrying a Koala 1-cell Rebel tower. Heavy pointy TID. 2-stage Maxlite tailcap.
 
Forget about those overpriced (but still good) lights and try a LiteFlux LF3XT. Fully programmable for modes and brightness, uses 1 CR123, smooth beam, electronic switching, fits in your hand or pocket, and $60. Get one before they realize people will pay more for it.

I guess you can tell I really like it. Check out the long thread about these. You'll see I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Geoff
 
That LF3XT is a great light. If you need an 18650 cell light and want it to be pocketable - how about the Lumapower Encore. It is one of the smallest 18650 lights. It has multiple output levels and memory mode to remember the last level used.
 
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Forget what everybody tells you about output and brightness. Get a Surefire L1. You will LOVE it. Two stages makes it more useful. The twisty makes it faster and more intuitive to use, as well as more reliable. The tight beam means you'll have better throw than supposedly "brighter" lights. I could go on and on, but really, just do yourself a favor, pick up a two-stage SF.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, You were more then helpfull.
First of all, I'll be getting a couple of those rc-c3 cree q5's @ shining beam. Please help me out which batteries I should get for it though...I already own a TRUSTFIRE TR-001 charger, can I use it for batteries for this light ? Im confused with CR123A 3.6v 880 MaH / RCR123A 3.7v 700 MaH / 16340 / etc.

Secondly I'll be getting the LiteFlux LF2 X Cree Q5 @ DealExtreme - this looks like a realy hard to beat light for my car keychain. I also want to get rechargables for this one...no confusion here, I'll get a couple of 10440's to use with my TR-001 charger.

Im getting 3 lights for now so its more then enough :)
 
carrot said:
Forget what everybody tells you about output and brightness. Get a Surefire L1. You will LOVE it. Two stages makes it more useful. The twisty makes it faster and more intuitive to use, as well as more reliable. The tight beam means you'll have better throw than supposedly "brighter" lights. I could go on and on, but really, just do yourself a favor, pick up a two-stage SF.
Click to expand...

Until I read this I was happy with my Nitecore EX-10, and,
Novatac 120 P and Fenix P1D CE. :broke:With the "neutral" LED becoming more available, I wonder if SF will make any changes soon.
I love my GREEN Surefire L1, this makes me want one with a newer white LED.
 
koti,

I used the 880mah from DX both the white protected Trustfire's and the grey/silver Ultrafire's.

From research and using them, they work very well. I prefer the white TF's after a few back to back comparisions.

Good choices. I looked at the Lf2x myself.
 
Im sory, Im not able to dig thru all that right now but I promise I will :)
It says here that the rc-c3 cree q5 uses one CR123A or 3.7V RCR123A.
Where the heck do I find a 3.7V RCR123A ? They all seem to be 3.6V
 
All RCR123a batteries, save for the liFePO4 chemistry are 3.6/3.7 volt. They're actually 4.20 volts fully charged, and 3.5 volts when completely drained.
 
Get the Liteflux from Liteflux, it's cheaper too.

Ive seen RCR123s labeled at 3.6v and 3.7v. I don't think it makes a difference though I have read that the were labeled at 3.6v at first and some changed that to 3.7v when the technology improved.

If you still want a 18650 light with P60 compatibility, try the Dereelight CL1H V3 or V4.
 
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