wow!

[crazee horse]

well WOW! im blown away, ive recently been looking for a powerful flashlight for walking the dog in non lite areas and have looked around a few shops etc but so far no one really knew what they where talking about. i thought i"d give the web a look to find a little more in depth info and i found this place lol. im quite shocked.:twothumbs
its torch city. i never knew there was so much to know.
this will be my first decent torch, and was looking to spend arond £50 ($100) ish to start with. have been looking at Maglites as i thought they were the best, still what do i know? from what ive read too the led"s arent touching the krypton bulbs either, can someone condense all this for me and point me in the right direction? in an ideal world i"d have a 3-4d flashlight (big enough for defence in the woods should i need it!) with a good strong bright beam and a good few hours burn time. with a possible view to upgrading/modifying?
go on slate me :tinfoil:

being a typical bloke this is going to be just the start for me lol

 

[LightJaguar]

:welcome:
Maglites are pretty good hosts and it sounds like that is what you want. You just got to upgrade it. One of Malkoff's(http://www.malkoffdevices.com/) drop ins for the maglites might be what you are looking for.

 

[tedjanxt]

He's in GB, it has been my experience that most EU and GB flashaholics complain a *lot* about the prices of maglites over there. Considering his needs (dogwalking, sofar, it only gets worse from here on out *wink) I'd go with a Fenix to get him used to the awesome power of the sun in his hand

They are not necessarily cheaper, but I believe probably easier to procure?

*edit* he said 3-4D for selfdefense and whatnot, I guess if you jabbed someone in the eye with a Fenix it'd hurt a bit, but you won't find that size lite in a Fenix shop

 

[crazee horse]

nice one lightjaguar, i see he ships to the uk too. excellent.

 

[Niconical]

http://www.glowgadgets.co.uk/fenix-tk10-tactical-tank-led-torch-225-lumens.ir?cName=fenix-torches

Tough as old boots.
8 hour/1.2 hour runtime, conservative estimate (Low/high)
Bright - 60/225 lumens (Low/high)

 

[tedjanxt]

Another thing, krypton bulbs in maglites pop a lot...LED's, well, they don't. They can be overdriven with voltage and fried, however, but those instances are few and far between. Plus, a krypton mag will drop significantly in brightness over a relatively short time. A well-regulated LED will not.

 

[kurni]

:welcome:

You're in for a surprise; your definition of "bright" will be altered.

 

[yellow]

big, heavy, bulky light --> will not be with You when needed
(and if it is with You, its ugly big and heavy and bulky)

Fenix L2D Q5 ... when Ni-Mh batts
Fenix P3D Q5 ... when Li-Ions
... my choice were the L2D.
There simply is nothing at hand that beats the Fenix package (price/performance/workmanship/materials/machining-ratio).
Small but powerful and offering several light levels (which is the best thing in led lights)

there were www.qualityflashlights.at (who sit in the UK) and fenix-store.com

PS: here a shot, where a 2D Mag ist shown and several led lights also.
the Mag is that ridiculus dim brown dot up and middle.
An actual Fenix should be like the bright white dot in the middle (which comes from that small modded 6P right of the huge 2D Mag)

the little Fenix L1D points at front tyre and the showerhead somewhere at right (too dim to be seen)

 

[crazee horse]

i know this is going to be a really bad point but the fenix is soooooooooooooooo small. i would feel robbed if i never had something more substantial in my hand rofl. i need at least a 2 d flashlite. whilst the fenix sure looks very very impresive the size thing puts me off. i have found them on ebay for around £30 + seems a lot for a double aa torch.

ive also seen 123a cells for other torches, is this a rechargeable cell? or an america specific size?

lots of dodgy copies on ebay.......................

 

[yellow]

seems a lot for a double aa torch.

You definitly are not long into lights

 

[crazee horse]

about three hours? :thumbsup:
ideally i need a "bit" of range, and that fenix doesnt appear to, but then im a newb so forgive my numptyness. thats why i thought initially a maglite, with lots of cells and a possible bulb upgrade.
the fenix tk10 looks to be an absolute beast, though again expensive, i can smell a possible purchase!
im just curious about the cells?
and is this lite upgradeable?

 

[thebigjim]

Hi Mate,
Im a fellow UK'er, If i were you, I would get an Ultrafire C1 from Deal Extreme, Its a Surefire copy, that accepts the same size drop ins as a surefire 6p (P60 size). Its well made, has nice annodising (spelling) and best of all its £10 shipped. Then get over to Sainsburys and get a twin pack of Duracell CR123 (On offer for £3.30), so for £13 you have a Q5 P60 host, that in my opinion is built solid (I have dropped mine a few times).
If you like it, then somewhen in the future you can invest in some more Gucci lights. Im a Police officer, and everyone in my station wants one now. The fenix lights are good, but do you want to spend a fotrune?
The C1 will serve you well, its tiny in the hand too, and proper bright.
Hope this helps.
Jim.

Edit (Yes its upgradeable, and if you wish will take a 18650 Lithium cell, for free lumens for ages to come). £13 quid, do it!
Edit (Cr123 are lithium cells, used in blighty for digital cameras, sometimes about £5 each, see sainsburys above. RCR123 are rechargable versions, you can search Deal Extreme for them, or get AW branded ones, as they are of high quality.

 

[abarth_1200]

the fenix TK10 or TK11 wont disapoint you, the only difference is the TK11 uses rechargeable cells.

These torches are built like tanks, would hurt if you hit someone with it and are very bright in comparison to mag 2D's.

CR123 batteries are double the voltage of your standard alkaline AA battery and pack a lot more punch, your better off buying bulk online, they have a ten year shelf life too.

If i were you i would also get a small torch to pocket aswell as your big'un

 

[crazee horse]

man, im in a wold of hurt, i only wanted a half tidy torch at first and now im all over the shop lol, thanks bigjim, the ultrafire c1 looks tempting but theyre reviews (dealextreme) look a little off putting. i really want the fenix tk10............but i may get the ultrafire first. like you said its cheap as chips!

thanks for all the replys you guys, never expected such a response!

 

[arty]

The maglite and a Malkoff module is what is needed.
I carry a 3D mag or a 4D with the Malkoff dropin when I walk my dog at
night. I'd feel better with a long lignum vitae stick, but the Maglite will have to do.
If you are concerned about the possibility of needed a club to protect yourself
or your dog, the Malkoff is the way to go. It puts out lots of light, will be seen by traffic, and certainly will help in an emergency. The 3D is handier, but the 4D runs a long time and is obviously bigger.

 

[Crenshaw]

Get the Tk10, youll not be disapointed..

seriously... its a great light to start with, and something that you can keep for awhile and will still be a competitor. I would advise getting a set of RCR123A and charger for it too. if you go to www.4sevens.com you can find all these things.

Crenshaw

 

[thebigjim]

No probs M8, but the reviews on Deal Extreme are positive. If you want the Tk10/11, speak to Doc at Glowgadgets.co.uk as he is very friendly, and you will get 10% off. Look at the price from fenix-store and you will see the difference is not much. Also you may be lumbered with import duty if ordering from USA, sometimes they slip through the net though.
Good luck with whatever you choose, but for me, the C1 is such a good deal. Get both and see which one you like, then if you dont like it, send it back!
Jim.

 

[Scourie]

For a newbie I'd suggest something like item 270255013811 on the 'bay. Batteries can be bought cheaply from places like 7dayshop. I've got one of these, and whilst it's not 300 lumens, it is very bright and seems well made. Can't go wrong for £15.90 delivered.

Rob

 

[abarth_1200]

buy cheap buy twice, its cheap for a reason, you will end up buying the TK10 anyway so why not

 

[Gunner12]

If you want a Maglite, I'd also check this thread out.

I'd stick with AA batteries unless you plan on buying RCR123 batteries.

For AA battery powered, the Fenix L2T V2.0, L2D-CE Q5, or Olight T25 all should work. The Olight has more throw then the Fenixes because of its reflector.

With your price range and use in mind, there are a lot of lights that you can choose from. Most of the are LEDs, as you now know.

If you want something similar to the Tk10/TK11 at a lower price, the WF-400 might work. Not as bright or as well built as the TK10/TK11 but has a good bit of throw and is probably more then enough for most normal uses.

How much throw do you need? All of the above lights should throw at least 75 meters.

:welcome: