3w luxeon recommendation

I tried searching for a 3w luxeon flashlight on ebay and holy crap i'm overwhelmed. Half of them were from Hong Kong that i really questioned if they're true luxeon's or not.

I'd prefer it to be rechargeable or use the old fashioned AAA/AA/C/D if possible.

Any recommendations for one that won't break the bank?

I have a Thor 15 million candlepower light for kicks, but i can't bring it with me when i'm working in the control room / backstage for the theatre, and a lot of the time it's dark so i cant see a damn thing. As tempting as it is to blind performers with the Thor, i'll have to pass, and get a 3w luxeon

As I'm "Unenlightened," that said, my first 3w luxeon came from www.elektrolumens.com.

Model: Blaster Jr. ($50) uses 3 AA bats that fit in a plastic can.

It is a great flashlight. 72 lumens. Excellent beam and throw, imho.

Not exactly your EDC but it is for me.

Being my first LED flashlight, I really feel I lucked out!

Visit:

http://elektrolumens.com/Blaster_Jr/Blaster-Jr.html

and read all about it.

Good luck in your purchase. :wave:

Andy
Scannist
ITT G3 NV w/IR and lenses, Blaster Jr., Inova 24/7 and forthcoming Fenix L2P

Xzn, check out ledbeam.com and get a luxeon 3 in a 3 c-cell light for $24.95 shipped USPS priority mail. Or get 3 @ $22.95 and free shipping!! The affordable thrower!!

This thread http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=98389&highlight=regulated has a summary of good 2x AA LED flashlights.
I selected and ordered the Smartfire 3W from Emilion two weeks ago ($20).
I just received it this morning

Xzn,

There are quite a few goodies come into mind, do you know what kind of budget you will have for this light?

As a starter:

--Minimag with Shoppe drop-ins (see my signature line)
--Streamlight lux Jr (2AA)
--Streamlight Propolymer 4AA luxeon
--Fenix (1AA)

Hope this helps!

Looks like Auroralite suggested most of the good ones. You'll notice that the Streamlights and Fenix (L1P!) utilize a 1w Luxeon. Don't let that fool you into thinking they're sub-par. They're very bright. I have a couple of Chinese 3w lights, and my Fenix L1P easily blows them away. I don't have the SL PP 4AA luxeon, but I've read reviews of others saying that it out performs the Fenix (but it's larger).

Gerber LX3 uses 3aa batteries.

I'd say when it comes to 3w aa lights, the pickings are quite slim.

I was hoping to spend $30, but after looking around a bit, that Fenix L1P looks very tempting. But it'll bust the bank at $55 after shipping & taxes for only a 1 watt light.

Edit: Although i might just cave in. Can someone give me a comparison of the light output? Maglite 2d? 3d? 4d? 6d?

'Only a 1 watt light'... Keep in mind there are MANY Lux I lights that outperform Lux III lights.

Also, I usually don't point out issues of semantics, but Lux I and Lux III lights are NOT 1 watt and 3 watts respectively. They just test differently and the Lux IIIs can be safely driven with higher current. If you notice in the chart on Luxeon bins, Lux Is are spec'ed at 350ma while Lux IIIs are speced at 700ma.

Say you have a regulated Lux I light with an R-bin star regulated at 350ma and you replace the star with an S-bin, still at 350ma, there isn't going to be a huge difference... You aren't likely to even NOTICE a difference at all. And with the advent of more and more Lux I lights coming with guaranteed R bins (the Fenix L1P and the newest TLE-5 Minimag module) and many bargain Lux III lights coming with S-bin LEDs, the difference could be as little as 1 lumen.

Also notice how many CPFers replaced their Lux III Nuwai Q3s with Lux I Fenix L1Ps... The Fenix lights are smaller, give better runtime and basically have the same output.

I guess my point is, though it may not give you great bragging rights with your friends, a good Lux I light is good enough for many, many tasks. I have several Lux III lights but my three most used lights are ALL Lux Is - a modded ARC AAA I just sold, the Fenix L1P and the Dorcy 3D Super 1W.

The VB-16 available from Waion in the dealer forum here deserves a mention. 123 based but will run on 1 or 2 R123 or 18650. I just got one and like it a lot. Brighter than my SL PP 4AA Lux on 2 x 123 primary and 16+ variable levels with a nice UI. Very white, basically identical to my Fenix L1P. $52.90 shipped.

Mike

I have the VB-16 and SL ProPoly 4AA Luxeon as well. Both are the best darn lights I can imagine. Ludicrous long runtime from the 4AA and a very long runtime with many very useful levels from the VB-16. Both have great throw as well and compare to my Scorpion incan. 4AA is a LuxI and VB-16 is a LuxIII. You won't notice a difference and will be happy with either!

A MadMax sandwich is super-easy to install in a AA Mini-m@g. Nice small powerfull 3W light for $45 + the host light. It definitely outpowers the L1P but I still like the form factor of the smaller light. I guess that's why I have them both. I really like the beam that the MCR-18 reflector gives the MadMax. One of the coolest things about the sandwich is nobody will suspect it's not a dinky little stock Minim@g until you turn it on.

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=527

Lighthound has the tm115x for $29.95 delivered to your door.