What would you consider the ultimate flashlight?

Just curious what everyone likes. What is it that makes you say "Now that's cool!" Someone in this forum has the caption "small, bright, long run time--pick any two" or something along those lines. That is definately true, but what 2 of these do you like? My personal dream flashlight would run a 3 watt luxeon using a single NIMH AA (40 minute runtime).

My dream light will be a single AA like the Fenix with three stage output.

Using the NEXT generation (Or the following) I want:

100+ Lumins with 2 hour run time.
25 Lumins with 7 hour run time
2-4 Lumins with 50 hour run time.

wwglen

I'd like a 80+ lumen ArcAAA. I want it to run rechargable cells and be able to be on for about 5 minutes without a battery change. A decent optic that put out a beam that would reach say 50ish feet in the dark and I would be all over it. I would carry that and a orgnial ArcAAA and be set!

Overall, the 9AN, with diffusion filter. With the filter the low beam is useful (with long run-time, although not LED long), high beam can flood and be a nice spot. Plus it's rechargeable, although the bulb assemblies are stupid expensive.

The combo xenon/LED lights are pretty close, although with the diffusion filter the "high" setting with the 9AN is an added bonus.

A 35 watt HID the size of a 2D mag light with 60 min run time. Equiped with an alluminum reflector strippled towards the base and smooth towards the top. I know HID's arent dimmable but there would be a 1 watt Luxeon LED fitted into a clear polycarbonate end cap which would act as the low mode & be able to run for 20hrs straight. All of this for under $300.

http://www.revanos.com/datafiles/RI_2200_spec_sheet.pdf

Same size as a Surefire M6, but runs for over an hour and puts out over 2000 lumens.

jashhash said:

A 35 watt HID the size of a 2D mag light with 60 min run time. Equiped with an alluminum reflector strippled towards the base and smooth towards the top. I know HID's arent dimmable but there would be a 1 watt Luxeon LED fitted into a clear polycarbonate end cap which would act as the low mode & be able to run for 20hrs straight. All of this for under $300.

Click to expand...

Apart from the cost and lack of a LED the light above is very close to what you want. The earlier version is even closer as it did have LEDs built into the base: http://web.archive.org/web/20051207183952/http://www.revainternational.com/docs/ri2200.pdf

A Larry light!!!

mut

The Fenix comes very close for the price, but I'd like an Inova X1 with an itty bitty floody reflector, a UW0J Lux III and an nFlex-type controller with at least 3 levels or 5 levels at most, of output that could could run well on NiMH or LiON cells or alkalines on the lower levels for at least an hour.

But I'd settle for an X1 that runs on a LiON with any U-bin and 2 stage output at around 100ma and 600ma.

If you mean buildable with current technology that mfgrs/modders could be building right now:

For a keychain light I'd like a Photon Freedom with firmware modified to turn the light off automatically after 3 minutes on. That saves you from killing the battery if the light turns on in your pocket. LRI doesn't do this out of concern that it might infringe a patent.

For a larger EDC, I'd like a cross between the McLux PD and the Fenix L1P. It should have about the L1P's form factor and run on 1AA, but have a two level push/twist switch like the PD. It should run 3+ watts on high, solidly regulated down to about 1.1 volts input, then degrade gracefully down to 0.8V. Low should be about 1/10th of high. What that means is you have a 60+ lumen light designed to run on L91/LAA's or NiMH with around 45 minutes runtime, that can run on alkalines in a pinch, giving maybe 5 minutes at full power and 1+ hours at 10 lumens or above.

For a bigger light I'd like something PT Surge sized (shrunken down Tigerlight), running on eight NiMH AA cells with a Willie Hunt regulator, WA01160 or whatever the appropriate bulb is for 20-25 watts, regulated/soft start for around 1 hour of runtime, automatic shutdown to prevent reverse charging. The light should have external charge contacts for a drop-in charger and it also shouldn't be difficult to get the cells out.

Finally I'd like a 35 watt HD mini-lantern about the size of those cheap 6 volt floating lanterns, powered by two Sony NP-F960 camcorder packs (7.2 volt 6000 mAH each) and capable of running on 12 volts from a cig lighter socket. These packs are about $25 each in the aftermarket and a pair of them should run the light for 2+ hours and they're only each about the size of an 8AA pack. Output should be like a Beast or X990.

How 'bout a AAA version of the Fenix? With NIMH it would run for an hour at 1 watt output. Nice....

The Fenix depends on its comparatively big and deep reflector to get its nice beam. That reflector is way too big for a 1AAA light. I'd want any 1AAA light to be Arc AAA sized, not much bigger. So with a Luxeon it would have to have a much wider beam. Maybe that's ok. It's probably best done with a Cree emitter and a 2 stage twisty, sort of a 1AAA version of the CR2 Ion.

But yeah, in general, there should be 1AAA and CR2/RCR2 keychain lights on that list.

The Fenix with 2 stage mod pretty much hits it for me given today's technology. I especially like that the light can be turned on and off at either brightness setting, and stays that way for the next turn on- I don't like multiple button presses either before or after the setting I want to use.

Obviously, something incredibly bright that runs forever running on a single AAA would be awesome and eventually LEDs will get somewhere near there- but we are going to need some pretty clever user interfaces so that we don't burn our eyes out on the high settings when we don't need them.

Here I go again.
It depends on what your application is and what characteristics you value most in a light. I'd never EDC the ultimate diving light, no matter how much people rave about it. Also, "ultimate" lights tend to evolve as technology changes. Look at the ArcLS, for example: it was the ultimate light a while back (and still is going strong), but new emitters, etc. may change that. Semantics aside, here's my short list:

Pocket EDC: HDS EDC
keychain: I would've said ArcAAA, but having read through andrewwynn's Nano threads, I'll have to go with the Nano
2x123 for utilitarian uses: SF U2
2x123 for law enforcement: Gladius?
etc.

Right now, the space in my mind which holds ideas of "the ultimate flashlight" is occupied by Modamag's "Le Beau".

350-500 torch lumens of LED in a compact package would be nice, too.

Ultimate?

As Greenled said, it all depends. Personal preferences will for sure dictate how the light looks(form factor, style, etc) and operates(runtime, brightness, function).

Personally, rather than an 'ultimate' light, I wish for the ultimate 'part' for 2006...or ultimate parts that will lead to the ultimate light.

--an effcient buck/boost board to drive a single lux III or V, small enough to fit into ARC AAA head or Minimag tube, with volt input range from 1v to 8v, and able to fully regulate on multi stage level with power on-off to operate the drive level.(much like DJ's pop board, but more versatile)

--another efficient boost board that will fit into Minimag body, capable to drive 1 lux III up to 3 lux V, input voltage from 1v-12v and again, multi level of costant current regulation with power on-off to operate.

--a new Lux V which there is no obvious donut/small pads, and lowered Vf too

--Smooth inexpensive Metal solitaire reflector


I know it is kinda greedy, but I am sure when we look back in time, it will become a some kinda joke... :nana:

ps Santa, it is not too late...I won't mind receiving them a few months after. :naughty:

I would consider the ultimate flashlights to be a Quad-U-mire with a Fatflex and a cutdown Arc AAA 1W Rbin running a single 10280 LiON or 3W if it works better.

I am in process of trying to bring both of these lights out with a bunch of help, mostly ModaMag, when he can sneak away.

The Quad is a cutdown Ubin Magmod with an 4AA adaptor and a Fatflex type dimmer to get some very extended runtime or a blast of LUMENs for short durations. It will have around 4-8 levels of brightness. Might also make one in a fullsize 2D mag like the RT4 BAM!


.

Where on earth do you get 10280 Li-ion's?

A DARPA Light. It doesn't get any better than that!

RadarGreg

MillerMods said:

Where on earth do you get 10280 Li-ion's?

Click to expand...

From AW... 10280s and 10440s... 14350s... all kinds of oddities.

How about a light with a PC programable interface and that allows interchangable LEDS so you can switch from 3watt to 5watt or easily upgrade for future LEDs.