High Output Options?

Hi Guys,

I want a portable and reasonably durable light that will put out about as much light as a SureFire M6 HOLA, preferrably with comparable throw.

It would be nice to have instant light, and not have to wait for an HID to fire up. Runtime is not a big deal, but the M6 at 20 minutes and that cost is pretty much at the edge of what I will do. I am thinking that a Underwater Kinetics Light Cannon HID would be preferrable to the M6.

I was at my in-laws' place tonight, checking the rising river behind their barn with my SureFire M3 LOLA (125 lumens nominal). The HOLA at a nominal 225 lumens is a little better. It left something to be desired at 200 ft.

What are the available options for a "throwy" light around 500+ lumens? Mods and custom lights are all ok. Let's cap the size at approximately a Mag Charger.

Scott

Hello Scott,

Have you considered a turbo head for your M3?

Tom

I've been running what is basically a bored out M4 with the M6-HOLA (6P, KT1 head , 2xA19 and a U2 clickie) and LG2400s. The size is more impressive than the M6 to me.

What are the risk? Overrun the cells and you will ruin them, no catastrophic venting due to internal protection. So that means you are risking messin up cells that cost about the same as loading up an M6 with 123s

It is a great form factor and works great as long as you leave enough meat on the head for the outer spring.

First of all, the M6 is really about 630 lumens--at least according to the usual numbers people throw around here on CPF.

So a MC with 1160 will put you at about 450-475. An 1111 mod on 6 good cells will put you at about 500-550 lumens, depending on the mid-point voltage. Thus, you'd need to go to an 1185 mod to get a light that is brighter than the M6. The 1111 mods are close but still not as bright, and the 1160 lights are definitely not as bright as the MN21.

As for production lights, very few meet your size/output requirements.

But, might I suggest that as a complete summary of what any given flashlight beam is like, a lumens total SUCKS. A lux reading all by itself also sucks. The two together are an marked improvement. But the best thing, of course, is to play with the light yourself.

So, if what you want is throw, more than just sheer output, the TigerLight with Gen 4 LA and premium pack is very hard to beat, and is one of my favorite lights. It will throw as far as the M6, but won't light up as large an area. However, it has also got some good spill light in addition to the tight spot. It's a really useful beam, especially for medium to long ranges. Check out the Gen 4 and premium pack links in my sig line for more info.

The Gen 4 beam is not one of those artifact free, perfectly round smooth beams, though. So if that matters a lot to you, keep that in mind. And the total light output is only 275 lumens, so it's not a "wall of light", but it is bright (i.e. intense).

Another suggestion would be the Pelican Big D, if you don't mind its physical form factor. It's a bright (brighter than the M6 HOLA IIRC), long-running, and reasonably priced light. Check it out.

My favorite light I have put together so far is the 2D ROP using a 2D maglite. This light is typically ran on 6aa's in a custom battery carrier, but I am very impressed with the performance of the BigD HOLA bulb on 7aa's although lamp life will suffer. Pelican BigD replacement bulbs 3854 and the parts above will get you a very nice light in a small host. I do not recall the actual torch lumens of this setup, but if you search for ROP or Roar of the Pelican you will get some good info.

js said:

So a MC with 1160 will put you at about 450-475. An 1111 mod on 6 good cells will put you at about 500-550 lumens, depending on the mid-point voltage. Thus, you'd need to go to an 1185 mod to get a light that is brighter than the M6. The 1111 mods are close but still not as bright, and the 1160 lights are definitely not as bright as the MN21.

Click to expand...

What about the 1274? I was thinking the 1274 on seven cells is a smidge brighter than the 1111 on six. They're a little easier on the cells, too, since the current draw isn't quite as high. It'll still fit in the 2D package (smaller than most Mag85 mods) but the downside is you'll probably need a bored out body.