Please recommend the brightest hand torch around

Hello to all

I am after a new flashlight i want to buy the brightest hand torch around that beams out white light, i like the sound of leds but there are so many around i don't no which one to go for.

Please can you recommend the most powerful hand torch around that has a nice solid feel to it, are there good/ bad makes to get or stay away from?

Thanks for the help

Welcome to CPF!!

First things first - what do you mean by bright? Do you want a beam that goes a really long way? The ability to light a room like daylight? These can be two different things and they could both be equally "bright"..

Welcome to CPF, light 321! Glad to have you aboard.

We'd be happy to help, and can definitely find a number of lights that will fit your needs. However, the "brightest" handhelds might actually be overkill for your needs - some are literally as bright as a car's headlight! In fact, we could probably provide you with the best suggestions if we learned just a bit more information - for example, what price range you're considering, whether you need more than one brightness level, and whether you're looking to use the flashlight inside or outside - we could find one that works perfectly for you. That said, there's a "flashlight checklist" that has some questions that will help us evaluate your needs and pick the perfect light. It's available here . Just post your answers, and I'm sure you'll have a swarm of CPFers with suggestions!

Cheers!

This one is impressive.
http://elektrolumens.com/ELX-12/ELX-12.html

Hello

Thanks for the reply guys

i would like something small around 7/8 inch max, that has very bright white light i will be using it for outside use when walking out and about, i also want the beam to go as far as possible. i am in the uk but can order online. i have a max to spend of around £115 or $200, alkaline batteries would be good as they keep cost down, also would like aluminium bodie

does more lumen mean more brighter?

Thanks for any help

is there anything i have missed out?

Thanks again

Hi Light 321

There are so many lights, one is brighter than another, sky is the limit! Have you consider Inova T3 or T4 which is a rechargable?

Those Elektro Lumens lights are seriously impressive. I told myself that "The C3 you bought will be your blaster. No spendy another +$100 on a single light!"
But seeing the Blaster 3P, Little Friend, and feeler for cmacclel's Hotwire, I may need one of those now! I think all the lights I listed are within your budget, and the Little Friend is your size.
http://elektrolumens.com/LittleFriend/LittleFriend.html

For brightness in a small package, you almost always want lithium, or at least rechargeables. Are you really against using lithiums? CR123A batteries are fairly inexpensive online, at about $1 each. When you go looking for high-end lights, lithium cells will almost always be used. If you want to keep cost down and really hate the idea of lithiums but want a high output light, consider a rechargeable, such as the Inova T1, or a Surefire L7.

Right now, the best LEDs can't match the best output of incandescents, but in a small form factor you can find some very bright LED-based lights.

If you do really want to use alkaline batteries, I would recommend the Streamlight 4AA Luxeon, a favorite of many CPFers because it is fairly inexpensive (~$40), bright, and uses common batteries. It is plastic, and I don't know how "solid" it feels, though, as I have yet to own one.

Another good option would be a Fenix L1P or L2P. Although they are not exceptionally bright (by CPF standards), they are much brighter than a Mini Maglite and also top the output of a 2D Maglite (unless I'm confused). The Fenixes have a really nice solid feel to them, and the L1P is impressively small. They use 1 and 2 AA batteries, respectively. CPFer foursevens sells them here -- http://fenix-store.com

I'd also recommend a Surefire L2 or L4, if you're willing to use lithium batteries. You can get either for about $140 with the member discount at OpticsHQ. My new Surefire A2 (hybrid incandescent and LED) is the only metal-bodied SF I've had experience with, and the build quality is absolutely fantastic. By the way, the low output (15 lumen) mode of the L2 should be fine for most tasks, but you always have a "turbo" high mode handy (100 lumens for about 30 minutes).

Hi rabbit

no not seen the T3 or T4 do you have one of these if you do please share what they are like and how bright they are, would you say they are the brightest around do they also put out white?


Omega Man

very nice but cant get these in the uk and says order by phone only unless you no a site i can order one of these on?


has any one seen the Nuwai QIII or the V2 4A are these any good?

thanks for the help

Thanks carrot

Some great info there


Yes i would be prepared to use lithiums but if i was to use them the flashlight would have to be good very bright and worth getting lithiums for


Thanks for all the help

carrot said:

If you do really want to use alkaline batteries, I would recommend the Streamlight 4AA Luxeon, a favorite of many CPFers because it is fairly inexpensive (~$40), bright, and uses common batteries. It is plastic, and I don't know how "solid" it feels, though, as I have yet to own one.

Click to expand...

The Streamlight is a very solid plastic, similar to tough plastics used in dive lights.
It would take an act of god to crack the body of the light.

light321 said:

Yes i would be prepared to use lithiums but if i was to use them the flashlight would have to be good very bright and worth getting lithiums for

Click to expand...

Of course they are bright and and very good! But the question is, is it worth it to *you* to feed a lithium-based light?

Surefires tend to get only 60 minutes of runtime on high, and before I got my G2 I was afraid I'd have to keep feeding it tons of batteries all the time, but I found that I only end up replacing my batteries once a month, only $2 a month. But I don't use my lights all that heavily, usually only a few minutes at a time. If you use flashlights all the time, depending on how you'd use the light, you either want a multi-level output light or a rechargeable.

Since you are looking for "the brightest hand torch around," I would recommend a lithium- or rechargeable- based light, although there are a few exceptions I can think of that use alkaline and are bright, notably the incandescent (yes, I know you wanted LED) Princetontec Surge and Rage, the Streamlight Propolymer 4AA/2C Luxeon, and the Fenix L1P/L2P (which are bright, but not *that* bright).

SuperNinja said:

The Streamlight is a very solid plastic, similar to tough plastics used in dive lights.
It would take an act of god to crack the body of the light.

Click to expand...

Do you know if it is fiberglass reinforced nylon, or something else?

For all its aesthetic shortcomings, its utility and price have put it on my "list of lights to buy." (But I have a lot more Surefires to buy first, heheh.)

Hello again light321.
You must look at theese good sites.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm

Anders

The QIII is highly impressive, especially when you compair it to something really normal like a Minimag or something. But like Carrot said, you're really going to limit it something fierce if you stick completely with alkaline batteries. If you wanted to throw a really long distance like crazy, the Aleph3 would be the way to go, but it's a lithium light. I'm not saying that there's no alkaline lights worth having, but the further you get into this whole flashlight thing the more you're going to need lithium batteries..

Hello carrot

Thanks for your reply

So if we need to narrow this down to just 1 what's it going to be for the brightest white handheld torch around lithiums or alkalines as long as its good i want it

Edit

Lets get the alkalines out the way would you then say the Aleph3 is the one to go with for the best around? sorry to keep asking all the questions but i don't know a lot about this stuff and want someone like yourself who knows about this stuff to recommend me the very best around then i will go and buy

Thanks again for any help

light321 said:

Hello to all

I am after a new flashlight i want to buy the brightest hand torch around that beams out white light, i like the sound of leds but there are so many around i don't no which one to go for.

Please can you recommend the most powerful hand torch around that has a nice solid feel to it, are there good/ bad makes to get or stay away from?

Thanks for the help

Click to expand...

What Anders said. Many people have put a lot of work into reviewing lights to provide valuable info, so please read the reviews before posting this kind of question, it's like opening a can of worms, everyone got something to say.

You want bright? try a Surefire M6. Enough said.

Keep in mind that an LED will "hurt the eyes" more than an incan that has the same lumen rating. If you're looking for an eyeball scorcher, seriously consider a 5W LED or a highly concentrated 3W LED, such as one that uses McLux's 38mm head.

Hello

Yes i can read the reviews but i don't understand a lot of the wording used as i don't know a lot about this stuff

Thanks

Hello Paul

So does it mean the higher the lumen rating the brighter the torch?

Thanks