Is the FireFly the most powerful pocket led thrower?

I have been looking for the most powerful LED light I can carry on my keychain. looked at Peak Caribean, Orb Raw, Q3 then I found the iLLUMaBEAM Ulteon to be more powerful than my Q3.
I am now considering the FENIX P1 the 70 lumens on a RCR123 looks great!

I see the FIRE FLY boasting more output without endangering the LED.
what's the scoop?

Looks like it's about $150 for the FF3 vs $45 for the P1 .
Any suggestions?

You should do a search on the FF3....but it has programmable brightnesses, has a strobe and an SOS feature, and it IS very bright for a small light. I just got one a couple weeks and I really like it!!!!!!

thanks! where did you get your FF3? how much $$$?
WTG!

This is the direct qoute from DSpeck (father of Fire~Fly).

FF3 with charger and one cell = $130.00US

FF3 with no charger or cell = $120.00US

Spare cell = $7.00US


Charger = $9.00US

Conversion ring (converts FF3 for use with regular sandwiches) = $10.00US

Shipping for North America = $6.50US for 1 kit, $8.50 for 2-3 kits.
Shipping for International locations = $8.00US for 1 kit, $12.00 for 2-3 kits.

You have to do a search on here and find the order thread, I dont have it off hand. There is only 1 place to get it and that is from the guy who makes it. It was 150 dollars for the light, charger and 3 batteries.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/112136

The Fire~Fly III is definitely one of the brightest lights in a small package. A little large IMO for a keychain light, but that's only my opinion. On the first page of that thread I've posted a couple pictures that should hopefully give you an idea on its relative size.

For smaller/brighter, you'd have to go with an Orb. Not sure about the brighter part though, just the smaller. However the FFIII will have much longer runtimes (about double on burst/max). Jil Intelli is damn bright too with an RCR2, but they're currently unavailable except on the secondary market.

My favorite part of the Fire~Fly III is that while it's screamingly bright on Burst, it has other lower levels for when you don't need it. Not so with lights like the Amilite or Peak Rainier.

I'm not sure where your getting the 70 lumens figure for the P1 but if it is off there website be careful. They clam the L0P will produce up to 30 lumens but the two units tested at LSI show the units producing only about half of that. I would go with the FFIII.

Lebkuecher said:

I'm not sure where your getting the 70 lumens figure for the P1 but if it is off there website be careful. .

Click to expand...

It's actually 50+ lumens. the 70 was fom pushing it with RCRs.

I carry my FF3 on my keychain and it is crazy bright on max output. Looking at the graphs that Peter Gransee did, it has the most output of any single cell light. Pretty much clears that up....

I received mine a few hours ago. I'm quite impressed with it. My Longbow Micra was a pretty good thrower and my Streamlight Scorpion is my screamer light that used to blow everything away. From my limited testing (still not dark enough), the FF at least keeps up with the Scorpion, maybe brighter on max. The Longbow is completely left in the dust.

Guy

the Jetbeam is awfully bright on 123s.

The FF3 is certainly one of the brightest, if not the brightest turnkey pocket led solution out there. the numbers have proved it. but its burst mode is primarily meant for momentary and short use; not for prolonged use. the copper heatsink on the FF3 works great in drawing heat away from the LED, but i would wary about using it for more than 1-5 minutes at a time. however, few lights are able to match it at this level.

That said, other lights with screaming bright outputs also won't hold it for long. the HDS 60s will go for about 10-15 minutes on high before its thermal sensor bumps it down to the next lower level. the HDS85s should be a great catch however, and brighter than the FF3.

Edit: the Jetbeam, which I forgot to mention, will only be direct drive for about 10 minutes, before it in turn drops down into regulation as well.

the jetbeam is also screaming bright, though the beams are different. the FF3 has a more floody beam and seems brighter to me, while the Jetbeam while still relatively floody, has a more concentrated spot. so with regard to your title, i'd say the FF3 is among the brightest at the moment in terms of total output. if you are talking about throw, then maybe a the fenix or jetbeam line might have the edge in throw =)

the comparable fenix line to the Jetbeam would be the LxT i think. which should be very interesting =) but i don't have one of those at this moment =)

beamshots of the FF3 & Jetbeam:

FF3:
DSpeck FF3 Max (burst)


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Jet-I on 14500:


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Edit: SF A2:

I appreciate the info here. that Jet beam shot looks brighter than the FF3. The FF3 makes me glad I haven't bought the Peak Carribean. I have to figure the pic isn't doing the FF3 justice. I wonder how a FENIX P1 on rechargables would compare?

hmm to me it's the other way round (well it depends on whether you are focusing on the hotspot or in overall light i guess). you can click on the pics for larger versions.

in the larger versions, the FF3 puts out a lot more light, especially in spill, although it does not have the more concentrated hotspot. look at the sides of the corridor, they are lit up much better with the FF3.

in the closeup shots, the Jetbeam's hotspot is definitely more intense, showing where it's beam is weighted, while the FF3 has a more diffuse floody beam.

i've been toying with the idea of converting my shots to greyscale. sometimes the tints also tend to make comparisons more difficult

I don't know about the FF3, but the SF E1L throws very impressively in my informal tests in the wilderness-- my E1L can *almost* match the A2 in throw, but the A2 wins in color rendition, as well as throwing ever-so-slightly better.

That said, the FF3 sounds pretty impressive itself.

carrot said:

I don't know about the FF3, but the SF E1L throws very impressively in my informal tests in the wilderness-- my E1L can *almost* match the A2 in throw, but the A2 wins in color rendition, as well as throwing ever-so-slightly better.

That said, the FF3 sounds pretty impressive itself.

Click to expand...

Added the A2 shots for comparison since you brought it up I suppose it is still pocketable--i pocket it sometimes!

I definitely agree. I'd take the rendition of an incan over a LED any day. You also forgot to add, the A2 will maintain its incan beam for almost an hour, before dropping out of regulation. compared to the short periods of time (relatively) these single-cell LED lights can maintain their screaming bright outputs, the A2 is very impressive (that said, it also is a 2-cell light, so to be fair, there really is no comparison).

The FF3 is very impressive, not only in its brightness and the versaility of Goldserve's impressive FLuPIC module, but also in its beautiful precision machining. It's a joy to hold and to operate. literally.

If I remember right Cy modded an Arc LS to flame out 100 Lumens. That's the brightest I've heard of that that size. Run a Cy search...

FF3 + spare cell +shipping = $143.50PayPal sent.
Thanks

Does anyone have the dimensions of the FF?

I just received a Jetbeam and am amazed by the throw of this tiny light. The reflector is a great achievement. I'd like to compare it with the short body (rechargeable CR123) against the FF, in size and output.

Henry

2 5/8 inch long and 3/4 inches in diameter