new here, what should i get?

hi, im new here and am looking for a light.
I have a couple big eds (im a volunteer fire fighter) and im looking for something that is simular or stronger.

Im looking at some the mag mods but im new to this so i have no idea what everyone is talking about.

A buddy had a mag that he called a mag11. it was pretty good.
im looking for something that wont break the bank, but will still have the "ouch" factor when you look into it.

It will not be used in fires or anything like that so extreme conditions wont be a problem.

I like mags, but i just want something more powerful.

Thanks, and i hope to be making alot more posts here.

Welcome to CPF!

Hmm, "won't break the bank" is a pretty subjective question around here. To me, I'd consider that price point to be under $200 but many newbies try to stay lower in price. Since you like Maglites, you may want to look at Tigerlight, which is similar in design to the Maglite, but considered to be far superior to stock Maglites. Do you have a particular budget in mind?

Any amazing Maglite mod will run you over a hundred dollars, but you'll have the satisfaction of building it yourself. I'm not too experienced in that area, so you'll have to wait for other people to chime in on that.

I'm not familiar with the Pelican Big Ed, but as a 4 C-cell flashlight I would expect the output to be similar to the output of a 2-cell Surefire, such as a Surefire G2 or 6P. You may also wish to look into the Streamlight TL3 or Surefire 9P. What do you want to use the light for? The suggestions I've given are pretty general and can apply to many needs but are you looking for just an "amazing" light or something to use for a specific purpose?

welcome to cpf , stay awhile , you will learn more then you ever imagined , be patient for a few weeks as there is no perfect answer to your question , but i suspect a modified mag light**** will be what you are looking for as you stated, but still i think a few weeks just lurking here are good for knowledge...there are many mods that will do as you want but please read on them.............once again welcome to CPF
****this assumes you don't know of other companies like surefire, night ops, or the moddified or created lights from the guys around here the cpf member hopped up mag 's are usaly bad *** lights.

Greetings and Welcome to CPF!

Those Pelican BiG Eds are something I must say. . .

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

Welcome to CPF and hang on to your wallet.

A mag11 is nice and a Tiger11 is nicer. There are a lot of bulbs that work and Litho123 is a great guy who might have some info or maybe a light for you HERE. or check out the bulbs HERE. I like a longer runtime in my magmod than the Mag74 or Mag11 so I opted for the 1499 or 1057 IIRC

Also click some links in my sigline to find out about the Tiger11 or USL

Hello whooda4

Welcome at CPF

A Mag85 or a ROP are bright lights, but are not so reliable like Led lights.
I'm a big fan of multiple ones.
The brightest Led lights you can get. If you are willing to spend more than 100$, I would do it, you can get something like mine, it fits all my needs:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/120198

Another, much cheaper solution could be this one:

http://elektrolumens.com/K2-Stunner/K2-Stunner.html

Best regards

______
Tom

i'd look on ebay for either a streamlight tl3 or a night ops falcata.

-david

I havent been here long myself but I would like to chime in with my vote for a ROP. If you've been lurking for a while you'll have read some of the excellent threads on this subject. Easy to source the parts (Even over here in the UK), easy to assemble, not 'scary' expensive but REALLY bright. I grin from ear to ear whenever I turn it on and someone says 'What the HELL is that?'

Oh, and there are loads of different form factors too. If you like Maglites you'll love the ROP mod.

simon

If you want to get you toes wet and try a cheap very bright LED look here http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/golstonreg-2xlir123a-waterproof-rechargeable-recommended-p-409.html
If your order one of these with rechargeable batteries and charger from the same site http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/dsdreg-2bay-charger-plus-750mah-lir123a-protected-p-339.html
you'll have a nice starter set up with spare batteries.
The golston is the brightest LED I own and also one of the least expensive.

Well if you lurk here long enough (and I suspect you already have) you will come to understand that you need way more than one light. At least one per month...minimum. If you can still save yourself and leave...do it right now.

If you want off to a good start at a low price, I recomend a Fenix T2L...for one. But if you want a bright as hell Mag type light, well...you`ll be well taken care of here with that wish too.

Have fun...

Ken

Since you're in love with the Mag85, you might as well make/buy that. I fell in love immediately with the Surefire A2... and I ended up buying one, after trying a few cheaper alternatives.

If you aren't willing to hunt down each individual piece... They have kits here: http://www.light-edge.com/products.asp?section=Super Mag&cat=20
Juancho also sells premade Mag85's.

Otherwise, please refer to Powernoodle's post in this thread:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=113100

I believe Modamag and Fivemega both sell reflectors that will work for the Mag85. Also, be very careful when using it the first time as Powernoodle instructed (without the bezel on). A bulb can explode violently.

1. Welcome!
2. Good luck not spending money on here.

I have to say that there are a lot of choices that could fit what you are looking for. You could get a small light (there are many) that will blow away your Mag. Choices of LED and Incadesant. Best thing to do is spend some time on here, read what people are saying, look at all the pics and websites you can, and dive in. I have found that the more I have been on here the more I have grown fond of LED's, to the point where that is pretty much all I buy now. There is a host of info, and a lot of great people on here that can answer probably any questions.

Hello :wave:

You have come to the right place!

I'm relatively new and I'll tell you what you should get - a big fat lockbox in which to put you wallet, and quickly forget the combination!

In the past two weeks I've managed to buy a Streamlight Strion and a HDS Basic 42XRGT. While I'm excited about the lights my wallet isn't really thanking me!

Gatsby said:

I'm relatively new and I'll tell you what you should get - a big fat lockbox in which to put you wallet, and quickly forget the combination!

Click to expand...

:lolsign:
Hello to you too Gatsby :wave: You learn fast.

Lesson #1 for CPF newbies:

Whatever you do, DO NOT ASK ADVICE ON WHAT LIGHT TO BUY!!! you will only get more confused by the insane amount of information you will get. This insanity can't be cured, but, preventing a complete meltdown of your brain can be done. The cure is simple, yet expensive... Purchasing flashlights on a regular basis can aid in keeping the insanity under control. I suggest you start with some cheapies and work your way up... As it will get harder and harder to satisfy your thirst for the cure...

that is the curse of the flashaholic... But it is a small price to pay to have control over darkness!

I'd definitely recommend lurking for awhile, that's what I did (and managed to start out with a Madmax modded mag and an SMJLED mod).

the flashlightreviews.com site has a nice "recommended" section of his favorite lights in a bunch of categories. All of them are solid choices.

There is so much information and so many choices it can be overwhelming. However, I'll throw out what I considered to be the first guiding principle for me:

There is no free lunch or magic Genie that overcomes certain realities of physics and electronics. Lights are all a balance of brightness versus runtime versus size versus battery type versus throw versus cost. Generally more brightness equals shorter runtime. The smaller the light generally means another runtime sacrifice for the same brightness and vice versa. Lithium batteries are smaller and can deliver more oomph and light at a higher cost and availability factor. Lights that throw really well have less useful spill beams and vice versa.

Consequently, given all that, start somewhere in the middle to get your feet wet. Something like a Fenix L1 which is small, well made, uses a common battery, has a nicely balanced beam and decent runtime. Maybe even the L1T with the two stage switch. And/or get one of the Magled drop in modules for one of your old Maglite's (we all have some of these from those days before we found places like this!) for an instant improvement.

Use them and see what works for your normal uses over a few months and what doesn't. Do you need something with more throw or output and are willing to sacrifice some runtime? Do you want something smaller and brighter that runs on a CR123 which is more expensive? Or do you need something really small to put on your key chain? Or a blinding Roar of the Pelican or Mag85 modded light to impress and terrify your neighbors, runtime be d@mned!?

I keep thinking I've found the perfect mix of lights but I've figured out that is more of an odyssey than I thought. I lurked for awhile, figured out what I thought would work and stayed away for almost a year. Then got restless, started reading and lurking again and finally took the plunge, have sold a few other lights and am back on the carousel, and this time it appears for good!

you guys are awesome. I am not used to forums that are this helpful. Im use to the usual "go read you noob" and other remarks. Thank you all for the help.

And I really like a couple of the recommendations you guys have given me. I see what you mean by, one is not enough. I have a list next to my computer of lights that I would eventually get my hands on.

Thank you all very much.

similar to where Gatsby is getting at. maybe you can tell us what requirements you would like your light to have/be, examples, runtime (battery life), what type of batteries you want to use (AA,AAA, cr123, rechargeables or not), brightness, size of the light (mini mag/2or3D size), incan or LED (incans will cut through smoke better and will throw further then LEDs), price range (ie, $100-$200 or unlimited funds) and what you would be using the light for. if you're looking for something thats around the mag11's spec or WOW super bright blind your friend that lives a mile away light then maybe you would like to carry a second and possibly a third light as back up. you'll have your primary used for everything light (example mag11), a backup light (minimag?) and keychain type light (Photons or cheap knockoffs, anything small with low brightness but LOOOOONG runtime) for the oh S%@T everything failed i'm glad i have a 3rd light with me to get me out of this hole which i got myself into but i sorta did it on purpose cause i'm a new flashaholic and i wanted to play/test out my lights incase of a real emergency or i'm bored at home cause its my day off.

btw.. welcome to CPF!