looking for a light

hi! i'm new here. i'm just looking for a light that suits my needs. i have to say that i hardly know anything about light
first, i want to begin with questions. what's the difference between single LED light and 1 watt rated LED light? because now i have 2 models in mind: acr AAA and Fenix E1. and does the brightness depend on the 'lumens'? which of these is better, nichia or Luxeon?
i want a light that is bright enough, maybe 70-100 yards, cheap (not more than $30), and portable, (a keychain/pocket one is preferred), and with inexpensive battery.

i hope that's not too much for the requirements.

thank you very much

70-100 yards isn't a realistic distance for all but the larger, more powerful flashlights with incandescent bulbs (or HID) and large reflectors. Basically, nothing you can put in your pocket short of a laser will go that far. Certinaly no single AAA LED flashlight.

The Fenix EO, E1, L0P (in order of brightness), or an Arc AAA is a fine choice for a small EDC (every day carry) flashlight. THese disappear in your pocket or on a keychain. They provide enough light to walk around at night and illuminate the footpath, find the keys you dropped under your car, read a map, etc. If you want brighter, go wth a AA powered light like the Fenix L1T.

"Lumens" is a measurement of light, or more specifically, light/surface area. I'll let someone more knowledgeable in the technical aspects explain the differences between regular LEDs and multi-watt Luxeons.

Hello :lolsign:and welcome at CPF

I think it's too much for the requirements.

Here are a few links, to read for a little base knowledge:

Flashlight Reviews and LED Modifications

WWW.LEDMUSEUM.ORG * THE LED MUSEUM - Reviews of LEDs & LED Flashlights - Gallium Indium Nitride UV, violet, purple, blue, aqua, turquoise, green, white. Also Gallium Arsenide and others. New LED MUSEUM! GaN, InGaN, SiC, GaAs, GaP, GaAlP, ZnSe, LED flashlight, LED flashlights. Formerly For The Love of LEDs

Take you the time for reading, it's very interesting.


Best regards

____
Tom

thanks. i knew it's too much!
then what's the realistic distance for a pocket flashlight? i want a powerful and cheap one. so any more suggestions?

lol said:

thanks. i knew it's too much!
then what's the realistic distance for a pocket flashlight? i want a powerful and cheap one. so any more suggestions?

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An inexpensive but excellent light with good throw is the Surefire G2 with the P61 lamp assembly - though it will eat two CR123's in 20 minutes. The stock P60 lamp assembly will not throw as well but will last for 60 minutes.

The G2 is built well and can platform for a 3 watt LED if you tire of feeding it batteries and decide you don't need as much throw as you thought.

This is an excellent first "good" light if you want a pocket light with throw. You will not go wrong buying one at $32. The Lamp assemblies are about $20 and last maybe 25 hours. The batteries can be had for $2 per if you buy by the dozen.

W.

lol said:

thanks. i knew it's too much!
then what's the realistic distance for a pocket flashlight? i want a powerful and cheap one. so any more suggestions?

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Both you have in mind, the Arc and Fenix E1 are not powerfull lights. They are usefull and have their users, but only in the near, not at the distance.

Your question depends on your imagination. Everybody has a different definition about brightness and long distance illumination.

For example take a look to the Surefire L4 at Flashlightreviews. It's much larger then the Arc and FenixE1 and puts out a lot of light with it's LuxV. But for my definition of brightness at distance it's usefull only up to 20 meters. Other people would say: "NO", "up to 40meters".

Another problem could be the "cheap" money. My advice at this time, buy a SL PP Lux4AA, very good thrower for the money and extremly usefull, and use it for a while. Then you will see, what you want as next.

Best regards

____
Tom

Fenix P1 is a decent thrower and small also.

cr123's (photo) batteries are really not much more expensive than alkaline batteries IMO. few cents here, there, so what.

p1 is a great pocket light as is the fenix l1p/l1t and the arc aaa is a great keychain light.

If i were you, i'd get a p1. If you stay here long enough you will probably be spending a lot more than you want on lights, so you might as well start out by getting good ones (such as the p1). sneaky logic, eh :naughty:

Luxogen LR5-3W is small and cheap,24.95.Bright and pretty good tint on mine!.


http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=125779

lol said:

i'm just looking for a light

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Arent we all? Fenix Lights are good lights, the Streamlight ProPolymer is Excellent and the Amilite Neo T3 is one of the best pocket throwers.

Welcpme to CPF.

AAA batteries do not have a lot of power and the flaslights designed for it are relatively dim
I suggest also looking at single AA powered lights. I suggest the Civictor V1 which is 1/4 inch shorter than the Fenix L1P and clones. That 1/4 inch makes a big difference - the Civictor is not noticeable in my pocket, the L1P is.
http://fenix-store.com/product_reviews_info.php?products_id=76&reviews_id=12
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=122624&highlight=Civictor
CR123A lights can be brighter and shorter than single AA lights (see the P1 in unknownVT's review above) but batteries are expensive at local photo shops. They are much less online but shipping and handling costs brings the costs up unless you order in bulk.

Rought estimate of power:
Arc AAA / Dorcy AAA - 1/8 watt
Aec AAA-P / Fenix E0 - 1/4 watt
Fenix E1 - 1/2 watt
Fenix L1(P) / Civictor - 1 watt
Fenix P1 / S1801 - 3 watt

The Fenix 1AA lights work very well on NiMH rechargeable AA batteries, which are inexpensive, easy to find, and there are lots of chargers available. That cuts your operating expense to near zero.

I haven't tried a Civictor but I'm very happy with my L1p and it's my main medium-powered pocket light.

If you want something powerful and cheap, try one of the 2x123 or 3x123 "Police" xenon lights from lighthound.com, $10 or so and sort of a poor man's Surefire. Remember that these burn fairly expensive batteries quickly (maybe 1 hour for 2 cells). There are various aftermarket RCR123A-based rechargeable systems for them that I'm not crazy about. If you want a rechargeable light of this type I'd suggest a Streamlight Strion. If you need more of a thrower, try a (nonrechargeable) TL3, which you can also run on two 17500-type lithium ion cells, a better system than the RCR123A's that I don't like.

Really though, the Fenix L1p and L1t (or maybe Civictor) are just about perfect, not the most powerful lights in their size range, but not too far off; relatively cheap, LED (no bulbs to replace), use ubiquitous AA cells and have reasonable runtime especially on NiMH.

The primary function of the keychain light is not to illuminate a large area, it's to illuminate your way back to your car where the 20 or so larger ones are.

I would say start off by going to Walmart and getting one of the new 2AA Maglite led. That is a good place to begin to see what you like and need in a light and a great benchmark for other decisions. They are under $25 and though they are not a "pocket light" they can fit in most pockets.

One thing that no-one seems to have mentioned is that the use of rechargeable batteries may help to keep costs down. You may need to invest up front in a charger and the batteries themselves but the ability to recgahrge them hundreds of times can bring the price right down.

For the AA size then the NiMH batteries can be effective. If you have 3V requirements then RCR123 or 16670 (2xRCR123) may be best. Check some of the threads round here I am sure that there are lots of posts that already cover this.

thank you all very much.
what about inova x1? it seems to be a good choice. (so many choices now though)

Grubbster said:

I would say start off by going to Walmart and getting one of the new 2AA Maglite led. That is a good place to begin to see what you like and need in a light and a great benchmark for other decisions. They are under $25 and though they are not a "pocket light" they can fit in most pockets.

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I totally agree. It's locally available, fairly good throw, familiar Mag form factor and operation, decent regulation and run time.

A somewhat larger, higher-powered LED light is the Streamlight Propoly Luxeon 4AA (also available in all-black color), about $30: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_propolyluxeon.htm

If you want a very small, keychain-size light that still powerful, the Fenix P1 is a good choice. You can get a tiny nanocharger and rechargeable RCR123A battery, and that eliminates battery costs: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_p1.htm
Nanocharger: http://www.lighthound.com/sales/nano_r123_lithium_battery_charger.htm

A white Photon 2 for the keychain($10.00)

A Streamlight pro-poly 4AA Luxeon for everything else ($25.00)

These two should get you hooked!!!!!!

Hi ! Bo!

I would suggest getting dorcy super 1 watt and try it out from Target about $20. And also try the 2AA Magled also about $20 at target, homedepot, fry's or walmart stores. Most stores will accept returns if you dont like them.

Good luck finding one that fits your needs.

Regards.
Newbie