Looking for small light with a lot of throw (and going insane...)

Right.....
I was going to get a small 1xAAA light for my keychain, i thought the Fenix L0P would be ok.... but then i got drawn into the CR2 and CR123 one's... and now i am going mad cause i simply cannot make up my mind
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP.....
I started looking into which one i want to get at 11 in the evening, the time now is 5:15 in the morning and i am working tonight :/

What i need is the smallest possible size with the best throw ! I don't want flood, i hate flood (at the same time i am not being unrealistic in what i will get from such a small light).
So far i am thinking mostly about getting the JIL High Intensity Regulated CR2, but then there is the Orb raw the CR2 Ion the AmiLite Neo T3 and the Fire Fly 3 by some forum member here and then i also found a thread about a Peak leds CPF special...
Or i could just get the cheap-O Ultrafire Bryne with the 10440 cells....
I am mostly leaning towards the CR2 one's due to their smaller size, so can you please help me pick one ?

I don't really care about run time, as it will be a keychain light and thus used for very small periods of time.
What i do care about is intensity and beam concentration.

Thanks in advance
John

Go with incandescent. Because of the light source shape and size, given the same reflector size, filament lamp throws better.

Or get the Pierce M10 with the narrower angle optic? Run it with RCR123's at full power?

Single cell lights with distinct lack of spill are the Surefire L1, any KL1, or the old style Inova X1, the most spill proof light I know of.
Some of the Dorcy and River Rock lights have a very focused beam too. I just heard about a 1AA light called the ST101 Auro with a very focused beam.

Incans can't help but have spill. An LED with an optic is the way to go.

Get one that uses CR123, it's not that much bigger than CR2, and you can use the rechargeable version - RCR123 too.

HDS EDC also have a good throw.

If you don't mind upsizing a bit, I'd hang a Lightforce SL240 around her neck attached to big battery on your back and it will throw about a kilometer. I have one and I'd love to figure out how to cart that beast around.

Jil is a very good option. I own four myself.

I bought a Fenix L0P and I just love it. It has just incredible throw for a small keychain light.

Later, I got 4 Rayovac 15 minute rechargeable AAA cells and the 2 cell recharger. Now I'm listening to tunes with my AAA powered Creative Zen 1 GB MP3 player and enjoying my L0P at night with fast, next-to-nothing cost to recharge. What's not to like? Big PLUS: I don't have to throw away my MP3 player like iPod owners do after their built-in Lithium Ion battery bites the dust.

But .....

Secur1 said:

but then i got drawn into the CR2 and CR123 one's... and now i am going mad cause i simply cannot make up my mind

Click to expand...

1xAAA light with a lot of throw? You must be joking! :laughing:

Just trying to keep this on topic. Secur1 is looking for a keychain light, people are mentioning surefires! Realisticly, lugging a surefire around your keychain just wouldn't be right... I have my Fenix LoP on my keys and it bangs around enough as it is.

I think for keychain use, an AAA light is always good but restricted in output. If going with CR2 - ORB RAW has fantastic output for a short time, but also has a lower level for several hours, but the finish will suffer a lot from key chafing. The CR2 ION is all flood! From my limited experience I would suggest a FENIX P1. Very small for a CR123A light - you can use rechargeables in it - moderately good finish that will wear, but the light is cheap enough not to treat it like a shelf Queen ( or King!) - and it's got great throw. Not as great a throw as the CPF special you talk about ( the Rainier? ) but very good for such a tiny light.

Also it stays bright for quite a long time and good regulation.


Why not get them all !!! Heh, heh, heh!!!



Be lucky...

Believe me. The Fenix L0P Luxeon I AAA keychain light has throw!! Feed it rechargeable AAA cells and you don't care that it lasts about an hour.

how about the Draco with turbohead? http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=128353&highlight=draco not sure if it's still available though...

here's the introduction link: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=118843&highlight=draco

Hmmm thanks for pointing out the Draco Somy
Now if i am not mistaken, rechargable 10440 cells have a 3.6v output and RCR2 one's have 3.7v, so they are about the same but i like the AAA form factor since it's slimmer thus more "pocketable".
Any ideas on what output i should expect from the Draco ? (If i can get one that is..)

Also are there any other lights out there using the 10440 cells ?

EDIT: Uhm been reading through the Draco threads and i must say this one makes the other look absolutely massive....
I googled the [size=-1]10280 cell used for it but i couldn't find much info, so what power does it have ?
[/size]

raw ns?

mark

The Fenix P1 with RCR123 battery is my new favorite for small and great throw. Looks like a match for your needs too.

alberto wrote: "The Fenix P1 with RCR123 battery is my new favorite for small and great throw. Looks like a match for your needs too."

Let me second that..... it is probably the smallest single CR123 light out there -

Fenix P1 - "pocket rocket"
comparison review with lots of side-by-side beamshots. Using the P1 with rechargeable 3.7V Li-Ion RCR123 - gives brightness that rivals any other "Whoa!" flashlights I have.....

If a single AA battery is feasible, then also look at -

Fenix L1T on 3.7V Li-Ion - Whoa!
or get it with the soon to be available CR123 body to use with rechargeable 3.7V Li-Ion RCR123......

Secur1 said:

Hmmm thanks for pointing out the Draco Somy
Now if i am not mistaken, rechargable 10440 cells have a 3.6v output and RCR2 one's have 3.7v, so they are about the same but i like the AAA form factor since it's slimmer thus more "pocketable".
Any ideas on what output i should expect from the Draco ? (If i can get one that is..)

Also are there any other lights out there using the 10440 cells ?

EDIT: Uhm been reading through the Draco threads and i must say this one makes the other look absolutely massive....
I googled the [size=-1]10280 cell used for it but i couldn't find much info, so what power does it have ?
[/size]

Click to expand...

The basic output of li-on cells should be 3.7v, 4.2 hot off the charger. I think the difference would be in the capacities, and the protection circuits, some of which may cap the voltage at certain levels. Of course i'm no technical person, so i may be wrong.

AW sells these batteries, and you might want to look at his sales thread here: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97268

From a cut and paste from that thread,

================================================


- MP R123 ( 700mAH ) -- details --- $6.50 each shipped
- 15266 ( RCR2 ) 300mAH --------- $4.00 each shipped
- 10440 ( AAA ) 320mAH ---------- $4.00 each shipped
- 14270 ( 310 mAH ) -------------- $4.50 each shipped
- 14250 ( 300 mAH ) 1/2AA-------- $4.50 each shipped
- 10280 ( 180 mAH ) -------------- $4.50 each shipped

Click to expand...

just some more info for you to chew on, in terms of what you'd get, the turbohead for the Draco uses the McR-18, which, to my knowledge, is actually what is used in the Orb Raw. So the Draco is definitely much smaller, but the beam profile would probably be the same =) Info on McR reflectors here: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/91615

If you really want something small with throw (but really not very pocketable unless we're talking jacket pockets or something), try the LionCub or Chameleon with bulkhead attached :laughing: I'm not sure if there's anything of a similar size that outthrows this combination =) Here's the Chameleon with bulkhead. the LionCub or Chameleon with slim-bodytube with bulkhead will be even smaller =)