Advance Auto Parts "Task Force 2C"

ledaholic

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I was in the parts house today when I saw the 2C flashlight. It is very similar to the Task Force 2C cell. About the only difference is the head design. The internals are exactly the same and interchangable. If you like the Task Force, you'll really like this one cause it's only 19.95!
 

tvman

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thanks, ledaholic. I went by my local AAP and they had one they were playing with. I took it outside and hit the street sign across the intersection so it has some throw.




 
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SuperTorch

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Looks like it says 3 Watt, but is it regulated? Task Force is 3 Watt + Regulation + sheath+Duracells. I'd like to see it up close though but don't have a AAP around me. Does look very simular, I bet the top does screw off you just got get after it, I didn't know that about my TF untill a month after I bought it.
 
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SuperTorch

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hmmmm the more I look at that light the more Im intruiged. The only thing i don't like is the little decoritive dimples, i did find a store by me so I think I'll go see it in person tommorrow. If it is identical to the Task Force 3 Watt from a performance stand point then it is a hell of a buy. Looks like it does have a pouch too, hard reading the package info on the LCD screen.

They try to cost cost any where they can as in the batteries, the only thing else they could leave out would be the regulation. But I'll report back once I see it on Monday.
 
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tvman

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SuperTorch,
Good question about regulation. Those dimples remind me of the River Rock 1.5w 2C. The head is smaller than the RR and it appears to be as one solid piece. The head may unscrew but it was not readily apparent. It unscrews on both ends of the battery compartment.
 
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ledaholic

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I disassembled the one I bought, it is exactly the same internaly as my Task Force. The optic is the same, and the circuit is identical to the Task Force. Mine had no sealant and unscrewed apart easily. The head unscrews right at the top of the rubber grip and the bezel unscrews from the head also. Im sure they're made in the same building. Mine has a nice white tint. I had modified the Task Force with a BB500 and a UX1J star, the AAP light is very close in brightness, but is not quite as efficient. It draws a little more current than the TF/BB500 from the batt end.
 

SuperTorch

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I went and bought also to see how it compared with the Lowes Task Force 3 Watt.

Below are the pics. The flashlight from a preformance stand point seems identical to the TF3W, the Beam is beautiful and bright and white. As you can see I took it apart and it appears identical to the Task Force 3 Watt with a few small differences, also for size comparisons I included my Inova X03.



1: The Body of the AAP3W(Advanced Auto Parts 3 Watt) is thinner than the TaskForce 3 Watt this to me is the single biggest difference. The Task Force is at least 2X as thick and Maybe 3X thicker if some one has a gram scale weiagh both flashlights with out batteries the difference can only be the alluminum thickness. I'm only talking about the body of the flashlight because the Quality of the head and tail cap seem the same and are thicker than the body/barrel of the AAP3W.

2.The TF3W was better greased and the AAP3W was dry except on one O'ring had a tad bit of grease. But this just may have been my light and is so easily fixed its a non issue.

3: There is a battery contact spring in the TaskForce at both the positive and negative end of the light(which is unusual), the AAP3W has a contact spring on the negative end like most lights do with a fixed contact on the positive end.

4:The Luxeon 3 Watt Star seems to be identically mounted in th AAP3W as in the TF3W and had the same removable chambers, I was able to verify that it had the same electronics that look identical to the TF3W so I'm 99.99% sure its regulated like the TF3W.

So in the end the only significant difference is the thickness the TaskForce has over the AAP3W but that may be off set to some by the fact that it is thinner kind of like a C cell Mag, I have a pouch that the TF3W was just super tight in but I could get it in, the AAP3W drops in just by its weight so it is thinner for sure.

At $19.98 this is the ultimate starter 3W Luxeon Flashlight, it comes with batteries and a nylon sheath which by the way was padded and nicer than the TaskForce Sheath. I love the TF3W but its $10 more(which is OK for me) but for a lot of people there is not enough extra to justify the $29.95 of the TF3W as the lights a 98% the very same light

The Click on the end of the AAP3W is a tad smaller than the TF3W and seems to be more fluid in its movement.

The other issue some may have with the AAP3W is that is anodized green and scratches will show up very easy, 3 years of toolbox abuse on the TF3W will be less noticeable than 3 years of toolbox abuse on the AAP3W.

I had said every one in my family will be getting a TF3W for Xmas now that will be this light as any first time Luxeon 3 Watt owner will be blown away by this light and Mom and Dad are not flashaholics so the $10 spent for a thicker barrel on the TF3W will go unutilized and isn't needed for their 2 times a year use, but they will be getting one killer beam from the Luxeon 3 Watt.

All in All its One Hell of a Flashlight for $19.88 the more I play with it the more I like it, It may/did seem to get hotter faster than my TaskForce 3 Watt but that may just be better heat transfer to the outside of the AAP3W is wasn't much hotter though and may just be my imagination.

For those that hate the anti-roll fins of the TF3W this doesn't have them, if the AAP3W had a tapered head like the TF3W it would have been perfect from a looks stand point I don't like the dimples but as I play with it more and more it grows on me, for $19.88+tax a regulated Luxeon 3 Watt C cell is a uber steal.

Makes me wonder what other variations of this light are out there usually when its like this and a manufacture is selling to various big companies with small changes then there can be as many as 4-5 styles of the same light with small changes. I had thought that Lowes had this specifically made for them when in in fact now I think it was sold to lowes by a rep of the manufacture which means there is probably more version around but finding them may be hard. I think I'll drop a note to Lowes that a 99.99% copy of their TF3W is being sold at AAP for $19.98 and that they need to macth it
smile.gif
. But more so now I wonder from a style standpoint if there is another version that I would like better than the TF3W or this one. For $19.88 with all the extras the AAP3W produces one hell of a beam, and can lay claim to Dollar for Dollar beam champion. I'm glad it was posted here and I'm glad I bought it even thought it virtually identical to my TF3W.

Both the TF3W and the AAP3W will make easy Cree XR-E mods with the very common lens size and star set up.
thumbsup.gif



btw: for those that are finicky like me if you don't want your batteries to rattle when you shake your light you can put a 3 inch long stip of folded paper down in the barrel that will fill just enough space between the batteries and the barrel wall to make the light feel rock solid and you never hear or feel the batteries in the barrel, just makes it feel a little nicer.
 
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Flying Turtle

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Thanks for the review, SuperTorch. I don't have a decent 2C light. This one sounds like one I should check out. I know where I'll be going at lunch time tomorrow.

Geoff
 

SuperTorch

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Thanks to ledaholic too as its a simple headsup like this thread that points us in the right direction for low dollar killer flashlights. I mean how guilty can you feel for $19.88 and once you fire it up you'll be all smiles, because you got a killer light and didn't have to pay $60 for it.

I ranted about the TF3W and its a killer light, I'm going to rant about this one too, like the TF3W the AAP3W is loaded to bear with features for the price. True 3 Watt luxeon Star + Regulation + Battereis + Nylon Sheath all for $19.88+ tax. Theres no denying its a Dollar fo Dollar juggernaut.

I measured the current at 1030ma even with the cheap batteries headed to 2.0 volts after 30 minutes of burn time, so the regulation is working top notch. My TaskForce Current was 915ma at 2.0 volts and seems to hold its 915ma pretty well. So I think on some of the minor issues its just the luck of the draw, like I made sure by looking that I got one with the tail cap on/off button that looked perfectly fitted as the one I got and it really clicks smooth, where I didn't scrutinze the TF3W and it has a tail clicky that isn't as refined(but still works great).

If you do not own any LED Flashlight what-so-ever this is one hell of a cheap entry and will produce one hell of a beam also. In a way I feel the TF3W is justified in the extra $10 because it is thicker, 3x - No Doubt -, on the other hand this light isn't a cheap light at all and its only $19.88 and throws a beam identical to the TF3W and like I had said before equal to my $70 Inova X03 Luxeon 3 Watt. This type of beam just a few years back was $60.

Just a note, the LED in the TF3W and the AAP3W should produce a nice round spot, but they are spring loaded(which I like) and they can kind of get out of line a tad if you bang them hard or take the lens cap off to look at the LED and you get kind of a 3/4 circle beam. Just take it back off and put it back on and you'll get it seated right to produce that nice round beam. Or you can kind of bang it on your leg - tail cap to you leg and it may straiten out. It doesn't happen easily so don't think it a cheapness issue, and 90% of people wouldn't even know it had happened because it still looks good, but the lens in both the TF3W and the AAP3W produce a nice round spot - its not perfectly round but its 90% round as apposed to 75% round when it gets tilted inside from being fiddled with - any spring loaded lens is suseptible to this minor misadjustment. We just want to get all our moneys worth though :)


with out batteries
TF3W 6.2oz
AAP3W 5.5oz
So the TF3W has .7oz more aluminum it might not sound like much but you got to realize how light aluminum is, trust me the TF3W is much thicker but you may not need that thickness, but from the TaskForce stand point it does justify the extra $10.
 
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Flying Turtle

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Given a choice between this light and the minimag 3 AA which way would you lean? Looking at flashlightreviews I can see pluses and minuses for each.

Geoff
 

ledaholic

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Nice review SuperTorch, thanks for spelling it out. I had'nt noticed the difference in thickness until I resd this.
 

entendu

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Thanks for the review as well Super Torch , I picked one up today . Its very similar to my TF. The tail caps switch between the units but the heads do not.(Task Force head inside diameter is a bit larger). I also believe I may have got a dud or something else is going on because its not as bright as either of my 2 Task Force lights. :thumbsdow I did notice that when I first turned it on it flickered to full brightness then dimmed to about 50% then flickered back to full brightness then dimmed again . After three or four oscillations it settled down to a final value about half of what my Task Forces produce. Changed batteries several times and cannot always duplicate this oscillation. Now its constant but dimmer than Task Force. Again .I estimate about 50% as bright as the Task Force. I'm thinking of returning /exchanging it. Maybe a bad regulator . On the plus side the beam however is better than either of my Task Force lights , it has a very smooth profile with a bright hot spot and bright corona.


Heading to the Future at Light Speed
 

Flying Turtle

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Decided to take a chance and picked one up a few minutes ago. Never liked 3 cell lights like the Mag and this one will easily fit in my coat pocket. Seems solid and well built, should take some abuse. I like the "pewter" finish. Mine also flickers up to high, but it does stay there. I wonder if this is considered normal. Can't really test it very well here at work, but it's definitely a good bit brighter than my L0PSE. Should have good throw. The beam is a bit out of adjustment like SuperTorch described, but not bad. I may leave well enough alone. The store I went to only had one, and not much space for others, so you might have to look a bit to find one. Once again, looking forward to the sun going down.

Geoff
 

lightinsky

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Picked up the 3 Watt AAP Led. Very nice beam round enough and seems brighter than my inova T3. Compared to the Task Force 3W I like the AAP better.

1) I's lighter in weight.
2) Shorter in length.
3) Grey/Pewter body color I think looks better.
4) Beam is brighter and whiter.
5) It's got a nicer pouch to carry it in with more padding.
6) It's 10 buck less than the Task Force
7) The batts don't rattle in the body like they do in the Task Force
8) The head of the light is smaller in diameter which makes it easier to carry.
9) Got 10 bucks in wallet from returning my Task Force.
10 All in all I'm considering this my edc along with my Inova T3
 

SuperTorch

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The light flickering is part of the regulation but it shouldn't do it much, both on my AAP3W and the TF3W I've seen it happen but 95% I never notice it. The AAP3W is "Identical in Output" to the TF3W so if yours is only half as bright I'd take it back for a swap out, mine is/seems a tad brighter than my TF3W.

As far as the spot being round it is to about 90% which makes it beautiful and unnoticable on both the TF3W and the AAP3W and looks very good, RARELY when you open it or bang it real hard it might have a slight misadjustment(You'll see it in the spot produced) that makes a small artifact in the beam, this is very very easily fixed with patience, just undo the lens and put it back on a few times or do like I said above.
Spring loaded lens are nice because they can sit PERFECTLY on the LED - EVERY TIME. When a manufacture has a fixed led/lens placement your at the whim of did yours get seated perfect, most are, but some are not and you get what you get, like the tail cap clicky, but on spring loaded set ups like the TF3W and the AAP3W the lens presses down on the spring loaded LED and 100% of the lights can have a perfectly seated LED against the lens. If you take off your flashlight head and push down beside the led you see its spring loaded.

lightinsky said:
Picked up the 3 Watt AAP Led. Very nice beam round enough and seems brighter than my inova T3. Compared to the Task Force 3W I like the AAP better.



1) I's lighter in weight.

2) Shorter in length.

3) Grey/Pewter body color I think looks better.

4) Beam is brighter and whiter.

5) It's got a nicer pouch to carry it in with more padding.

6) It's 10 buck less than the Task Force

7) The batts don't rattle in the body like they do in the Task Force

8) The head of the light is smaller in diameter which makes it easier to carry.

9) Got 10 bucks in wallet from returning my Task Force.

10 All in all I'm considering this my edc along with my Inova T3

1: Noticably

2:Yep

3:Its growing on me bigtime.

4:Mines identical - as in it rocks like the TF3W

5:Yep

6:$11 when you add tax

7: I never tried mine with out the paper trick I posted above both my TF3W and the AAP3W have a paper sleave to make the batteries feel so tight they are part of the barrel. I do evey flashlight I own this way if the batteries rattle.

8: Hard to tell from my pics but the AAP3W is a more compact flashlight, it only looks 5% more compact but it feels 20% ie.. as in you notice how it feels in you hand.

10: it produces a beam that every bit as impresive as my Inova X03.


Entendu, mine is just as bright as my TF3W if yours isn't take it back a swap it out.

The Styling has grown on me big time in just one day, it kind of has more of a Military type look to it, where the TF3W has an all around look.

I didn't think any light could out do the TF3W(and the TF3W is more rugged) from a bargin stand point, and you guys know my love for the TF3W. But like ledaholic said and 99.99% probably true they are made in the same building, and the more I own it the more my mind says - yea thats what a flashlight should be at $19.88+ tax, Man its a Performance/Lumens/Dollar monster. Othe than thickness it is the TF3W for $19.88 and its even a tad more compact and better looking with out the anti-roll fins. I'll be geting another, the TF3W is a light I'm glad I found/own but with the AAP3W arrival I don't see my self going to Lowes and paying $32.50 when this can be had at $21.50.

Thanks to ledaholic for mentally being on the ball when he saw at his local AAP store and posting back here.

Thanks to tyman for searching and posting the first pic, if I hadn't seen it I might have just thought oh its a C Cell LED light not knowing it REALLY IS A TF3W for $11 less, in argualbly a better looking/feeling unit.
 

mdocod

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funny... I was just about to start a thread to give a "heads up" on this task-force equivalent... I was just down at AAP and saw this on the shelf..

glad I looked around to see if it had already been mentioned- looks like plenty of good discussion going on about it already.

just thought I'd point out... this light isn't "regulated" like other "true" regulated lights.... it has a voltage boosting circuit.. it works well and does help get the most out of a set of batteries, but the output curve is not flat. It's a steady decline to 50% output from the start(over about 2 hours), then it nosedives and gives a very dim output for many hours after the boost circuit gives up...

the perpose of the boost circuit is to makup for the lack of voltage from a pair of alkalines (3V) to drive a luxIII, which requires closer to 3.6V...
 

entendu

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Took it back and got a refund. They didn't have anymore there but located another Advanced Auto Parts and got a new one. This one is a bright as my Task Force. :) I told the salesman that he better get more as when the word hits the streets that this is as good as what Lowes is selling and ten dollars cheaper he's gonna sell them. I agree with others that the grey/ pweter finish is more appealing and the padded case is clearly better. Also see the appeal of the design more military flavor as Super Torch points out.

Now if only The Fennix store would carry a 2 c cell light. Are you listening Fennix ?
BTW with my task Force I get 4 hours and 15 minutes to 50 % brightness using Powerex 5000mah NiMH. I expect the same with the Professional Favorite (PF 3 watt) /AAP


Heading to the Future at Light Speed
 

etc

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Super Torch,

These are nice pics. Would it be possible to post this lite next a MagLite, say 3D?

If you could post it next to a MiniMag and a D-sized Maglite, that would be great.
 

Flying Turtle

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Wow. This thing makes all my others seem pretty anemic. The beam was kinda fuzzy, so I did SuperTorch's realignment, and it makes all the difference in the world. The bezel unscrewed easily and I could see the colimator lens was just a bit off center. Loosened the retaining ring, snapped it down straight, and tightened the ring. Now the beam seems just about perfect. And to think I used to feel the Civictor and Metal Gear were pretty good throwers. Not even a contest now. Thanks, ledaholic, for pointing out this giant killer.

Geoff
 
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