Advice on a 2xCR123a light

Hi guys,

I'm a after a pocketable tail-switch CR123a light. I've had a quick flick through the site having not been here for a while and see Cree is the new bee's knees.

I was looking at the Gladius but it's to big and had my eye on an 2nd hand SFL2. But want something that's no bigger than the A2/L2 and is as bright as my PT Surge, but throws like crazy with a useful sidespill. And runs for an hour or more. It's for spotting animals in Africa.

The Huntlight XRE Cree might be a good bet.

The huntlight sounds like a great light, but it uses PWM for lower levels ... doesn't bother some, but might not be the best for animal spotting (I find PWM distracting for that purpose). Of course, not a problem if using on High.

You could also consider the Lumapower D-mini (see thread in Manufacturer's forum). It's only a single CR123, but throws extremely far, with still usable sidespill. Comes with just a single-stage switch, so you might want to a least a 2-stage switch for it, methinks (I'm using one from another light).

The other single CR123-based cree that's popular around here is the multi-level, current-controlled Fenix P1DCE (i.e. no PWM). It doesn't throw as far as the D-mini, but outputs more light overall for equivalent run times (and has multiple stages).

This one is still hard to beat http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/golstonreg-2xlir123a-waterproof-rechargeable-recommended-p-409.html and probably just about impossible to beat for the price.

What about the Surefire E2L, good throw (but not much spill though).

See this picture (E2L throw):

I'll second the Huntlight and Lumapower offerings. Lumapower's also coming out with a Cree version of it's M1 that you might be interested in if you wait a bit.

The E2L is an ok thrower, but the Lumapower D-mini outhrows it by a good 75%, with about 3x the overall output (albeit with shorter battery runtimes, of course). Huntlight cree is still likely your best choice in the 2xCR123 format, as Chevrofreak has just posted extensive runtimes with it in the reviews section.

But I'm sure they'll be a lot more choices on the market soon, if you can wait awhile.

What will i be waiting for?!