Good flashlights for a new flashaholic?

Greetings. I am a newly minted flashaholic, and have once again come to the mebers of CPF for advice. I have a pretty limited budget compared to some of you, about $100 in Canadian currency. As I have just implied, I live in Canada. Because of this, I much prefer Canadian online stores, and I am very reluctant to buy from American stores (higher shipping costs, tariffs, etc, etc), unless a certain item is simply not for sale in a Canadian store. Or one that can ship from within Canada. Also, I live in Toronto ON(tario), in case you know any good retail stores. Right now I only know 2 online stores that sell good LED lights, like Fenix, no online stores that stock surefires, and 1 retail store that does (Bass Pro Shops, Vaughn Mills). Some lights I am considering are: (Prices are in CAD, unless specified)

Surefire G2 $45
Surefire 6P $75
Surefire 9P $80 USD
Surefire G3 $60 USD
Surefire E1E $80 USD
Fenix E0 $24
Fenix E1 $30
Fenix L0D-CE $51
Fenix L1D-CE $62
Nuwai Q III $45
Streamlight Twin-Task $?
Nite-Ize 3 LED Mini-Maglite upgrade kit with tailcap clicky switch $10 USD

For the record, my only good lights are a Streamlight Stylus and a Fenix P1D-CE (yay!). Some of these lights would take up all the money I intended to spend, while some would let me get a couple different lights. If anyone could take the time to make some recommendations, I would really appreciate it. Thank you very much for any advice given.

i really love Surefire lights and have a few of them but if was on a strict budget i would have a Fenix E1 for my key chain and a Fenix L1D for pocket or belt. they are GREAT lights.

Alteran said:

If anyone could take the time to make some recommendations, I would really appreciate it.

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The only way you can get good recommendations is if you state the intended uses and personal preferences. Are you looking for a light for your car, for your bedside, for hiking, for diving, for self-defense, for your kechain? Do you want snob appeal, ruggedness, long runtime, ultimate brightness, accurate color rendition, throw? What kind of batteries do you prefer (rechargeable, li-ion, AA, C, D, etc.)?

well, of course the first question should be how you intend to use the lights!

I like a Streamlight Twin Task for example because I can get UV light plus some reasonable incan for general light purposes - but do you need or want a UV light? (unnecessary to get one with a weak general purpose LED plus an incan).

Since you already got the Fenix P1D CE (a great light!) I see your EDC needs are also covered.

Avoid incans (other than specialized Streamlight Twin Tasks, for example) - so many of the Surefires you mentioned are out (since they are incans). The reason is simple - for small form factors you get a much better output plus runtime from LEDs. (some say they prefer strongly the yellowish light of the incan over the whiter tint of the LED - I am not one of those but if you are then obviously you need to take my advice with a grain of salt!). Also the SF's are fairly expensive, and why deplete your relatively modest budget that way?

My suggestion for another light on top of a UV twin-task is to get the Fenix L2D CE (not the L1D CE). This can give you a big max output (135 lumens!) with good runtime and a lot of modes with lower light outputs. So it will be an excellent all around light and you might as well get it a bit bigger than the P1D CE which is already small and can fit onto your key chain.

The stores you mention will have the L2D CE (even if you do not mention it) if they already carry other Fenix's.

As GeorgePaul said, there are many factors to consider. If you are looking for EDC (Every Day Carry) I would recommend a multi stage light for overall usefulness. AA or AAA lights are easier to feed than CR123's and since you already have a P1D, the Fenix L0D or L1D are good choices I think.

if you buy a surefire go to www.tacticalsupply.com and when checking out use the CPF20 discount. you will save 20% off your order. and a plus is that Steven is a Great guy and will take care of your every needs.

Alteran have you looked at J2led site ? It's in Toronto ,Cad prices for Fenix and Nuwai seem close or a bit under the prices you stated above .

As for the purpose of the light, it will mainly be for indoors use, but will be used infrequently outdoors in the city. However, in the summer, it will be used in the forest and other actual "outdoors" places. I plan to get 1 or 2 good incans over time, because I hear they are good for outdoor use, and usually have better throw. I think for now I might get the G2, then stick with LEDs for a while. I also wish I knew where to get the G3 around here, Bass Pro Shops only has the 9P. I really wish there were more surefire retailers in Canada. And for a good general-use light, what do you guys think of the QIII? Is it really very outclassed by the new crees/seouls? A good luxeon/nichia LED would probably be fine by me, but some people seem to think otherwise.

Since your usage is primarily indoors, the G2 is a good choice for an incandescent (which is primarily for outdoor use as an LED will do fine indoors.) One light that you might want to consider for indoor use is possibly one of the MagLEDs, I don't think there's any AA powered light that can beat it right now, and it probably still outshines may/most of the CR123 pocket lights, though the drawback is they may not be what you would call a pocket light. With the G2 and the Mag, you should have a few spare loonies laying around as well.

WRT to the Q3, I have one, and I carry one in my pocket, but I think there are better lights for less. I don't know if it's available in Ontario, but if you happen to be down south you might want to pop into a Target store and pick up one of the Dorcy Super 1W CR123 lights ($20); they seem to be much brighter than the Q3s, and you don't have to overdrive them by using 3.6V rechargeables in them to get decent white output.

Alteran said:

I think for now I might get the G2, then stick with LEDs for a while. I also wish I knew where to get the G3 around here, Bass Pro Shops only has the 9P.

And for a good general-use light, what do you guys think of the QIII?

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Hmm. I could get a Q3, and an E0 for well under the amount of money I was willing to spend. I could save the remaining money for a cheaper Surefire...hmm, that could work. And no, there are no Targets here. :thumbsdow

Everyone should have a SureFire 6P. This is the original. You won't regret it.

For me the Fenix E0 is a great little light to carry around in your pocket for in the house use. Unless you just prefer a large blast of light it will give enough for most needs. And, it's so miserly with battery use it's almost free.

Geoff

I have tried SF 6P w/ standard and HO bulb, 9P w/ standard and HO bulb, Outdoorsman 1 cell, L4, and M6 with standard and HO bulb (and M910 and X200B weapon lights).

My recommendation: Buy the L4 (or some other 100 Lumen SF LED light) and the M6. If you are bit by the flashlight bug it is probably just a matter of time anyhow. The sooner you buy the real good stuff the sooner you can use the money you saved on intermediary purchases to buy loads of batteries to feed the M6.

As with most things (within the realm of reasonable affordability), I would say save until you can buy the best you can find, use and enjoy it everyday, and then congratulate yourself on your decision to buy something really fine each time you use it.

Since you already have a nice led light, go for a Surefire G2. It's an awesome light for the price. And it's a surefire. =] You'll love it.

you will, one day get an A2 whether you like it or not.trust me on this.

Hmm..... the Huntlight FT01XSE XR-E Cree P4 might work. I'm not sure of it's availability in Canada.

You can get it at: http://www.jsburlysflashlights.com/

Nice points:
1. HA III finish
2. New Cree P4 LED
3. 5 levels
4. Comes with 2 reflectors (textured for indoors and smooth for outdoors)
5. Uses either CR123a, RCR123, or 18650 Li batteries.
6. Waterproof
7. Long runtimes at lower levels
8. $89 USD

You can get more information on this light here:

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=155726&page=1&pp=30

Alteran said:

I think for now I might get the G2, then stick with LEDs for a while.

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Personally, I would chose the G2 over the 6P. I really like the feel and weight of the nitrolon G2, and the desert tan colour is pretty nice. Plus with the savings you have made by not buying a 6P, you can buy a Lumens Factory HO-9 incan bulb upgrade, and some AW 3.7v 750mah RCR123 batteries for a little extra. The HO-9 is rated at 320 bulb lumens (maybe around 200 torch lumens) and should be brighter than the Surefire P61 bulb upgrade.

Get all of this and you should have plenty of money left in your budget for another indoor LED light.

I have a SureFire G2, but I like the 6P better, because it's easier to upgrade. For example, it's easy to get a matching extender so you can add 1 cell and a replacement LA (P90, for example) to turn it into a much brighter light. It's also easy to find a matching clickie, if you (as I do) prefer a clickie to a LOTC.

jlomein said:

Personally, I would chose the G2 over the 6P. I really like the feel and weight of the nitrolon G2, and the desert tan colour is pretty nice. Plus with the savings you have made by not buying a 6P, you can buy a Lumens Factory HO-9 incan bulb upgrade, and some AW 3.7v 750mah RCR123 batteries for a little extra. The HO-9 is rated at 320 bulb lumens (maybe around 200 torch lumens) and should be brighter than the Surefire P61 bulb upgrade.

Get all of this and you should have plenty of money left in your budget for another indoor LED light.

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First of all: Is there a Canadian store that sells the upgrade, and if not, how much is shipping to Canada from that store? Do you know if they ship quickly?

Second: Would that be brighter than a surefire 9P, with either p90 or p91? My EDC needs are pretty much covered for now, the P1D-CE is enough, so I'm getting lights that I'll really enjoy using.