Which one to buy Tiablo A9 or A8 or should I wait?

machoamigo · Sep 3, 2007

I have the MRV I guess the older version and am contemplating on getting either the Tiablo A9 or A8. But Matt K in a thread once mentioned that Lumapower has a special edition of the MRV coming soon, so I was just wondering if I should wait or just go ahead and get myself the A8 or A9 whichever is better.

Any help would be appreciated.

Nitro · Sep 3, 2007

machoamigo said:
I have the MRV I guess the older version and am contemplating on getting either the Tiablo A9 or A8. But Matt K in a thread once mentioned that Lumapower has a special edition of the MRV coming soon, so I was just wondering if I should wait or just go ahead and get myself the A8 or A9 whichever is better.

Any help would be appreciated.

IMO, forget the MRV, if you want throw. The Tiablo's have deeper reflectors and have better throw then the MRV.

If you going to use two CR123's or RCR123's get the A9. However, if you're going to use one 18650 get the A8-Q5.

Period!

daveman · Sep 3, 2007

Nitro's advice is entirely correct, except it will SOON become outdated. The Tiablo's reflector is deeper than that of MRV's and thus giving it more punch at longer distances. But Lumapower's "special edition" M1 that's due to be announced within a week will most likely sport a R-binned XR-E emitter, the MRV can't be far behind. Tiablo will, of course, IMMEDIATELY follow with something in the order of a R-binned A10, making the the A8, A9, and the regular Q-binned MRV obsolete overnight, yet again.

My advice for you is to wait for just 30 more days. It should be worth the itch to click on that buy button.

Please be sure to take the above predictions with plenty of salt...

nutz_about_lights · Sep 3, 2007

daveman said:
Nitro's advice is entirely correct, except it will SOON become outdated. The Tiablo's reflector is deeper than that of MRV's and thus giving it more punch at longer distances. But Lumapower's "special edition" M1 that's due to be announced within a week will most likely sport a R-binned XR-E emitter, the MRV can't be far behind. Tiablo will, of course, IMMEDIATELY follow with something in the order of a R-binned A10, making the the A8, A9, and the regular Q-binned MRV obsolete overnight, yet again.

My advice for you is to wait for just 30 more days. It should be worth the itch to click on that buy button.

Please be sure to take the above predictions with plenty of salt...

Is the ''R-binned'' the new rebel cree?

Derek Dean · Sep 3, 2007

Dereelight's new DBS should be out soon, and that looks to be quite a thrower too.

http://www.dereelight.com/

Nitro · Sep 3, 2007

Well, you're not going to get away from higher bins comming out, making yours old news. You could be waiting a long time if you want to get the do all end all light.

My advice is to get the form factor you like, reflector etc., and just plan on upgrading the emitter when new ones come out. Plus you'll have a heckuva bright light in the mean time.

savumaki · Sep 3, 2007

Sort of like waiting for the next computer/camera/phone--------------always something better on the horizon!
Pick the one that does the job today and enjoy.:thumbsup:

SIMON LEONE · Sep 4, 2007

greetings all :wave:

I'm pretty much confronted with the same question ...

and I think I'll order the new A8 with Q5 LED I think it's the best

solution for running 18650's and that's what I want to.

ok I am no flashaholic but I guess the differences between the

A9 and A8 with Q5 Led can't be that big according to the power ?!!

However I have no idea what's about the "MRV special" edition

the "Deerlight DBS" and last but not least I guess I heard something

about a new A9 design that's planed to come out in October

regards

gsegelk · Sep 4, 2007

Between A8 and A9, definitely wait for the A8 with the Q5. As for A8 vs. MRV special edition, it seems to really come down to 3 deciding factors (before mention of an R bin):
1. Runtime with 18650: A8 definitely wins (if you're using 123's, this isn't a factor)
2. Throw: A8
3. Switch for high/low beam: My preference is the MRV

I'm in the same situation choosing between the upcoming A8 and the MRV SE. Before I heard anything mentioned about the R bin potentially in the MRV, I would have gone with the A8 just based on 18650 runtimes. The R bin really complicates the decision!!:thinking:

Since you already have an MRV, wouldn't it be possible to upgrade to a higher bin??

Nitro · Sep 4, 2007

Don't wait too long, or you'll miss this boat.

SIMON LEONE · Sep 4, 2007

yeah but I have read thousands of posts and I am still not sure whether there fits any A9 like tail switch to the A8 for avoiding an accidental switch on.

Nitro · Sep 4, 2007

I don't know for sure, but I believe the switches are interchangable. I'm sure we'll have the option of getting any switch we want. However, you should ask Tiablo directly.

WadeF · Sep 4, 2007

daveman said:
But Lumapower's "special edition" M1 that's due to be announced within a week will most likely sport a R-binned XR-E emitter

Where have you heard that R-bin's are already available? Or was Lumapower able to aquire some pre-market R-bins that aren't yet available to the general public?

selfbuilt · Sep 4, 2007

If it helps at all, here's my runtime comparison of the A8 and two MRVs:
DX Cree Projection vs Lumapower MRV vs Tiablo A8: RUNTIMES and detailed pics!

Of course, the A9 is using a different circuit.

SIMON LEONE · Sep 8, 2007

Greetings everyone !!

I was pretty much convinced to go for the A8 Q5.

so far I'm not really able to look through the whole battery stuff.

The A8 is perfect for 18650's and the A9 for CR123's or RCR123's

I only have 18650's in use and that settled the case for me

But now I began to calculate .... ok not really lol

the most powerful 18650's I was able to find have 2550 mAh
http://www.batteryjunction.com/li18cyce326h.html

the most powerful RCR123's I found have 900 mAh
http://www.batteryjunction.com/rc390reliba.html

so is it better to run the RCR's ? has anyone those in use ?

I mean I can't use them in the A8 ....

"For SureFire and other brands of incandescent... flashlights under 7.2V we do not recommend this setup"

[FONT=arial, helvetica]So what do you mean ?

Is it better to run the A8 Q5 with one 18650 or the A9 with 2x RCR123 a 900 mAh ?

I really have no idea and I am really at my wits' end

I just know that it's either the A8 Q5 or A9 that's all...

[/FONT][FONT=arial, helvetica]Please don't take it amiss ... I am going to post this an other thread too, because I
don't rally know where it belongs to most - sorry [/FONT] [FONT=arial, helvetica]

Tank you kindly for any help

[/FONT]

Gunner12 · Sep 8, 2007

The 18650 battery should have more energy then two RCR123 batteries so it should run longer.

18650 battery: 3.7v * 2.5 amp = 9.25 watt
2 RCR123 battery: 7.2v * 0.9 amp = 6.46 watt

The 18650 battery(3.7v, 4.2v off the charger) is also closer to the operation voltage of the LED(3.7-3.9v) so there will be less energy loss at the converter.

So the A8 should give you more runtime.

SIMON LEONE · Sep 8, 2007

Gunner12 said:
The 18650 battery should have more energy then two RCR123 batteries so it should run longer.

18650 battery: 3.7v * 2.5 amp = 9.25 watt
2 RCR123 battery: 7.2v * 0.9 amp = 6.46 watt

The 18650 battery(3.7v, 4.2v off the charger) is also closer to the operation voltage of the LED(3.7-3.9v) so there will be less energy loss at the converter.

So the A8 should give you more runtime.

thanks Gunner12 !!

I really got this ... that comes close to what I already thought

But I wasn't able to find any detailed comparison between those two ways

and so I was a little uncertain

regards

MattK · Sep 8, 2007

"incandescent... flashlights" = flashlights with traditional bulbs, not LED's.

The 18650's will run considerably longer. In addition to what Gunner12 said above an 18650 has much lower internal resistance than 2 RCR123A's. You cannot a linear approach to figuring out battery life because of the differing internal resistance, flashlight regulation, etc..

Bullzeyebill · Sep 8, 2007

I am wondering about the AW 2200mAh 18650. Would be nice to see a runtime with another 18650, maybe an LG 2400. The A8 should begin to drop off output before the LG 18650 drops too much voltage, so it should be safe.

Bill

MattK · Sep 10, 2007

We now have 2600mah 18650's with integrated PCB's which should last as long as the LG 2400's while having the added protection of the circuit. I still do not recommend unprotected batteries as li-ion cells are meant to be used with a protection circuit that safeguards both the battery and the user - the extra few minutes of runtime simply is not worth the added risk.

Which one to buy Tiablo A9 or A8 or should I wait?

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Newly Enlightened

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashaholic

Newly Enlightened

Flashaholic

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashaholic

Flashlight Enthusiast

Similar threads