Raidfire vs Tiablo throwers: Specification differences

I have readily admitted that I know absolutely nothing about flashlights on several occasions and appreciate my 'newbie' status...yet please help me understand if there is some kind of 'tradeoff' in the following specs:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=168357
Tiablo A9 and A8 LED FLASHLIGHT with CREE Q5 wc bin, limited edition!




Question: Which Tiablo light stands to be the one we would be comparing the Raidfire Spear to when it is released?

Manufacturer claims can seldom be trusted. The Tiablo A8 and A9 are also different beasts. The A8 bing much nicer for 18650s iirc.
That quoted Tiablo runtime, do you assume they mean constant output or just that lumens figure for starting output? So many variables. Go search for a runtime chart for the Tiablos in the reviews section I guess and see how well they actually perform.

PhantomPhoton said:

"Manufacturer claims can seldom be trusted. The Tiablo A8 and A9 are also different beasts. The A8 bing much nicer for 18650s iirc..."

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip; as StefanFS's review seems to put these runtimes more in perspective: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/169070



After more thought, I am also starting to wonder if the ultra-low setting (5 lumens @ 200 hours) isn't more desirable for my needs at the moment...as why not just have the minmum one can get by on and maximum throw in somewhat of the same "K.I.S.S" package(?).

The obvious answer would be that in the Tiablo A8/A9 the emitters are driven at ~850 mA with one 18650 cell, Raidfire claim that their light drives the emitter at over 1100 mA. If you drive the emitter harder you will get shorter runtimes.
Stefan

I just wanted all to know that I re-worded my question to more accurately reflect what I am attempting to figure out here. These both look to be great lights (with the Tiablo obviously the more proven of the two) and I am simply trying to compare the two somehow absent any confirmation (or even 'guess' beyond my own) as to what light is in that Spear thread beamshot. (thanks for your patience with the newbie and sincere gratitude to the two members who replied).

If you go by the tailcap it's the A8, the A9 has a different tailcap(cutouts for lanyard,button does not protrude, will tail stand). The A8 is optimized for an 18650(will also run on 2 CR123's). The A9 for CR123's and RCR123's(will have a declining output using an 18650). The A8 uses a Q2, the A8 special edition uses a Q5. All A9's use a Q5. The A9 using CR123's will have a slightly higher output over the A8, but shorter runtime. Edit: I took another look at my A9 it has cutouts for a lanyard, the button does not stick out, and it will tailstand.

Steve L said:

If you go by the tailcap it's the A8, the A9 has a different tailcap(cutouts, will tail stand). The A8 is optimized for an 18650(will also run on 2 CR123's). The A9 for CR123's and RCR123's(will have a declining output using an 18650). The A8 uses a Q2, the A8 special edition uses a Q5. All A9's use a Q5.

Click to expand...

'wow'oo:...thanks a lot, Steve; you just made wading through all of this that much easier. I guess the next obvious question would be...are we comparing a standard Tiablo Q2 in the beamshot or the upgraded Q5?

You are welcome. I was wondering the same thing. The more I look at the picture I think it's the regular A8. The special edition A8 has engraving on both sides of the flat sections. Here's a link to a picture from Battery Junction: http://www.batteryjunction.com/specialeditiona8.html click on the pic to enlarge.

"Good eye" and an assumption that will certainly make any member or manufacturer based shootout/review with all these models more interesting and accurate.