New guy seeks help for EDC

Hi there, first let me say Hi, as I am brand new and this is my first post.
Second let me say I am from New Zealand, this means not very many people selling torches, not many shops to go to to check out torches , so main aspect is web, and hopefully this forum to get ideas.

Ok, now thats out of the way can I ask for some definitions and general stuff, lux and lumens? throw? incandescent and LED? i assume throw is how far the light will travel usefully, LED light emmiting diode, Incan-old fashioned fillament. Not sure about the lux and lumns, is 2 lumens twice as bright as one? and is 10 lumens 10 x as bright as 1 or does the scale work differently.

Now I own a big old 4D maglight (in the car-not sure if batts flat or not), a mini mag 2AA, and a petzel headlamp 4AA, and a tiny led black diamond headlamp. the LED is the only led, others are, er, bulb thingies.
I carry my mini mag everywhere in a little bag that holds my iPod, keys wallet, sunglasses, first aid kit, leatherman, cell phone, etc etc.

Now I want to retire the Mini mag to my scooter tool kit, to use with that.
Which means I want to get an every day carry torch, and I was thinking of an LED, in particular i was thinking of a fenix, prob P1D, or P2D or P3D or T1-all Q5.
Why these, well they seem reasonably cheap, good lights, bright, good quality and fairly small. Also there are a couple of online importers in NZ.
My requirement is small-so that I always have it with me when needed, strong-take abuse (may need to hit someone with it in emergency(in my fist)) or drop it, bright-like to be able to see when needed, multi level-not give too much away at other times, able to be dunked-NZ is not a desert.
Should be able to be used as ageuine torch if hesdlamp fails, and as a back up when it does not fail, batts should last a while, do not care about type. Will these fit the criteria or are there better types, should I avoid fenix, or LED or go for them, should I get a big one like the T1, or will the P1D suit me fine, or should I avoid fenix and get something different again, batteries i do not care about type, size must be same or smaller than mini mag, and what is the deal with lumens and lux?
Thanks in advance for help advice.
Shelley

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

you're right about LED and incan. Currently CREE XRE Q5 binned LEDs are brightest, although this changes frequently with new releases. As a rule, LEDs are far more efficient than the best incans, but there's just no way to get an LED light up to the brighness of the brightest xenons. If you're used to Maglites, there's no way you'll need that much light, so I'd say stick to an LED

Lumens are a measure of total output, and lux is a measure of intensity in one spot. The scales are normal (2x the number means 2x the brightness), but the eyes sense light on a logarithmic scale, so it doesn't seem twice as bright if it is. You're also right about throw. If you see a measurement of throw (a number), that means that the brightest part of the beam (the center, hopefully ) has that much lux.

Fenix is probably the way to go if you want a very small and bright light. The T1 is built "like a tank," (tough enough to hit someone with, drop, etc). The others have great build quality, they're just not made to be abused.

In regards to size, don't make the same mistake I did - these lights are small! The T1, bulkiest of the Fenix's, can fit anywhere (and is shorter than a mag AA) - the P2D begs to be put on a keychain

Almost all premium quality flashlights are dunkable - many (generally not Fenix's) are waterproof to 15-30 feet.

If you're willing to go up to around 6.5" legnth (barely longer than a mag AA), there are a whole range of flashlights that are very slightly better than the best Fenixs, considerably more solid (equal to T1), and have much better throw. (Fenix P3D Q5 has about 3,000, Fenix T1 has about 7,000, these commonly have about 20,000) Many also have bezels meant to hit people with (crenellated).

Note that pretty much all 2xCR123 lights with a Q5 bulb are about the same overall brightness (+-10%), around 200 lumens, and what varies greatly is how much of that light is in the center of the beam (throw).

Hope this helps!

PS - this would be better suited in the general flashlight discussion forum, or the LED forum.

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

The Welcome Mat is long but it would help with a lot of therms.

Fenix Lights are pretty water resistant, they will go through washing machines without much problem. Not dive lights but they will take dunks just fine.

The Fenix L2D-CE Q5 might be a good choice to start with. There is also a 8% off coupon for CPF users at Fenix Store, "CPF8".

What is your price range?
Size(Minimag, AAA etc.)?

Ask a mod to more the thread to a more suitable section.

:welcome:

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

Opps, yes put in wrong place, my bad, sorry-moderator please move to gen?
Thanks for the quick reponses and useful info though, what are the lights that you were talking about that are 6.5 in length? keeping in mind the EDQ requirement?

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

They're probably good for EDC in a bag etc, not in a pocket, but here are a few:
same size head, approx 8,000 lux
Dereelight CL1H
LumaPower M1-R
Edit: how could i forget: Regalight WT1 (approx 12,000 lux)

larger head (approx 20,000 lux):
raidfire spear (brand new, only 1 review that i've seen)
tiablo a9
lumapower mrv
dereelight dbs

Do you mean EDC (every day carry)? haven't heard of "EDQ"

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

Any battery preference?
Output?
Beam profile?

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

Oops again, yes EDC, not EDQ.
Hmm should be holsterable on belt like the mini mag, pocketable as well as bag, oh and able to hold in mouth if needed...
As to battery-anything thats available in NZ, AA, AAA, Cr123...not big ones though, out put, well if multi modes then at least one thats damn bright and one that will last a long time, more is ok, not to fussy, er not sure what is meant by beam profile...something with reasonable throw, not too much spill ideally, with mi minimag, I swivel the head for walking and then tighten it up for spotting, similar would be nice if possible, would like a tail cap switch but maintain ability to "candel" the torch...

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

iTorch said:

Oops again, yes EDC, not EDQ.
Hmm should be holsterable on belt like the mini mag, pocketable as well as bag, oh and able to hold in mouth if needed...
As to battery-anything thats available in NZ, AA, AAA, Cr123...not big ones though, out put, well if multi modes then at least one thats damn bright and one that will last a long time, more is ok, not to fussy, er not sure what is meant by beam profile...something with reasonable throw, not too much spill ideally, with mi minimag, I swivel the head for walking and then tighten it up for spotting, similar would be nice if possible, would like a tail cap switch but maintain ability to "candel" the torch...

Click to expand...

Because of its bulk and weight, I can't possibly recommend the T1 to you, if you're going to hold it in your mouth. The light is heavy, and the coating is tough - you may chip a tooth very easily.

A P2D would probably be the biggest light I could see being able to use that way... and with the CR123 battery it's also very light... which again helps with this purpose.

Since it seems like this is going to be your work light, I'd recommend getting a P2D Q5 (Natural) from fenix-store.com before they're all sold out (the Natural finish is more durable, but less popular, so they're discontinuing it).

You could always get an L2D body for it, to use AA batteries... which incidentally happens to be my preferred Fenix lego set.

If you didn't need to hold it with your teeth, the L2D-CE Q5 would probably be the best choice for you - as it's about the same size as a Minimag, and works amazingly well on Sanyo Eneloop low-self-discharge NiMH rechargeables... which makes feeding it very cheap in the long run, especially if you're going to use it daily.

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

most lights come with a holster, so don't worry about that.

you should check out the Dereelight CL1H. They just came out with a new version of all their digital ("D") pills, running @1.2 amps (prev. @ 1 amp). You can get 1, 2, or 3-mode, all with the same max.

I wouldn't recommend holding any of these lights in your mouth, but most of them would work. A clip may be a better option.

Hello to another Kiwi.

I would have to say that you would not go wrong with:

1 x Novatac EDC 120P
1 x AW Nylon Holster
1 x RCR123a Protected 750 mAh Battery
1 x Nano Charger
1 x ORB CR-123a Plastic Battery Tube
1 x SureFire CR123 Lithium Batteries
1 x Korjo Multi Reverse Travel Adapter M7308

This will give you a rechargeable LED light that is water resistant, rugged, small (fits in the palm of my hand) & has a variety of options available for use as well as when the rechargable battery has run down you can use primary CR123A's.

And at a later date you can use the RCR123A Battery (Rechargeable CR123A Battery) in other lights.

The best place to get CR123A batteries in NZ is Lighthound then Tactical Solutions Corp.

For lights you can pop into your local Kathmandu shop (who is having a sale @ the moment) & pick up a variety of different LED & Incan lights for under $40. Get their Aluminum Handtorch - Xenon & tighten the focus down to a spot & got to a large open dark area & let her rip it is a nice thrower for a 2 AA light & has some serious waterproofing with 3 o-rings (yes you can get bulbs for it - just ask @ the counter).

Feel free to PM me to talk more.

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

happy to get help from another Kiwi!!!
But tell me the Nova seems to be about 3x the price of say a fenix P2D Q5 and about 2/3 of the output-is it worth it for more money and less power or am i missing something?
Still very green here so just trying to figure things out...

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

The Novatac is a light built to take pretty much any punishment you can throw at it(or throw it at). It is also programmable with a much lower low then any of the Fenix lights.

Both are great light but meant to operate and be used differently.

Here are the main criteria for picking a new light(depends on user but this is what I would look at first):
1)Size
2)Batteries
3)Uses
4)Quality
5)Beam pattern
6)Price
7)Output
8)Runtime
9)Upgradability

Here's my guess at what you want:
1)Small or similar to a minimag
2)AA or CR123
3)EDC, general use
4)Good quality, water resistant
5)Between flood and throw
6)40-100 USD
7)Multimode form 100+ lumen to under 20 lumen
8)1+ hour runtime on high and good runtime on lower modes
9)Probably not a big part

There are many lights that fit most of those categories above(The Dereelights will probably be the easiest to upgrade).

Good Luck choosing!

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

Here's my guess at what you want:
1)Small or similar to a minimag
2)AA or CR123
3)EDC, general use
4)Good quality, water resistant
5)Between flood and throw
6)40-100 USD
7)Multimode form 100+ lumen to under 20 lumen

Click to expand...

Hmm that pretty much hits the nail on the head, maybe a bit more in the top end lumens scale though, and happy to increase the price if it makes a real difference to quality.
Question with Lumens lloking at surefire, the pictures of their lower rated Lumens toches seem almost as bright as the higher rated fenix ones, do different companies use different scales, and will we be able to see the difference between say 120 lumens and 180 lumens in real life? in the woods, in the car, in the house, searching for my keys under the chair in the movies? etc?

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

Well, Surefire rates minimal out the front lumen, which means 60 lumen from Surefire means at least 60 lumen out the front of the light with fresh batteries.

Fenix rates at the emitter lumen(calculated from the spec sheet), which is lower then out the front lumen. The out the front ratings are on average 80-90% of their ratings.

Our eyes don't sense brightness linearly, so 2x brighter would seem less then 2x brighter by eye. You will notice the difference, but it won't be that obvious.

In real life, you will rarely need more then 40 lumen. In a movie theater, 1 lumen is enough, same with indoors or close range. But knowing you can get lots of light on demand is a good feeling.

Re: New guy seeks help for EDQ

More research has shown me that the Novatac 120p is quite possibly the torch for me, now can someone who has them tell me what they think of them and the actual differences between the P and the T.
Cheers

I moved it and re-titled it.

P is the programmable one with a non protruding tailcap. The T is non programmable and has a protruding tailcap. They were cheaper a month ago(about $30 USD cheaper, without including shipping).

Have you seen this tread?