Crank recharger for Surefire

I am not really into collecting flashlights, but several have added up because I have never just bought one really expensive one. I am now looking into buying one that would last me an indefinitely long period of time.

I want a surefire for it's lifetime warranty. I hear they are very nice torches. Because I am looking for the most energy economy, I guess it is given that I will be needing an LED flashlight. I do not really know lumens, so I don't know how bright 80 lumens is. But this can all be figured out later.

After looking at surefire.com, I saw that they have rechargeable kits for several flashlights like G2, 6P and one or two more. All these are non-LED. However I found that there are also LED conversion kits, especially for the 6P. There are 5watt LED's in the KL5 conversion and 19 lumen illumination in the KL3 conversion. However there is also the P60L bulb which fits almost everyone of their flashlights and gives a white 80 lumen light. I don't really see the difference between the LED conversion kit and just the P60L bulb now.

The L1 Lumamax seems to be good with the 65/15 lumens adjustable output with the LED.

I am not sure which model I want yet, this is just the beginning of my search for the flashlight that fits me. It may take me some time to get to the end of this, but I would like to spend a lot only once. I will have to look at each of their flashlights and see what they offer.

If you have had experiences with any of their flashlights, and feel like a fellow flashlighteer should know something about them, please tell me. Also if you are a fisherman, hunter, outdoorsman and the like, tell me what features that suit these activities are offered in which models, if any, and also I would like to know what your experience as one of the above lead you to believe a flashlight requires to suit your needs.

Right away, I would like to state some features that I know surefire offers on certain flashlights, which I would like on mine:
Selectable output, not just a high beam all the time;
LED;
As seen in the surefire website, they have beam diffusers. I need one because I need the widespread illumination for when I am walking on a trail at night and not spotting a raccoon.

So far, this filters out the flashlights to LED, adjustable output, compatable with recharger, and beam diffuser flashlight.

Though to meet these specifics a mod might not be necessary, I will still require, after obtaining the flashlight, a solar and/or crank recharger for my Recharger Kit. Yes, this is the cool mod part. Because I want to go on long hikes, and even if I am not on one, I would still like a small, maybe 6"x4" portable solar panel and a crank recharger for the rechargeable battery that would go in my flashlight.

The question of the highest priority for me is, I guess, where can I get a cranker, solar panel that would fit and work with the SureFire Recharger. I am not really good with electronics, so I don't know the AC/DC things.

Well thanks for your help.
I will probably be participating here awhile until I build my dream flashlight system completely.

:welcome:

Start with the Welcome Mat (also here).

I highly doubt that you're going to find a (cheap) solar or crank charger that works well with charging stations. Your best bet is to go with AAs. Some solar panels (I have two of these) even have a built-in cradle for charging a pair of AAs.

Since AAs pretty much rules out SF (AFAIK, I don't think they even have any rechargeable LED lights; their only rechargeable that I can think of is the 10X, and it's definitely unsuited for camping/survival use), you might want to look into Fenix. They have some pretty handy lights.

I would point you in the direction of the self-charging Freeplay Jonta. Although it carries only a two-year warranty, I have three of them and would not hesitate to recommend them for your needs. Good spill, excellent throw, multiple outputs (hi/lo/strobe), lanyard attachment point, AC rechargeable, splashproof and bright enough. I have a number of SF lights as well and the Jonta is no comparative slouch in the build quality department.

The new L1 sounds like the right SureFire for you. It's normal beam is geared toward throw, but you can get a diffuser that makes it all flood.

Thank you all for your responses. I realized that a solar battery is probably not going to produce much energy, unless I keep it out all day... But I don't know how large the panel should be to gather any reasonable amounts of energy. You say that it is not really going to be possible to do any sort of this mod with surefure. The G2 runs on 2 123A 3-volt lithiums. There is a rechargeable conversion kit for it. Your solar panel offers 6Volts also. This could be an option, but I don't know how long it would take the solar panel to charge the equivalent of 2 123A 3-volt lithiums under good sunny conditions. If it takes a whole day to charge them half full, I'd probably rather not try it then.

The freeplay Jonta, as I've heard is probably the brightest cranker. However the minute of cranking for 10 minutes of light on power save mode tells me that it is too powerful. Also, the flashlight is just too big to carry on my waist I think. I guess I just don't like this flashlight. Also the warranty is not of little importance to me.

The SureFire L1 I think has only one option of light intensity, and I want at least 2.

It seems that there are a lot of those cheap Made in China crank chargers for cellphones. If only I knew how to take the parts needed to charge things out of those radios, they could be really small actually. I don't actually need the 10 connectors for cell phones and the radio with speakers and antenna. But I'm not sure how long of a crank I would have to perform to charge up a flashlight like a SureFire L7 or G2 or something.

I wish also if there were Speedy Chargers, meaning you can select the gear, so you can either crank 10 rounds easily to produce X energy, or crank once, and produce the same energy but, give off a lot as the crank would be hard.

Anyway I guess my biggest concern is with the Crank chargers. Where can I get a cheap and powerful one? Maybe all I need is that radio cranker, to just take out the mechanism and place in a smaller container.

It might be easier to buy a Fenix L2D-CE Q5, and have a bunch of AA batteries with you. Then you won't really have to worry about a broken crank charger and the light will work on used AA batteries(just not as bright of course, 8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8").

Lumen is a measurement of output. The common 2D battery light puts out about 15 lumens. the Minimag puts out about 9-10. the 4D maglite puts out about 60. The L2D-CE Q5 puts out about 150 something on turbo but about 10 lumen on low. A good LED can hit 240 lumen when driven at max recommend specs(I'm referring to the Cree XR-E Q5 driven at 1 amp). Surefire is a bit conservative with their outputs so the G2 would be around 85-95 lumen.

There is also Lux, which here means how far a flashlight would throw or project. Both the minimag and a cheap 2D light would have 900-1000 lux. The 4D maglite is around 9700 Lux. The L2D-CE Q5 would be around 3700-4000 lux. A good throwing stock LED light will hit 20000+ while a good incan or HID can easily be 10x that.

What are you looking for in your next light?
What's your price range?
Batteries?
Size?
Output?

:welcome:

Thanks for clearing up the lux's and lumens.
I stated my flashlight requirements in the first post I think, but I'll restate them again because maybe I changed my mind.
The flashlight must come with at least several years of warranty. I am almost 100% sure that I will be buying a surefire. I just like the USA Made/lifetime warranty and all the accessories that can be bought for them.

Price range is probably up to $150. If you have one suitable in mind over that, put it up still, because I'd still like to see it.

The situation with the batteries is - I need rechargeables. Most likely what I will get is a surefire with a rechargeable conversion kit, and I will have a portable cranker that will recharge the rechargeable battery for my SF.

Size should be around the same as a G2. Not too long or too heavy to wear on your belt.

Output, I still need to see how much 45, 60, or 80 would be because I really cannot imagine this now. But I guess something like 100 lumens offered by L7 lumamax is great.

I also require a lower light output option to switch between high and low intensity.

Lastly, I need an adjustable beamwidth which I know is an accessory called a Beam Diffuser for SureFire.

The fenix and pelican flashlights look interesting. But I just don't know about the reliability about the fenixes. If someone could tell me of their warranty, and generally the comparison of fenix flashlights vs regular cheapo China made ones, it would be appreciated. Thanks again.

Simply put:

Surefire: More durability and simple to use, more LEO oriented.

Fenix: Pretty durable, good performance, fast acting(when new technologies come), and good priced.

There have been many Surefire VS. Fenix arguments and I hope this doesn't become one(If it does start, I'll take the responsibility).

Most "Made in China" stuff is crap because the companies who have factories there make low prices products. I reality, a $1 made in US light won't be too different then a $1 made in China light(I would like to stay away from a political discussion too, please, this is to everyone).

There are many good Chinese flashlight manufacturers. Examples are Wolf Eye, Dereelight and Lumapower.

Most of the Fenix warranty in the US is handled by Fenix Store. They will be glad to replace any broken lights, problematic lights, or if you don't like the tint of the LED. They are pretty durable, look here for an example.

They don't have a flip type beam diffuser but you could make one easily by modding the red filter. The beam is not too narrow, it will light up a path pretty well. Look here for some beamshots. All of their newer lights at least have a low mode.

Fenix is actually one of the innovators in the market. They were the first to make a 1 AA powered Luxeon LED light. One of the earliest to get a Cree XR-E light to the market and they have really good circuity.

What lights do you have now?(I might be able to guesstimate the output)
Also, would you like your lights to be more throw oriented or flood oriented?

I use 18650 Li-ion rechargeable batteries. A bit thicker(about 2mm) then 2 stacked CR123 batteries and has more power. I would recommend AW's batteries. Though they won't fit in any Surefires or Fenix that I know of.

I still don't get why you want a hand cranked charger. IMO carrying spare batteries and a long running light would be easier.

If you are going for a Surefire, I would go for the 6P. There are many options for this light.

Thanks. The carrying batteries option is out of the question. I will be under different circumstances, I've just decided for myself that I will need a renewable endless energy source. No batteries.
Except for the rechargeable one.

Perhaps I should give the Fenixes another look if they are so well reputed. Please don't start a surefure vs fenis thing here. Though I would like to see a summary of the dispute, I would rather sacrifice that not to have the arguments.

I had a cheap 10-15 $ Chinese 32LED flashlight that I'd bought from ebay. But I lost it while swimming in a lake. That was a VERY good flashlight. The contact wasn't too great and I had to play a bit with aluminum foil soon, but it was a very powerful, energy efficient flashlight. It could have used a wider beam though.
Now I just have an 8 led flashlight. Bought it here in a store for also about 15$. It has a laser in the middle of the reflector. It's pretty bright, but it could use a good kick as well.

Surefire's - I can get a very good deal on. This is why I want to go with them. I'll still look at the fenixes now though.

The 8 LED light is probably around 20 lumen max. The 32 LED one is probably around 50-70 lumen.

They are both 5mm LED lights. A single highpower LED would fit in a smaller space and produce more light.

If you want cheap, bright, but decent quality, check the Cree, Seoul Rebel section of Dealextreme for lights getting good reviews.

The current generation LEDs have double or more the efficiency of the last generation LEDs. For the same power, the newer LEDs will have at least double the output of the previous generation LED.

Most common current generation LEDs: Cree XR-E P4-R2 bin, Seoul P4 U-bin, Luxeon Rebel 80 and Rebel 100.

Most common last generation LEDs: Luxeon I, III, V and K2.

Generally, the Fenix VS Surefire debate usually goes along the lines of output, price, and durability with Fenix being the lower priced but brighter company and Surefire begin the more durable company. That's what I understand the argument to be about. Each brand sells to a different crowd.

If you can get a very good deal on Surefires, get one that you know can be easily modded or legoed to suit your needs.

What ever you choose to go with, I hope you like it.

Thanks for the advice.
Now the only question that remains is where to get and which cranker to get. Take a look at this. http://www.rei.com/product/761905
It's an ultraviolet led water purifier. Portable with a solar panel to recharge the led's. However I would just like to buy the one without the panel and use the crank recharger that want to get for that. I just don't want to be left thirsty at night

Still looking for the crank charger..

Notsure Fire said:

The SureFire L1 I think has only one option of light intensity, and I want at least 2.

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Nope, two level light.

I stand corrected. However I am not sure that 65 lumens would be enough for me to use when I need a maximum blast. Secondly, there are no rechargers nor are there any beam diffusers for it.

:wave:Welcome to CPF. If you do decide to go the solar route it would be much easier to go with something like a Fenix that uses AA batteries (I recommend you get Sanyo Eneloop) look here for chargers.
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=aa+solar+charger&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

I stand corrected. However I am not sure that 65 lumens would be enough for me to use when I need a maximum blast. Secondly, there are no rechargers nor are there any beam diffusers for it.

Click to expand...

Being a owner of the new L1 Cree for a couple months now, I would say it's your best bet. It throws very well on both low and high, and both are more than adequate for usage everyday. Also when I ordered it I snagged a diffuser, I will say I use it with the diffuser on more than not, it takes away the hot spot and gives it a nice soft flood.

65 lumens is brighter than you would think, I was a little skeptical at first too, but, after using it outside on high... I don't see a need for anything brighter than 65.. now your day to day tasks might be different than mine but for what it's worth, I say +1 for L1 Cree

Steven

Yes the L1 looks more and more attractive to me now. The belt clip is not of little importance too.

However I made a discovery today. I noticed that other companies that produce flashlights of the same class as SureFire are onto the next technology. Maybe there is a catch, tell me if there is, but I noticed Fenix, UltraFire, and MTE selling cheaper flashlights that offer as much as 200 lumens.

The one Fenix flashlight that I am attracted to so far is the Fenix P3D Premium 100 because it has the 6 options with a max of 200 lumen. However it doesnt have a beam diffuser... A battery level indication is always useful too. http://www.fenixlight.com/flashlight/fenixp3d.htm

The R1 from UltraFire looks sweet also. http://www.newexcite.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3 It has 5 options of brightness with a max of 200 also. No beam diffuser, but the tinyness is a +. Runs on one battery so I guess it will last less.

Lastly, the one I am most attracted to is the MTE KS 3. Awesome light. Adjustable beam focus. Maximun of 140 lumens or energy saving power at 60 lumens. Full power: 2+ hours burn time, Energy saving: 15+ hours burn time. Waterproof. Uses 2 CR123A batteries. Length: 14.5cm. This is really a treat IMO. I don't know the warranty, but I am almost ready to buy the flashlight just to use all these features even if it only lasts me a month.

Someone please tell me about these 3 flashlights. I especially need as much info as possible about the MTE because I am most inclined to buy it. Thank you all.

Norm said:

:wave:Welcome to CPF. If you do decide to go the solar route it would be much easier to go with something like a Fenix that uses AA batteries (I recommend you get Sanyo Eneloop) look here for chargers.
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=aa+solar+charger&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Click to expand...

+1 for the Fenix AA option.

If recharging on the go is your thing, AA will give you many options.

The Fenix lights seem very nice, and are quite well received. I have not owned one yet, but wouldn't hesitate to buy one.
I had an old version of the L1, I loved it!!! The high is a LOT brighter than you think, and the new one is brighter yet!!!
The cheaper lights, it's buyer beware, you get what you pay for. And with you're perceived needs, being out in the woods for extended periods, I would not want to re lie on that quality as my only light.

What would be the problem that I will have to face with a non AA battery flashlight. I really like the MTE which uses CR123A batteries. How many volt's are in each? I see that most cheap crankers give off 6volts. The only problem is that I will probably have to crank a whole lot to charge up the batteries. Anyone know these MTE flashlights? Any good?

Out of the lower priced companies(Sub $35), the better ones are MTE, Ultrafire, Trustfire and Aurora, with the Romisen being the best quality for the price from what I have heard.

The main difference would be quality(Some are great, but others are only decent) and warranty(Most have none, but then, look at the price). They all use similar LEDs, just with different drivers and bodies. A cheap flashlight can easily be brighter then a more expensive one(Hows 100+ meter throw? Or 4 Cree LEDs? Both less then $50).

CR123 primaries are 3v, some rechargeables are 3v and 3.6v off the charger(some have a resistor to lower the voltage), the other ones are 3.7v and 4.2v off the charger.

Depending on your uses, the MTE might be good or bad(How's 20 modes? I found it easy to use). Common uses, the MTE and other budget lights will be fine. But for more abusive uses(Lots of drops and dings, but I did have one that took a 3 story drop and worked just fine), look at something of better quality.

The FMR1 is $24 shipped form Dealextreme(They also have a bunch of other lights that are also on newexcite for a lower price).

Overall, unless you for see lots of abuse, a cheaper light should work just fine. You probably won't be too mad if you loose one.

One of mine finally broke a month ago after over 6 months of drops, dings and throws, it met the road too hard and broke the driver board, the glass window was fine. It was my first 100+ lumen light and now it is working again with a 3 mode driver and a Cree XR-E Q5.