Help on getting a torch for around the house?

Hi guys, I'll list what I am looking for first of all;

- 2 D cell sized body
- Very floody light, very little (if any) hotspots with a very even spread of the light
- Dont need great throw (will only be used inside the house)
- Want a very natural light, ie no yellow/blue tints
- Want it to be reasonably bright but not intensely
- Not sure if I want an LED or Incan (dont know the difference if I'm honest)
- Runtime preferably as long as possible but not a necessity
- As cheap as possible

I know that's probably describing a Maglite, but I hate the standard maglite, the quality of the actual light that comes out is rubbish IMO. I know you get drop-ins but thats all I know, I dont know how bright they are or if they are worth getting or how much they are etc etc.

Can someone please narrow all the options down for me?

2 D maglite with Mag LEd dropin and defusing materiel on the lens.
Norm

You could also just remove the reflector entirely. A MagLED works fine like that.

Why a 2D body? Most leds lights are 1AA or 2AA bodies and at low light levels they can run for 10-30 hours, at max they can only run for 1-2 hours, but they they will give out more light than a 2D maglite.

For a VERY floody light, look at the Zebra headlight (1AA body), it can be used without the headband and is one of the best floody lights around.
The Zebra light is also perfect for a worklight, due to its very floody nature.

My best light for inside house use is the NovaTac, but it is not floody and the price is very high. For a quality regular flashlight, the Fenix L1D is very good (1AA body).

If I go outside or in the attic, I prefer a Fenix T1 or TK10, but they are using CR123A batteries.

Your 2D requirement seriously limits your choices. In fact... I can't recall the last time I saw a B&M store that even sold a NON-Mag 2D light... that was really worth the $$$.

Theres that Husky (Home Depot house brand), it uses a Luxeon I IIRC. My co-worker uses one and its dim, blue, and suffers a lot of cell-rattle. Too many thin springs inside this one for it to be CPF-worthy.

There was an open-box Brinkman 2D at Target and I was playing around with it the other day.... yuk... just too much cheap-feeling plastic for my tastes. It is a cree though, with a big/deep OP reflector. But if its smooth flood you're after, there probably are better choices. Overall it just didn't feel like a $25 light.

I would have a really hard time recommending one of those... 50 emitter, "shower-head" lights... those are just awful. My local Micro-center has those on the shelf, with batteries and they are junk.:thumbsdow, although a perfect tool for

I'm going to suggest a 2D mag-LED, and you modify it with a diffuser lens of some sort to diffuse the light.:thumbsup:

2D Maglite...

2D anything for that matter - an Eveready E250K is good...

(but the variable focus of the Maglite is helpful.)

...and replace the glass with the lens out of a 2" magnifying glass from the $2 shop.

The result is lovely.

OK, it seems as me choosing a 2D body is the wrong way to go, I just sorta like the size, its got a good feel when you're around the house, but I suppose I'm being silly limiting myself in that way.

I have a look at the Zebra light and that seems to be just perfect for what I am looking for in terms of floody light if it does what it says it does.

Anything else relate to the Zebra, or would that be the best that I would get? The runtime seems excellent, really nice size, and with a headband is a bonus obviously, I'm thinking the H50-Q5?

And fook me NovaTac are really expensive eh, how come?

TigerhawkT3 said:

You could also just remove the reflector entirely. A MagLED works fine like that.

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Trust me -- around the house, a maglite with a diffused window is MUCH better than one with no reflector. IMO the worst aspect of bright lights indoors, particularly LED lights, is that the spill bounces off of glass objects and windows and creates annoying glare. With the diffuser, you get a nice flood up close, the the light still has some directionality, and most importantly, the glare is dramatically reduced. Up close the light also no longer casts harsh shadows for the same reason.

Dr Forinor said:

OK, it seems as me choosing a 2D body is the wrong way to go, I just sorta like the size, its got a good feel when you're around the house, but I suppose I'm being silly limiting myself in that way.

I have a look at the Zebra light and that seems to be just perfect for what I am looking for in terms of floody light if it does what it says it does.

Anything else relate to the Zebra, or would that be the best that I would get? The runtime seems excellent, really nice size, and with a headband is a bonus obviously, I'm thinking the H50-Q5?

And fook me NovaTac are really expensive eh, how come?

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Just because a light is small... doesn't mean it can't have a hefty / solid feel. See the video reviews in my sig, none of these lights are anywhere near as big as a D-mag, but all are just as hefty and solid feeling in the hand. I would put the surefire 6P and Nuwai sportsman Extreme a notch above my 4-D maglight, from a fit, finish, and heft-feel criteria. Neither of these lights have "loose parts", that are free to rotate when the light is switched on. Thats one thing that always irked me about my minimag and 4D, I was always fiddling with the rotating head in a pointless effort to get the beam just right. Put the light down, and pick it up again and the beam is all shifted.

2xTrinity: So you think I should go with a MagLED with a diffuser rather than a Zebra light?

kramer5150: I see what you're saying, thanks for the input.So by the sounds of it, you dont recommend a Maglite, which do you think would be best for me in regards to what I am looking for taking out the 2D cell size?

I keep a Streamlight Twintask 2D in the house for the occasional power failure. It runs forever on 5 mm LEDs and also has a bulb for more output.
THe beam is not the best, but the light will run a LOOONg time on the low setting.

arty said:

I keep a Streamlight Twintask 2D in the house for the occasional power failure. It runs forever on 5 mm LEDs and also has a bulb for more output.
THe beam is not the best, but the light will run a LOOONg time on the low setting.

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Thats the thing though, I'd rather have a great beam with shorter runtime, thanks anyway.

How about a Lightwave 4000? Long runtime, probably a floody beam, not sure about the tint.

Dr. F,

Here's a tip: Use your torch in "candle-mode" or do the "ceiling bounce" when navigating around your house. :candle:

The spill/reflection will create the ultimate flood - illuminating the entire room you're standing in making artifacts and tints irrelevent.

Cheers,
Gary

Dr Forinor said:

2xTrinity: So you think I should go with a MagLED with a diffuser rather than a Zebra light?

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Get a zebralight, they are just great for working indoors. It lights up everything in front of you. You can use it as a normal flashlight, and you can use the headband and keep your hand's free whenever you want.

Dr Forinor said:

OK, it seems as me choosing a 2D body is the wrong way to go, I just sorta like the size, its got a good feel when you're around the house, but I suppose I'm being silly limiting myself in that way.

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Your can also getting the feel from smaller lights (Like T1 and TK10).

Dr Forinor said:

I have a look at the Zebra light and that seems to be just perfect for what I am looking for in terms of floody light if it does what it says it does.

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It does flood very well, if your look around, some people has posted beamshoots. But they can be at bit problematic to see, because a beamshoot is just one nearly uniform lit wall.

Dr Forinor said:

Anything else relate to the Zebra, or would that be the best that I would get? The runtime seems excellent, really nice size, and with a headband is a bonus obviously, I'm thinking the H50-Q5?

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I do not known of any other light with that good flood.

Dr Forinor said:

And fook me NovaTac are really expensive eh, how come?

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I believe a lot of factors goes into it:

• It is American made
• It is high quality
• It has lot of functions in a unique way
• It is sold as a premium light

But for an expensive light, try checking this one out: http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2953

Thanks everyone for the help, I've decided to go for the Zebra Light H50-Q5, all ordered and now just waiting eagerly.

Thanks muchly

Dr Forinor said:

2xTrinity: So you think I should go with a MagLED with a diffuser rather than a Zebra light?

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Looks like you already made your decision anyway, but my point wasn't so much that you should get the MagLED, as the fact that if you want to make your light more "floody", diffusing the window will give better results than removing the reflector. The same concept works for all lights, not just the Mag.

2xTrinity said:

Looks like you already made your decision anyway, but my point wasn't so much that you should get the MagLED, as the fact that if you want to make your light more "floody", diffusing the window will give better results than removing the reflector. The same concept works for all lights, not just the Mag.

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I understand what you mean now mate and thanks for the advise but I just had to get a hold of this Zebra Light to see what it could do :twothumbs