Just Found the World of Lights

I found this forum today, I am a member of other forums, but never knew that one existed for lights. It is amazing the information compiled here. So much info that it is near impossible for me to decipher.
I have recently begun looking for a couple lights. I had decided on the following two, until...I found CPF.com. Now I am confused and not sure what to do. So a couple questions about some lights I was looking at on www.ledwholesalers.com
I am looking for a good hand held flood light and was looking at getting two of these:
158 LED Flashlight Portable Flood light 3 D Torch

And I was looking at getting a really bright light that throws the light very far, no real reason, just for fun, and was looking at getting one of these(not sure yet as to what battery combination I was planning on using, as I am still new to this wonderful world, and not yet sure how the different batteries perform in different lights):

Quad Q4 Tactical 4 3 watt Cree 650 Lumen flashlight 7 to 17V


So any help or advice would be appreciated. Are there comparable lights that are cheaper out there? What type of batteries are recommended for run time/brightness? Any help for this proverbial newbie.

Thanks

:welcome:

I do not know the lights your are linking to, but I would suggest your start by looking at some of the more common lights around here:

Fenix, Surefire (Watch your wallet), OLight, LumaPower, Tiablo, Inova

Some popular dealers are:
http://www.batteryjunction.com/
http://www.fenix-store.com/
http://www.lighthound.com/
And i probably missed some too.


Also check your selections in the review section, it contains some very usefull info about many different lights.

The quad won't throw very well, as the seperate reflectors are so small. I recommend 18650's and a fast(ish, lithiums can't fully chrage in less than 3H or so) charger:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6105
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5776

With this light for lots of throw:

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=4267


You'll probably want to get 2 packs of the batteries, so if you get a dud you don't have to wait ages for a replacement with nothing to power your light (I learnt how annoying this is the hard way!). I posted a review/some mods to do to the above light which you should look up if you end up getting it. (recommended if you know which end of a soldering iron is which )

:welcome: Good to see your here.
Norm

Welcome Mike,
I'm a newbie too and just spent about $500 on parts for mods and a couple used lights. I have so much to learn, right now, all this "Vf", "ROP", "Mag85", etc sounds like Chinese to me!

:welcome:

Have a funeral for your cash.

Mike17L said:

Quad Q4 Tactical 4 3 watt Cree 650 Lumen flashlight 7 to 17V

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There is something wrong with this flashlight's description. It says: 4 premium white and bright high efficiency Q4 bin Cree XRE P4 LEDs. It is not clear if LEDS are Q4 or P4.

linterno said:

There is something wrong with this flashlight's description. It says: 4 premium white and bright high efficiency Q4 bin Cree XRE P4 LEDs. It is not clear if LEDS are Q4 or P4.

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Thats why I asked the question, I know nothing about these types of lights, I am brand new to this world. Is there a FAQ section some where on the web for these types of lights?

There will be no funeral needed for your cash. It is going to live on very well. Just kiss it goodbye. It is going away to live with someone else. But cheer up, you are going to have alot of very small, very bright, little buddys come take your cash's place.

Seriously, look very hard at SureFire and Fenix. You will have trouble going wrong with these two makers. Now all you have to decide is the correct models. Tell us what you want to do with your new lights, and then we can discuss models.

Go to the SureFire web site and order a free catalog and then go study the Fenix Store web site. You have alot of home work to do. Have fun. It is a steep learning curve.

ugrey said:

There will be no funeral needed for your cash. It is going to live on very well. Just kiss it goodbye. It is going away to live with someone else. But cheer up,you are going to have alot of very small, very bright, little buddys come take your cash's place.

Seriously, look very hard at SureFire and Fenix. You will have trouble going wrong with these two makers. Now all you have to decide is the correct models. Tell us what you want to do with your new lights, and then we can discuss models.

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I do not know yet what I want to do. I know I want a couple lights that are good for flood. One of my passions is reptiles, in particular snakes. One way to collect snakes from the wild in West Texas is to walk along rock cuts (walls left from the blasting process when putting in roads) and shine the cuts looking for snakes. The wider and brighter the beam, the better the ability to find snakes.


I am also looking for something for fun and well lets be honest, to impress my friends. So something that puts out alot of light and throws it a long way.

Of course, cheaper is better, but I understand more money usually equals better quality, and am ready to do what I must. I just want to make sure I am getting the best quality for what I am spending, like any other person.


Thanks for all the help guys.

Mike17L said:

Of course, cheaper is better, but I understand more money usually equals better quality, and am ready to do what I must. I just want to make sure I am getting the best quality for what I am spending, like any other person.


Thanks for all the help guys.

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For a thrower, and a money saver, I highly recommend the Aurora WF-600 Q5. You can purchase it from DealExtreme.com, the only downside is you will have to wait a couple of weeks to get it after you order. You can get it in 2 versions, multivoltage, or single. The single takes 1 18650 rechargeable Lithium. The multi V will handle either 1 18650, or 2 CR123A's (or RCR123a's, the rechargeable version). Both are 2 mode (hi/lo).

Do a search here on CPF and you can find a lot of info about these lights.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8672
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8537

This throws with the big boys, but for a lot less money. As far as quality, its HAIII, and my fit & finish is perfect. Definitely worth every penny.

Mike17L said:

Thats why I asked the question, I know nothing about these types of lights, I am brand new to this world. Is there a FAQ section some where on the web for these types of lights?

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Yes, there is.

Hi!

The Fenix P3D is an extremely versatile light that you can slip in your pocket and use all sorts of ways, from restaurant or late night (low mode) to night hikes (high modes, long throw) to a blackout (stands on its tail like a candle).

Uses 2 RCR123A (rechargeable) batteries, available here:

AW's LiIon Batteries Sales Thread

The Dereelight CL1H, a bit larger, is also terrific - get both reflectors (for $3.50 extra) and you've got an excellent thrower as well as a great general-purpose light. I like the 3-stage digital (3SD) version - it's bright, versatile and gets great runtime on a single "18650" battery (see battery link above).

The Ultrafire WF-139 charger ($15 from AW) handles both battery types listed above, as well as others.

This battery is also highly recommended:

TrustFire Protected 18650 Lithium Battery (2400mAh 2-Pack Gray)

For a larger, more powerful light using the latest technology, consider this one:

Maglite with P7, $99.99 , or $129.99 w/' C' bin guarantee

For that you'll need rechargeable (NiMH) D or C cells and a more expensive charger.

Look around, take your time, and have fun!:welcome:

Howdy Mike17L, welcome to CPF,
I'll throw in my 2 cents here...... before you go spending gobs of hard earned mula (there's plenty of time for that later).... spend a little time reading as many flashlight reviews and threads as you can.

We have an excellent review area here at CPF, but here are some other sites that I've found helpful as well:

http://www.light-reviews.com/
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/features/buyers_guide.htm
http://www.cpfreviews.com/
http://flashlightnews.org/
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/

Have fun, and happy hunting!

Welcome to CPF

:welcome:

read up and learn....then buy :thumbsup:

:welcome:

It seems like small lights that put out a lot of light impress people more then big lights that put out more lumen.

So maybe something small and lower priced first.

What lights do you have now, because if you have a maglite, you can probabaly make a ROP or Mag85 mod.

If you want throw, somthing with 1 LED and a bigger reflector will throw furtzher then something else with more LEDs but smaller reflectors.

I have just two things to say.

www.streamlight.com and www.brightguy.com.

Streamlight has some serious multi-led lights and I also recommend the new C4 led Scorpion and their TL-2.

Also, a long throw is somewhat incompatible with a flood beam.

TigerhawkT3 said:

Yes, there is.

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Thanks, I am reading now.

Mark620 said:

:welcome:

read up and learn....then buy :thumbsup:

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But I just got my income tax back, I want to buy now. This is so hard.

Rocketman said:

Also, a long throw is somewhat incompatible with a flood beam.

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I guess I didnt clarify enough, I am looking for multiple lights, one for throwing, one or two for flood.

flood: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10452