Looking for a new light, need expert advice.

CPF,

Since there are so many high end lights on the market these days, it's easy to overlook something. I need some advice/suggestions from folks that are more "into" flashlights than I am.

I have a NovaTac EDC 120, I am very happy with it, however I would like to purchase something else of a similar size and build quality but with more throw and less flood.

Here are my parameters...

Beam MUST be a narrow spot with generous throw.

Sturdy aluminum construction preferred.

Belt clip preferred.

Voltage regulation necessary.

Thermal protection preferred.

Single stage brightness would be fine so long as it is really bright and throws light a long distance.

It would be nice to find something that will run at high output for 10+ minutes without overheating.

Must accept CR123a type batteries (ability to use rechargeables would certainly be ideal but not absolutely necessary)

Single cell preferred but would consider a dual cell or multiple cell.

Price is an object, but would consider lights over $150.

Thanks,
Bean

Most of the new Surefire LED lights have TIR (Total Internal Reflection) lens which puts out a very tight spot with limited flood. These look like your best option, and trust me you will not be disappointed with a surefire.

curlyfry562 said:

Most of the new Surefire LED lights have TIR (Total Internal Reflection) lens which puts out a very tight spot with limited flood. These look like your best option, and trust me you will not be disappointed with a surefire.

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Thanks for the advice. I am not unfamiliar with Surefire lights, I have an L2 lumamax, but that is really floody as well. Used that as my EDC light until just recently when the NovaTac replaced it.

Any model you recommend specifically?

The L1, E1L, E2L, E1B, and E2DL (whew ) all use a total internal reflection system that gives a very tight spot. Of the models listed, the E2DL is the brightest, but it is a two cell light.

KeyGrip said:

The L1, E1L, E2L, E1B, and E2DL (whew ) all use a total internal reflection system that gives a very tight spot. Of the models listed, the E2DL is the brightest, but it is a two cell light.

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Ok, the E2D LED looks to be very similar to the L2 that I already have. Is it possible to just purchase the TIR head and replace the head on my L2? If so, which head is it?

Emailed with Surefire customer service. Reading between the lines of their response, it seems that the E2D LED head would work on the L2 body, but they refuse to sell it separately.

I guess they just want me to buy the entire light for another $150. No thanks. Seems like maybe Surefire has gotten so fat and sassy, that their customer service is sliding. Oh, well.

So Surefire is the only manufacturer that uses this sort of optic? I had a Gatlight V3 which had one of these types of optics, but I didn't like it because of the light that came out of the sides, it was very distracting. I ended up selling it.

Anyone have any Non-surefire suggestions?

How is the throw on the 120T?

Brigadier said:

How is the throw on the 120T?

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The NovaTacs seem to be more floody than spotty. My Novatac floods almost as well as my L2 lumamax. Which I'm told is one of the floodiest lights out there.

Floody is great for most things, and like I mentioned I am very satisfied with the Novatac for general use, but I need something real spotty for walking the dogs at night.

Also, at full brightness the Novatac's thermal protection kicks in after about 3-5 minutes, dimming the light. It's great that it's protecting my emitter from damage, but it stinks for walking the dogs. Especially at dusk, or with a full moon.

The Gatlight V3 threw light much further, but the light that comes out of the sides is so bad I found myself having to cover it up with my hand. Gatlight was great for looking at, but not so great for looking with. Plus you have to baby the thing, It would suck to drop a $300+ titanium flashlight on the asphalt.

Well, it takes C batteries and comes with a belt sheath, but for pure throw with very little side spill, I really like the 2C Cree Task Force from Lowe's.

Brigadier said:

Well, it takes C batteries and comes with a belt sheath, but for pure throw with very little side spill, I really like the 2C Cree Task Force from Lowe's.

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C cells would be a major disadvantage as that would be yet another type of battery that I have to stock around the house. But I'll look into it.

I do have an old 6D Maglight maybe I should jut get one of those triple Luxeon upgrade kits. That old thing is no fun to carry around, but I'd get some throw for sure. My wife works in a sleep research lab, they use D's in some of their portable equipment and only use them for a short while and replace them. I have boxes of partially drained Ds at home. So that's a viable option.

LLCoolBeans said:

Ok, the E2D LED looks to be very similar to the L2 that I already have. Is it possible to just purchase the TIR head and replace the head on my L2? If so, which head is it?

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The L1 and L2 have their regulating electronics in the body itself, and their heads are "dumb" (LED only; no electronics). They cannot be interchanged with other Surefire heads.

The E2DL head will work with the body of the E2E or E2L, however.

The L2 body is not compatable with any E series head because of the placement of the electronics.

Whoops, Asdalton's way ahead of me here.

LLCoolBeans said:

Anyone have any Non-surefire suggestions?

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There are other throwy LED lights, but most of them are much larger than the NovaTac. You could try checking out the Lumapower D-Mini. It's the original single cell LED thrower, and has slipped under the radar now that the "super throwers" like the DBS and Spear are in style.

LLCoolBeans said:

Anyone have any Non-surefire suggestions?

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The Inova T2-MP has the same output as the Novatac 120, but with a lot more throw. The disadvantages are that it's a 2-cell light (but small for its type) and that it has no clip. It is a single-stage light. Experience on CPF is that you're very likely to get a warm LED tint, which is good for outdoors.

Note that the light must have "MP" or "2008 version" in its label, or else you risk getting its outdated and much weaker predecessor.

asdalton said:

The L1 and L2 have their regulating electronics in the body itself, and their heads are "dumb" (LED only; no electronics). They cannot be interchanged with other Surefire heads.

The E2DL head will work with the body of the E2E or E2L, however.

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Well, that makes sense, why didn't Surefire just say that? Instead this is the answer I got:

[FONT=&quot]Dear Sir,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Unfortunately the E2D LED head is not available separately.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thank you[/FONT]

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:scowl:

KeyGrip said:

There are other throwy LED lights, but most of them are much larger than the NovaTac. You could try checking out the Lumapower D-Mini. It's the original single cell LED thrower, and has slipped under the radar now that the "super throwers" like the DBS and Spear are in style.

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At this point I'm willing to consider larger lights. Who makes the DBS and Spear?

The Raidfire Spear is by edgetac, the same bright minds who brought us the Nitecore Defender Infinity and soon the Nitecore Extreme. I got a chance to use one at PF10, very nice thrower, not too big either. But you might have trouble getting one, since I heard from the owner that they are apparently being sold to some Asian military source and consumers may have trouble getting them(Someone can check me on this, only a word of mouth thing)


The DBS is a Deereelight

:welcome:

Thanks guys, I now have quite a few options to look into. That's what I was looking for.

A LumaPower D-Mini Digital Q5 hits about 90% of your requirements. Well made, signle cell regulated thrower that can run on high until the batteries are dead and use primary or rechargeable CR123A and with accessories can run on 1X18650 or even 2XAA's.

The new Surefire E2DL is also a pretty effective thrower in a pretty small package.


Lastly the Olights have surprising good throw for 'small format' lights. Deep reflectors = great throw.