Confused about LED

Hi everyone I have been haunting these forums for a while now but have just joined.

I own a 2 AA Minimag, 2 D Maglite and a 6 D Maglite, I always thought these where pretty good. After reading some of the posts here I am not so sure of this. The size of my big lights has always bugged me so I thought I would buy a 3 cell AA Minimag, that however was before I learned that there are other brands.

Are the LED Maglites really just over rated? Here in Australia they are quite expensive. I saw a Surefire for the first time a few nights ago and was very impressed. I don't know how it compares with my Maglites because I did not have them there.

Looking at the Fenix P3D I feel that light would fit me perfectly, essentially replacing all my Maglites.
I must confess I do love the simplicity of my Maglites though.

I am sorry for the dumb noob post but I have been researching this a lot and have not found the answer I am looking for. I guess what I am really asking is whether the Maglites just cant cut it against the likes of Fenix and Surefire? I would also like to know whether the Fenix is made as well as the Maglites.
Mostly I use my torches outdoors well out of town, in all kinds of weather. It will be used as a spot style light for seeing in the distance and as a general use torch.

There are a couple of things your must be aware of when looking at the new types of lights.

1) Most new lights uses something called HA3 on the surface of the flashlight, is is considerable stronger than the Maglite coating, i.e. it does not scratch easily.

2) A Maglite can run "forever" on a set of batteries, many new lights can only run between 1 and 2 hour at max, but can also run forever and beyond on the lowest levels.

3) The batteries in the Maglite is easy and cheap to get in any shop, but many new lights uses CR123A batteries that are expensive and difficult to get (Basically your have to buy them on the internet).

3a) Led lights that uses common batteries (typical AA or AAA), are not at their best when using alkaline, they need rechargeables for best performance.

4) Leds exist in many different efficiency categories and some manufactures are still using the old one, that only gives 50% of the light that a new one does, while using the same power. The Cree Q5 is one of the good leds.

5) Most leds are fixed focus, i.e. they can not be changed between far throw and close lightning. But they usual have a much nicer beam than a focusable light.

The P3D is a very good light, but your might also check the Fenix L2D, that is a 2*AA light with nearly the same abilities.
Another way to get a good flashlight solution is to get the Fenix TK10 and the Fenix L0D.

Thanks for replying so quick HKJ. CR123A batteries are really easy to get here in any supermarket, I have found a few good online Australian stores selling them for only $2.50 AU as well.
I have looked at the TK10 but wondered what the advantages are of the tactical style torch? Is it much better than the P3D?
I have also seen the Dereelight brand, are they any good? Looking at there website they have a nice simple lineup and seem to be high quality.

I am afraid to say I am a flashoholic, and it wasn't until I found this website that I realized there are others. I have kept it all a secret for long enough and am ready to start buying.

Pahrens said:

I have looked at the TK10 but wondered what the advantages are of the tactical style torch? Is it much better than the P3D?
I have also seen the Dereelight brand, are they any good? Looking at there website they have a nice simple lineup and seem to be high quality.

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Ignoring the part about tactical, it is a very good general purpose flashlight and it is brighter than the P3D.

The switch is a forward switch, this means that your can just push it halfway in to get a quick flash of light, with P3D your need to push the switch all the way in and then push again to turn it off.

I do not have any Dereelight lights, but they look fine and many people likes them. But watch out for the batteries, mostly they uses Li-Ion rechargables (A thing that is problematic with many Fenix models).

The Fenix L2D is superb and is a serious piece of kit that runs off 2 aa batteries.
I do not have a TK10 but it is a very good flashlight. The Fenix lights are much better quality than Maglites IMHO.
The only downside if you are coming from maglites is that the beam can not be focused in Fenix lights. The beam is much nicer and has more usefull spill though in my opinion.

Most people here would say that there are many other brands far superior to the Maglite offerings and often at a much more resonable price.

I did not realize there was a problem using re-chargeable batteries in these lights. I would like to use both primary and re-chargeable types.
The Sure fire Nitrolon G2 LED looks kind of nice but they all seem so expensive for what you are getting.
Can I expect a light like the TK10 to be as bright as my 4 D Cell Maglite?

Thanks Tony M. If the quality is higher in the Fenix lights maybe I should be looking at this TK10. Or like you say the L2D, the AA factor is nice. It is hard to tell the quality of these things from photos on the internet.

Pahrens said:

I did not realize there was a problem using re-chargeable batteries in these lights. I would like to use both primary and re-chargeable types.
The Sure fire Nitrolon G2 LED looks kind of nice but they all seem so expensive for what you are getting.
Can I expect a light like the TK10 to be as bright as my 4 D Cell Maglite?

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Rechargeable AA NIMH batteries are ideal in the L2D. The issue is that 3.7v lithium rechargeables are not so good in the P3D. They work OK in the TK10 though as it lacks the multi level modes (except the bezel controlled 2 levels), but runtime is also less as primary lithiums are higher capacity than rechargeable lithiums.

The P3D has a lightweight skinny body which provides insufficient heatsinking for Turbo Mode. So there is a recommendation not to run in Turbo mode for longer than 10 or 15 minutes (can't remember which).
The beefier TK1/TK10 body can handle the full output of the LED and there are no limitations on the runtime in Turbo mode

The TK1/TK10 has a momentary/forward clickie switch which allows you to signal via morse code. The P3D's reverse clickie just keep switching modes if you try to do that.

The lumpy bumpy TK1/TK10 has a more rugged look for those who want to pose with their flashlight.

Pahrens said:

I did not realize there was a problem using re-chargeable batteries in these lights. I would like to use both primary and re-chargeable types.
The Sure fire Nitrolon G2 LED looks kind of nice but they all seem so expensive for what you are getting.
Can I expect a light like the TK10 to be as bright as my 4 D Cell Maglite?

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Your can use rechargeables in some of the Fenix lights, a general rule is: A led light with two CR123A batteries can be replaced with two 16340 Li-Ion batteries.

I also have a G2 led (old style), and like it, but is can not match the TK10 in output and it is only one level.

The maglite 4D is rated at around 122 lumens (lumen is total amount of light from the light), the TK10 is rated at 225 lumen. I.e. it put out more light.


A 2D maglite is 36 lumen, try comparing that to the L0D, that small light puts out more light!

LEDninja said:

The P3D has a lightweight skinny body which provides insufficient heatsinking for Turbo Mode. So there is a recommendation not to run in Turbo mode for longer than 10 or 15 minutes (can't remember which).

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That warning is not really that important, most of the time your can use turbo mode for much longer.
But if your turn it on in turbo mode and puts in in your pocket , it need to get rid of some heat and can not do that in a pocket.

I am surprised the Maglite 4 D puts out so much more than the 2 D.
If the TK10 is that much brighter maybe it is the light I am really looking for. I saw a video of someone putting one in a press, they applied 21,000 pounds of pressure before it stopped working. Must be fairly tough then.
How would a Fenix TK10 compare with a Deree CL1H?

Pahrens said:

I am surprised the Maglite 4 D puts out so much more than the 2 D.
If the TK10 is that much brighter maybe it is the light I am really looking for. I saw a video of someone putting one in a press, they applied 21,000 pounds of pressure before it stopped working. Must be fairly tough then.
How would a Fenix TK10 compare with a Deree CL1H?

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Your can check the maglite specifications here:
http://www.maglite.com/lampspecs_dcell.asp

The light under the press was a T1, not TK10. The T1 has a steel ring in the head, making it extra solid.
That is not to say the TK10 is weak, it is very tough, but probably not as tough as the T1.

Are there any other really good brands to consider?

Pahrens said:

Are there any other really good brands to consider?

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Many, but some brands only have one or two lights.

Some of the good brands I have are:
Olight, NovaTac, LiteFlux, Tiablo, LumaPower, Edge (Nitecore Defender and RaidFire Spear)

Well I think I have narrowed my choice down to Fenix. Now I just need to narrow it down within the range. I am thinking the TK10 because it is so bright and tough, the P3D because it is so bright and small and the the L2D because it is still really bright but takes AA batteries. All of them is not an option either. Although I may buy a P1CE the replace the horrible Maglite solitaire on my key ring.

Are you guys really sure these lights put out as much brightness as a 4 cell maglite? I just saw a photo of a P3D next to a Minimag and it is smaller, how can this be possbile? I can hardly believe something so small can produce so much light.

The Fenix LOD is another option for a keychain light too. It takes 1 aaa cell and is a lot slimmer than the P1D.
Link https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_69_49&products_id=191

You were confused about LED's and you are probably even more confused now! :devil:

Your can look at them beside each other here (The L1D is without head):




For key ring usage I believe the slim form of the L0D is better than P1D.

Pahrens said:

Are you guys really sure these lights put out as much brightness as a 4 cell maglite? I just saw a photo of a P3D next to a Minimag and it is smaller, how can this be possbile? I can hardly believe something so small can produce so much light.

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Yes, very sure!