Need some advice

Hi Guys.

I found this website few days ago, and I didnt know before that flashoholics existed, lol .

Well I've been looking at some diffrent flashlights last few days, and i found some candidates, but would like some advice.
I would like to buy a Cree Led around 20$, preferably over 100 lumens and on AA or AAA batteries.

I found 2 interesting candidates on Ebay, Ultrafire C3 cree xr-e P4 and Romisen H3 Cree xr-e P4. They both ship from Hongkong and both state "over 120 lumens". The ultrafire is around 20$ and the Romisen is around 14$. When I google them and find other stores selling them none of them state over 100 lumens, so is this guy lying or what?
Are these lights good, or is there some better out there within my price range and desired Lumens output.

:welcome:

I would be skeptical about ebays advertised figures.
Dealextreme has good offers.

This may be worth a look.
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-53/Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-CREE-Q5/Detail
Runs off AA batteries. I have 2 of the standard P4 models and they are pretty good. CPF member "lightbug" runs that site.

There is plenty of good stuff out there!

Good luck.

Hey Toni, Thanks for the tip, that light seems strong enough, but its quite long, i was hoping for a slim, 1 AAA size? ..

Why is there so bad information about Lumens on dealextreme and other such websites.

In that case, there's the KD buckle light V4 thats runs off of 1 AAA and supposedly puts out 110 lumens. but probably more like 80-90 which is still ridiculous for 1 AAA and an unnoticeable difference.

:welcome:

Hello Sir lightalot, lol, Like the name.

This one looks interesting, but it has a very short running time, and it seems so simple lookwise, maybe the making is simple too, ? Maybe the SS ultrafire c3, would be a good choise for a first Flashlight .

I was thinking about the Fenix L2d Ce Q5 with 175 lumens, but its a bit too much. maybe go for this one later.

When i first started too look around for these kind of flashlight and read they are made of airplane aluminuim and so small i thought, Wow, they must endure alot, but then i read reviews on dealexxtreme for example and it seems to be enough to drop them on the floor to stop working. are they really so sensitive?

Thanks! Sometimes if a lights "insides" aren't potted properly, the driver or led could get damaged if dropped. I think the C3s are know for this.

BTW, have you looked through BessieBenny's sticky thread at the top of the LED forum?

I'm not sure what the exact lumen output on this light is but I have the P4 version of this light and that alone is a really sweet light, so I can only imagine the q5 is even better.
The thread:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=179032

I agree that considering your budget and wants, this is probably the best you can do for now. And, I understand that these are pretty good lights and backed by a CPF member.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=179032

Also, my advice is not to get too carried away with the lumens thing. There are lots of other factors to consider like lighting needs, focus (beam pattern), battery type & capacity, regulation, etc... And, most people don't use their lights on the brightest setting all the time or even most of the time. The brighter the output, the shorter the battery life.

When you can save up (or get Santa to get you one), the Fenix L1/L2D Q5 is a very good and popular AA light.

Welcome to CPF! :wave:

Thanks for the tips guys, I will probably get the Romison. On the website it says that it has "Constant brightness: Up to 215 LED Lumens" So it is stronger then the fenix l2d ce Q5 on paper, but how do they compare in real life tests?

In the thread that roymail posted a link to, shininghbeam says: " It runs about 4 hours, and its brightness is at least 110+ Lumens"...What to make of that? is it 110 or 215? :candle:.

Any warranty for the lights purchased from shiningbeam?

Ask those questions directly to shiningbeam in a PM... better that way.

Again, lumens is a bit of a relative term.

I can pretty much guarantee you that the Fenix is brighter but also don't forget that is had 6 modes and a lifetime warranty when bought at the fenix-store. You wont regret buying it.

The RC-N3 Q5 that Shiningbeam sells might have 215 lumen at the LED if it's driven with one 3.7v RCR123 battery. It won't hit that much lumen with 2 A battery.

For something lower priced, the RC-N3 Q5 should be pretty good.

Lumen can be pretty irreverent at times.

1 AAA battery doesn't have the power density to supply a high power LED with a high current for any decent length of time.

:welcome:

I'll send him a pm then, is lightbug same person as shiningbeam ?

So I take it that the whole lumens deal is a bit vague, but how else is one to determine accuratly how strong a flashlight is, in the jungle there are so many diffrent flashlights brands, with diffrent models, and many same models with diffrent Leds. And when people write "Up to xx lumens" "over xx lumens". It all seems a bit diffuse to me oo:

Lets take the case with the "Romison RC-N3 Q5" It can run on 2xAA and 1xcr123a, on the shiningmeab it states 215, so I assume that it should be 215 lumens with a cr123a battery, right? In that case it should be stronger then the fenix l2d ce q5 180 lumens?

Also if they both (l2d ce Q5 and Rc-n3 Q5) use the same Led and same 2xAA batteries, wouldnt they be equally strong?

Sorry about the long posts, I just trying to learn, its a bit to much to take in, but trying to do it as fast as possible so I can order a flashlight without regrets.:huh:

The RC-N3 Q5 might be 215 at the LED(around 140-170 lumen out the front) with a 3.7v RCR123 battery. With the 3.7v RCR123 battery, the driver will go to direct drive and the battery will be pretty much directly powering the LED, this will make the LED pretty bright for as long as the battery can sustain the voltage.

The RC-N3's reflector is also larger then the L2D, so that will also make it throw further.

The LED is not directly connected to the battery like most incandescent lamps. White LEDs usually take 3.3-3.7v to run correctly(brightly), so a 1.5v AA battery won't even light up the LED. There has to be a circuit between the LED and battery to boost the voltage up to the right place. The same goes for 2 CR123 batteries(or any source above 4v) except the circuit now lowers the voltage to the right place. Most circuits can either buck or boost, there are a few that can do both.

The RC-N3 uses a boost circuit like the L2D, but the components are different and so is the drive current. The modes of the L2D(and many more complex multimode lights) are controlled by a microprocessor.

There is much more about circuits, but they might confuse you further.

I can guarantee that a L2D Q5 will be brighter than the N3 for longer. Fenix is unbeatable in terms of efficiency, and DX lights aren't really pushing the envelope for output. I own a L2D Q5 myself, and I can also attest that it will be used as a highly valuable tool long after its LED is outdated.

There aren't many high output AAA lights out there because a AAA battery simply doesn't have enough juice. Really there are only two. The LF2X is the king, with output well over 100 lumens. But I prefer the KD Buckle V4. You sacrafice HAIII coating, programmability, and a bit of output. But you gain beam quality, double the runtime on max, and a bit better regulation, as well as a bit of alkaline compatability. Ouput is also amazing, probably over 100 lumens as attested by multiple owners. And, it's half the price of the LF2X.

While on a AAA note, I should really mention the Fenix L0D Q4. 75 lumens on max is a bit under your minimum, but it's still an amazing amound of light out of a AAA battery. And with Fenix, you get excellent built quality, efficiency, regulation, and design. I just received the L0D CE as an award for a survey, and although it's only 50 lumens on max, and I'm running it with a dimmer alkaline battery, it still amazes me.

Thanks for the long explenations guys.

So let me see if I got this right, the RC-N3 never actually goes up to actuall 215 lumens with a cr123a battery? But it potentially can with a stronger battery? So when they put out the lumens, they mean the maximum possible when you combine the given led, circuitry and maximal power possible? But in this case a cr123a battery would give the RC-N3 as you said around 140-170 lumens, so with 2xAA should be below that, maybe around 120-130 lumens?

In the end I will probably end up with a kickass Fenix 60$+, but in the meantime I will explore a bit with the cheaper lights and learn more. Fenix is the best choice as mentioned they make small and strong lights, and they have lifetime warranty, and they also look good.

I was thinking about a l0d Q4 as a nice keychain everyday light, but I think its a bit pricy at 46$, considering how much more you get out of a L2D CE Q5 for just 15$ more.

You can get the Fenix L2D for $50 shipped right now. Check it out!

I saw that roymail, but thats the 135 lumens version, When i buy the L2D CE id want the one with 175 , but thanks anyway :thumbsup:

It's not really a more powerful battery, it's a battery with less capacity but higher voltage which causes the driver to be temporarily be of no use so the battery drives the LED directly.

With that, 215 lumen at the LED should be possible. But lumen at the LED would be less then lumen out the front due to losses in the reflector and window of the flashlight. So the lumen they put out is with the 3.7v RCR123 battery at the LED lumen.

2 rechargeable AA batteries should get you a max of 100 lumen out the front.

Edooo said:

I saw that roymail, but thats the 135 lumens version, When i buy the L2D CE id want the one with 175 , but thanks anyway :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

That was when it had a P4 but apparently they're hard to come by so it will most likely use a Q2 or Q4.