Need help getting into the Flashlight world

Hey guys, I'm definitely new to the world of flashlights. I used to have a 4-D Maglight that my dad bought me 10 years ago or so...and I used that up until a year ago. I picked up a Surefire G2 b/c I wanted something smaller. It had what I think is good output around 60 lumens. Anyway, I was looking around my local outdoor place and saw a deal on a Streamlight Stinger LED. I liked the rechargeable aspect vs having to buy new CR123's. The output is around 80 lumens I think which isn't that much more than my G2. I have 30 days to return the unit, and from browsing the web I've found many lights with crees that are alot cheaper. What can you guys recommend? I'm looking for a light that will be used primarily around the house and maybe some light outdoor use. I don't want anything too huge...12" or smaller is good. As far as output, as much as possible with CR123's or a rechargeable system would be great. If sticking with CR123's the longer the runtime the better.....I think I get an hour out of my G2 and two 123s.

Thanks for helping a noob out guys.

9P + 2x17500 (or 3xCR123A) + Dereelight 3SM (or M60) + FM34. That combo is one of the most (if not the most) adaptable and flexible SureFire setups available.

:welcome:
Pocket keychain
Fenix L0D Q4 (1AAA)
$42.78 after discount

Pocket or belt
Fenix L1T v2.0 (1AA)
$42.78

House or car
Fenix L2T v2.0 (2AA)
$44.12

There are a lot of cheaper lights but quality control is weak, so you take your chances whether you get a good sample or bad.
I had 2 that act up, eventually died, 2 that need a lot of fiddling to get to work, 2 with battery fit problems.

I bought 4 of these in 2 seperate oders. MTE 1AA 1 mode All 4 work well and there are QC stickers on all 4 boxes. Do not get the multimodes as the UI stinks.
Romisen seem to have their act together. The only one I got is a 3AAA which I will not recommend as runtime is only 1 hour.

The AA/AAA lights do not work well with alkalines so get some LSD NiMH and charger. Make sure the charger can charge 1,2,3,4 cells instead of just 2 or 4. Some LSD NiMH Eneloop, Duracell pre-charged, RayOvac Hybrid.

I do not have any CR123A lights so have no recommendations in that size.

Bessie bennie has reviews of a lot of the cheaper lights here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/199062

Selfbuilt has reviews of 1AA multistage lights
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/186665
and CR123A lights
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/201117

LEDninja said:

:welcome:
Pocket keychain
Fenix L0D Q4 (1AAA)
$42.78 after discount

Pocket or belt
Fenix L1T v2.0 (1AA)
$42.78

House or car
Fenix L2T v2.0 (2AA)
$44.12

There are a lot of cheaper lights but quality control is weak, so you take your chances whether you get a good sample or bad.
I had 2 that act up, eventually died, 2 that need a lot of fiddling to get to work, 2 with battery fit problems.

I bought 4 of these in 2 seperate oders. MTE 1AA 1 mode All 4 work well and there are QC stickers on all 4 boxes. Do not get the multimodes as the UI stinks.
Romisen seem to have their act together. The only one I got is a 3AAA which I will not recommend as runtime is only 1 hour.

The AA/AAA lights do not work well with alkalines so get some LSD NiMH and charger. Make sure the charger can charge 1,2,3,4 cells instead of just 2 or 4. Some LSD NiMH Eneloop, Duracell pre-charged, RayOvac Hybrid.

I do not have any CR123A lights so have no recommendations in that size.

Bessie bennie has reviews of a lot of the cheaper lights here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/199062

Selfbuilt has reviews of 1AA multistage lights
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/186665
and CR123A lights
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/201117

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I kinda wanted to stay with the CR123s since my G2 takes them. I saw the Fenix Tk10 flashlight. Says it's 225lumens on turbo. 60lumens on normal. This is the type of output I'm looking for. Mabye a little less than 225 if I can get more than 2hours of runtime on CR123s...if thats possible. Can you get rechargeable CR123s? Any other recommendations along those lines? I'll take a look at the rest of the links you posted.

There are rechargable CR123's called RCR123's or 16340's, but the most common type charges up to 4.2v, so you have to be careful what lights you use them in. Some lights work fine with them, some will instantly commit suicide. Also, RCR123's will have roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of the runtime of a primary CR123 cell.

The TK11 and P3D might be what you are looking for. The P3D takes RCR123's happily, and I suspect the TK11 does also (it's pretty new, I am not sure if it's been checked yet). The TK11 does take 18650's, which is just a tad bigger than two CR123's, and has the runtime of two primary CR123's. With it, you get the best of both worlds, with great runtime and rechargability.


The other thing you can do is put a LED lamp in your G2, which can give you the option of running rechargables in it, along with getting more battery life out of your cells.

Hi, :welcome:

Personally, I would drop a Malkoff M60L http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_8&products_id=8 in your G2...I am thrilled with mine! Very bright (140 lumens) with about 4 1/2 hours runtime (probably longer) on a set of CR123s. I had the same complaint as far as my Cr123 lights go...none of them had very good runtime. The M60L has the best of both worlds, very bright (but not so bright you can't use it indoors) decent throw, great spill and excellent runtime.

They're a little pricey, but very high quality and worth every penny. And you won't find better customer service anywhere! :thumbsup:

It's great to finally have a bright 123 light that I can afford to run on primaries!

Toohotruk said:

Hi, :welcome:

Personally, I would drop a Malkoff M60L http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_8&products_id=8 in your G2...I am thrilled with mine! Very bright (140 lumens) with about 4 1/2 hours runtime (probably longer) on a set of CR123s. I had the same complaint as far as my Cr123 lights go...none of them had very good runtime. The M60L has the best of both worlds, very bright (but not so bright you can't use it indoors) decent throw, great spill and excellent runtime.

They're a little pricey, but very high quality and worth every penny. And you won't find better customer service anywhere! :thumbsup:

It's great to finally have a bright 123 light that I can afford to run on primaries!

Click to expand...

That is also a good idea. I'll probably pick up another light, plus convert my G2 with the above drop in. Is that site always sold out? I was looking to get the Mag-Lite D cell drop in too, but that is sold out aswell.


I'm liking the TK11 so far. Any other recommendations around that price range?

The Malkoff would best enjoy being put in a 6P or similar, all-metal bodied light to wisk away heat. He's often sold out because he's a custom maker in high demand here. You just need to get on his email list and jump when he offers some up.

A pretty complete list of available P60 style dropins is here
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/193992

and MagLite here
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/193434

Yes, becareful with running a high power LED in a polymer light. The LED could overheat and die if left to run for a long enough period of time. Malkoff seems to be one of the few who make lower output (lower current to the LED, less heat) drop-ins that run fine in polymer lights.

Malkoff makes things by hand so he is usually out of products.

For around the Tk11's price range, I'd suggest the Dereelight CL1H. It would be easier to upgrade(it accepts the same modules as the G2) but it does cost more though. Dereelight also has the DBS as you can see from the page. But that is much more of a thrower light and probably doesn't suit what you want. I don't think the CL1H or TK11 does either. They are pretty bright for indoor use even on low mode.

I'd use something like the P3D-CE Q5 or Olight T20 if you want to use CR123s. 8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8" and coupon at Battery Junction is "CPF2006".

:welcome:

Gunner12 said:

Yes, becareful with running a high power LED in a polymer light. The LED could overheat and die if left to run for a long enough period of time. Malkoff seems to be one of the few who make lower output (lower current to the LED, less heat) drop-ins that run fine in polymer lights.

Malkoff makes things by hand so he is usually out of products.

For around the Tk11's price range, I'd suggest the Dereelight CL1H. It would be easier to upgrade(it accepts the same modules as the G2) but it does cost more though. Dereelight also has the DBS as you can see from the page. But that is much more of a thrower light and probably doesn't suit what you want. I don't think the CL1H or TK11 does either. They are pretty bright for indoor use even on low mode.

I'd use something like the P3D-CE Q5 or Olight T20 if you want to use CR123s. 8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8" and coupon at Battery Junction is "CPF2006".

:welcome:

Click to expand...

Thanks, for all the info...that's what I'm looking for. What do you mean by more of a "thrower" light? I'm assuming the brightness and distance the beam can travel is quite a bit further than the shorter distances you'd want indoors? I'll probably stick with my G2 with the upgrade for indoors....and go with whatever is recommended as more of an outdoor activity light or something.

The DBS has the same output as the CL1H, they can use the exact same pills(a pill is the light engine, LED and driver and usually part of the heatsink). But the DBS has a deeper and larger reflector designed to project the light from the LED into a narrower more intense beam so the light can "throw" the photons further. The DBS can be used to spot things 200m away, more if your lights are adapted to the darkness.

Depending on how far you are speaking of when you say outdoor, one light might be fine for you needs. Lower modes for indoor and higher more for outdoor.

For outdoors, Incans are preferred by many members here over LEDs. The lets the user see more contrast, color "pop" out more. This is due to the LEDs lacking in the lower colors in the visible spectrum.

Marduke said:

There are rechargable CR123's called RCR123's or 16340's, but the most common type charges up to 4.2v, so you have to be careful what lights you use them in. Some lights work fine with them, some will instantly commit suicide. Also, RCR123's will have roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of the runtime of a primary CR123 cell.

The TK11 and P3D might be what you are looking for. The P3D takes RCR123's happily, and I suspect the TK11 does also (it's pretty new, I am not sure if it's been checked yet). The TK11 does take 18650's, which is just a tad bigger than two CR123's, and has the runtime of two primary CR123's. With it, you get the best of both worlds, with great runtime and rechargability.


The other thing you can do is put a LED lamp in your G2, which can give you the option of running rechargables in it, along with getting more battery life out of your cells.

Click to expand...

I understand from Mike at Battery Junction that the Tenergy RCR 123A cells have built-in electronic voltage limitation so that, except for the first fraction of a second, the output is limited to 3 volts. I'm using four of them in series in a 12 v HID light and so far it seems quite happy. I'm a beginner, too, so I'm only passing on what I have been told by wiser heads.

artec540 said:

I understand from Mike at Battery Junction that the Tenergy RCR 123A cells have built-in electronic voltage limitation so that, except for the first fraction of a second, the output is limited to 3 volts. I'm using four of them in series in a 12 v HID light and so far it seems quite happy. I'm a beginner, too, so I'm only passing on what I have been told by wiser heads.

Click to expand...

And those are fine for most LED lights, but don't try them in your incan G2, because that initial voltage spike will insta-flash your bulb

Hey welcome!!

Lot of variables, lot of pros-cons, lots of ways to spend your $$ and lots of ways to blow your $$$. Take the time to surf around and read all that you can to try and narrow down your personal preferences. Thats probably the hardest part... defining ones own preferences and developing your own pros/cons list, but thats half the fun.

things to watch out for...
Not all 16340 sized cells are EQUAL. CR123 "primaries" are 3V and RCR123 Lithium Ion cells are 4.2 Volts. Mixing the two can lead to fire, explosion and an overnight stay at a hospital Burn-center. WAY more serious than a damaged light, and something you will want to take seriously.

Cell size is designated by the size/shape code. So a 16340 is 16mm Diameter x 34mm long, and the 0 at the end designates a round cell. An 18650 is 18mm Diameter x 65mm long and round.

Protected cells are typically ~2mm longer. So a protected 16340 is actually 16360 dimension (for example). The cells driver protection board is usually 2-3mm thick.

Try to evaluate light emissions using outdoor beamshots that compare one light to another. White wall beamshots only tell part of the story.

Cree lights are all the rage right now. Seems like 2-3 new lights every other week at DX. Don't rule out Lux Rebel or Seoul emitters too. They both have their strengths as well.

Watch out for ebay sellers. I have never been scammed personally... but unfortunately there is NO WAY to tell a Q2/3/4/5 emitter from a P4 or an R2, providing they all are sliver backed and 4-wire designs. Stick with reputable www sellers and you should be OK.

There is a general consensus on these boards...
1-brightness
2-Run time
3-Small size

Pick 2 of the three... thats all you get. There is no way to have all 3 at once:sigh: I generally choose 1 and 3, and carry extra batteries in my pack to get around #2:thumbsup:.

Read the reviews section too... LOTS of GREAT information & reviews in that sub-forum.


Good Luck!! and post back often:twothumbs

Hm... my two cents: consider upgrading the Maglite. You're looking at $20 for reflector and glass from Kai, $5 for a bi-pin bulb adapter from same, and your battery selection is virtually unlimited. You could run any 12v bi-pin bulb you feel like, and if you want to build a Polaris, you can skip the reflector by using 12v halogen lights from track lighting with built-in reflectors.

Batteries will set you back... no less than $12, if you find two packs of clearance Eneloops at circuit city, and at least $20-25 for a quality adapter - the Kai ones are crap.

As for smaller lights, the Fenix T-10, TK-10, and TK-11 are really good bang for the buck. The ergonomics on the T-10 are iffy, but they're the same guts as the much more popular TK-10. The upshot is they're occasionally cheaper than dirt on the CPF Marketplace - you're looking at around half of retail, used.

If you want versatility, the A2 Aviator is awful popular. Let's face it, most of the time an Inova X5 or other small showerhead light is plenty bright. The A2 does that... for like 20 hours on a battery charge. Other times, it's just not enough light, or range, or whatever and you want something halogen bright (or Cree bright, but you can get an L2 for that). The A2 does that... with digitally regulated, constant brightness without meaningful dimming - for 45 minutes straight. And the UI is second to none (except maybe the Ra twisty or Lummi, both are boutique lights, neither is cheap).

Just thought I'd let you know that Gene has added some M60Ls to his site and they're 10% off!

I pulled the trigger on another one and a new 9P from BatteryJunction.com! :naughty:

Return the G2 and get a SureFire 6PL. Nearly 3 hours of regulated light, then diminishing after. $85 MSRP.

That's the LED model of the 6P and you'll have an aluminum-bodied flashlight that can handle higher temperatures should you decide to upgrade the LED module in the future (such as upcoming 200 lumen P61L).

bigfoot said:

Return the G2 and get a SureFire 6PL. Nearly 3 hours of regulated light, then diminishing after. $85 MSRP.

That's the LED model of the 6P and you'll have an aluminum-bodied flashlight that can handle higher temperatures should you decide to upgrade the LED module in the future (such as upcoming 200 lumen P61L).

Click to expand...

This is the best way to go for now.You can use incan or high powered led or low powered led or single mode led or 5 mode led or warm white led or red led or should I go on.These P 60 drop-ins are available in just about any power level or mode number you can think of.And when you change you mind and want something brighter or longer runtime you can do it for 10.00-15.00 or up.
HAPPY HUNTING
DON