I'm lost. A Little Help Please?

I'm don't seem to be able to find what I need, so I'm hoping I can tell you what I want and maybe you can make a suggestion (be kind...)

I'm going to need to buy 4-12 of these things, so it looks like DX or KD are in order to control costs.

* 2xAA battery
* A fairly wide beam w/heavy spill (throw over 75' means nothing to me, I'd rather have more spread). I think that means reflectors that:
Have an OP/textured finish
are shallow in depth
* Are multi-mode (low,medium, high) at minimum
* Q4 or better
* Are regulated
* Glass lens
* Can fit 2650 MAH NMH batteries

And I just can't find the darn things. Closest I can get is the Fenix L2D, and it's just to much $$$.

Anybody know of an inexpensive light that meets all these?

My thanks to any and all, dan

hi dan, welcome to CPF

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4452

seems to be what you are looking for. Its probably a P4, but honestly, the differnce in brightness will only be marginal

Crenshaw

Hi dan! Still new here myself, but been lurking a good while.

Have you read BessieBenny's Budget LED DX/KD Flashlights Review Roundup at the top of this forum? You'll have to go back to Budget High-Performance LED DX/KD Flashlights Review Roundup (Part IV) to see the full reviews.

The one Crenshaw mentions is there. Another option recently reviewed is Romisen Cree RC-I3 LED Flashlight (1xAA/1xCR123A/2xAA). Don't have it yet, but did get the 1AA RC-G2 (largely on the strength of BessieBenny's review) and have been very impressed with my first Romisen. The RC-I3 has a large hotspot... can't tell from BessieBenny's beamshot if it has the spill you're looking for, though. Good luck!

Thank you Crenshaw. Unless I'm misreading the DX it isn't regulated and is only single mode. I expect the combination will deliver shorter life. Any other suggestions?

And thank you Mostly. same deal, no regulator and single mode. If I new more I'd build what I wanted..

Check Bessiebenny's thread if you haven't already.

There is the Candlepower light from DX and also the MTE Rebel 5 mode for half that price if you can stand 1 AA.

I'm curious as to why you need 4-12 of those lights.

:welcome:

And here's Selfbuilt's review of the multimode C3.

Dan. No offense but how do you know that this is what you need?
You may find that there is a better light for your needs.
Maybe start telling us what you plan on doing with this light?
To be honest with you $62.50 is not that much to spend on a light which comes as close as the 2LD comes to your needs.
You could buy a Mag AA light and add a pill from the Shoppe and it would cost more than the 2LD.
Buying lights from DX may seem cheap on the surface but they are generally cheap crap too. Look in the jeers area in the Marketplace and see how many UNHAPPY customers both DX and Kaidomain have generated.
If you have a problem with a product either dealer sends you, it could take a long time to get it resolved. So the $20 you save by buying their junk turns out to be a total loss or you at least loose the use of the dough for HOW LONG?
Please take it from somebody who has been around. find a local vendor or stick with one of the trusted sellers here on the cpf . Almost all of them offer discounts too.

The light you describe might be tough to find. 2 AA lights aren't that popular.
I think Elektrolumens use to make one look there.
Like I said Tell us what you need the light for It is quite possible that a person with experience in that area will have a suggestion for you.
If $62.50 is really too much you may have to lower your expectations, or save some dough for a month or two in order to get what you want/need.
Yaesumofo

dfischer said:

I'm don't seem to be able to find what I need, so I'm hoping I can tell you what I want and maybe you can make a suggestion (be kind...)

I'm going to need to buy 4-12 of these things, so it looks like DX or KD are in order to control costs.

* 2xAA battery
* A fairly wide beam w/heavy spill (throw over 75' means nothing to me, I'd rather have more spread). I think that means reflectors that:
Have an OP/textured finish
are shallow in depth
* Are multi-mode (low,medium, high) at minimum
* Q4 or better
* Are regulated
* Glass lens
* Can fit 2650 MAH NMH batteries

And I just can't find the darn things. Closest I can get is the Fenix L2D, and it's just to much $$$.

Anybody know of an inexpensive light that meets all these?

My thanks to any and all, dan

Click to expand...

Firstly, :welcome: dfischer! :thumbsup:

Secondly,

dfischer said:

Thank you Crenshaw. Unless I'm misreading the DX it isn't regulated and is only single mode. I expect the combination will deliver shorter life. Any other suggestions?

Click to expand...

Only part of your assumption is true. A DD (Direct Drive, unregulated) light will nearly always run longer than a regulated light with, otherwise, the same components. There is considerable loss of efficiency when a regulation circuit is used. The drawback to DD, is the output will decrease over time. If you use rechargeable batteries, eg. Li-Ion or NiMH, the drop in output really isn't that bad until the very end.

On the other hand, some of the simpler and, I'll just say cheaper lights, that are DD, allow the LED to be overdriven to the point that the LED will burn out, way before it's time. I'm not recommending either, I just wanted to point out a common misunderstanding.

Otherwise, I would pay attention to what yaesumofo said. It's very true.

Good luck with your "hunt"!

Dave

jake25 said:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10727

Click to expand...

I bought two of these lights on two different occasions and I think they are worth the $20. I also have an L2D and they don't even come close to it, but they do meet your criteria.

P.S. The holster is extra if you want that... http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5264

dfischer said:

And thank you Mostly. same deal, no regulator and single mode. If I knew more I'd build what I wanted.

Click to expand...

You're welcome. I remembered the multimode requirement after I posted. BessieBenny points out in his Romisen RC-I3 review that it is kinda sorta like a three mode light, the cr123 form being like turbo, the 2AA form like high/medium, and the 1AA form low, but probably not what you're looking for.

Check the discussions threads which are down below the reviews on jake25's suggested DealExtreme: $20.90 Ultrafire C3 Cree Q5 5-Mode LED Flashlight with Extension (1.5V~4.2V) and you'll see that there are strong reasons to doubt that it's actually a Q5.

+1 most of what gunner12, yaesumofo, and 45/70 have said... would help to know if you're getting these for gifts for non-flashaholics or what... and...

If you want a decent quality multi-mode 2AA light, hard to beat Fenix L2D.

If you want good regulation and efficient runtime, hard to beat Fenix L2D.

If the question is "Anybody know of an inexpensive light that meets all these?" and the definition of "inexpensive" is "cheaper than Fenix L2D," then I'm guessing the answer will be "nope!"

Does it HAVE to be Q5? 4sevens (Fenix-Store guy) was saying in another thread that most of their older model L2D (Fenix L2D CE Black Fenix) currently being sold are actually better than the old P4 specs--though not Q5, probably mostly Q2s, iirc his comment. Going to be hard to find something meeting as many of your requirements for that ~$50 price, and if you use CPF8 (8%) discount code, that brings it down to ~$46 apiece, which looks like a real bargain to me for a light meeting most of your requirements (especially the regulation one, especially if by regulation you mean excellent regulation).

Can it be two mode instead of three? If so, the Fenix L2T v2.0 Q2 Black seems pretty reasonable to me, especially if, again, you use cpf8 discount to get it down to ~$44, and I've heard it said that most people can't really even tell the difference between Q2 and Q5 with the naked eye.

I'd recommend at least getting one Fenix L2D CE if you don't have one, that way you'd have it to compare with if you're going to go shopping for something similar, but less expensive. Good luck on the search, and if you can find something that meets your requirements, I'll be very curious to hear about it!

:welcome:
* I'm going to need to buy 4-12 of these things
Can you narrow down the number a bit. 12 is 3X the price of 4.

* 2xAA battery
While cheap plastic 2AA battery is common in supermarket hardware aisles, they are not so among 'flashaholic lights'. 1AA are much easier to carry around (pocketable/EDC) and with the proper boost circuit & LED are much brighter than the typical supermarket 2AA. If they need more light flashaholics prefer the CR123A battery which is 1/3 the length of 2AA.

* A fairly wide beam w/heavy spill
If you want a strong spill, The Cree XRE (any bin is OK) is best. The Cree produces a dark ring around the hotspot the OP reflector smoothes that out.

* Are multi-mode (low,medium, high) at minimum
Multi modes are a PITA.
- practically all of them have strobe and SOS, and with the exception of FENIX make you cycle through them when changing modes.
- practically all of them with the exception of FENIX have memory. Memory is supposed to avoid constant switching of modes to get what you want by starting at the last mode the torch was on. But memory & mode switching conflict so sometimes you get the last mode, sometimes you get next mode. The timing for memory vs mode switching seem to vary from torch to torch (same brand, same model) so with up to 12 torches you will have an interesting time.
- The Fenix L1T/L2T have a much simpler solution. Tighten the bezel for high (good for outdoors), loosen for low (good for indoors); click switch for on off. The L1D works the same way. As long as you do not play with the button you won't go into the other modes, but they are there in case you need them.
- If non flashaholics will be using the lights stay away from the multi modes. If tech geeks will be using the lights get them a multimode (the more the merrier, some have 20 or more).

* Q4 or better
Luxeon (also known as 1 watt) 14X brighter than 5mm LED,
Cree P3 bin 2X brighter than Luxeon 28X brighter than 5mm LED,
Cree Q5 bin ~1.3X brighter than P3 bin which is not a lot.
So with a limited budget I would relax that to say any Cree XRE.
BTW brightness depend on both the LED and the current supplied by the boost regulation circuit so a P3 bin running at 700ma is 1.5X brighter than a Q5 bin running at 350mA. It is better to specify minimum lumens. Unfortunately you do not have any reference at this point.
As to why I do not think the bin is not that critical here is a review of a P3 bin early L0D CE:
http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_l0dce.htm

flashlight reviews said:

The shear volume of light produced is amazing for a single AAA cell light. My readings show that on the "high" setting the L0D-CE is producing more light overall than a 3-D Maglite. On "medium" it produces more light overall than a common 2-D cell light. All this from one AAA cell

Click to expand...

Video 3D Maglight vs L0D CE and some other Fenix & Surefire torches (warning 10 minutes long but the L0D CE bit is in the 1st half)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=isfuJ8ru7Xk
Video L2D CE (5 minutes)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bdxm4B0RnMk
The L0D CE is listed by Fenix at 50 lumens.
The Fenix L2T v2.0 Q2 is listed at 152 lumens or more than 3X brighter than a 3D mag.
The L2D CE is 135 lumens or more than 2.5X brighter than a 3D maglight.
Do you really need more light?
https://www.fenix-store.com/index.php?cPath=22_69_71
The L2D Q5 is 180 lumens but is $12 more per.
https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_65&products_id=397
Don't forget your CPF discount code CPF8

* Are regulated
LEDs prefer ~3.6V. 2AA are 3V or less so all 1AA/2AA have boost/regulation circuits. The ones with flat regulation tend to go dark quite abruptly. The semi-regulated ones get dimmer and dimmer with alkaline batteries but give you time to find another battery.

* Glass lens
When modders build incan hotwires the extra heat from the 3500 degree bulbs melted the plastic lenses from stock maglights. So they need glass lens. With LED the temperature is around 120 degrees with no danger of melting plastic lens. Ditto reflectors (except P60 drop ins where the reflactor is part of the heatsink). The only advantage with glass lens in your case is more scratch resistance.

* Can fit 2650 MAH NiMH batteries
That is critical. I've come across a couple of lights the batteries don't fit.
Suggest looking at LSD NiMH. Regular NiMH needs charging every month or 2 even if they are not used (with 12 lights keeping track of when each light has to be recharged can be a pain). With LSD you only need to recharge 6 months to a year or after every use.

And I just can't find the darn things. Closest I can get is the Fenix L2D, and it's just to much $$$.

DealExtreme: $20.90 Ultrafire C3 Cree Q5 5-Mode LED Flashlight with Extension (1.5V~4.2V)
- It comes in 4 parts head, body, extension, tailcap so is not a pure 2AA light. Can run 1AA, 2AA, 14500 Li-on.
- It is brighter than my L0D CE P4WD both 1AA vs AAA and 10440 vs 14500. I think I got a Q5.
- It is brighter in 2AA than 1AA.
- It is 5 modes medium>low>high>strobe>SOS. Not 1 mode as indicated on DX.
If you leave it off long enough it starts up in default medium mode. Otherwise it keeps switching to next mode. Can not tell if it has memory or not. It just came back to high from high. Sorry just got the light. Have to play around a bit more to figure out the UI.
Now you know why I think multi mode lights are a PITA. Have to figure out the timing (both on and off) for switching modes, coming back to last mode, going to default. I got this light a week ago. Took me 2 weeks and advice from 2 other CPF members to sort out my MTE 5 mode SSC-P7.

The Fenix E20 might be worth a look, meets all your criteria except multimode. However, the head is focusable...

Thanks Guys! I've been a bit buried at work and haven't seen all the helpful suggestions and questions. I'll do what I can to answer:

Quality: yep, I get it. And I won't buy more then a few up front to see. But I don't do EDC. Most of these will be rather gently and rarely used.

For what and why so many depends on how well they work but:
2ea on 2 bikes (road, so they won't take a pounding)
1 ea for 4 cars
3 ea to friends w/small planes
2 ea as gifts

Or, if the "cheapies" are crap then I'll probably buy 2 Fenix's and call it a game.

How do I know what I want: Not my first flashlight. But you guys are like pro's, so I thought ask for advise. but to be more clear:

Flood vs throw: Yes, I'm sure. I've fought those battles on things from real expensive off-road lights to things like this. right time and place for both, but I'm a definite "Flood First" kind of guy. I'll probably take the closest I can get for mode/battery flexibility/price and simply use diffusing film or reflector sputtering to get what I need.

Batteries: Yep, I'm sure I want to use AA. Here's why
aaa looses more ah then its reduced size has value to me
c and > is too large and rare.
I want to be able to find/buy a battery ANYWHERE
The ability to move from a 1xaa to 1x14500 to 2 or 3xAAA is just WAY to compelling both from run-time and intensity.

Modes: Yep, memory may be important, and I'm still not sure about if I really want them. low-medium-high would be nice. low for reading cars and planes at night, medium for might be good for a general use, and high for those WTF moments in life.

DD vs. Regulated: I'm not sure. Comments well made. But I'd have thought a DD 1xAA would be awful dim, if it would even light. And even a 2xAA would suffer. Or so I assumed (yes, I know..)

LSD nimh: Absolutely.

So, I hope I answered most of the questions. I really tried to better explain. Sadly, save for maybe the 6 mode Ultrafire C3, I'm no closer then either the kinda pricey fenix.

I did go buy the lowes "C" cell cree to get some seat time with todays LEDs. Rather a cool tint, and tighter then I'd want, but it's ok price was. And of course the new walmart Coleman Max's are cheap, available, and I assume built ok. But no battery flexibility (I assume) and I assumed DD..

Any other suggestions?

Thanks again guys!

dan

Most LED lights have both spill for closer range, and a hotspot for further range, so it might work well.

1 AA and 2 AA lights have to have a circuit to raise the voltage to what the LED needs, around 3.5-3.7v. All of them are regulated to a certain extent, some much better then others. You can get over 100 lumen from a single AA battery. Short runtime of course.

What do you have now for you bike? I don't know much about bike lights but I can search and compare.

As for the car lights, I'd say a lower price but decent quality light should be fine. I'd also throw one of these in just in case or if someone else needs one.

For your friends, would they be using this light with them on the place too?

As for gifts, that could depend on the receiver.