Been away a while - few questions?

Hi Everyone,

Been away for a while chasing other obsessions but I've got that itch again. I think I'm going to upgrade my CR123-based lights to use AW's protected Li-ions.

Can you folks help w/ a sanity check of sorts? Make sure I remember all of this correctly?

Light 1 - SL Scorpion - switch to 17670 and Strion bulbs. Is it worth it? How will runtime and brightness compare to stock bulb & 2x123?

Light 2 - Custom Gen 1 KL1 w/ 900ma buck/boost and "U" bin Lux 3 on a 2x123 body - drop in a 17670 - seems like a no brainer.

Light 3 - Mag 2C, hotlips, DB 750 with Lux V and 3x123 adapter. Not sure if AW's "C" cells are worth it in this application? Maybe I should stick with 17670's to keep my batteries somewhat standard, runtime is not a real concern with this light...

Light 4 - SL TL-2 Xenon - switch to 2x17500. Any runtime issues? Any extensions that will allow 2x17670?

Light 5 - Plain old Surefire G2. Are there any xenon bulb assemblies that will work in a G2 with one 17670?

Thanks!!

Jon

I was away a couple of years and now came back and things have changed a lot. Not sure if I can help you but here are some answers.

Luxeon seems dead. The newer LED's by cree and others are more than twice as efficient. Which means you have single AAA like the arc producing 40+ lumens easily.

Now people are easily getting over 100 lumens out of a small package with a single LED.

The only reason that you need a incandecent is if you want to make a really bright light. But LEDs are catching up by putting 3 or 4 of them to produce 300 - 400+ lumens out of a single light.

Maybe you already knew this, I just mentioned it because you mentioned lux III and lux V which no one uses anymore.

Yeah, I knew the crees of the world have stolen Luxeon's thunder. I hate to see Luxeon no longer on the bleeding edge, but I guess that's how it goes. All of these Fenix and even SureFire's with crees kinda clued me in.

I was totally into LED's for a couple of years. They still rock, but unless there is some sort of full spectrum CREE that matches a good white hotwire for color rendition they will never completely replace them in my collection. Not interested in a flame war or even serious debate. LED's are even better now, I get it. I simply like the xenon, halogen and HID lights and am considering switching from CR123s to li-ions now.

Not to branch in my own thread here, but are hotwire mods and lights completely dead now? Or are they just out of favor with the current generation of flashaholics?

And back to my questions - anyone still using Li-Ions to drive alternative lamps in xenon lights? If so is the Scorpion w/ Strion&17670 combo a viable alternative to a stock Scorpion? How does TL-3 Xenon runtime compare to stock? Any options for a SF G2 w/ 17670?

Jon

Well there seem to be more higher CRI and lower Color Temperature LEDs out. You might be interested in those.

StoneDog said:

Light 4 - SL TL-2 Xenon - switch to 2x17500. Any runtime issues? Any extensions that will allow 2x17670?

Light 5 - Plain old Surefire G2. Are there any xenon bulb assemblies that will work in a G2 with one 17670?

Click to expand...

You mean the SL TL-3 right? as the TL-2 is the 2xcr123 version. There is a couple upgrade options from fivemega's besides the excellent 2x17500 with stock bulb setup. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/149619

Not sure if it will work or is best for a G2 compared to a 6P due to heat but a "Lumens Factory HO-4/EO-4" with a 17670 may be a option?

Not sure about the G2 but if it was a 6P then you would have the option of using a strion bulb with a socket/reflector from https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/190833 with a 17670

StoneDog said:

...

Not to branch in my own thread here, but are hotwire mods and lights completely dead now? Or are they just out of favor with the current generation of flashaholics?

...

Jon

Click to expand...

Activity in the hotwire area seems to be plodding along. Some new controllers and work on new regulators is progressing. Sockets, batteries, battery holders, reflectors and lenses are available for modders. More and better bulb data is available, too.

The SSC P7 LED's are pretty exciting, too. 600 Lumens from a P6 size light is quite impressive. The tri- and quad- P7's are just coming along and will be hitting 2,000 and 3,000 lumens with LEDs.

-- Alan

Welcome back. Yes - check out the Lumensfactory stuff - made for converting from 2xCR123's to a single 17670 and similar. And more lumens if you want it. But seriously look at the LED drop-ins available with way more lumens than your old stock G2 had and you'll never need another bulb change and will have a super nice beam. Some of these are really impressive. Sorry - just had to make my LED pitch

Thanks guys. Yes, I meant TL-3 w/ 2x17500. Looks like the bulb can even be replaced with the 1499 for a little better output. The only FM mods related to the TL-3 seem to be complete lights and then only a 3x light with a different kind of bulb. Looks like I missed to boat on any other TL-3 related offerings.

FM's bi-pin socket for the G2 is pretty sweet, great tip!

So, looks like I need to order a bunch of 17500's and 17670's plus a host of Strion bulbs and FM's bi-pin socket.

Thanks again!