What LED for first light ???

hey im looking for my first "propper" light and want some suggestions and any help is much appreciated.


I will you be using it for everyday use and it will be in my pocket at all times
I only want high output and runtimeis not realy much of a concern?
I prefer the CR123 battery type but AA is acceptable
It MUST have exelent throw (main concern)
I want a single level of output
I would prefer the user interface to be on/off no other stupid modes like sos
I would prefer a twisty or rear click switch
I am looking an average amount to spend nothing "expensive"

also "modability" is a huge concern, the more moddable the better, after all "If i can't be modified, i dont want it" lol

thanks jamie

edit: maybe even an oldish model light off ebay with huge modding capabilaties would be acceptable ???

Have a look at the romisen RC-N3 from shining beam, i have one, its not expensive has very good throw, simple on off, small and probably easily modded

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-52/Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-CREE-Q5/Detail

or you can save yourself some money and get the P4 version and mod it the way you want

hmmm this realy looks good

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-65/Romisen-RC-dsh-C3-Cree-Q5/Detail

I'd recommend the g2 from the same place... http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-19/RC-dsh-G2--Romisen/Detail

i dont like the look of it i like the shorter ones that are the same diameter in most areat that one look thin lol

+1 on the G2.

If you are interested in moddability I feel like you should probably shell out the extra bucks and get a surefire. Because of their popularity the surefire's have tons of replacement parts available for them. As far as shiningbeam tho, thats a great site, so by all means look there too.

what surefire do you recomed ? cr123 possibly because it needs to be small and short lol i am so fusy when it comes to looks lol

thanks jamie

also is this any good and can it be modded so that the click switch is either on or off no other modes ??

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12394

thanks jamie

If you want to have just one mode, you'll have to swap the driver.

I'm guessing 1 CR123? If yes, then the RC-N3 Q5 from Shining beam is probably a good choice.

For Surefire, check out the E1B, L1, and E2L.

There are also the Fenix, Olights, Nitecores and Lumapower. They are all multimode but you can usually use them as single mode lights.

Also how much throw are you looking for?

I'm also curious as to why you want single mode only. Multimode lights can be pretty easy to use.

Ditto the shiningbeam Q5 products... great company, fast shipping, CPF discount. I EDC my RC-N3-Q5 daily in my belt pack. It has partially replaced my Surefire 6P as my main light at work, inspecting TELCO rack cabinets. I have dropped it a couple times and its starting to show its scars, so its not a pretty-boy by any stretch. Its a workhorse thats built to take the abuse.

The RC-N3 really NEEDS a low mode though, for anything longer than ~40 minutes from RCR123. IIRC it draws about .60 amps from a freshly charged RCR123, thats partially how it gets its brightness though. I was very easily able to take it apart down to the light engine pill. A multi-mode DC-DC driver swap is next on my agenda, for a little more run time.

that description is really close to a Surefire L1, except for the 1 mode choice, in the case of the L1 i can attest the low-high mode is really easy to operate, and is implemented in a way one doesnt obstruct the other, minimal fuss.

about modding capabilities, the charact. of this host make it very moddable, but if you know how to dissasemble it and are handy, if you mean an easy mod, like a drop-in then this is not a moddable light in that sense. (unless you mean swapping parts)

also, it would be better if you put a number on the price thing, "expensive" definition can be subjective.

gunner12 i am looking for as much throw as humanly possible from a cr123 size torch and as bright as possible and im not to fussed about the on/off mode but it would be best as i know i would not use the others and they would be an inconvenience

also what is your personal favourite ???

thanks jamie

BTW kramer5150 how do i get CPF discount ?

EX-10 for cr123 or D10, NDI for AA, you can use on/off only.

manoloco i am no stranger to modding and taking it apart is no fuss but i have never done a flashlight mod before but i have made 3 lasers so far if that helps?

also "expensive" is a little blank but i dont realy want to spend more than $40 because i would rather buy a cheaper light and mod it so i will need money left over for modding lol

IMHO its not what you buy, its what you make that realy gives a sense of achivement thats why i would rather buy a cheaper light and spend more than it cost on making it AWESOME LOL

thanks jamie

glockboy the EX-10 was one of my few options so far but it looked very "breakable" in terms of it being watertight and what is an NDI do you have a link or a pic ??

thanks jamie

Heres a really good review of the RC-N3...
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/185431

Heres my review of the shiningbeam Q5 version...
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/202569

You mentioned the RC-C3, but you should be aware that its not a thrower at all. Small shallow reflector thats great for mid-range flood.

Where-as the RC-N3 I find to be pretty throwey, by comparison. Its very similar to my DX P60 drop in modules in terms of beam pattern and throw.

I can't remember the coupon code to get the CPF discount, but if your search through the marketplace or good deals sub-forum, you should be able to find it. It paid for my shipping to NY to CAL.

Also if you are looking for a cheap mod-host the Nuwai QIII was the mod-rage a year or so ago. You can still get them for around $25.

Lighthound has a sweet deal on this Pelican... I have NO first hand experience with it though and am not sure how mod-able it really is.

http://www.lighthound.com/Pelican-M1-2310-Luxeon-LED-Flashlight--ON-SALE_p_12-1509.html

OOPs never mind.. I see thats now out of stock. DAM I should have bought one a couple weeks ago.:sigh:

I was about to suggest the D-mini from Lumapower but that appears to be above your price range.

The Nitecore EX10 should be water resistant. NDI is short for Nitecore Defender Infinity, another light made by Nitecore.

The RC-N3 Q5 is probably a good idea but I don't know how shipping across the Atlantic would factor into the cost.

If you want as much throw as you can from a single CR123 light, try making a light. You can probably push a CR123/RCR123 hard enough to power a Seoul P7 at full power(not recommended unless you have the right batteries and driver). Then add that to a huge reflector, say 10cm in diameter and 10cm deep, and you should get lots of throw and power. But not practical at all. Realistically, how much throw(distance wise) do you need? Or what light are you looking to beat.

Most of the multimode lights are a full click is always off. On-off-on or tap the switch to change modes. Pretty simple to use, if you get the chance try one and see how you like it. You don't have to go through all the modes just to turn off the light. Well for the better ones at least.

Most of the time, if you can solder, you can modify, Most mods are a simple swap emitter mod, two soldering points and that's all.

If you don't mind 2 CR123, this is a pretty throwy light.

it could be expensive but the parts are pretty cheap and the base light would be easily modable

a cr123 minimag host not sure what it would cost but contact cpf member " jesus " to see if he can do minimags cuz he does excellent work with D mag cutdowns and threading

a reflector from the shoppe i think with some boring it could fit a 20mm reflector and i think it throws good if i remember someone doing it in past

the module here is totally up to what you get , it could be pricey or cheap , i think cpf member " dark zero " made cree/seoul modules similar to this

you could even try a terralux 5ex and get a better reflector from the shoppe

also with the minimag you can try an acrylic ball as seen here and here for throw "It is about a quarter of the way down on last link"