alternative to an executive

Hi,

I have more or less decided on the executive series surefires. Now my question will be alternatives to the surefire in occasions where bringing/using the surefire is not suitable (wifey/kids use, backup/outdoor use).

"The Light Site"'s recommendation of the Princeton Tec 40 is one such alternative. Do you have suggestions other than the Tec 40 based on compactness, longer runtime, cheaper batteries, maybe not as bright as the mn03 LA but at least a mn02 LA? (Oh, the Scorpion does not qualify).

TIA.

[ QUOTE ]
rajanf1 said:
Hi,

I have more or less decided on the executive series surefires. Now my question will be alternatives to the surefire in occasions where bringing/using the surefire is not suitable (wifey/kids use, backup/outdoor use).

"The Light Site"'s recommendation of the Princeton Tec 40 is one such alternative. Do you have suggestions other than the Tec 40 based on compactness, longer runtime, cheaper batteries, maybe not as bright as the mn03 LA but at least a mn02 LA? (Oh, the Scorpion does not qualify).

TIA.

[/ QUOTE ]

rajanf1,

The Tec 40 as well as the UK 4AA and Mini Q40 are excellent lights, but the light that most closely fits your criteria, with an emphasis on "compact" is the UK 2L. It does, however take 123 batteries, but with Surefires at $1.25 ea they are much more affordable than in the past.

I'm too tired to throw in links, but if you search on 2L I'm sure you will find plenty of information.

Oh, I almost forgot: welcome to CPF!

Brightnorm

Brightguy.com has the 2L. I have one (older version with slightly narrower, clear bezel) and love it.

Closest non-lithium alternative might be the PT Rage, which uses four AAA's. It's quite a bit smaller than the Tec 40 and output should be similar to the 2L or MN02. I haven't tried one though.

Here's the cheapest place I've found (courtesy Froogle.com) for PT lights:

http://store.yahoo.com/skishop/printecflas.html

I haven't bought from them yet, but might order a Surge and maybe an Attitude, and heck, maybe a Rage.

[ QUOTE ]
brightnorm said:
rajanf1,

The Tec 40 as well as the UK 4AA and Mini Q40 are excellent lights, but the light that most closely fits your criteria, with an emphasis on "compact" is the UK 2L. It does, however take 123 batteries, but with Surefires at $1.25 ea they are much more affordable than in the past.

I'm too tired to throw in links, but if you search on 2L I'm sure you will find plenty of information.

Oh, I almost forgot: welcome to CPF!

Brightnorm

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you Brightnorm. Yes it has been an interesting ride already.

I have the UK 4AA already and will be looking to other alternatives. Anybody here recommending torches from streamlights or brinkmanns?

[ QUOTE ]
rajanf1 said:
(Oh, the Scorpion does not qualify).

[/ QUOTE ]
What disqualifies the Scorpion for you? Is it the battery type? Or rubber body or something else?
I would second the PT light recomendation, I have liked all my PT lights. But I usually stay with their LED lights.

[ QUOTE ]
Wits' End said:
What disqualifies the Scorpion for you? Is it the battery type? Or rubber body or something else?


[/ QUOTE ]

It is the longer runtime (1 hour only or shorter), cheaper batteries (CR123) which kept them out of my list. I will be getting a surefire anyway so there is no point in getting a scorpion.

Since you mentioned LED lights, do you have recommendations on LED lights which approach the criteria? (The new streamlight twin tasks series look very promising isn't it?)

For an LED to be even close to a MN02 you'd have to go with a Luxeon based light, I only have one so won't make recomendations in the bright LED catagory. If a good (less) bright light would do, the Attitude would be a good choice in a small package (4 AAA). I like the Infinity Ultra (1 AA) but it won't do in an area with lots of ambient light.

In case I caused confusion by comparing the PT Rage to an MN02: the Rage is a 4AAA xenon light, not LED.

FWIW, Cabelas now sells a 1x123 LED/Xenon hybrid light sort of like the Infinity Twin Tasks for $34.95. I haven't actually seen one but it's apparently nice and small for an aluminum light.

I have a Kohler-BrightStar/LSI 4AA Responder as my lender flashlight. It's not as bright as the E2, but is a pocket powerhouse. The beam is a little narrow, but focusable.
Waterproof to 100 feet, tailcapswitch, handles NiMH well, standard PR-base bulb.

I can relate to having a lender light. I usually take a few, like the PT Attitude and the Responder when I will likely have to give someone a light, since I'm not afraid of them destroying or loosing it. I think you will be mostly limited to 4AA lights.

I think it's always neat to see someone include info they read from my site in their post.

I still stand by my choice of the Tec40 as a great alternative to the E Series if you are looking for similar output with less expensive bulb/batteries. You don't have to use the Tec40 bulb either, any 4AA bulb will do and will produce similar light, so if it blows, just pick up a comparable bulb at Radio Shack. Just as a couple of testimonials: My wife likes the Tec40 and when my mom wanted a small bright light so we got her one and she likes it too.

The Tec40 sounds like a great light, just a bit large for frequent pocket carrying.

Have you tried a Rage? How would you compare it with the UK 2L? Not just in output, but also pocketability and weight with batteries. Thanks!

Sorry, don't have a UK 2L - I'll work on that. The Rage I reviewed was only in my hands for a few hours, so the only info I have right now is on it's review page. I wasn't overly impressed by it's output, but it was decent.

The UK 2L is in the same class as the 4 AA lights, from what I've seen. The 4AAA lights like the Rage a notch below as far as light output. But the Rage really is slim and trim compared to a 4AA light.

My lender lights are UK 2Ls. I also have a Rage which I use as a lender.


Joe

I would recommend the UKE 2L. Yes it uses 123's. The output will be far more even due to the lithium's and shelf life is far better and temp extremes aren't as much of an issue. The 2L also has a runtime of about 2.5 hours, so it isn't as expensive to run as the other 123 lights. It is also one of the few dive rated 123 lights, completely waterproof and pretty durable to boot.

Thank you for all your suggestions.

I have been reading the past threads and somehow I am leaning towards the Tec 40 and the SL 4AA Propolymer. Any thoughts comparing both? I have yet to read about the Responder so it may take quite a while before I decide.

Please correct me if I am wrong, the Tec 40 and the Responder can take off the shelf/easy to acquire (PR) bulbs from say Walmart while the SL 4aa pro has the proprietary lamp assembly.

I think the Tec40 takes PR bulbs but the typical one you get at Walmart will be less bright than the one that comes with it.

The UKE SL4AA and UKE 2L take the same lamp/reflector assembly which supposely has a long lamp life. I think they're 6 or 8 bucks, anyway much less than say a Surefire LA. Since they're not so easy to find in stores, you might order a spare when you buy your light.

Hi Paul,

But I thought using the KPR103 with NiMh on the Tec 40 would be bright!

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
I think the Tec40 takes PR bulbs but the typical one you get at Walmart will be less bright than the one that comes with it.

The UKE SL4AA and UKE 2L take the same lamp/reflector assembly which supposely has a long lamp life. I think they're 6 or 8 bucks, anyway much less than say a Surefire LA. Since they're not so easy to find in stores, you might order a spare when you buy your light.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think the halogen bulb that comes with the PT40 is closer to an XPR, should be brighter than the KPR.

The highest wattage bulb I've used with a PT40 for extended run times without damaging the reflector is a KPR 139. This bulb is rated at 3.85V and 1.20 to 1.30 Amps depending upon manufacturer. You will need to run this bulb on NiMH's.

For shorter run times I like using a Carley 3.7 V 1.3 A Krypton Star and NiMH's. This bulb is more expensive than the generic KPR139, but is also brighter.

I keep a PT40 in my car with an XPR113 and lithium AA's. This bulb is rated at 4.80 V and 800 mA. I find it too dim on alkalines or NiMH's.

Places like TopBulb.com sell this bulb inexpensively on line, but their minimum ship charge is about $5.

If your UKE lamp assembly blows out prematurely, just email them and they will send a new one out the next day. I have found their customer service to be top notch the few times I've contacted them. I've been using a couple of UKE 2AAA's for about 10 years now.