New Guy Impressed and Admitted Addict

I just discovered this forum. I lurked for about 1 week and could resist no more. I like flashlights, alot. My wife laughed when I showed her an ad that called them "illumination tools". I think it was a Surefires ad, not sure though.

None the less, I couldn't stay away. All posts seemed very professional, friendly and with truely good intentions. The one post that got me to sign up was an old one written by someone asking what to get their plumber as a gift. Then I thought, hey, maybe I have something to offer. I am a plumber.

My light history: I've always liked gadgets, including flashlights. In the late 80's or early 90's, my dad bought me a Maglight 2D. I still have it and it has been used tons, though it has been converted to LED.

I have: a 2D Mag LED by my bedside, a 2D Mag LED in my personal vehicle, a Rayovac 3 watt 2AA LED as backup in my plumbing truck, and a Surefire G2 next to my Kimber 45 in the gun safe. My wife has 2C Mag LED on her side of the bed and a Rayovac 3 watt 2AA LED in her personal vehicle.

I like the Mags because they are easy to grab in your sleep when you need a light. I dislike the G2 because of the 123 batteries and the 1 hr. run time.

My main flashlight in my plumbing truck is a Milwaukee ?? volt lithium ion rechargable light that casts a nice flood. I am the service plumber and spend a lot of time in dark or poorly lit places. Most jobs are 1 hr. or less and it doesn't warrant a plug in light, so my Milwaukee gets tons of use. I've never gone a day without using a flashlight at work.

So, what do I want? Cool factor, tough, reliable, bright, something my peers won't have, something I can throw in my pocket whenever, it might reside next to my 380 acp, who knows. I do like the Surefire line of light.

I have little technical lighting knowledge, but will always offer my opinion in good taste.

Thanks for reading.

:welcome:

Welcome to the forum!
Also, hide your wallet!

First thing is to get that G2 out of the safe and into use with an LED drop-in! I didn't like the 1 hour runtime of the incan either. A Malkoff M60WLF would give you a longer runtime and a nice warm tint almost like an incan.

What will your lighting budget be? This will really help us pick you a few tough winners.

I assume you would like to stick with floodier lights for work since you are close up to the things you are illuminating.
I kind of see throw as mostly fun and flood as the real workhorse.

I see you don't care for the CR123 cells, that's a shame. You can get them cheaper online in bulk and they are very very common in the cool, pocketable lights like I think you would like. You can get by on other cells but CR123 have become the norm, for better or worse. There are some really good AA lights out there though if this is a sticking point for you.

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome.

Yes, I plan on putting an LED in G2, and yes, using it more.

I am not against a 123 powered light. It does appear that they pack a lot of juice, and well, it won't be used as a work light, so I really shouldn't be going through too many batteries.

Budget - under $100, or right around there. And yes, I think flood is more useful then a spot too.

If you don't care too much for the CR123 cells then why not try the rechargable route?
RCR123,18650,17670 etc,etc, sky's the limit so many options,so many lights.
Welcome to CPF the home of the lumenistic addicts:devil::laughing:

Since you have some Maglites, check this thread to see what you can do for it.

As for a small, bright, and "cool" light, you'll have to be more specific.

What output?
What size?
What runtime?
What type of beam?(throw, flood, etc)
Multimode?(low mode, high mode, strobe etc.)
Preferred batteries?

There are many companies out there and all of them have a place. You can find lights that hit over 150 lumen on a single CR123 and over 80 on a single AA battery. The brightest single LED lights can hit 600 lumen out the front. Compare that to the 15 lumen of a normal 2D light.

:welcome:

:welcome:

I think you should get a light that has that "kewl" factor. You already have enough work lights. Spoil yourself, get something nice.

streetmaster said:

:welcome:

I think you should get a light that has that "kewl" factor. You already have enough work lights. Spoil yourself, get something nice.

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Yeah dude,spoil yourself. You only live once.

If the 2D Mag your father bought has some 'character marks' please post pictures in the 'Show Your Beat-up Light' thread in the flashlight collecting forum. That thread needs a bump!

And, by the way, :welcome:

Check out the Eagletac P10A2. Small, easy to change dual-mode, tough as nails, runs on 2AAs, good warranty and you get the CPF discount. Plus, they have accessories now in the way of crenelated bezels and reversible pocket clips. The P10A would also be a nice one to have if you need something smaller.

https://www.eagletac-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=103&products_id=607

and

https://www.eagletac-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=103&products_id=606

I guarantee no one else will have those. They're not in the mainstream yet, if ever, but I have two of their products and I'm very satisfied. Dare I say, I might not need to buy another light again?

DC Plumber said:

None the less, I couldn't stay away. All posts seemed very professional, friendly and with truely good intentions. The one post that got me to sign up was an old one written by someone asking what to get their plumber as a gift. Then I thought, hey, maybe I have something to offer. I am a plumber.

Click to expand...

:wave: Welcome DC Plumber! I'm new here too, and this is a GREAT way to learn about our newfound interest! I have modified 2 mag lights so far, one with a Terralux and the other with a Malkoff (6D triple) that I still owe a review of here.

My advice is to do your research BEFORE buying anything! You will get the light you want first time rather than going through a bunch of "lesser lights" first!

Welcome, and I'll see you around the forums!!

:welcome:
Check out CPF member 4sevens site here. He and his staff are great to deal with and he has a variety of lights to choose from. Fenix is a good choice IMO. Have fun.

Fenix-store CPF discount code: CPF08 or is it CPF8? :shrug:

Oddjob said:

:welcome:
Check out CPF member 4sevens site here. He and his staff are great to deal with and he has a variety of lights to choose from. Fenix is a good choice IMO. Have fun.

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+1 on that! Best warranty in the business. Best service too. :thumbsup:

Edit: it's CPF8 I believe.

I'd pick up a Fenix TK20 for both you and your wife to replace and update your current stable of lights. It'll handily outperform the Maglites and Rayovacs you've accumulated and I think you'll really appreciate the form factor, warm tint, and excellent range and output of this well built 2xAA light. Plenty of information about it on this forum if you do some searching.

Toaster said:

I'd pick up a Fenix TK20 for both you and your wife to replace and update your current stable of lights. It'll handily outperform the Maglites and Rayovacs you've accumulated and I think you'll really appreciate the form factor, warm tint, and excellent range and output of this well built 2xAA light. Plenty of information about it on this forum if you do some searching.

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+1 That's a great idea. Get rid of those Mags. Unless you want them by the bed just for use as a bad-guy club.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/214238

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/215178

if CR123's are an option after all, check out the two links above, and if you have any questions let me know. i hope it helps!!!

:welcome:

WOW,

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions.

I'm not old enough to be "old school" but it looks like I should change my way of thinking on batteries. I won't rule out 123 options.

If money were no object, I would like: 80 to 100 lumens (which sounds like a reasonable amount of light), a one battery light (to keep it short and thus more likely to have it on my person when I need it), push button on the tailpiece and 8 to 10 hours of light.

My thoughts on the one battery are kind of like carrying a gun for self defense. If you have that powerful .44 but it weighs 3 pounds, you probably won't have it with you when you need it.

I'm going to check into the links provided by everyone and see where it takes me.

By the way, what is the deffinition of a lumen, and does the law of diminishing returns apply to LED's like other things in life. I assume it does.

I don't think we are to the point of getting 80 lumens for 8 hours from 1 battery but it IS coming.

I see the point of a smaller gun so you'll carry it, but how do you feel about packing some extra ammo?

To give you a frame of reference, a incandescent minimag with fresh batteries will be somewhere around 10 to 15 lumens (for the first few minutes and then decreasing from there on in) As Sgt. LED said 80 to 100 lumens for 8 to 10 hours is not happening yet but there are certainly many lights that give 10 to 15 lumens for 8+ hours. A multi level light lets you choose the level that suits your task. If you work in a dark environment I presume your eyes become adapted and therefore lower light levels would suffice for most tasks.

:welcome: yea, 4sevens has great service