Any suggestions on a really small, really bright?

bngbuck · Jan 15, 2009

(Sorry to have intruded on the "Mother of All Flashlights" thread! I not only know nothing about flashlights, I know nothing about Forums. Please excuse me. I will not make the same mistake again.)
bng

Hello Flashaholics.....

Newbie here.

I know absolutely nothing about flashlights except that I love them and they are a great surrogate for sex, now that I'm eighty years old---oh, not like that, I mean as a stimula...., oh never mind!

Anyway, I was fascinated by the Mother Of All Flashlights thread. My interest really lies in finding the precocious fetus of all flashlights! I want the tiniest, really bright light that exists!

I have several of the Maglite Solitaires, but they really are quite feeble. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get more candlepower, watts, lumens, or whatever the hell it takes to get a really bright beam out of a new Maglite Solitaire? I will welcome all and any suggestions!

I also own a lovely little LED Lenser that outshines the stock Solitaire 10 to 1. It is four inches long and three sixteenths in diameter and is really my sweetie, but I am a fickle sugar daddy and I want something almost that small but much brighter!

Who, of you pros out there, is a master at getting more light out of less length and bulk? What is the the absolute highest lumen output flashlight, in a tube about the same size of the Solitaire, that one can buy, or build?

Could any of you modifiers make me a champion torch that I could carry in a shirt pocket (2-3 inches long, not over 3/4 inch diameter); one that delivers something way upward of 100 lumens and gives a tight, defined spot (probably optically lensed. Battery life not important)? Is such a thing even possible? I'm ready to buy! No lasers, I'm not ready to get into tantric sex quite yet!

As you can see, I am quite insane, but I've been that way all my life so it's not Reaganzimers. I'm a screwball kinda like some of you interesting people. I really am quite serious about finding a really small, really intense flashlight, 'tho; and I would greatly appreciate any help that an expert can give me!

Thanks!

bngbuck

D-Dog · Jan 15, 2009

100 lm in 2-3 inches is easily doable with today's emitters. The tightness of the beam will be a little tougher as the reflector can only be so large in such a light. I doubt you will have to go custom though.

Consider this a free bump to the top again as I think of throw-oriented lights that meet your requirements.

A 1 x CR123A would be the best form factor and lights such as the Jetbeam II IBS have great throw and are over 200 lumens. That one is just a little too large for your requirements.

Gunner12 · Jan 15, 2009

Check this thread for Maglite drop-in/mods.

You can't do much more then a LED drop-in(not high power LED) for the Soli without some complex or small size mods.

Larger reflector/optic = more throw, so with a small size, you can't get that much throw.

What price?
How much throw?
Multimode?(low output, medium output, strobe etc.)
Price?
Preferred batteries?

If you don't mind higher price, you can look at the Drake and Draco, Orb/Lummi lights, and probably a few more.

:welcome:

TKC · Jan 15, 2009

Lummi

bngbuck · Jan 15, 2009

Gunner12 said:
Check this thread for Maglite drop-in/mods.

You can't do much more then a LED drop-in(not high power LED) for the Soli without some complex or small size mods.

Larger reflector/optic = more throw, so with a small size, you can't get that much throw.

What price?
How much throw?
Multimode?(low output, medium output, strobe etc.)
Price?
Preferred batteries?

If you don't mind higher price, you can look at the Drake and Draco, Orb/Lummi lights, and probably a few more.

:welcome:

Gunner.....

Thank you so much for your reply. I am not opposed to having someone who knows what he's doing to modify a Solitaire. I am willing to pay whatever is right. I do not have the requisite experience to do the modifications, but I would gladly pay someone to do it right.

What price?..............Doesn't Matter

How much throw?......Don't know enough to answer - maximum possible within the parameters of small size - not much over three inches long and one half to three quarters inch diameter.

Multimode?(low output, medium output, strobe etc.)......Don't need multimode. Only full continuous output. KIS!

Price?..........Doesn't matter, I can afford.

Preferred batteries?............Doesn't matter, whatever it takes!

I am checking out your suggestions on the Drake, Draco, and Orb/Lummi lights. Meanwhile, any suggestions on who to contact to do a high mod job on a Solitaire?

Thanks again for you courteous and helpful reply.

bngbuck

mdocod · Jan 15, 2009

Depends on how much you want to spend, there are some really nice titanium customs out there that are compact pocket rockets (over 100 lumens from 1AA or 1CR123).. There are also many normal production lights that can do the same as far as output, so it just depends on what you want and how much you want to spend.

Here's some of the popular 1 cell lights you should be considering if you want a nice little pocket screamer:

JetBeam: E3P, Jet I and Jet II series
Fenix: L1D, L1T, LD10, P1D, P1, PD10
LumaPower: Incendio, ConneXion, Maybe D mini Q5 if you want a compact thrower.
Olight: T10, T15, Infinitum
SureFire: E1B, E1L, L1, or piece together a 3P and a MalkOff M30

NovaTac: 120 series
NiteCore: EX10, D10, NDI, NEX
LiteFlux LF3XT, LF5XT,
DereeLight C1H

There are many more out there too!

Here's some links you might look at to give you more ideas:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/201117
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/215178
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/186665

---------

Plan on spending ~$50-150 to get something really *good,* more if you want something really special.

---------

Any high power 1xAA light is either going to require that you feed it lithium primary or quality NIMH rechargeable cells. Some will allow the use of a 3.7V li-ion cell and can be really really bright on that type of cell. Generally speaking, anything that is SMALL and BRIGHT at the same time, is going to have to suck a lot of juice from the battery to make that combination possible, and unfortunately, alkaline cells will fall on their face and cry if you try to use them in one of these pocket screamers.

If you decide to go with a 1xCR123 light, decide before pulling the trigger if you think you want recharge-ability in the future, as that's an important consideration beforehand since not all 1xCR123s are compatible with 3.7V li-ion cells.

Eric

Yucca Patrol · Jan 15, 2009

TKC said:
Lummi

+1 The Lummi Wee titanium is my next "small" flashlight purchase.

100 lumens and it weighs less than 3 nickels!

Yucca Patrol · Jan 15, 2009

bngbuck said:
I am checking out your suggestions on the Drake, Draco, and Orb/Lummi lights. Meanwhile, any suggestions on who to contact to do a high mod job on a Solitaire?

bngbuck

I really wouldn't bother to spend a dollar to modify that mag solitaire when there are off-the-shelf flashlights like the Fenix L0D/LD01 that perform so well.

qarawol · Jan 15, 2009

Since you mentioned that runtime is not an issues, my vote would go towards the ARC mania Extreme Micro with a Platinum Dragon domed LED being pushed @ 700ma. 15-20 min is not bad with one primary CR2 battery. I use a 3.0v rechargeable CR2 for this one hangs around my neck as an EDC.

And with that, we need pics to show the man.

The below pics were taken with a Kodak P850 digital camera. Shutter .8 sec, ISO 50, f2.8. tripod mounted, 10 sec timer used, ceiling fan (target) 15' away. Flashlight held 1" to left of lens. Back wall w/mirror is at 25'. These camera setting were used for it best showed the true life results without my eyes getting too much night adaptation (for me). The photos were not touched in anyway.

The candidates and size comparison... MagLite 3D incan vs ARC mania Extreme Micro PD

Here are the beam shots...

Maglite 3D spot ...

ARC mania EM PD...

Njoy...

WadeF · Jan 16, 2009

The Dereelight C2H will do 200 lumens and produce over 5,000LUX at 1 meter (on my lux meter with the Cree R2 WH pill). For a small light, with the smooth reflector installed it throws a nice tight spot, but also has bright spill. On max it delivers 1A to the Cree XR-E emitter. However, it will warm up fast and the max setting is considered a burst mode. You can drop down to a lower level if you need an extended period of light without over heating the emitter.

curlyfry562 · Jan 16, 2009

Fenix LD01, 80 lumens out of a light the size of your little finger.

Alan_P · Jan 16, 2009

I have the Wee, Raw NS, drake and draco. Here are some thoughts.

Wee: Smallest light, single brightness, all flood which lights up a room better than the other lights, but if you use it outdoors the throw is much less than the other lights. Short run time.

Raw NS: Two level light. Gives you your choice of extreme brightness or hours of run time.

Drake: Just slightly larger than Wee. Has variable brightness so you can go from extremely bright to very low. Very low level useful if you want some light but don't want to disturbe others like in a restaurant or movie.

Draco: Longer version of the Drake. Takes next size battery.

All of the above are great lights. My personal preference is the Draco.

HKJ · Jan 16, 2009

Most of these lights are very bright (and small):

Lights:
A noname, not very bright and low quality
Streamlight Nano, not very bright, but very small
Lummi Wee, uses a special LiIon rechargeabe battery
Lummi Raw, 2 levels, uses a special LiIon rechargeabe battery
MJP Extreme, uses a CR2 battery
Muyshondt Aeon, 2 levels, uses a CR2 battery
AmiLight Cute-CR2, uses a CR2 battery
Arc AAA, not very bright, uses a AAA battery
Fenix E01, not very bright, uses a AAA battery
Fenix L0D (Replaced by L0D), uses a AAA battery
Liteflux LF2X, uses a AAA or LiIon battery.

The longest of these lights are just about the same length as a Maglite Solitaire and the weekest of the light is brighter than the Solitaire. Most of the bright lights can match or exceede a Maglite 3D.

waddup · Jan 16, 2009

romisen rc-c3 = very bright and less than $18.

crocodilo · Jan 16, 2009

One more vote for the Lummi Raw NS. 200 blinding lumens in a great beam, and a 20 lumens low mode. Both are direct driven, with a simple, butter smooth twisty switch. Can't go wrong here! Only caveat is that it may be too small for convenient handle. If weight is a consideration, there's an aluminum version.

HKJ · Jan 16, 2009

crocodilo said:
One more vote for the Lummi Raw NS. 200 blinding lumens in a great beam, and a 20 lumens low mode. Both are direct driven, with a simple, butter smooth twisty switch. Can't go wrong here! Only caveat is that it may be too small for convenient handle. If weight is a consideration, there's an aluminum version.

I agree that the Raw is a very powerful light, but I do not like the Al version (That is the one I have), it is to easy to scratch!

Cydonia · Jan 16, 2009

bngbuck... is that you Hugh Hefner!? :crackup:

It is a true privilege to have you here, sir. I have enjoyed your publications immensely over the years!

hyperloop · Jan 16, 2009

TKC said:
Lummi

+1 on that, i got the Raw NS with the Q3-5A led in 200 / 20 configuration and i LOVE it

peterlocal22 · Jan 28, 2009

mdocod said:
Depends on how much you want to spend, there are some really nice titanium customs out there that are compact pocket rockets (over 100 lumens from 1AA or 1CR123).. There are also many normal production lights that can do the same as far as output, so it just depends on what you want and how much you want to spend.

Here's some of the popular 1 cell lights you should be considering if you want a nice little pocket screamer:

JetBeam: E3P, Jet I and Jet II series
Fenix: L1D, L1T, LD10, P1D, P1, PD10
LumaPower: Incendio, ConneXion, Maybe D mini Q5 if you want a compact thrower.
Olight: T10, T15, Infinitum
SureFire: E1B, E1L, L1, or piece together a 3P and a MalkOff M30
NovaTac: 120 series
NiteCore: EX10, D10, NDI, NEX
LiteFlux LF3XT, LF5XT,
DereeLight C1H

There are many more out there too!

Here's some links you might look at to give you more ideas:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/201117
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/215178
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/186665

---------

Plan on spending ~$50-150 to get something really *good,* more if you want something really special.

---------

Any high power 1xAA light is either going to require that you feed it lithium primary or quality NIMH rechargeable cells. Some will allow the use of a 3.7V li-ion cell and can be really really bright on that type of cell. Generally speaking, anything that is SMALL and BRIGHT at the same time, is going to have to suck a lot of juice from the battery to make that combination possible, and unfortunately, alkaline cells will fall on their face and cry if you try to use them in one of these pocket screamers.

If you decide to go with a 1xCR123 light, decide before pulling the trigger if you think you want recharge-ability in the future, as that's an important consideration beforehand since not all 1xCR123s are compatible with 3.7V li-ion cells.

Eric

out of all your suggestions which is your favorite and why?

kramer5150 · Jan 28, 2009

bigchellis has a thread discussing his Malkoff P7 hosted by a surefire E-series single cell body + click switch. I haven't actually seen it in action yet. Hopefully soon though.

Hes also got a malkoff M30 hosted in a similar surefire setup.

Any suggestions on a really small, really bright?

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