High end EDC lights.

What are your opinions on what are some of the best high end EDC lights available? By best I mean best quality. Lumens ect. Whatever your interpretation of best might be please share.

Thanks.

The perfect High End EDC:




It is the most expensive in his class, it is tough, it is reliable ... AND ... most important ... it is there when you need it as the people getting one from me actually DO carry it as opposed to all the other lights I have given them.

This one is the true EDC and the best in its class. All the others are EDC'ed only by nerds like us :nana:

bernie

Ok, my own opinions...

As far as having the most versatile UI, I think my LiteFlux LF3 XT wins in that department. :thumbsup:

For color rendition and the most beautiful flood beam, I love my McGizmo Sundrop.

For a compact, always have it with you light, I recently got a Draco from modamag and I am still amazed at how much light can come out of this tiny package. oo:

For an all around light, I have a Surefire E2DL with an F04 diffuser. Two light levels, throws very well without the diffuser attached and with the added diffuser creates an excellent flood. :twothumbs

The Draco can be easily EDC'd by attaching it to a keychain or wearing around the neck, the SunDrop and LF3 XT can easily be carried in a pants pocket and the E2DL is easily carried in a back pack or fanny back (I usually carry mine in a Maxpedition Proteus) or maybe even in a pocket if you have big pockets.

Not sure whether or not you consider these lights as "high end", though. :shrug:

One of the best in the class of EDC lights has to be the light named the EDC. More specifically the HDS EDC.

If I had the money I would buy a Lunasol 20. I love McGizmo lights. It is titanium has a nice floody low due to the 3 LED's and more than adequate high from the reflectored LED. I'm also a big fan of the piston drive it uses. Oh well, my McLux III PD-S (not available anymore) is still awesome.

My vote is for the Muyshondt Ti Aeon:



Mine has been pinned, with a Zinger, to my bibs since early June of last year. It's been used every day, usually several times, and is still on the original CR2 cell.

Two-stage, R2 emitter and built like a tank. It looks good, feels good, provides plenty of light and can be one-handed easily.

@bernie yes that light has stood the test of time,
now how about they make one in Titanium and with a Nichia 083 High CRI LED installed now that would be high end,:naughty:
if only the led run on coin batteries,ok i have stopped dreaming now.:sigh:

For me personally, I have two high end EDC options that I prefer:



McGizmo LunaSol20 ... the most versatile and rugged EDC I own. Nothing beats the low flood high throw with the KISS interface using the piston drive.

Then there is:



SF TITAN. Powerful interface, extremely powerful. Well worth the $$ and hanging on my keychain ever since.

bernie

Wow very nice choices all. Keep em coming. I am a light novice. But I seem to like my Surefire G2 LED. I think in the future I might get a Fenix L2D or something like that. I don't like designer batterys as with my Surefire it takes the 124A batterys. I really like that Draco. Do they have a website?

As for the keychain light. Funny you post that I was actually going to buy one of those. I actually went with the streamlight nano instead :-D. I got my streamlight for 6$ free shipping. Its a awesome little light. I wanted something with abit more UMPH than those generic keychain lights.

Forgoten214 ... everything has a price, and everything is a compromise.

Bright / Runtime / Small Size ... you may chose 2, but not 3.

This is why it is best to define the options you want in your light and those that you don't need and choose a light after those criteria. Otherwise you will be lost.

bernie


P.S.: it's CR123A, not 124

For me personally I consider any of McGizmo's or Data's to be the best of the high-end. Close runner up is Surefire's lights over $100 (M, L and E series, to generalize).

Forgoten214 said:

I really like that Draco. Do they have a website?

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"Introducing "Draco"
Introducing "Draco" - - - PART 2
=== Drake / Draco Payment === (PART 3)

Kiessling said:

Forgoten214 ... everything has a price, and everything is a compromise.

Bright / Runtime / Small Size ... you may chose 2, but not 3.

This is why it is best to define the options you want in your light and those that you don't need and choose a light after those criteria. Otherwise you will be lost.

bernie


P.S.: it's CR123A, not 124

Click to expand...

Ahh yes sorry. It was off the top of my head .

Hmmm, Yeah I was interested in getting some high end lights. For EDC. I work in very dark areas that require the up most uncompromising lights. Well I think so anyway. If you need to know I work overnight at a steel factory. Size doesnt matter TOO much but I dont want some massive Everready or something. Something that can fit in my pocket or be worn on a belt holster. I am used to carrying maglites :thumbsdow. Maglites are durable though but they arent very bright. Kind of heavy and bulky for what you actually get IMO. I like Surefire products but they are very expensive. As I mentioned earlier I was considering the Fenix. It has great reviews and is very nicely priced. Price isnt subject though. I dont mind spending 300+ on something I need to rely on everyday.

How bright must it be?
Flood or throw type of beam?
How long should it run?
Will it be subjected to physical or chemical abuse?


The High End custom lights mentioned in thsi thread are all more or less expensive, more than a Surefire.

The thing is you don't need to spend $300 for something you can rely on. Most of us here consider Surefire and even Fenix to be plenty reliable. There are also others worth consideration like Novatac and Inova.

Kiessling said:

How bright must it be?
Flood or throw type of beam?
How long should it run?
Will it be subjected to physical or chemical abuse?


The High End custom lights mentioned in thsi thread are all more or less expensive, more than a Surefire.

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Yes phsyical and chemical abuse.

A quick question here, Does the Surefire strike bezels work as a glass breaker as well? That can really come in handy for me.

Do they need to have a safety rating? You can look into products from manufacturers like Streamlight or Pelican since they publish UL ratings for their products. :shrug:

Forgoten214 said:

Yes phsyical and chemical abuse.

Click to expand...

Forgoten214 said:

A quick question here, Does the Surefire strike bezels work as a glass breaker as well? That can really come in handy for me.

Click to expand...

Uh ... what will you do with your lights? In this case, I'd do more research before committing to a light. Especially the chemical "situation" might be a problem. On the typical high quality light you have hard anodise (aluminium oxide), some sort of glass, rubber or silicone for the o-rings and switch boots and whatnot else.
If a Mag did well chances are high that other lights won't encounter problems either, but one never knows. I am not the expert on chemical interactions with our lights, sorry.


I don't know if SF's strike bezels can double as a glass breaker, but they sure double as a jeans killer

It seems you need a beefy and tough light. Forget the classic Fenix line. You'd need their "T" lights of you wanna go Fenix instead of SF.

I remember one light that had 4 glass-breaker tips at the bezel. It was ultra-beefy and heavy, way overbuilt. But I can't remember the name of it.

bernie

This one will break glass: