A little advice on LEDs

Hey there im a "newbie" to the CPF posting side of things, but i have read hours and hours of helpful reviews from members all over this forums and share a passion or obsession whatever you want to call it, with flashlights like many here! :twothumbs.

Heres where im at, my jobs as a aircraft engineer has me outside doing inspections and maintenance on the aircraft at all hours of the night, im using the fenix TK11 as well as the Zebra H60 headlamp. I upgraded from the LD20 for something a little brighter and my step into the rechargable battery thing. Since then ive played around with some other stuff i got off DX, but i always keep my fenix at my side.

Now my co-workers always see me reading through this website and beam pictures, reviews, comparisons, whenever we get free time at work, so ive become the guy who everyone goes to, to ask questions on flashlights im always leaning towards fenix because of my own personal experience and the quality ive dropped mine from 15-20 feet onto concret yikes! Works in well below freezing temps no problem. So am i leading them into something to expensive? is there something as good for cheaper? i may be bias to using fenix because ive only had a small collection of 6-7 flashlights.

What there looking for:
Something you can wear around your waist at work doesn't get in the way when your working, quality built, daily use flashlight. Thats not going to bust the bank about 100 bucks.

Thanks for the help

Nocers said:

So am i leading them into something to expensive?

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CandlePowerForums = leading you into something expensive :welcome:

Nocers said:

is there something as good for cheaper?

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Not really; once you go below Fenix, you're entering the world of plastic-body and odds-are-it-should-work DX/KD lights.

One viable option is to look at the cheaper/older Fenix lights; does your job really require more than 120 lumens? If not, there's a wide range of older non-Q5 models that can save you some money.

If you get them hooked then it could get expensive.

There are a few good budget brand lights. Not sure about 15ft drop though.

How much throw, runtime, and type of battery are they looking for?

Something like the Fenix TK20 or Olight T25 might work better because they use 2AA batteries. The TK20 has a neutral white LED which might be good or bad. More incan like in color.

:welcome:

This obsession is definitely expensive. I'm going to be dropping over $500 on lights, $150 on LED's for mods, and $600 on a lathe and tooling (for making flashlights), just in the next month

Nocers said:

im using the fenix TK11 as well as the Zebra H60 headlamp.

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What do you use them for?
How much do you need the throw of the TK11?
Would your coworkers have similar uses, and if not, how would they differ?
Indoors, outdoors? In or out of the aircraft? Distance?
More info will get you better answers.

Owen said:

What do you use them for?
How much do you need the throw of the TK11?
Would your coworkers have similar uses, and if not, how would they differ?
Indoors, outdoors? In or out of the aircraft? Distance?
More info will get you better answers.

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Throw: To the tail of an airplane about 10-15 meters, looking for more of a flood light
Co-workers have the same needs as mine.
Outside 90% of the time outside of the aircraft.

They all look at my fenix and like the feel, just wondering if theres other options around the same price range, more than half my crew is now holstering fenix lights haha, thought i would maybe ask see if there is something else caparable.

Nocers said:

Throw: To the tail of an airplane about 10-15 meters, looking for more of a flood light

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The throw/power of the TK11 is well beyond what you need then, but that at least means there's a range of other Fenix models you could go with..

If you prefer the 2xAA size/format, there's the Fenix E20; 109 lumens with a focusable beam and only $38 shipped (https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_69_71&products_id=498)

If you can work with the smaller/more pocketable 1xAA format, the old Fenix L1T would work nicely; 98 high/15 low lumens for $49 (https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_69_50&products_id=334)

Something like the Romisen RC-N3 Q5 from shiningbeam might work for the people who want to stay at a lower price point. It's single mode, can be powered by 2AA, and forward clickie.

How much ambient lighting is there?

Inova T1-MP is a great light from what I've read that is a more floody light that has great quality, made here in America for around 50 dollars. It's 100 lumens (they measure their lumens different than most flashlight companies by measuring the lumens the light actually put out and not at the emitter).

The EagleTac P100 will be available at the end of Feb.
Very bright, high quality, and low cost.

The new P100 series were designed to be highly durable, efficient and reasonably priced for Law Enforcement and Military without any compromises. The new Cree XP-E allows these flashlights to throw very well for their size and yet have excellent side spill for close up work. These are entry level "high end" flashlights at a reasonable price, maybe to low. The P100 series are not redesigned P10s and should not compete with them.

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http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/product.aspx?pid=152-153-6605
http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/product.aspx?pid=152-153-6607

Nocers said:

Throw: To the tail of an airplane about 10-15 meters, looking for more of a flood light
Co-workers have the same needs as mine.
Outside 90% of the time outside of the aircraft.

They all look at my fenix and like the feel, just wondering if theres other options around the same price range, more than half my crew is now holstering fenix lights haha, thought i would maybe ask see if there is something else caparable.

Click to expand...

Try the 160 lumens Duracell Daylite (2x CR123's)
$40 shipped here:

https://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(muiwtxzxf4tsobel0j3plwva)/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=998023155

Has a "Spot to Flood" feature that is kind of hyped, but it IS a great flooder that is durable and comes with a lifetime guarantee, not just a lifetime warranty.

http://www.duracell.com/products/guarantee.asp

Small AND powerful. Not sold by some fly-by-night company so you know they will stand behind their guarantee. Nice looking. Doesn't get hot when used for extended periods. Water resistant.

Amazon reviews are here:

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-2Cr1...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Don't get the 80 lumens Walmart versions. (AA or AAA)

My personal (practical) drop testing involved 10 drops to a linoleum floor from eight feet. (I didn't want to scratch it, but wanted to see if it could survive multiple high shock impacts) Still works fine.

I protect the plastic window from being scratched by keys in my pocket by using a milk jug lid with its threads cut out:

http://home.comcast.net/~rasanford1/Flashlights/Window Cap.jpg

I cover the light using a red milk jug lid as a filter when I am adjusting my telescope and don't want to lose my night vision.

It is lightweight and easily fits in a jacket pocket. It will light up the top of the tail of an A320 with plenty of light. (My brother is an A320 pilot)

Here are some of my outdoor beamshot "reviews" of it against some other lights. (The shed in the picture is 66 feet away. You will see it illuminates the shed and the white fence behind it over 160 feet away.)

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/212111

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/212987


-Hitec-

Hey thanks for all the help! I appreciate it ill let them know give them some different choices

fenix is the cheapest you can get for the durability that is critical for your line of work.

Since you like Fenix already, and you are bringing "newbies" on board, I would say just get them all a Fenix TK20. It's rugged, takes 2XAA and loves NIMHs, nice and bright at 150 lumens, and even has a great, incan style beam. I gave this to a non-flashahoic friend for his birthday in early Jan and he's STILL talking about how great it is.

For myself, I would go with the Dereelight CL1H. Best clip in the business, 18650 and any module you want.