Looking for a large light, 500 lumens+

Moving to an area of Hawaii with common power outages, and I'd like a big LED light that runs on rechargeables. 500 lumens+ and an hour of runtime on high are the requirements. I was looking at the Wolf Eyes Storm and Super Storm lights. I'd like to keep it under $500 if possible.

Paying a dollar a lumen seems way too high to me. Good luck with your search.

Fenix TK40

Three nice ones off the top of my head...

Fenix TK40 (630 lumens) AA's
Dereelight DBS MC-E (550+ lumens) RCR123's / 18650's
Tiablo ACE (700 lumens) CR123's / 18650's

All have at least 1 hour run time... (I think DBS and ACE would need the battery extension tube for greater than 1 hour)

and they're all for $160 or less

So the size of the light isn't really a requirement, just the output?

For that price range there are many lights that can do 500 lumens.

Any further desires or stipulations to help narrow it down?

Another vote for a Fenix TK40.

- 600+ lumens
- runs on 8xAA (stick in Eneloops or any NiMh, can use alkalines in a pinch)
- way less than 500 bucks, more like 160 USD with included shipping.

You could also pick up an inexpensive HID option. There's that green one (can't even remember the name or website anymore) that's going for less than 200 bucks and is well regarded as a bang for buck light.

With that kind of budget, you can buy some fine custom builds that are on sale even now, like those using the P7 emitters, for much less than $500. Some use lithium ions while others use NiMH cells.

An Elektrolumens light would be another option, running probably off D size NiMH, although he does make C size models, too.

Coleman's 3 Cree XR-E 530 lumen spotlight. It runs 2.5 hours on the built in rechargeable battery. Cost is about $40 (Walmart.com) to $60 (Sports Authority). Other than that, the best bang for the buck is H.I.D.. Walmart has one for about $70. 35 watt H.I.D.s generally go for around $150, but put out over 3000 lumens for over an hour. Generally the more light you want in a small package, the more it'll cost you. These choices are among the cheapest but are somewhat bulky.

$500 :wave:

Head on over to DealExtreme.com or KaiDomain.com and do some window shopping ... Then ask some questions .... Do some more window shopping ..

Important questions , EDC - Every Day Carry ? Belt sized [ 2xCR123A / 18650 ] , do you want batteries from the corner store ?
Rechargeables ?

You could go 2xcr123a / 18650 batt sized flashlight , buy a pair of 18650 batt's and a charger , and your set for several years for under $50

AA sized flashlights can give you plenty of output , + multiple modes or output levels . If you have a maglite , there are lots of mods available from drop ins to customs , for you to spend that $500 on .

Dont rush in , just think about what you want .

Pocket light ? Walk around / belt light ? House/kitchen counter light ?

Just depends on your needs , and wants , because there is just so much to chose from .

No, HIDs, I want instant-on and no issues with bulb replacements. LEDs only, must run on rechargeables. Over 1000 lumens is ideal, but 500+ will do. No custom jobs, no soldering, no modifying. Right now I'm looking at the WE super storm.

The Super Storm is a nice light. Great output. I haven't had any problems with extended runs. It's a bit chunky so I haven't used it as much as I thought I would. You did mention you were looking for a "large light", though.

For 700+ lumens:
Maglite (see below for sizes): ~$20
Malkoff P7 drop-in: $120
Cut-down reflector: $7 (Or cut down your own...)

Total: $150, or a bit more for certain options.

Battery/Maglite options, with necessary drop-in parts & estimated cost or modifications, and approximate runtime:

• 6x D NiMH in 6D Mag (no mod, 6D is no longer made)
  - 7.2 hours
• 5x D NiMH in 5D Mag (no mod)
  - 6 hours
• 7x C NiMH in 7C Mag (no mod, 7C is no longer made)
  - 4.2 hours
• 6x C NiMH in 6C Mag (no mod, 6C is no longer made)
  - 3.6 hours
• 5x C NiMH in 5C Mag (no mod, 5C is no longer made)
  - 3 hours
• 3x 25500 Li-ion in 3C Mag (no mod)
  - 2.7 hours
• 3x 25500 Li-ion in 2D Mag (battery sleeve and modded tailcap & spring; a bit shorter than 3C)
  - 2.7 hours
• 2x 25500 Li-ion in 2C Mag (no mod)
  - 1.8 hours
• 5x 1/2D NiMH in 3D Mag (no mod; same as magcharger)
  - 1.7 hours
• 2x 18650 Li-ion in 2D Mag (battery sleeve & spring, $20)
  - 1.4 hours
• 2x 18650 Li-ion in 2C Mag (Magring (spacer and spring replacement) kit, $15)
  - 1.4 hours

I know you said you didn't want mods, but I included the one for completeness, and you may be able to buy lights or tailcaps pre-modded like that. There's also one or two other P7 Mag drop-in options available, running comparable prices, but not necessarily the same input voltage range. If you don't even want to assemble a drop-in, you can probably find such lights for sale preassembled.

There are plenty of 500+ lights for under $200. Dereelight, Wolf Eyes, Tiablo, Jetbeam, Fenix, Eagletac, NeoFab, Lumapower... all have a SSC or MC-E light that will be on the market soon. April hopefully for a couple of them.
You can also get a M@g dropin like those from Elektrolumens or Malkoff.

I'd just buy two of the above rather tahn blow $500 on one. Redundancy/ backup is a good thing in my book when dealing with power failures, and other possible disaster situations. :candle:

bill_n_opus said:

Another vote for a Fenix TK40.

- 600+ lumens
- runs on 8xAA (stick in Eneloops or any NiMh, can use alkalines in a pinch)
- way less than 500 bucks, more like 160 USD with included shipping.

You could also pick up an inexpensive HID option. There's that green one (can't even remember the name or website anymore) that's going for less than 200 bucks and is well regarded as a bang for buck light.

Click to expand...

Would love to know which light you're referring to

sygyzy said:

Would love to know which light you're referring to

Click to expand...

Do you mean;

TK40

or

[url=http://www.batteryjunction.com/n30-3161.html]Titanium innovations N30[/URL]?

What about an Ultrafire WF-1300L? It's more powerfull than many more expensive lights.
It works with three 18650 and it's runtime is 1:08 on high mode with the new 2400 mAh Trustfire.

I'm shocked this hasn't been mentioned yet.

Solarforce L900, L1000 (3x18650), L900M, L950 (2x18650).

Jarl said:

I'm shocked this hasn't been mentioned yet.

Click to expand...

Would be my pick too. The TK40 looks nice, but i can make a 8xAA light myself modding a mag.

what part of Hawaii are you moving to? I know people living in almost all parts on all the islands (except Niihau but Im gonna go out on limb and guess youre not moving there) and dont know of "common" power outages. We had 2 islandwide ones on Oahu in the past year or so but that was due to an earthquake and thunderstorm. Those were, however, the only 2 that Ive experienced and Ive lived here my whole life.