please help me decide.

even with this list i still cant choose one from each question. i currently have a tiablo a9. i would like something roughly the same size but with more throw and at least twice as bright. its so hard to find the perfect light.




0) What Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in?

__x__I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
____I am in North America. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in South America. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Europe. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in the Middle East. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Africa. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Asia, Japan or Micronesia. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Australia. More precisely I am in _______________.


1) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!

____I only want to pay $1-10.
____I can spend $15-30.
____I could spend $40-60.
__x__I am willing to spend $80-$200.
____I have no limit!

2) Format:

__x__I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
__x__I want a portable spotlight.

3) Length:

____I don't care.
____1-2 inches. (Keychain sized)
____2-4 inches. (Pocket carry)
__x__4-9 inches. (Holster carry)

4) Width:

__x__I don't care.
____I prefer a long narrow light.
____I prefer a short wide light.

5) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don't pack as much stored energy and are don't work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly.

____I want common Alkaline batteries. (AA, AAA, C, D)
__x__I want lithium batteries. (coin cells, CR123, AAA, AA...)
__x__I want a rechargeable system. (an investment, but best for everyday use)

6) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

____I want to read a map, or find a light switch, in a dark room. (5-10 lumens)
____I want to walk around a generally paved area. (15-20 lumens)
____I want to walk unpaved trails. (40 lumens)
____I want to do Caving or Search & Rescue operations. (60+ lumens)
__x__I want to light an entire campground or dazzle an intruder. (100+ lumens)

7) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that "throw" with a tightly focused beam? Place an "X" on the line below.

Throw (distance)---x-------------------|----------------------Flood/close-up

8) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries.

____20 min. (I want the brightest light for brief periods)
__x__60-240 min. (1-2 hours)
__x__240-360 min. (4-6 hours)
____360+ min. (More than 6 hours)

9) Durability: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Not Important (A "night-stand" light.)
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood.)
__x__Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box.)
__x__Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Self-defense, Survival.)

8) Switch Type:

__x__I don't care.
____I want a sliding switch. (Stays on until slid back.)
____I want a "clickie" switch. (Stays on until pressed again.)
____I want a momentary switch. (Only stays on while held down.)

9) Switch Location:

___x_I don't care.
____I want a push or sliding switch on the body near the head.
____I want a push switch on the back end of the body.
____I want a rotating head switch.
____I want a rotating end-cap switch.
____I want a remote control.

10) Operational Modes: Check all that apply.

__x__A simple on-off is fine for me.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
____I want multiple light levels. (some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
____I want a strobe mode. (blinks to show location.)
__x__I want a tactical strobe. (Flashes rapidly to disorient an opponent.)

11) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite?

____I don't care.
__x__I want a metal-bodied light.
____I want a plastic/composite light.

12) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s).

____Red (night vision preserving) filter
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________)
____Waterproof – how deep: _____________
____Non-reflective/dark finish (stealthy/hard to find)
____Polished silver or brightly colored finish (for easy locating)
____Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish
____"Hybrid" light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Built-in second (or spare) lamp or filament
____Belt/Jacket clip
____Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Kobuton/self defense features
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments

Eagletac M2XC4

i do like the specs for that light but i really dont like the shape and look of it. something more aggressive. thank you for the input

To light up a campground you might want to consider a 4 die or multi die light. Here is a used one that might be coming up for sale...if found https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/233856

Seems pretty durable.

i dont know if this will help or not but....... i want something very aggressive looking. i dont care what kind of batteries. def. a low mode and a high. compareable in size to the tiablo a9 but brighter and more throw. i prefer long and narrow and not short and fat.. (lights) lol thanks in advance for breaking my wallet AGAIN!!!! thanks guys.

I would suggest a Olight M30 but I guess you could describe the beam as short and fat as compared to long and narrow, but still meets your other needs.

How about the JETBeam M1X, or the Tiablo ACE?

+1 on the Olight M30.
You can check out the TK40 also.

jhc37013 said:

I would suggest a Olight M30 but I guess you could describe the beam as short and fat as compared to long and narrow, but still meets your other needs.

Click to expand...

sorry but i meant. i want the device narrow rather than short and fat not the beam

what kind of throw does the olight m30 have compared to the tiablo a9 and the fenix tk40??

How about a Surefire U2A (the newer version with a Seoul LED). Simple forward-clickie tailcap, it's just on/off (push and light goes on, push more and it stays on). You can switch between 6 levels, the lowest one is still good for walking and will work for 175 hours. And about 2 hours on high (regulated and then 3 hours diminishing light). It's a time-proven design, you don't need to be affraid that there will be an improved version in two weeks with a lot of bug fixes. The quality is amazing.

I have handled the M2XC4 (warm white), it's too big and too heavy for camping. The low is not "low enough" (50 lumens). It's fun to play with but not for serious hiking/camping. And the highest setting on SF U2 is more than enough, I can't imagine a real world scenario when you need so much light. I don't know how, but the difference between M2XC4 800 lumens and SF U2 (100-200 lumens?) isn't that noticeable.

The strobe is annoying, at least on the M2XC4. Half of the time you will end up in the strobe setting instead of turbo. I am pretty sure you will never really use the strobe either and the effectivity of disorienting is not proved (there is a long discussion about the strobe going on CPF right now). Anyway, you can use the forward clickie on the SF U2 to "strobe" (though it won't be that fast).

SF MSRP is 300$ but you can buy it at CPFMP below 200$ shipped (new condition). It takes two CR123A batteries, you can get them online cheap (1.5$ or less, but buy only US/Japan made). Or you can use a 17670 li-ion rechargeable, but the two highest levels will be a little less bright.

If you want something cheaper than Novatac 120E is a good choice, it's cheap (below 100$) and the quality is comparable SF. It has an excellent beam, great for walking - no need for a diffuser. Runs on one CR123A. You can reprogramm it to a Novatac 120P and choose the output levels yourself, but I prefer the factory setting. It has served me very well for the past 6 months, carrying it every day - no problems so far. The Novatac 120T has a strobe as factory setting, but as said - you can reprogram any 120 model, so buy the cheapest one you find.

I went through maybe 15 expensive flashlights until I finally bought the SF U2 and it was worth it .

kenneth5 said:

what kind of throw does the olight m30 have compared to the tiablo a9 and the fenix tk40??

Click to expand...

Check out these very well done comparisons by HKJ they may be helpful.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/232369

jhc37013 said:

Check out these very well done comparisons by HKJ they may be helpful.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/232369

Click to expand...

thanks for that link. tons of good info there. i definately like the look of the jetbeam raptor rrt-2 and the fenix ta20. the olight m30 ive heard isnt to throwy. like i said before i have a tiablo a9 and want to upgrade to something with more throw and brighter. i assume the rrt-2 and ta20 dont compare to the a9?? am i right??

strinq said:

+1 on the Olight M30.
You can check out the TK40 also.

Click to expand...

+2 on the M30!!! Great light

mpkav said:

+2 on the M30!!! Great light

Click to expand...

do you happen to know how it compares to the a9???

i have solarforce l900, love that light.
i,d recomend it.

ok sooo.... maybe ill spend more than 200 bucks what do you guys think about the microfire explorer???

kenneth5 said:

even with this list i still cant choose one from each question. i currently have a tiablo a9. i would like something roughly the same size but with more throw and at least twice as bright. its so hard to find the perfect light.

Click to expand...

kenneth5 said:

what kind of throw does the olight m30 have compared to the tiablo a9 and the fenix tk40??

Click to expand...

kenneth5 said:

thanks for that link. tons of good info there. i definately like the look of the jetbeam raptor rrt-2 and the fenix ta20. the olight m30 ive heard isnt to throwy. like i said before i have a tiablo a9 and want to upgrade to something with more throw and brighter. i assume the rrt-2 and ta20 dont compare to the a9?? am i right??

Click to expand...

kenneth5 said:

do you happen to know how it compares to the a9???

Click to expand...

Can't anyone help poor Kenneth5 out on this question he's been repeating?

If you want twice as bright, you need a multi-emitter or multi-LED light. Single emitter lights like the RRT-2, TA20, or U2A will have about the same output as your A9.

People recommending you the M30 either didn't read your post or just decided to ignore your requirements completely. It has approximately 25-30% less throw than the A9. Of all the currently available multi-LED lights in your budget, only the M2XC4 has shown to have significantly more throw than the A9 with around 20% more reach. The M1X has slightly more throw than the A9 but not appreciably so. The TK40 has slightly less throw than the A9. If you don't like the M2XC4 or M1X, there's nothing out there that fits your requirements. So decide what you want to compromise from your list of requirements and go from there. In the future, you can go to http://light-reviews.com to help with your decision making process. You can compare throw of various lights by taking the square root of peak lux measured.

At long distances I do not believe that any P7/MC-E/3xled light can match a single led with a big reflector and probably the best of these are RRT-1, DBS and Tiablo A10. I have compared the RRT-1 and my DBS and the RRT-1 won, but then my DBS has a warm emitter, i.e. a bit less light output.
When the distance goes down a bit, the 3xled and P7/MC-E throwers wins, because they deliever much more light to the target are.

If you looks at reviews with lux measurements, look after the distance they are measured at, for throwest measurements taken at 1 meter is mostly useless, Selfbuild uses 5 meters and it looks like a good distance.