Another "What light should I buy?" Thread

Hello Everyone,

I am looking for help in choosing a multipurpose flashlight. I've acquired many different consumer grade flashlights from various big box retail stores over the years, but am very new when it comes to higher end products.

I had one friend recommend surefire, and had another friend recommend the Blackhawk NightOps Gladius. I've seen what look to be some good features with lights on Deal Extreme, but am unsure of the build quality.

All I am looking for the following:
-brightest light possible
-quickly swappable batteries (preferrably the option for either rechargeable or disposable)
-no larger than a 2 D-Cell maglite
-duarable, water resistant
-good warranty
-HID (I am not very familiar with any potential disadvantages of an HID light, so I am very open to suggestions in this regard.)
-price point below $400 (preferred, but could go slightly higher)


Do you guys have any particular suggestions or specific threads that you would recommend?


Thank You!

-Glass

If you really want to go HID: the Wolf-Eyes Boxer 24W! This one throws an awesome 1800 Lumens! BUT!! A big danger is in them: DON'T switch them on-off-on-off-on repeatedly in a short time, that expensive lamp will go

A big advantage is the battery-carrier: it hold the three 18650s it needs securely, and can be changed in no-time. Just buy a spare battery-carrier and some spare cells.

Want something in the 1,000 Lumen LED-range? Again, Wolf Eyes: the Pilot Whale. This one features the new 6 chip LED from Osram. It is freakin' bright and uses the same battery-carrier as the Boxer!

Want it smaller, but still screaming bright? Again, Wolf Eyes! The Sniper MC-E throws out 580 Lumens, the newer versions have 700 Lumens.... This one only needs ONE 18650.

In all cases, you should be aware to EITHER use the original Wolf eyes batteries, or charge other-branded batteries in an external charger, as the Wolf-Eyes charging system relies on the batteries to switch off!!

Personally, I would ALWAYS charge them in a good charger externally, even the Wolf-Eyes cells (in a Pila IBC charger) and buy some extra AW P18650-26s....

Want a really bright incandescent light? Surefire M6! But this may be a bit overwhelming for the newbie, you need all kinds of modding stuff to make it the light it should be! It works on SIX primary CR123A cells, and draws them in one hour.... in the best case! With the high output lamp, it is only 20 minutes....
Easiest is, to replace the lamp with one of the Lumens Factory M6 lamps, and the standard battery-holder should be replaced by the FiveMega "3X 17670 holder". Then order at least six protected 17670's from AW, and you're done!

Want some quality? Then forget about DX. Most of these lights are Chinese crap.... some are good, but you should exactly know WHICH ones!

Timmo.

Thank you for the all of the great info!

What about this unit?:

http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/gandp-35w-hid-handheld-flashlight-3500-lumens.html

It seems a little too good to be true, advertising 3500 lumens.

When you say "on and off repeatedly", are you talking about every few seconds or creating a "strobing" or signaling effect?

-Glass

Try a surefire LX2 lumamax! http://www.surefire.com/LX2-LumaMax two stage light with 200 lumens for all the light you need for 2 hours, or 15 low lumens for 47 hours! for operating with enough light to get you by if/when you dont want to lose your night adjusted vision. no where near $400 and its only 5.4 inches long, very "edc"-able, lightweight, waterproof, and I think it looks good too! Not ugly or bulky. Also has a pocket clip thats very useful, and comes w/ an adjustable wrist lanyard.
and surefires got a great warranty :twothumbs
Good luck! let us know what you decide!

If I had your budget of $400 I would spend it not on 1 torch, but on a few that will fill all your torch needs:

Fenix TK40 ($150, Very bright, LED, about as big as a 2D maglight, I love mine to bits, excellent blackout torch, low mode runs for 160 hours, only AA torch of this size)

Fenix TK20 ($60, Much smaller, not as bright, potentially an EDC, warm tint, good robust light)

Fenix LD01 SS ($50 or so, single AAA torch, small enough to carry everywhere so definitely EDC-able , not as bright as the others of course, but still a decent usable amount of light)

Zebralight H501 ($70ish Fills in your last requirement for a headlight, very floodly light, excellent utility light)

All of the above lights come in under your $400 budget, and they all run on AA/AAA batteries (Common). Buying the above 4 lights would give you an excellent setup, with a light to cover every need.

The last $50 or so of your budget can be spent on a charger and rechargeable batteries for them all

Also, every single light I have suggested up there I actually own, and I havn't had any problems with any of them.

Knowing what I know now, If i had to start over again (with no torches) they are the first torches I would buy!!

+1 for TK40

You did not mention size and weight, isnt that the most important part
(makes a light that rests somewhere at home, or one that is on You)

choosing a multipurpose flashlight.

Click to expand...

rugged, powerful, low/high level, protected from the elements
--> nearly every of the lights mentionned so far covers that, but HID for sure not. They are powerful, but single level only.

You mention already existing lights, do You have a good (= "expensive") charger for Your rechargeable cells?
then:
AA cells and charger already present:
* power: Fenix TK40,
* smaller and still powerful: Fenix TK20, LD20, ...

no AA charger:
Li-Ion 18650 (or 2*CR123, as You asked for both rechargeable and disposable cells)
... there are a bunch of lights here, also some mentionned in the posts above.
outstanding: Jetbeam M1X for power (direct competition to TK40, but imho better battery choice)

in general: 2*CR123 = expensive when using disposable cells

AusKipper said:

If I had your budget of $400 I would spend it not on 1 torch, but on a few that will fill all your torch needs:

Fenix TK40 ($150, Very bright, LED, about as big as a 2D maglight, I love mine to bits, excellent blackout torch, low mode runs for 160 hours, only AA torch of this size)

Fenix TK20 ($60, Much smaller, not as bright, potentially an EDC, warm tint, good robust light)

Fenix LD01 SS ($50 or so, single AAA torch, small enough to carry everywhere so definitely EDC-able , not as bright as the others of course, but still a decent usable amount of light)

Zebralight H501 ($70ish Fills in your last requirement for a headlight, very floodly light, excellent utility light)

All of the above lights come in under your $400 budget, and they all run on AA/AAA batteries (Common). Buying the above 4 lights would give you an excellent setup, with a light to cover every need.

The last $50 or so of your budget can be spent on a charger and rechargeable batteries for them all

Also, every single light I have suggested up there I actually own, and I havn't had any problems with any of them.

Knowing what I know now, If i had to start over again (with no torches) they are the first torches I would buy!!

Click to expand...

+1 on this, Auskipper is one well prepared dude! Trust me, i still havent finished reading the literature on 'being prepared' that he sent me

LD01: small, 3 modes, runs off AAAs (NiMH, primary, 10440s) and the Al version is so light you wont feel it, you'll carry that everyday, everywhere.

H501: great for situations where you need both hands, hiking, fishing, reading at night in bed without turning on the bedside lamp and disturbing the rest of She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

TK40: durable, BRIGHT! please see TK40 TORTURE TEST dont own one of these and dont foresee that i will as i wont have a need for it where i live

TK20: durable and bright too, warm tint makes colour rendition better, i dont own one yet though i do have the new Romisen RC N3 warm white from shiningbeam on its way (but i will one day, i will)

Getting that HID you linked to is great too, but that's just one light and you may not have it with you or on you everyday while having more than one light gives you back ups which are essential if you're in a situation requiring light.

Cheers, and post on what you finally decide to get. If i knew then what i knew now, these 4 lights are what i would get as they cover, big and bright, small and bright, hands free and bright, warm tint and bright and all are from decent manufacturers with good warranty service too!

That Fenix TK40 has ONE disadvantage: the battery-configuration (4s2p).
Yes, of the EIGHT(!) AA's it needs, there are 2 series-stacks of four in parallel!
That's fine, when ALL batteries are PERFECTLY equal. Otherwise, one stack will try to charge the other
And trust me: two stacks of four batteries are NEVER equal...
At least, NEVER, EVER mix used ones with new ones!!!

I'd rather NOT power such a powerful light from a few AA's. Better take one or two 18650s. The light will be much smaller then, and just as powerful (the Wolf Eyes I mentioned has 580 Lumens, but is old already, the newer ones have 700 Lumens, which beats the Fenix, in a much smaller package.)
Or, just take that Wolf Eyes Pilot Whale: it blasts a massive 1,000 Lumen from its battery-pack containing three 18650s.

Another consideration: the size is very important, as a big flashlight will be left home more often... and then you have NO fun from it! The Wolf Eyes Sniper MC-E is that small, you can put it in a pocket of your jacket.... it has more or less the same output as the TK40, but in a WAY smaller package.

Ohh, there ARE two-stage HID-lights available: Wolf Eyes has one (10W / 24W), it is called the "shark".


Timmo.

325addict said:

That Fenix TK40 has ONE disadvantage: the battery-configuration (4s2p).
Yes, of the EIGHT(!) AA's it needs, there are 2 series-stacks of four in parallel!
That's fine, when ALL batteries are PERFECTLY equal. Otherwise, one stack will try to charge the other
And trust me: two stacks of four batteries are NEVER equal...
At least, NEVER, EVER mix used ones with new ones!!!

Click to expand...

And here I was thinking the big advantage of the TK40 is that it runs on AA

I never find running 8xAA batteries a problem.

Of course as 325addict stated, you cannot mix and match batteries, but so long as I have my 8 TK40 batteries in my TK40, I dont ever feel the need to pinch to of them and put 2 fresh ones in there. If the torch is flat, all the batteries are flat... and I charge them all (I only have 8 batteries for my TK40 at the moment, if i had 16 I could swap then charge, but because they hardly ever go flat (because the runtime is soo long on the lower settings) its not an issue for me)

AusKipper said:

And here I was thinking the big advantage of the TK40 is that it runs on AA

I never find running 8xAA batteries a problem.

Click to expand...

+1 on the TK40 and +1 on it being NO PROBLEM running on AA's. NIMHs are forgiving enough that 8 freshly charged cells will work great. Also, it works on FOUR cells just as well but for only 1/2 the time.

The problem with HID is the few choices that are available in your price range are probably not as well made as the LED suggestions you received above. They're also a lot larger than you are looking for.

TK40 & 16 Eneloops

Wattnot said:

+1 on the TK40 and +1 on it being NO PROBLEM running on AA's. NIMHs are forgiving enough that 8 freshly charged cells will work great. Also, it works on FOUR cells just as well but for only 1/2 the time.

The problem with HID is the few choices that are available in your price range are probably not as well made as the LED suggestions you received above. They're also a lot larger than you are looking for.

Click to expand...

+ another 1 for The TK40

This light is SOLID and the 8 AA's are a benefit, though uncommon.

I use it with Eneloops, but in an emergency, alkaline can be used, which is a definate pro in my book.

Hopefully you took a look at the TK40's torture test, this light took a lickin' and kept on kickin'!

I might also suggest the NeoFab Legion II which is sold here on cpf marketplace. However, I can't recommend it, as I don't own one. Here is a great beamshot comparison of some high output lights that I highly suggest you look at before you purchase any of the above. It was posted by one very thorough and thoughtful cpf member

http://www.lygte-info.dk/review/Beamshot 22 2009-09 UK.html

It is very pic heavy, so be warned if your internet is slow.

Good Luck!

Thank you to everyone for all of the great information!

I think that I will probably start out with a TK40 after seeing the amazing torture test and hearing all of the positive feedback.

What brand of batteries/charger do you guys recommend? (Preferably to charge all 8 batteries at once). Years ago, I had a Radioshack charger that would fully charge my NiMH AA's and AAA's in about an hour, but after a few weeks, it started making them swell. After this experience, I have been leery about buying another charger before I put in some research.

On another note, after hearing good things, I am toying with the idea of also picking up a costco style HID. Can somebody point me to a good site or thread that is current on where I can get one nowadays?

How does the quality/performance of the costco light compare to something more portable like this?:

http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/gandp-35w...00-lumens.html


-Glass

Everyone here will recommend "eneloops" for the batteries.

Not sure about the charger.

There was a thread a bout the "Stanley HID" (that was priced under $100) in the spotlights and hid flashlights section somewhere that may interest you..