Time Critical Suggestions politely requested...

Pummy · Sep 9, 2009

Members of my family are off to India for a trip of around 2 weeks and I have been asked to source some lighting for them.

They are planning a visit to a number of rural parts where they will be camping outdoors and away from civilisation for most of the time, bar the travel to and from each location.

They are off in about a month so to ensure I get them all the things they need in good time, I am asking for some help in the AA size lights.

The specs we have so far are...

1) All must run on primaries, preferably AA's as they can then go off to find some to use.

2) 3x 3D sized floody torches
(Decided on Malkoff 3D dropins with D battery converters with 2xAA lithium 1.5v primaries in each. 2 housing I already have and another will be purchased. Cost is circa £34 per dropin + 1 maglite housing. Some D converters will also be used as well- If you have better suggestions please do state)

3) 4x Single AA or 2xAA, (short range flood with modes would be ideal, whatever the cell configuration) short range, preferably with modes. Ability to pull out every last drop of power would be good. They will NOT have access to power / rechargeables at all and will be taking their cells with them. These will be lithium AA's or 3V lithium primaries (in the case of single AA housings). I believe that the 3V primaries will be most useful due to the energy content over 1.5V lithiums and hopefully the drivers not taking a percentage of efficiency away doing the boost but direct driving instead.
(I was looking at the Akoray K-106 but have been reading conflicting opinions on primaries and wanted to solicit the opinions of users experiences with primaries)

4) Something that will last 2 weeks in normal conditions. No need to worry about very cold temps. Waterproof would be nice, however I will be lubing / o-ringing up all the items before they depart regardless.

5) Last would be something which would last a few years. Out of the box I know the DX / KD type *****fire types require some attention prior to using, which I am able to do myself. I was looking at the Fenix LD1, LD10 etc and these would be ideal, bar the cost. The Romisen type, RC-G2 II Q5 in particular, I was looking at, but the lack of useability with primaries has left me confounded as to which route to take.

My original intentions were to get 3 Malkoff dropins, then a bunch of WF-606A's with the P4 emitter. I have recently purchase an Ultrafire A10, and am waiting for a K-106 to do a test with each to see how they all fare but I suspect it will be a while until I receive them which is why I was hoping some of the owners on here using with a primary can pitch in their comparisons with others.

When it comes to funds, it would be nice to be able to get 4 Fenix units, Malkoff P7 dropins and run them all on a solar recharger that can keep all the units happy on lithium rechargeables, however the family have not indulged me with those options. I figure the 3 big units could come in at around the $150 USD mark?

The 4 smaller units maybe in at around $100? This could be a mix of 2 high ends and 2 low ends as well so that there are some quality lights in amongst the *****fire types.

Anything you guys can suggest which would fit the bill would be appreciated.

If you ned any clarification on the above, please do ask, I do understand that the usage will determine the choice.

Thanks in advance all.

Gunner12 · Sep 9, 2009

A Fenix LD10/LD20, Quark AA/AA^2, Olight T25, or Eagletac P10A/P10A2(neutral white) are all good lights to consider, but they will come above your price range. They all run on AA batteries, are multimode, have a good beam, and are durable.

The Romisen RC-N3 Q5 or neutral white (yellower, and better color rendering, but slightly dimmer) could be good choices. Romisen seem to be a good lower price company. Shiningbeam will also ship to you faster then DX.

Why do you need the larger floody lights? Would a smaller light with a diffuser do?

:welcome:

horizonseeker · Sep 9, 2009

stick with AA's as you can buy them even in small villages, on my last trip, had a guy forget his batteries at the hotel and had to buy some from the village store.

don't carry too many (although your experience could vary), I carried about 16 eneloops with me and the guard at the airport security checkpoint asked me "why do you have so many batteries?", I gave him a strange look but that was the end of it.

I have heard people had their flashlight taken away (probably because the custom guy wanted it, same with the custom here in the US) so dont carry anything you'd be afraid to lose.

*Dusty* · Sep 9, 2009

Will they actually need massively bright lights though? or would one or two very bright lights coupled with some less expensive ones be adequate?

I'm thinking of an Eo1 each for something just to allow them to navigate their way in the night for toilet runs etc. If you took your total budget and bought a couple of Fenix A20's and maybe something like a couple of TK20's as well between them for a brighter light, they run on AA's as a bonus??

Not that I am the most enlightened among us, 'tis merely some thoughts.

Being based in the UK, you may need to consider customs charges if you are buying from the states......

I've been caught out as often as not.

*Ninja Edit*

What about a couple of wind up lights as emergency backups? sort of thing to do them until they reach the next shop with batteries..

Pummy · Sep 9, 2009

Thanks for the quick response guys.

Gunner12:
Larger floody light would be needed so that if something concerns them whilst camping they can light up a bigger area immediately in front of them quickly, whilst holding a substantial amount of metal should this need to be bought into action. the original thinking about a M*glite housing with a dropin would give the lighting requirement as well as a piece of metal in their hands should it come to it.

The Fenix or EagleTac would be my choices for the "nice" lights but would still pack up the rest of the budget with some the cheaper ones if only to use up all the power in the depleted cells. Maybe 2 Fenix's will be enough, hopefully a 6% discount will be available and fit them into the $100 budget.

HorizonSeeker:
These will ALL be packed away in their luggage for them to be bought out at their destination. If they do get taken away, then I have enough friends working at the airport on airside, to make sure they come back to us and are never seen from again. Thanks for the heads up though, I will make sure they are made aware before they go.

Squidboy · Sep 9, 2009

One thing to remember is that a little light goes a long way in the pitch black. I would recommend the Gerber Infinity Ultra Flashlight (you may find the older CMG Infinity Ultra).

I have one and its been used on camping trips and other stuff and never missed a beat. Plus it runs for ages on lithium AA and can be hung round the neck so its with you. I have walked off mountainsides with this clipped to a jacket or hat

The fenix ld01 l1d's have great run times but I would be inclined to say that instead of D cell style lights I'd just go for a couple of LD02's as their low run times are so much longer and the output is there if you need it. Plus they actually do quite well on anything from zinc carbon to lithium.

I would consider giving them maybe one cheapish solar charger that can do two eneloops fully charged in 8hours of sun but weight for weight spare cells may be simpler.

Just remember that clean water and re-hydration salts may end up being more important than what lights they have ( is that sentence a hanging offence on this forum?)

Hope they all have a great time ...

Pummy · Sep 9, 2009

*Dusty* said:
Will they actually need massively bright lights though? or would one or two very bright lights coupled with some less expensive ones be adequate?

We could drop this number down to 2. We figured on three since 2 could be kept on rotation and one kept for storing batteries and in case one m*glite became unuseable.

*Dusty* said:
I'm thinking of an Eo1 each for something just to allow them to navigate their way in the night for toilet runs etc. If you took your total budget and bought a couple of Fenix A20's and maybe something like a couple of TK20's as well between them for a brighter light, they run on AA's as a bonus??

I will check out the E01, A2-'s and TK20's also. Thanks for the recommendations.

*Dusty* said:
Being based in the UK, you may need to consider customs charges if you are buying from the states......

I've been caught out as often as not.

Yeah, sucks don't it? I get little brown envelopes from the far east all the time and the worst I have to worry about is my wife telling me that I cannot spend any more cash on batteries, torches, thermal paste, emitters, lenses, GITD rings (acutally my daughter likes them so I have "some" immunity)

gnef · Sep 9, 2009

Have you thought about a headlamp?

What exactly will they be doing on their two week trip? I know if they are going to be doing anything of significance in the dark, they will most likely want to be able to use both their hands.

Also, if you decide on maglites, what I would recommend is to have the AA->D carriers, but install D batteries from the get go. If they are willing to handle the size of a maglite D cell light, they might as well get the runtime out of the larger batteries, and use AA cells only as a backup for the light. A single spare set of D cells may not be a bad option either.

Pummy · Sep 9, 2009

Squidboy said:
One thing to remember is that a little light goes a long way in the pitch black. I would recommend the Gerber Infinity Ultra Flashlight (you may find the older CMG Infinity Ultra).

I have one and its been used on camping trips and other stuff and never missed a beat. Plus it runs for ages on lithium AA and can be hung round the neck so its with you. I have walked off mountainsides with this clipped to a jacket or hat

This is what I am thinking will be OK. Something that is better than an incan and infinitely more efficient should be enough to last them. I have not been made aware of how much time they need to use lights after dark so have assumed the worst case scenario.

Squidboy said:
The fenix ld01 l1d's have great run times but I would be inclined to say that instead of D cell style lights I'd just go for a couple of LD02's as their low run times are so much longer and the output is there if you need it. Plus they actually do quite well on anything from zinc carbon to lithium.

I am tempted to get one for myself regardless. I am thinking a pair of LD02's may be better instead of 4 short range ones as the driver will be more efficient with 2xAA's? The D size was always going to go along regardless as this then doubles as a weapon if close combat confrontations occur. This is not my request but that of one of the family who is by default, due to his mass, the "physical" one so he will want to make sure if he has to get a bit hands on, he has something to increase his advantage. I went for the Malkoff drop in as this then serve both purposes, and Gene assures me that a 2xAA D converter will be able to provide 4+ hours of regulated full 240lumens output which should last them the whole trip on one set of batteries.

Squidboy said:
I would consider giving them maybe one cheapish solar charger that can do two eneloops fully charged in 8hours of sun but weight for weight spare cells may be simpler.

I was thinking about something like that, however I am not sure if they will be static in one location to be able to charge for the whole day in the sun, or if they will be under trees for some of the day. The plan was always to assume you will need to carry the power supply and then try to obtain the most efficient driver for each flashlight with modes to allow most efficient use for their settings.

Squidboy said:
Just remember that clean water and re-hydration salts may end up being more important than what lights they have ( is that sentence a hanging offence on this forum?)
Hope they all have a great time ...

Thanks, they are staying in small villages which are just not developed with the electrical infrastructure to be able to plug in a charger. They should be OK, but they will have locals they know to assist so they should be OK.

*Dusty* · Sep 9, 2009

My bad it should have read Fenix E20, NOT A20.

If you look on www.thetorchsite.co.uk they have the tk20 with a free e01 and free deliveryand free rechargeable batteries.

I'm in no way affiliated to them, and i could well be telling you something you already know, just thought it was worth a mention

Also if you look in the cpfmarketplace, flashaholics.co.uk offers an 8% discount on the code "cpf" at his checkout.

Might be worth dropping either of them an email to see if they'll maybe do you a deal on a bulk buy. As a bonus you'll most likely have them on next day.

Pummy · Sep 9, 2009

gnef said:
Have you thought about a headlamp?

What exactly will they be doing on their two week trip? I know if they are going to be doing anything of significance in the dark, they will most likely want to be able to use both their hands.

Also, if you decide on maglites, what I would recommend is to have the AA->D carriers, but install D batteries from the get go. If they are willing to handle the size of a maglite D cell light, they might as well get the runtime out of the larger batteries, and use AA cells only as a backup for the light. A single spare set of D cells may not be a bad option either.

Their work will be during daylight hours, the lights are going along in case they need to move around, toilet breaks, security etc. They will be doing charity work so I have presumed this will be building wells, infrastructure work and stuff like that to help the villages develop a better infrastructure and living conditions in the rural areas. They will be staying in tents but the locations are known to be cut off and not have much light pollution. These things will probably not get touch and they will come back with half the cells unopened but figure on the worst case scenario as they would be better off with power for the LED's and not need them than vice versa.

Headlamps are not required in this scenario. I have assumed they will be doing everything during the day, then going to sleep when it gets dark, then up early at daylight the next day. As for the larger D size cells, I figured that if they went in from the word go with the battery converters, they can then swap out the depleted cells from the M*g and use up the remaining juice in the smaller lights on a lower output before taking them with for recycling. I do not have faith in some of the manufacturer's D size cells so am steering well clear for the moment. Given the time factor I am faced with, I figured I may as well go in with one size of cell so that they can all be interchangeable.

I think that a fenix 1xAA and2xAA along with 2 malkoff's, and maybe a P4 based 1xAA el cheapo will be sufficient and in their budget. I will speak to them tomorrow to figure this all out and get things rolling. The biggest concern is the malkoff dropin as that is the only one that really needs a few parts to get it going whereas the others I can buy, get a blister pack of cells and be done.

Thanks for the input so far, it has been invaluable. I was on the fence about Fenix being worth the bang for buck, personally anyway, however the person paying for this is not a rechargeable man. After these get used, they will get a lithium put into them and left in the side pocket of the car for a few years, taken out every so often to peek under the car or something like that. Seems like a bit of a waste to me given that I would make use of them daily :sigh:

LED_Thrift · Sep 9, 2009

QUOTE: They are planning a visit to a number of rural parts where they will be camping outdoors and away from civilisation for most of the time...

If I were travelling like this, I would not want to be lugging around D cell lights when good AA lights would almost certainly be adequate. Others mentioned the Fenix L2D / LD20 or the 2 AA EagleTacs - those are great lights with plently of output for most tasks. When you are moving around it is so much more enjoyable when you don't have to carry a lot of weight, and it all does add up.

If I were doing any kind of camping, and could bring only one light, it would be a headlamp. It is such an advantage having your hands free, even when just walking around at night. Please do your family a favor and include at least ONE, I'll bet it will be the most used light. The Zebralight that runs on a single AA is a great light, and SO SMALL and comfortable even people who don't think they like to wear headlamps don't mind wearing it. It has tremendous efficiency, so you don't need to carry a lot of spare cells for it.

I wish them luck on their journey.

waddup · Sep 9, 2009

LED_Thrift said:
If I were travelling like this, I would not want to be lugging around D cell lights when good AA lights would almost certainly be adequate.

x 2.

any of the better ($50-$60) single AA lights recommended here will be more then enough.(they can light up an area approx 100 foot long and 60 feet wide for an hour on 1 x AA cell very bright)

and last a long time, maybe even forever if you dont lose it.

buy 5 d10s and and call it good.

5xd10=600 lumens. :poke:

EDIT: you probably dont have time to order anything online (if your lights arrive 1 day late they have nothing), your best bet is a handful of 2xAA maglite leds from your local hardware stores.

not as good as the better lights here, but less then half the price and work very well (lots of light for a long time and reliable)

or?

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/224932

for the cost of 6 top quality lights, you could buy them 20 good lights.

and they would be assured light at night.

LEDninja · Sep 9, 2009

The Fenix L1T/L2T v2.0 is essentially the same light as the LD10/LD20 for $10 less each. And you don't need to teach the users the soft touch to get into the blinky modes bit. Just twist head for high/low.

Pummy said:
5) I was looking at the Fenix LD1, LD10 etc and these would be ideal, bar the cost.

I 2nd the opinion 2AA MiniMagLEDs are probably adequate for the job.

Outdoors Fanatic · Sep 9, 2009

Pummy said:
Members of my family are off to India for a trip of around 2 weeks and I have been asked to source some lighting for them.

They are planning a visit to a number of rural parts where they will be camping outdoors and away from civilisation for most of the time, bar the travel to and from each location.

They are off in about a month so to ensure I get them all the things they need in good time, I am asking for some help in the AA size lights.

The specs we have so far are...

1) All must run on primaries, preferably AA's as they can then go off to find some to use.

2) 3x 3D sized floody torches
(Decided on Malkoff 3D dropins with D battery converters with 2xAA lithium 1.5v primaries in each. 2 housing I already have and another will be purchased. Cost is circa £34 per dropin + 1 maglite housing. Some D converters will also be used as well- If you have better suggestions please do state)

3) 4x Single AA or 2xAA, (short range flood with modes would be ideal, whatever the cell configuration) short range, preferably with modes. Ability to pull out every last drop of power would be good. They will NOT have access to power / rechargeables at all and will be taking their cells with them. These will be lithium AA's or 3V lithium primaries (in the case of single AA housings). I believe that the 3V primaries will be most useful due to the energy content over 1.5V lithiums and hopefully the drivers not taking a percentage of efficiency away doing the boost but direct driving instead.
(I was looking at the Akoray K-106 but have been reading conflicting opinions on primaries and wanted to solicit the opinions of users experiences with primaries)

4) Something that will last 2 weeks in normal conditions. No need to worry about very cold temps. Waterproof would be nice, however I will be lubing / o-ringing up all the items before they depart regardless.

5) Last would be something which would last a few years. Out of the box I know the DX / KD type *****fire types require some attention prior to using, which I am able to do myself. I was looking at the Fenix LD1, LD10 etc and these would be ideal, bar the cost. The Romisen type, RC-G2 II Q5 in particular, I was looking at, but the lack of useability with primaries has left me confounded as to which route to take.

My original intentions were to get 3 Malkoff dropins, then a bunch of WF-606A's with the P4 emitter. I have recently purchase an Ultrafire A10, and am waiting for a K-106 to do a test with each to see how they all fare but I suspect it will be a while until I receive them which is why I was hoping some of the owners on here using with a primary can pitch in their comparisons with others.

When it comes to funds, it would be nice to be able to get 4 Fenix units, Malkoff P7 dropins and run them all on a solar recharger that can keep all the units happy on lithium rechargeables, however the family have not indulged me with those options. I figure the 3 big units could come in at around the $150 USD mark?

The 4 smaller units maybe in at around $100? This could be a mix of 2 high ends and 2 low ends as well so that there are some quality lights in amongst the *****fire types.

Anything you guys can suggest which would fit the bill would be appreciated.

If you ned any clarification on the above, please do ask, I do understand that the usage will determine the choice.

Thanks in advance all.

Bottom line is: they don't really need any handheld light. Just give 'em headlights and spare batteries and that's about it. People have been climbing the Everest and the K2 with nothing but Petzl headlights for decades. Only geeks and inexperienced excursionists bring a truckload of useless and cumbersome "toys" to camping trips.

Be aware that this is Flashlight Forum, and not a serious outdoor message board. I've already heard the most absurd recommendations from people with zero trekking experience around here.

Federal LG · Sep 9, 2009

Gunner12 said it all, in the second post.

:wave:

paulr · Sep 9, 2009

1. The 3d maglight is overkill, don't bother with it, it's way too big. Also if you're going to use AA's, then use AA's, not D's. You can get a flood AA light (Zebralight) or use a diffuser.

2. Handsfree lights are quite useful. A hat clip is ok as a substitute. Nite-ize straps don't seem convincing to me but I haven't tried them. I really like my Zebralight H50 and the new model (H501?) is supposed to be even better.

3. You may be overestimating the importance of lights in general. For about half of each 24-hour cycle there is already a very powerful illumunation device deployed before you even got there, called the sun. For most of the other half ("night"), you're asleep and don't need a light. So lights are most useful in the evening.

4. If you're using lithiums in fenixes, go with the 1aa models since lithiums put out too much voltage for low power mode to work properly in their 2 cell lights. If you want a monstrously powerful AA light instead of that 3d mag, there is the TK40 (won't work on lithiums either, voltage too high). Alternately, the E20 looks attractive, two cells, can run ok on crap indigenous batteries, focusable spot/flood can be useful.

5. The new Fenix MC10 looks very interesting, if it is available by the time you need it. I guess it's sort of their answer to the zebralight. But let's not count it if you're in a hurry.

Frankly if it were me I'd get everyone a Zebralight H501, then add a few Fenix LD10's (since you like lights with modes) for when you want modes and directionality, and maybe a single TK40 (not lithium compatible though) for the group for when something uber powerful is required.

I would not mess with adapterized lights or weird flashaholic lights (Malkoffs etc). I'm personally less of an AA buff than I used to be (and more of a high end flashaholic), but if you want AA lights, buy AA lights, which means (mostly) Fenix and Zebralight as far as I can tell. Also the CMG's are great old lights but they're not made any more and would mostly be sort of a "statement". I guess the nearest current equivalent would be the Peak Kilimanjaro, but I'd just stay with the Zebralight for that purpose.

Gunner12 · Sep 9, 2009

There is an 8% off coupon at Fenix Store/4sevens/Eagletac store. It's "CPF8".

They also have the Zebralight which is a really floody and small headlamp. But if you want them to have a bat/light then a Maglite might work, but they aren't usually floody.

Are you looking for a light with a good amount of spill?

Buy a Romisen RC-N3 either Q5 or neutral white from shiningbeam and see how you like it. It doesn't cost too much and it gets pretty good reviews, espicially considering the price. Shiningbeam's CPF coupon is "CPFuser" last time I checked.

jimmy1970 · Sep 9, 2009

Outdoors Fanatic said:
Bottom line is: they don't really need any handheld light. Just give 'em headlights and spare batteries and that's about it. People have been climbing the Everest and the K2 with nothing but Petzl headlights for decades. Only geeks and inexperienced excursionists bring a truckload of useless and cumbersome "toys" to camping trips.

Be aware that this is Flashlight Forum, and not a serious outdoor message board. I've already heard the most absurd recommendations from people with zero trekking experience around here.

+1

Why would you want to go bush with cumbersome maglite D cell lights and cheap (crappy) DX AA based lights? Sounds like the combo from hell if you ask me!!:green:

Zebralights, Zebralights, Zebralights all the way.

James....

hyperloop · Sep 9, 2009

I'd like to point out that when its really dark, a little light goes a really long way. Once i was night fishing with my friend out on a breakwater, it was just a bunch of rocks that they poured concrete on, very uneven, many holes etc. My Jet I Mk IIx died on me (defective 14500) and it was really dark that night, quarter moon and cloudy sky.

The Fenix E01 provided more than enough light for us to navigate our way back to shore. If there were a full moon that night, heck, we'd probably not even need the E01 as long as our eyes were night adapted by then. It runs for a really long time (10 hours with a further 11 hours moon mode), i've yet to change out the cell that i first put into it.

I'd strongly recommend the E01 and the Fenix TK20 (2 modes. warm tint and also tough as nails), that with a box of AAAs and AAs should be ample.

I had a look at thetorchsite.co.uk, for 3.95 pounds shipping, it gets sent to you via Royal Mail Special Delivery, shipped same day if ordered before 1pm with guaranteed next day delivery, :twothumbs

This is the link to the TK20 + 4 rechargable AAs + E01 that was referred to above. That comes with free shipping but if you needed it quick, spend that little bit more for Royal Mail Special Delivery.

I think what your family members are going up to India to do is fantastic! If it isnt too much trouble, get them to take some photos and post it up (of course, to keep it on topic, make sure they're holding a flashlight

)

Time Critical Suggestions politely requested...

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