Need new flashlight?

Hi guys. Back again, it's been awhile since I've stopped in but I have a question. I recently returned from my Co. elk hunting trip and the light I thought was the answer didn't pan out.

I bought a Princeton Tec Rage which seemed like a good light. Bright little sucker but the batteries don't last long enough for my liking. It says 2-3 hours but it's closer to 1.5 hours. Some mornings I may walk 1.5 hours in the dark so changing batteries every day is not an option. I also purchased a Princeton Tec Blast as a back-up light which I ended up using as my main light because it seemed like the batteries lasted a little longer.

The light output from the Blast is sufficient but a little more wouldn't hurt. I guess I'm looking for a lightweight flashlight similar to the rage but something that will burn longer and it doesn't have to be as bright as the rage. I would definitely consider an LED of some sort as well. I've seen an LED by Princeton Tec similar in size to the Rage but the output looked pretty dim. Thanks,

Herd Bull

I have a PT Attitude. Output, IMO, seems about the same as a 2AA MAg. You might consider a Lightwave series. I'm sure there are incandescents that may come close to suiting your needs that others can recomend.

Tried the Tec 40? I don't know how long it will last... 0.5 amp bulb with rechargable 1600mah batteries (I used Sanyo 1850 mah batts) should last 3 hours?

What about a PT Impact or Impact2???

I have a Tektite 300, and it is very cool and runs a long time, but quite a bit bigger than the others.

Looks like you are in the market for one of these LightWaves. I would go for the LW3000 as it is easier to carry and you really can't tell the difference of the output from the LW4000. My LW4000 is one of the best lights that I own. Really maintenance free and can take quite an abuse. Second set of batteries in over a year of quite heavy use...

One of the new CMG Reactors would be a good choice. Uses a 1 watt Luxeon Star. With 2AA Lithiums you get bright and longer lasting light. A 1 watt LS is brighter than 10-15 White LEDs (nichia).

I also have one of the Lightwave 4000s. Very nice, bright, but more of a flood. It also hangs nicely from a D cell Mag-Lite belt holder and won't fall through. One downside to the LW4000, 3000, and maybe 2100: you need channel locks (applied gently) to break the seal between head and body.

You might want to consider the Arc LS with 2AA lithiums, as it is only 5 inches long.

Roy's runtime plots for the CMG Reactor:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002997

Top graph is for Alkalines, bottom is for Lithium AA.

I've looked into some of these lights and here's what I found so far.

The lightwaves are way to big for my needs. The Princeton Tec Blast is almost too small but the Rage is about the perfect size. So an Attitude would be a good sized light. The Blast is tiny (2 AAA) and almost hard to hold on to. Also when it starts to get a little light out it gets hard to pick things up with the Blast.

The CMG Reactor seems kind of new so theres still some bugs to get worked out. And it only looks like it works "good" on Lithium batteries.

The Princeton Tec 40 is too big. I'm thinking maybe the 20 with an LED head would work. I'm also leaning towards an LED cause they typically run longer on a set of batteries.

This light will be used for back pack hunting so size and weight is a big factor. Even my Rage with 4 AAA is very light. A few ounces makes a difference when you pack hunting.

Another bad thing is that you have to order all these lights because no one around here carries them. So to avoid ordering a ton of lights and pay a ton of shipping charges to get one light out of 6 that might work for me so I'm here seeking input. I just like to do my research first.

Thanks guys,

Herd Bull

Check out the Lightwave 2100, it is 4 LED and styled like the 3000 and 4000, but uses 3AA. Put in 3 Lithium AAs and you have a nice long runtime, plus decent light.

The Reactors seem to have the bugs worked out. I just got 2 from pocketlights.com and they are white, with a very slight greenish tint, but only very closeup. Outside you would not notice this. You do get 25 hours runtime on them with a pair of Lithium AAs. You can also put a wrist lanyard on it. I am very impressed with them.

I have the PT LED module that fits in the Solo and 20. It is not very bright. When it started to get light out, it would lose usefulness very fast. It works best where there is no ambient light (including full moon). The runtime is super with a pair of Lithiums at 100+ hours.

Speaking of backpacking, I used to live out of a backpack and tent. Eveready has a 2 white LED folding lantern that is perfect for backpacking. It uses 4AA and you can have 1 or both LEDs on. runtime is 100 hours for both, and 200 hours for 1 LED on alkalines. It even has a foldout hanger on one end and can easily be hung from a tent that has a place to hang something from. Walmart carries these.

The CMG Infinity Ultra is very bright, 1AA, has a pocket clip that can be mounted backwards (clip pointing to tail) and clipped to the bill of a ballcap (instant headlamp). It is waterproof to 30 feet. Comes with pocket clip and neck lanyard. Brightness wise, the card says to 30 feet. not bad for a single nichia LED. White light, too. Makes a very nice task/backup light.

Lithiums last longer than Alkalines (even in 'standard' LED lights) and weigh less. Granted, they are more expensive than alkalines. However, you end up carrying fewer. Since they weigh less to start with, you get a 2 pronged weight savings.

Using your PT Rage as an example, the LW2100 for standard Nichia LED, and the Reactor for the LS. (I looked at brightguy.com and the Rage is listed at 1.25 hours and 4AAA). Let's look at runtimes and batteries. Granted AAA is lighter than Lithium AA.

LW2100: figure 100 hours on Alkaline and 200 on Lithium (to be on safe side), 3AA cells. Compared with Rage, that would be 80 loads of batteries at 1.25 hours per load vs 1 load of 3AA for LW2100 (160 loads of AAA compared to 1 load of Lithium AA). That's 320 AAAs vs 3 AA alkaline, and 640 AAA vs 3 Lithium AA.

Reactor: Roy's runtime plot says 25 hours on Lithium AA. Reactor uses 2AA per load. Again, comparing the Rage, you would need 20 loads of AAA to equal 1 load of Lithium AA in comparing the 2 lights. That's 80 AAA batteries vs 2 Lithium AA batteries, and the Reactor is 3 to 5 times BRIGHTER than the LW2100. Also 1 less battery per load.

The Reactor would need 8 loads to equal 1 load of Lithium AA vs the LW2100: 16 batteries vs 3. The trade off is brightness. Brighter eats batteries faster, but nowhere near as fast as incandescent bulbs eat batteries.

I would say that more than offsets the weight question. It also offsets the Price question: The equivalent cost of AAAs vs the LW2100 alkaline is $96.00, and vs Lithium is $192.00. comparing to the Reactor, the AAA cost would be $48.00.

Lithium AA in 4 pack at Walmart costs $10.00 ($2.50 per battery). So, 1 load for the LW2100 is $7.50 and for the Reactor $5.00.

Now look that over, and check my math. I used Brightguy price on the AAA 8 pack of $4.80 for reference.

What you should do for a realistic to your hunting expedition needs, is figure out the weight of all those AAAs you had to hump around this last time, and compare it to 3AA alkaline (LW2100), and 2AA Lithiums (Reactor). Don't forget to take the total runtime into account and make adjustments as needed.

I have a LW 2000 and like it very much. Very light weight, cheap AA's, and decent light. How much reach do you need? Are there any other requirements than what you have already stated? Have you considered a lightweight LED and a incandescent to swith between uses? Perhaps a PT and get one each of the assemblies to switch back and forth. Then you'd have an incan with reach and use in morning light, plus a LED for longer run time in total darkness. Just a thought.