looking for a quality light

so I'm looking for a good flashlight for <$100 or so

it's gonna be a general purpose light since I hunt, fish and go camping quite a bit

since I've had some problems lately with bobcats and coyotes I want it to be bright enough to acquire a target out to 200 yards if possible, or at least be able to tell what it is and have enough light to shoot it if closer

so I want something somewhat compact that I could use with one hand and shoot a rifle with the other, or something that I could rig onto a riflescope

I've used all sorts of mag lights in the past, I have an M3 tactical illuminator mounted on my G31 my current lights just don't get it done, I'm lucky to see more than 100' with them (Coast LED Lenser and some Coleman wally world special AAA led light)

there seems to be a ton of lights available(along with all the graphs and reviews) but I was just wondering what the top picks would be

You're going to probably look for a larger "turbo head" light, or aspheric mod for throw. If you go with the turbo head, definitely get a light (or mod it) with either a neutral or warm tint. You'll see that there will be a drop in output as compared to a "cold" white LED, but the neutral/warm LED will help make differentiating colors at longer distances easier.

I think the Surefire M4 would be perfect for what you want, but it is out of your price range: http://www.surefire.com/M4-Devaster though they do come up used on the Marketplace for significant discounts. The advantage to this light is that it has a true shock isolated bezel that can handle the recoil of a firearm, whereas most lights are not designed for this.

Otherwise, for your price range, there are a few other SF clones and similar products. http://www.wolf-eyes.com/product/M100.html
and
http://www.lighthound.com/Solarforc...e-Flashlight--3-x-18650-batteries_p_1621.html for example.

that solarforce looks interesting, on the comments it seems like people are more worried about that light having more flood than throw...


I'm not limited to <$100 but would like to keep it that way... I'd say the $350 for the surefire is more than I care to spend

Surefire 6P with a Malkoff M60 drop-in.... slightly over your price range but well worth it. Should fit the bill too.

I'm really just wanting an out of the box light

I suppose mods may come down the road




I think after perusing the boards a bit I might go pick up one of those Professionals Choice Spotlights as well

after checking malkoff's site, it might be fun to have a modded maglite as well!

are there mods for the mini mag lites? I have a few of those laying around

This is a bit of a difficult set of parameters - as general hiking, fishing and camping lights tend to lean toward lower output and floodier beams, whereas something that will throw to 200 yards or so is going to have a much tighter spot and, absent multi modes, will be way too bright to use around a campsite with dark adjusted eyes.

Given what you're looking for I think the best suggestion would be a P60 host (Surefire 6P, Solarforce L2, Dereelight CL1H v4, etc...) and a multi mode drop in - either a 3 level Dereelight module or one of Nailbenders modules (3 levels). The low will be a lot better around the camp and you'll have the option of a much higher output for spotting at a distance. And at least in the case of the 6P I imagine there are after market rigs to attach one to your rifle as well.

I suppose one of my regular lights would suffice as a camping light/general purpose light, really don't need anything fancy as we've usually got lanterns and a flashlight is just for tent use... I'm really after something with the throw of the higher power lights

I'll check out those lights you've mentioned


thanks

TullyMars said:

I'm not limited to <$100 but would like to keep it that way... I'd say the $350 for the surefire is more than I care to spend

Click to expand...

You could pick up a used M4 here for $225: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=203331

The Dereelight DBS could work for your task. The single mode ones will be just under your price range though, and if that doesn't have enough throw, then an aspherical head would cost you more, but should have more then enough throw.

How much do you want the target to be lit up at 200 yards?

:welcome:

Take a look at these maybe you'll like them

Fenix TA series TA21 TA30
Fenix TK series Tk12,11,10
Fenix tk 40 and tk30 to really put some power on them:candle:
Also pd series pd30

Gunner12 said:

The Dereelight DBS could work for your task. The single mode ones will be just under your price range though, and if that doesn't have enough throw, then an aspherical head would cost you more, but should have more then enough throw.

How much do you want the target to be lit up at 200 yards?

:welcome:

Click to expand...

cool, again folks, thanks for the links... the number of lights and mods are overwhelming, I had no idea there was this much out there!

as for the target at 200 yards, I just want to be able to identify it and then put crosshairs on it

what I need is a gen III+ NVG scope but I'd never put that on a rifle thats primarily a deer blaster... I'd save that for one of my Bushmasters

wow, the fenix lights look pretty good

TA20
TK12
TK40!!!
TK11 R2


I think I like the focusing ability on some of these torches as well

the 40 looks awesome but might be a bit big

Gaurenteed quality, eh?

SureFire G2L or 6PL should fit the bill fairly nicely if you want the "All-American" type deal. The Streamlight Scorpion LED is pretty decent also. Mind you that these light dont have the hardcore output as some of the other brand out there.

4 Sevens and Fenix both offer higher output lights, with multiple battery options, some common battery options (AAA, AA, etc...), and typically and slightly more affordable price. The 4 Sevens Quark 123(2) and the Fenix TK11 R2 are good example of this. However, they deffinately dont have the track record or quality of either the streamlight or the Surefire's.

Just my $0.02

thanks for the advice, I'll check it out

EagleTacs are pretty good, imho. They're designed in Arizona, made in China.

The T-series takes CR123a batteries though. Not sure if you're okay with that, or if you want more conventional sources of power.

TullyMars said:

thanks for the advice, I'll check it out

Click to expand...

Tully, straight out of the box, following are two excellent recommendations, even though one is a bit above, and the other a bit below, your stated budget:

1. Olight M30 3x (or 4x) CR123
   http://www.batteryjunction.com/olight-m30-triton.html
   
   
2. 4Sevens Turbo Quark 2xCR123
   http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_330&products_id=1916
   

The M30 is about 500 OTF lumens and the Quark Turbo is about 230 lumens OTF, but has a tighter focus so throw is similar on both. Both lights are easily worth the money you pay for them. The Quark is a little smaller, but both are small enough to rail mount to a gun or belt / pocket carry.

The M30 comes with some nice accessories.

Jetbeam M1X, a little over budget but it will do everything you want.

:thumbsup:

ok looked at the Olight M30 and the Jetbeam M1x

even though they are a bit larger than what I've normally carried they still seem to fit the bill for me

are they adjustable at all? or is there enough spill that I really wouldn't need an adjustable light?

comparisons between the two?

I couldn't find the throw distance of the OLight... anyone know?


what battery set up is the best?

TullyMars said:

ok looked at the Olight M30 and the Jetbeam M1x

even though they are a bit larger than what I've normally carried they still seem to fit the bill for me

are they adjustable at all? or is there enough spill that I really wouldn't need an adjustable light?

comparisons between the two?

I couldn't find the throw distance of the OLight... anyone know?


what battery set up is the best?

Click to expand...

Neither light is adjustable, although the spillbeam should suffice for your needs.