Need help for EDC light

Hi guys.. I am pretty new to the flashlight scene and need a good EDC light...I have tried to search thru alot of threads and am getting SOOOOO overwhelmed.. Here are a few questions I have:

What is the latest and best led bulb?

A few lights that have my interest are the Fenix PD30+ or even the PD20, the Surefire E2D led (200 lumen model) or the Jetbeam RRT-0.

The Jetbeam offers a OP or hybrid bulb...what are the differences? What bulb do I want... I am looking for something that has good throw for use outside,plus something good for indoors as well and that is really bright.Something not too big so I can carry in a pocket or a flashlight holster,etc..... I know I am a flashlight idiot..but I figured you guys can point me in the right direction. thank you!

Oh yeah.. I know alot of companies rate their lumens differently... are most true to what they state,what should I stay away from,etc?

Hi there Pens 66,

Only just getting into this myself and if you can get a light and get out! i looked for a light for work, now im modding Maglites and buying more torches than im ever gonna need!

Trust me you are about to be bombarded with usefull and helpfull information, which in turn leaves you more confused as this EDC question is one with no answer! but im gonna give you my 2 pences worth!

i have spent hours, even days on here trying to answer that question, my job is a Police officer so i need a lot of throw for searching, and usefull spill when in alleys etc, as one person put it throw for whats over there and spill for whats in front of me, best way of putting it really.

my first 2 lights were trial and error first was an LED LENSER (Coast in USA) and it was very impressive for 10 minutes!! then it fastly got dimmer and dimmer till it was hopeless in a shoprt space of time, direct drive from the batteries is what it was, you need current regulated( as all Good makers do, Fenix, Jetbeam etc )

Then i tried a terralux lightstar 220, massive spill and about 60 meters of throw, which fo me was no where near enough, and a HORRIBLE reverse clicky, no momentery you have to turn the light on by full click, so if your driving along looking at house numbers or taking quick looks at things its a pain! and also you change modes with the button so if you turn it on/off to quick it comes on in low mode when you needed high etc!

Included that not to confuse you but to let you learn from my costly mistakes!

I have found what i consider to be a perfect torch, price (£35 compared to £45-50 for anything else), 2 easliy selected modes you twist the bezel to what you want so it always comes on like that, forward clicky for mometery on, excellent build quality, size, takes alkalines and works well on them, good runtime, loads and loads of throw and decent spill, and a nice beam colour (for me!another area which gets confusing),,,,,Oh i forgot to mention its an EagleTac P100A2! i am more than happy with it!

if you only wanted a single cell torch my next choice would be a P10A, but a bit pricey, and runtimes go down a bit.

Hope this helps

The latest and best LED? SSt-90, SST-50 but for edc you probably want a XPG or XPE although XRE R2 are still good.

It looks like your ready to use CR123's so you have already made some good suggestions. You can't go wrong with surefire or the Jetbeam. The jetbeam RRT-0 you can use alot of different batteries. I THINK the Surefire E2D you will be using CR123 not RCR123.
Fenix are pretty good seems like everyone likes them, I've had 1 but ended up selling it after I got a 4Sevens Quark.

Jetbeam's OP is just a orange peel reflector, the hybrid is bottom is OP top is smooth. Which means the hybrid will give you good throw while also smoothing out any rings in the beam.

BTW I think 4Sevens and SureFire are the only companies stating OTF lumen but check out Selfbuilt's Flashlight Reviews for comparisons.

Also make sure you look at how you want to carry, Clip no clip holster. Alot of light come with holsters, Some dont. Some include clips that can be taken off.

pens-66 said:

Hi guys.. I am pretty new to the flashlight scene and need a good EDC light...

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I'm calling bluff! :nana:
Look at the telltale sign... *cough* joined date *cough*.

Ok, back to your preferences, I would recommend Jetbeam RRT-0 and Surefire E2DL, prefer their UIs than the others you've mentioned.
RRT-0 has more versatility in which it can use CR123 or AA and has selector ring for brightness control. The E2DL has a simple 2 mode clicky I luv and it's also, well, a Surefire. Both are great throwers.

How do you want to carry your light? Holster on belt, bottom of pocket, clipped at top of pocket?

Zeruel said:

I'm calling bluff! :nana:
Look at the telltale sign... *cough* joined date *cough*.

Ok, back to your preferences, I would recommend Jetbeam RRT-0 and Surefire E2DL, prefer their UIs than the others you've mentioned.
RRT-0 has more versatility in which it can use CR123 or AA and has selector ring for brightness control. The E2DL has a simple 2 mode clicky I luv and it's also, well, a Surefire. Both are great throwers.

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HaHa didnt even notice that, even though I seen the low post count.
Also same kinda question, about 2 years ago.

Zeruel said:

I'm calling bluff! :nana:
Look at the telltale sign... *cough* joined date *cough*.

Click to expand...

I know,I know.. I did join a while back..BUT.. always start looking and then for some reason stop.... I have been looking more and more as of recent...SO... I want to buy and figured you guys could help me out... there are so many lights flooding the market... I just don't want to waist my money.

computernut said:

How do you want to carry your light? Holster on belt, bottom of pocket, clipped at top of pocket?

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Preferably clipped to the top of a inside jacket pocket or to the top of my pants pocket.

Ooooo...that eliminates the E2DL option since the crenelated bezel isn't pocket friendly. That leaves you RRT-0.

Have you considered RA clicky, Nitecore D10 / EX10 and Surefire E1b?

pens-66 said:

Preferably clipped to the top of a inside jacket pocket or to the top of my pants pocket.

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You'll probably want to look at the Nitecore D10/EX10, Surefire E1B, or Fenix LD01, etc. Anything bigger and it's probably not going to be comfortable in your pants pocket.

Well I decided to try a Quark 123^2 Tactical with XP-G R5 LED from 4Sevens.com. Says it has 230 OTF lumens. I liked the UI as well as the momentary clicky switch. Hopefully I'll have it by the weekend and I can report back.

you have purchased an excellent light! its a little longer than i like to pocket carry personally, i have the quark123 clipped to my front pocket, but i also did carry the quark123x2 for awhile (mine was made of solid titanium though:devil: ) and thinking back on it, i really didn't mind it there until recently. I carry a mag of ammo in there as well, so the shorter version makes all the difference now.

pens-66 said:

Well I decided to try a Quark 123^2 Tactical with XP-G R5 LED from 4Sevens.com. Says it has 230 OTF lumens. I liked the UI as well as the momentary clicky switch. Hopefully I'll have it by the weekend and I can report back.

Click to expand...

nice light, do you intend to use rechargeables?

great choice with the quark 123-2 R5 tact. ive had one for over a month now and its great, i was just gonna suggest it over the fenix.

its actually quite good for pocket carry. has a very good clip, just small enough to be comfortable, and puts out alot of light!. ive had all sorts of people at work asking me about it.

i also have the RRT-0 and love it, hasnt left my side the last 4 days ive had it. the selector ring is awesome to use. it looks really pretty. its about 3/4 inch shorter than the quark 123-2, but its a bit wider. overall output is less than the quark r5, but it throws alittle better.