Best LED flashlight under $100 (lots of red filter use)

Hello,

I'm trying to pick up a good LED flashlight. The requirements I have are:
-Durable
-Able to run 18650 battery
-Under $100
-Compact (6" or less)
-Good performance with a red filter on

I'm a cadet and will be using this most often for land navigation at night. I can find my points just fine with the crappy incandescent elbow light they give us, but a kickass LED light with a red filter will save me a lot of time. At the moment I am looking at the EagleTac T20C2 MKII and the Fenix TK11. The T20C2 MKII seems to have the edge when it comes to maximum lumens output, however when looking at reviews it appears that the Fenix light puts out a lot more light with a red filter on it...is this wrong? The red filter will be on the flashlight 95% of the time I use it as per regulations, so I'd essentially like the most powerful output possible with a red filter. What are your recommendations?

The red filter will be on the flashlight 95% of the time I use it as per regulations, so I'd essentially like the most powerful output possible with a red filter.

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More power isn't always better. The regulations are there for more than just the colour !

A really powerful red light will ruin your night vision and give away your position just as well as any other colour. Full blast on a Quark RGB for instance would make you seriously unpopular with your mates.

Seriously, the T20C2 MKII seems a pretty good option - the output will be more than bright enough and the good thing is the filter screws on, so it won't be dropping off at the most awkward moment.

And if you really want to light things up, EagleTac's brochure does suggest that they will be offering a drop-in with a red LED. Will be interesting if and when that actually becomes available.

Moonshadow said:

Seriously, the T20C2 MKII seems a pretty good option - the output will be more than bright enough and the good thing is the filter screws on, so it won't be dropping off at the most awkward moment.

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I agree, the EagleTac is a decent light and the screw on filters sounds like a good idea if you will be using the red filter most of the time. Note that the P20C2 doesn't use the 18650 cell, it will only take the 17670. The larger tactical T20C2 will take the 18650 though.
:thumbsup:

i worked it backwards, looked for filters first, flashlight second.

These are the filters i found,

Filter 1

Filter 2

They fit a wide range of Fenix lights so you have a nice spread of choices. If your budget allows, maybe get 2 lights with red filters, one AA one for pocket carry and a larger one for main use.

The trouble with the Fenix filters is that they aren't red enough. The one I have is an orangey-red sort of colour which isn't that good at preserving night vision. This might be part of the reason why Fenix are able to quote a higher output with the filter. From this point of view, EagleTac's lower quoted output might well be a good sign, if it results in a deeper red.

If you are looking at filters first, then a much better place to start would be the Surefire F05. These are a good deep red and will fit anything with a 1" bezel - I use one on an RA Clicky and a Nitecore D20.

However, I'd still be interested in how the EagleTac system turns out.

just to add on, if you arent in a rush, i ordered the Fenix TK series red filter for myself, am currently staying away from ordering lights but adding accesories like nice lanyards, cell holders etc.

I'll test the filter out and post again.

+1 EagleTac T20C2 MK II XP-G R5
RGB filter kit is like $10 to boot, and as stated they screw in.
And you have multiple power levels to choose from as well.
Still under $100 including filters and batteries!

Olight M20 + red filter - maybe $5 over your stated budget.

The T20C2 is a rip-off of the Olight original (if you cannot innovate - imitate) and the Olight's XR-E LED will have a more tightly focused output which will give more throw with the red filter in place.

I know that the regulations are there for a reason. However, I'm a cadet using this mainly for night land navigation tests. There aren't any enemies to find me when I'm doing night land nav. I have no problem finding all of my land nav points with the crappy standard issue flashlight, but like all things in the military, better equipment makes your life easier.

The PD30 with a red filter looks pretty solid:
http://superfonarik.ru/beamshots4/p1-Fenix-PD30-with-Red-Filter.jpgThough it doesn'tsupport a rechargeable battery, the TK11 does, and I would assume the TK11 is pretty similar.

As someone already suggested, I do currently have a AA Maglite Mini LED flashlight with a red filter that I use for little stuff, I'm considering the T20C2 MKII/TK11 lights for primary use.

Olight M20, don't bother buying a red filter. Go find a red plastic coffee can lid or something similar.

1.) Unscrew the stainless steel crenelated bezel off the front of the M20.

2.) Cut a piece of red plastic from the coffee can lid so it fits the head of the light right up against the glass (on the outside of course) :thinking:.

3.) Leave a small flat spot on the circle you cut so you can get your fingernail under it to get it out when you don't want it in there.

4.) Screw the crenelated bezel back on and voila, free red filter. :twothumbs

Only use it on low, as you would anyway for map reading etc. etc. You can't get "throw" with any kind of a filter on anyway and your coffee can lid might not be very heat proof.

It works great for me.

I'm in the exact same boat. US Army Cadet at GA State looking for extra red light. But I have CR123As from my other Surefires.

Let me know which one you decided to go with. I have land navigation next Friday at Ft. Benning.

len0475 said:

I'm in the exact same boat. US Army Cadet at GA State looking for extra red light. But I have CR123As from my other Surefires.

Let me know which one you decided to go with. I have land navigation next Friday at Ft. Benning.

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Nice, at the moment I'm leaning towards the Fenix, although the EagleTac and Olight M20 also look nice. I borrowed a friend's Fenix light with a red filter on it for our Fall FTX, and night land nav was even easier. Those points stick out like a sore thumb by reflecting off all that light output. You headed to LDAC this summer?

Also, what sort of mah rating should I get in 18650 batteries for these kinds of flashlights?

Moonshadow said:

The trouble with the Fenix filters is that they aren't red enough. The one I have is an orangey-red sort of colour which isn't that good at preserving night vision. This might be part of the reason why Fenix are able to quote a higher output with the filter. From this point of view, EagleTac's lower quoted output might well be a good sign, if it results in a deeper red.

If you are looking at filters first, then a much better place to start would be the Surefire F05. These are a good deep red and will fit anything with a 1" bezel - I use one on an RA Clicky and a Nitecore D20.

However, I'd still be interested in how the EagleTac system turns out.

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Good post - this highlights a problem most LED lights have with red.

If you examine a spectrogram of a typical LED, you'll see a high output spike of blue, then a dip at cyan rising to a high covering green through yellow, then tailing off through orange to a very weak red.

Filters are subtractive. A red filter will filter out colors other than red. It can't add red. So, if there is very little red there to start with, that's the best you're going to get - you can't convert some of the blue into red.

What some filters designed for LEDs do is allow some of the orange component through. That gives a brighter output, but as Moonshadow has noted, it results in a more orange tint, rather than a true red.

If you need the red to preserve your night vision, I would recommend a proper red filter, such as the Surefire F04 (which will fit most 1-inch bezel lights), or alternatively a light that has a red LED. If you will be using this light on military night exercises as you say, I think you'll find a bright light will be a handicap in more ways than one, and frowned on by your instructors. You don't need a bright light to help you read a map, and if you need to preserve your night vision you'll need a true red light, with no orange or other color component.