Newbie flashlight upgrade advice.

Hi all,

This is my first post here and am hoping someone can steer me in the right direction. I bought a Legend LX at Walmart for $20. It is VERY bright, but I'm not quite as happy with it as I expected to be. The beam does not focus nearly as sharp as I hoped (nothing close to my 3D Mag), and there is something funny happening with the switch. Now, I see that for another $10-15 I could buy a Streamlight Scorpion which seems to be somewhat similar to the SureFire G2 which is another $15. I am almost positive I am going to return the LX and get something else. Is this how flashaholicism starts?

Q: Does the beam on the Scorpion focus as tight as the 3d Mag? I don't know if the G2 will focus at all.

Q: How are the Scorpion and G2 for brightness compared to the LX?

Thanks for your help,
Ken

Hi,

All are pretty much the same brightness give or take a few lumens. The LX and Scorpion are great values. The G2 is a very solid light with an optional High Output Lamp capability.

I've never got my scorpion or LX to focus as tight as a 3D.

The G2 will not focus.

All 3 are too close to call for brightness.

Pyrex lens is available for the G2.

Lock out tailcap on the G2

Clickie tailcap for the LX and Scorpion

Optional Rechargeable kit for the G2

The Scorpion is the smallest, followed by the G2 and the largest, LX. The scorpion has a rubber sleeve that moves around a bit too easily and makes it feel not as solid as the other 2.

You will probably find that there is not going to be any one light that does everything you want. I have a scorpion and the beam is alot whiter and seemingly brighter than my 3D Mag that I used for years. The beam will not focus quite as tight as the Mag, but I do not think you will be disapointed. I was thrilled with my Scorpion after I first got it.Only down side is battery cost/run time as compared to the Mag.

Yes you are started on the road to flash-a-holism, but you are still in the early stages. I mean come on, you actually want to take the LX back! For a refund?!? You will know you are there when you keep the light so you can say that you have one of those, have a spare for certain duties, keep it around to compare to other lights, or have it to one day loan to a friend in need or give to someone to get them started on their path. Yeah, you are only in the begining stages because you are worried about moneies spent.

I think I understand where he is coming from. When I was a Mag fanatic I liked to be able to focus the beam for throw.I think he is looking for distance factor. I feel that a Scorpion or SF would suit his desire. He hasn't learned yet that this is a reason to go buy another light! But there may be economical restraints which I understand completely. Also we all have our own individual likes/dislikes concerning illuminating issues.

Originally posted by Surefire M6:
Lock out tailcap on the G2

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">The LOTC is now a standard feature on the G2?

Greetings,
Velcro

The Scorpion can also fit the Surefire KL1 Luxeon bezel ... potential for future LED upgrade. I'm not sure if the KL3 bezel will work with the G2, since the G2 is polymer. If you want a cheap light that has a very tight beam you may want to check out some Pelicans: the 4AA "Stealth?" and Super Saber Light wont put out as bright or as nice beams but they are much cheaper and cheaper to run and have really narrow beams. So does the UK SL4 although it is quite big.

Thanks for all the input. I will be returning the LX because there seems to be something wring with this particular unit. Shaking it causes it to go on and off. Not sure why, but a $20 flashlight shouldn't do that no matter what brand it is. As far as the quality of light from the LX goes; good point. While my 3D Mag with a Xenon bulb is noticably brighter when tighly focussed, the light is nowhere near as even as the LX. When I open the Mag beam up to the size of the LX it shows dark spots and a very pronounced ring. The LX definitely has a smoother more usable light. I am still up in the air about what to replace this one with however. Another LX? A Scorpion? A G2????

Thanks for all the replies!

I don't necessarily need a super tight beam. I just like the option of having one when I need it. Are there lights with beams that will focus tight yet provide a light as smooth as the LX when wide. Actually, when I open the LX beam up wider I notice some dark spots like the Mag. Is that why it's only $20?

How about trying the Surge. Great light that doesn't cost a lot to run & reasonable cost. TX

Did you make sure the bulb in the Legend LX in pushed in all the way? If not, that would keep it from focusing properly.

Also, remember that at tightest focus, the 3D mag has a big reflector size advantage. To properly replace your 3D mag you would need a light with the same size reflector. A Surefire 9P w/SRTH Turbohead or a Streamlight Ultrastinger will be much brighter & tighter than your 3D Mag, but they also cost more than your LX did.

Oops, sorry. I meant the G2Z comes with LOTC, not the G2. The G2 does not. Sorry for the confusion.

Velcro

Some of us on the CPF have ran into a slight problem with the LX. Mine would flicker off and on when it was new. The problem turned out to be the bulb was not making good contact. Try pulling the bulb out and reseating it. Remember to use a clean cloth to avoid oil getting on the glass. Something else I have noticed, is that the bulb contacts seem to get loose when the spring tension of the batteries is removed. I found this out changing the batteries on mine while ridding in a car. I had removed the batteries and the bulb fell out into the reflector. I have not tried to repeat this, so this is just theory.

"A true flashaholic never returns a flashlight there is still hope for"

For the money and options the G2 is a very good choice! having the option of P60/61 or KL3 or you could put the A14(?) battery adapter on it and use 9 volt P90/91 lamps. G2!

Also, another sign of the beginning stages, why do you need the beam to focus so tightly? I find that super tight-focused beams are quite useless. Just because the LX won't focus as tight as the Mag doesn't mean that the less-focused beam is dimmer. In fact it's *much* whiter, brigher, and I would even guess has farhter throw...

This is a surprising post for me to read. I have a Brinkmann LX and I absolutely love it. When I compared it to my buddy's Mag 6d, he had to go get one that very night. And he has since "sold" a couple people on them as well. Part of the reason I like the light so much is that it puts out a wall of light with no circles, blackspots, or distortions in addition to its very bright hotspot. I really don't find a purpose for a small flashlight with a pencil beam.

My buddy just bought a Tec40 and he called me on the way back from the store to tell me that he found something cheap thats actually brighter than the LX. I was skeptical so I went over to see if he was correct. Well, the hotspot might have been every so slightly brighter, but it had absolutely no spill light, nothing like the wall of light that the brinkmann puts out. We'd shine the Tec40 down a long hallway and it would illuminate the far end door very well, but the floor and most of the hallway was still dark. With the LX, you'd illuminate the whole hallway in addition to the end of it.

This is the reason I actually prefer the Ultra-G over the Arc AAA for walking around a dark house. Its hotspot may be slightly less bright but it throws out so much more light that its far more useful.

But I suppose there are personal preferences in beam patterns, so return the LX and let use know how you like the next flashlight you buy...

Mark

I agree with you regarding usefullness of a wider beam Saaby.
However, if you want a tight beam that throws far, how about a Triad?