WOW where do I start?

Another newbie here. Until a couple weeks ago I though a mag light was a great light, now I have seen the light! I took a job doing security at night and thought my mini-mag (older one, not even LED) would work, I was wrong. After being around some "good" lights I am now on a search for a "really good light". I bought a streamlight polytac, good light for $40 I think, but now I want more! I cant afford a high end light so I came here to learn all I could. I would like to try a mod or build, to save money and to have fun and learn. Hopefully I will find all the info I can handle plus some. Any links or info on a DIY BRIGHT light? Thanks!

trlcavscout

Re: WOW wear do I start?

DIY stuff can be pretty expensive if you aren't sure what you're doing.

If you like the minimag size but want some serious punch try this http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_306&products_id=1656

Get an 8 pack of eneloops and a smart charger and you're set.

If you want some REAL brightness in the AA format try this http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=696

Re: WOW wear do I start?

hi and :welcome:

depending on your budget there are many possibilities for you. You could go the LED route by getting an aftermarket dropin for a Maglite 2D or other sized maglite, or what i did was to get 3xAA to 1D cell adaptors for my maglite 3D and use a 6D bulb for brighter output.

You could also wait a bit as Bryan from Shiningbeam is probably going to launch a new light, the MG RX-2 which is a SST-50 neutral white tinted LED light that runs off rechargeable li-ion cells (18650) with 3 modes to balance output and runtime. The RX-1 had an output of 700 lumens (more likely 450+ actual lumens after taking into account loss of output due to lens and reflector absorption) which was very respectable and comes in a small powerhouse package.

Enjoy your stay here, though your wallet may suffer

Re: WOW wear do I start?

:welcome:

Well you don't have to build the whole flashlight. You can put one together from different parts. For example you can get a Surefire C2 and drop in a Malkoff M60 or M61 if you can get one. Buy some RCR123 and a charger and you are good to go. However that build will probably cost you over $100. Its well worth it though.
For cheaper but still good quality perhaps Solarforce will do. Either way if you can give more details and what sort of light you want and what your budget is you may get better advice.

Re: WOW wear do I start?

DIY lights from what I see are actually more costly than something you can find over the shelf, sort of speak. I think to get started, buying something that is in (mass) production, to be more cost effective.

I find the 4Seven's Quark line to be a very beginner friendly light 'system' to buy into. For one, you get a very nice gift-able box the light comes in all ready to go with slight assembly on your part. (Peel shrinkwrap on included battery, insert into light )

When you want to branch out, the other feature I really like about them is the LEGO. You can stick to AAs like I did when you start out because it simply makes the most sense to non-flashaholics. If you want to try other battery sizes you can just spend $20 for a different body. Currrent offerings are AA, 2xAA, 18650, CR123s, 2x123 tubes.

Heck you can even go big and buy 14500 li-ion cells and an accompanying charger that would work with an existing AA Quarks with a small exception. 2x14500 and 2x123's require the 3v - 9V head vs the 'standard' 0.9v - 4.2v head that comes on most of the quarks. The reason why you would want to consider using batteries aside from the normal AA's? You get a lot more bang out of the light when you move over to 14500s, 18650s, 123s.

EDIT:
If you do plan to get the TK40, I would recommend to actually buy it from amazon. As much as I would like to recommend the 4Seven's site, It's a few dollars cheaper but every little bit counts

Re: WOW wear do I start?

Thanks for the help. As far as what I want, right now I would like to get an LED, 200-300 lumen, running off 2XCR123A's that throws a tight beam, is short enough for the pocket (like 4-6"). So yes I might be able to purchase 1 cheaper? I am not looking for a whole lot, my only complaint on the streamlight polytac is how much of a flood it is, it is fairly bright just not focused I guess. Here is what I have to work with, best plan?

3aa cheaper LED with aluminum housing, has a small diameter tube that wouldnt hold cr123's.

2aa mini mag, I found the terralux led kit for $20 (140 lumen), and the pushbutton switch for $5. I dont know if it would actually make 140 and then I have another $25 into a cheap light?

I have a 2d maglite with led bulb, not the drop in led module (I was cheap) the battery lasts 200 times longer with the led but it is very dim. This one would be a project for home, to big to carry at work.


I do have a chance to buy a stinger, 185 lumen max, rechargeable used for around $50. Its a little bigger then I want, and still not as bright. But again it would be a great light for around the house etc?

Re: WOW wear do I start?

I was in the same boat as you. I do a lot of off roading and mudding on the weekends and wanted a good LED Flashlight that I knew could handle being tossed around or dropped in the mud and still work great. I tried building my own but failed miserably so I just bought a cheap one and wrapped it in a generic rubber casing...works great!

As a first "host" (= the flashlight itself, without the light source) for CR123 size batteries I can highly recommend the Surefire C2 Centurion HAIII. Indeed, this one hits a hole in your wallet, but hey, there's CPF Marketplace where they can be found regularly for less than you would pay for a new one.

In this host, you can put nearly all D26 sized light sources. These can be (ultra) high pressure Xenon bulbs or many, many different LED drop-ins. When we are talking LED, avoid the ones with multi-die LEDs (such as the MC-E) as these have a floody beam, which you don't seem to like.

One disadvantage of these hosts (and that goes for ALL 2X CR123 hosts) is the combination of relatively small batteries with power-hungry LED-dropins. You seem to be wanting 200 to 300 Lumens, which will draw so much power from those poor little batteries, they will not last for more than an hour.

A better solution is to go for a slightly longer host, the Surefire C3 Centurion HAIII (yes, you guessed right, this one is intended for THREE CR123 batteries).

Indeed, it was originally intended for three CR123 batteries... but we as flashaholics do use TWO rechargeable 17500 batteries, which have nearly double the capacity of the smaller, rechargeable R123 batteries (also referred to as 16340s). Each 17500 battery equals the length of 1.5 CR123 batteries, so two of those 17500s are just as long as three CR123s! Smart, isn't it? The use of 17500s instead of 16340s means nearly double the runtime.

One advise: buy good quality rechargeable Li-ion batteries from the start! Forget about that DX stuff, most of the batteries offered there is just a waste of money. Go for the good ones from the start, go for AW or Wolf Eyes batteries. AW has really all sizes imaginable, and these cells are very durable. Together with a good charger these will give you countless hours of guilt free lumens with your flashlight. Now, you really start to use it!

For example, if you buy the C3 Centurion and leave the (excellent!) P90 standard lamp assembly in it, you'll have about 50 minutes of runtime. With the C2 Centurion this is just 30 minutes!

Let me close with one remark regarding Li-ion batteries: they have the same energy density as TNT(!) and must be used with utmost care.

A: ONLY use a special charger, designed for Li-ion batteries,
B: do not short the batteries,
C: do not leave in hot places (car!),
D: always use protected Li-ion batteries,
E: for a longer life, never drain completely until protection kicks in!!
F: never, ever mix partially drained ones with freshly charged ones!!

And ohhh, well.... welcome to the best hobby you ever had :twothumbs


Timmo.

Re: WOW wear do I start?

trlcavscout said:

2aa mini mag, I found the terralux led kit for $20 (140 lumen), and the pushbutton switch for $5. I dont know if it would actually make 140 and then I have another $25 into a cheap light?

Click to expand...

I have the Terralux TLE-300M-EX drop in LED upgrade in my Mini-Maglite and it is not 140 lumens as advertised by Terralux. In general, light output ratings are overhyped a bit, including that 140 lumen one. Mine put out about 85 lumens in Bigchelis' sphere. (See his big thread stuck at the top of the LED forum for the actual numbers.)

Upgrading Mini-Maglites and Maglites is not really cost effective. I suggest that people only upgrade them if they like to modify things, not because they want the ultimate in lighting tools. They are fun to modify though, but you just have to be in D-I-Y guy in order to get enjoyment out of the whole flashlight modifying process. I like my modified Mini-Maglite, but it's only my backup EDC light, not my primary one so I don't have to rely on it on a daily basis.

Re: WOW wear do I start?

Since you are interested in modding, I would say keep the Mini Maglite as-is as it won't be cost-effective to upgrade it. It'll make a good host for modding.

As for another light, have you checked out the Maglite XL100 (click my sig pic for my review)? It's a great light for around $40 and puts out quite a bit of light (80-100 actual ANSI lumens) on 3 AAA NiMH. You'll also get the benefit of common batteries, unlike CR123 (which get expensive quickly).

Re: WOW wear do I start?

trlcavscout said:

As far as what I want, right now I would like to get an LED, 200-300 lumen, running off 2XCR123A's that throws a tight beam, is short enough for the pocket (like 4-6").

Click to expand...

Quark 123-2 Turbo. It's rated at 230 lumens at 1.8 hours (though at the 1.8 hour mark it probably isn't very bright). It gives you two modes (tighten head or loosen head) that you can program to whatever two brightness levels or modes you want. The larger turbo head should give you a tighter beam as well.

I just had a chance to play with the Quark AA-2 Tactical and it's a nice little light. I'm tempted to get one but I have plenty of 2AA lights as it is so I'm resisting.

Alternatively, you can get into the Surefire 6P system. Getting a real Surefire can get pricey but they offer a lifetime warranty and that could be worth the extra money in the long run. Alternatively, you can get a Solarforce host (a Surefire 6P clone) for $12 or $13 and then get a Dereelight, ThruNite, or Malkoff D26 drop-in for it and have a nice light for around $50-$75. The Dereelight, ThruNite, and Malkoff drop-ins can be had in a single-mode model (just turn it on and it is bright). The Dereelight and ThruNite drop-ins are offered in multi-mode versions as well, usually Low, Medium, and High. The Malkoff drop-ins are about $55 while the Dereelight and ThruNite are around $35.

I am pretty new at this also. My first purchase was a Surefire 6P LED. There are lots of simple mods available. I picked up a Malkoff P61 and a Thrunite R5. Both give the light different characteristics.

Re: WOW wear do I start?

trlcavscout said:

Thanks for the help. As far as what I want, right now I would like to get an LED, 200-300 lumen, running off 2XCR123A's that throws a tight beam, is short enough for the pocket (like 4-6"). ............

Click to expand...

I have purchased a few lights recently that fit your description. If you want a strong thrower 'pocket light' with a tight beam rated at ~280 lumens, then I would recommend the EagleTac P20C2 MkII XP-G R5 with the SMO (smooth) reflector. The one in my pic has a OP (orange peel/textured) reflector, which gives a floodier hotspot.

Another fantastic little light is the Quark 123*2 Tactical. The Quark is my EDC light. It goes with me everywhere. 230 lumens, just slightly less bright thatn the Eagletac.

Good luck in your search. Buy quality lights, stay away from junk.



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