Purchasing a new light, need some help.

Okay, I am looking for an EDC that can also be mounted on my rifle if need be. I was looking at the Jet i pro v3 and it seemed like what I was looking for. I want something that is:
1. bright
2. multi-mode
3. takes AA (preferably just one)
4. must turn on to MAX
and that is all I can think of right now. As a plus I need a holster to put on my belt for it, anyone know of a good one? I intend to carry this everyday. Right now I have a coast cutlery "tactical" light and it sucks bad. Takes 3 AAA (worst IMO) and the on switch is on the side, which gets turned on A LOT. I am tired of this stupid light and it isn't even that bright. Any advice would be much appreciated!

First I must compliment you on a fine screen name and welcome you to CPF. You might also want to check out the lights from Fenix and Quark.

Geoff

Jet I wise choice. Serious throw from small light.

It seems as though you would need 2 separate lights. And EDC is a different animal than a rifle-mounted weapon light. The EDC would be small with a broader beam while the rifle light would have more throw and have a pressure switch option I would think.

Quark Turbo AA, with an extra 1xAA body and tailcap.

For a rifle light, I don't mean 200 yard hunting at midnight, I just want something at night time that I can keep on my rifle. I have that crappy light and a maglight and if the jetbeam is anywhere near that bright it will be fine for like 10 feet while on the rifle. I will examine your suggestions and compare them to my previous idea!

fenix LD10

The Jet i pro v3 has a higher max then both those and still has good runtime high or low. What makes the Quark (which with 2AA seems like a low runtime for max but thats just speculation) or the Fenix LD10 with its significantly lower maximum? I am not a lumen junky but the jet i pro v3 just looks better from a newbie perspective.

ResQTech said:

It seems as though you would need 2 separate lights. And EDC is a different animal than a rifle-mounted weapon light. The EDC would be small with a broader beam while the rifle light would have more throw and have a pressure switch option I would think.

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Oh, sorry for saying for saying the 200 yard hunting. I forgot you said pressure switch. I don't think that is necessary because I believe if someone is breaking into my house I either need to be completely silent and hidden, or turn my light on and search for him. I just don't understand the need for pressure lights. I feel like if I waited to turn the light on to blind someone I would just be wasting a moment to shoot them. No sane person that I am friends/related to would break in, so I am not worried about identifying the target, as I know where my household is.

Pressure switches CAN be a viable accessory I personally don't care for them and don't use one on my M4 for two reasons beyond just preferring to activate my light via the tail cap. First, it's one more thing to break, and much like the gun it's mounted on, you don't need one until you need it BADLY, then you can expect a visit from Mr. Murphy. Second, adding that wire off the back of your light, no matter how well you zip tie or whatever it down, will inevitably get caught on a piece of gear, belt, button, etc and again, will do it at the least opportune time.

FWIW, just my take on pressure switches.:thinking:

Yeah, I agree with that 100%. It seems like a cool idea, but it is just one more thing to go wrong! Also, the Fenix and Quark both seem inferior to the jet I pro v3, what makes y'all recommend them over my assumption? Both have less lumen's and respectable lows. I also count severely against a 2AA just because it should be exponentially better to outweigh its size.

I think another consideration should be recoil. Once you fire your weapon the battery will be sent crashing into the circuit. You're probably also in need of a light with 2 springs that hold the battery in place, instead of a spring and contact point. Multimode lights (some fenixes, i think... )have been known to change modes with sufficient recoil, so eagletac like light with and bezel tight-high and a bezel loose-low would probably be preferred.

I could be wrong, but I think that most P60 hosts have the 2 spring setup.

Instantbacon-

Just realize that the Jet I v3.0 numbers (max output) are obtained using a lithium-ion rechargeable battery (called a 14500 - 14mm in diameter and 50mm long)

You are not going to get near the brightness running it on AA alkalines, Nimh or even Energizer L91 primary lithiums.

We're talking a AA at 1.5 or so volts

vs.

The lithium-ion 14500 at 4.2 volts off the charger....

If you want that brightness you're going to need to buy some 14500 batteries and a charger.

That said, the Jet I Pro V3.0 is a great little light. My favorite light in that category is the Jetbeam RRT-0 Raptor. Once again, using a 14500 battery, it is a little pocket rocket! Check it out - the control ring is nice also. More $$ than the Jet I but a nicer overall light.


Good luck!

Oh yeah, that Jetbeam rrt-0 looks freakin awesome! It sucks that it is ~100 dollars but man that looks exactly like what I need. I think I would use AA only (just plain lithium). I have a lot of AA tools, and being able to use the other battery type could come in handy I guess...but I also notice the ability to withstand shock, so I think it will definately work as a rifle/edc light! Is the 180 lumen for AA alkaline or what? I would assume its the same LED as the jet I pro v3. How is the super low mode, could you walk a trail in the woods with it? I would love to have a usable low that lasts more than 40 hours!

Instantbacon said:

Oh yeah, that Jetbeam rrt-0 looks freakin awesome! It sucks that it is ~100 dollars but man that looks exactly like what I need. I think I would use AA only (just plain lithium). I have a lot of AA tools, and being able to use the other battery type could come in handy I guess...but I also notice the ability to withstand shock, so I think it will definately work as a rifle/edc light! Is the 180 lumen for AA alkaline or what? I would assume its the same LED as the jet I pro v3. How is the super low mode, could you walk a trail in the woods with it? I would love to have a usable low that lasts more than 40 hours!

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I have the RRT-0 with the optional AA extension. The '180' lumens as specified is for AA, the 240 number is for any 3.0V or higher lithium chemistry. Unless specified Jetbeam usually gives emitter lumens which is not an apples to apples comparison with Fenix and 4Sevens which usually quote out the front. To get anywhere close to maximum output I would stick with NiMH or Energizer Advanced Lithium. Alkaline are going to suffer greatly and not let the light live up to its capability.

What kind of rifle? An AR platform with rails? If so, for a cheap, but effective combo, try a Surefire G2 (~30) with any of the DX drop-in Cree P60 lamps like an R2, Q5, etc. ($8) and a command arms FAS2 light mount ($16). For under $60 you have a viable EDC/rifle combo. Granted, there are smaller lights, but for a budget combo, this is hard to beat. Many of the DX lamps are multi-mode to boot, but you might need the right tailcap to make it work the way you describe.

Yes, an AR-15, but no rails on it (except the top). I am going to get a bayonet lug mount and put it there. Should be easy enough to reach. From a glance it seems the G2 like it might not be that great. It got favorable reviews from amazon but like someone else said using a tailcap for multi-mode could be bad due to recoil. This makes sense and the rrt-0 seems to solve that. I am getting more excited about the idea of the rrt-0, it just seems to guarantee everything I need. To the other poster, I would never dream of using alkalines (unless it was a battery emergency)!

Most multimode lights use half-presses to switch modes. Its easy to see why recoil might change modes with these. LD10 for example, P3D, etc.

That said most surefire, some fenix, most eagletac, some 4sevens lights switch modes via turning the bezel. These are the kind that will stay on, unless you destroy the battery/contact point with the recoil.

Instantbacon said:

but like someone else said using a tailcap for multi-mode could be bad due to recoil. This makes sense and the rrt-0 seems to solve that. I am getting more excited about the idea of the rrt-0, it just seems to guarantee everything I need. To the other poster, I would never dream of using alkalines (unless it was a battery emergency)!

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I've been looking for a strong beamed edc torch that's just a bit more compact than my Eagletac P20C2 MkII and I basically came down to a choice between the Jet-I v3 or the RRT-0. I liked the idea that I could program the Jet-I v3 to come on in high or a high-medium but I also liked the idea of the selector ring on the RRT-0.

Unfortunately when I looked aorund this site researching them both I saw a few outdoor beamshoots and the RRT-0 seems to have this very large and dark area surrounding the beam centre that the Jet-I v3 didn't seem to have. That dark area looked so bad to me that I decided that the RRT-0 just wouldn't be suitable for my uses (almost always outdoors). I don't have to attach mine to my rifle so the recoil possibly causing mode changes wasn't a problem for me so I selected the Jet-I v3 for purchase. It should be here next week. With the cpf discount on Bugoutgear I thought it turned out quite reasonably priced.

i'm w/ ResQTech on this one...this just doesn't sound like a sensible crossover. pic-rail or not, you can mount any light you please to a rifle w/ $10 of hardware and hose clamps. i would save that application for a light geared towards that type of use....at the very least i would want something w/ 1-2 Li primaries simply for the increased reliability. for an EDC, the best single cell alkaline light i have is Romisen's RC-29 II. i think shiningbeam.com is the only vendor that has it. its the least expensive light of this variety that i've purchased and is easily my favorite. my view may be a little skewed though, i have a soft spot for focusables.