Hi, noob here need some help

Hi, im new to this forum but have been using it to do some research on my future flashlight purchase. I have been reading the reviews of a particular forum member called "selfbuilt", I am trying to decide between these two lights (or another if anyone has a better suggestion). The Olight M20S "warrior" and the JETbeam rrt-2 raptor. I am leaning toward the Olight M20s because it has more lumens (320) and also a belt clip vs 240 for the JETbeam and no belt clip. But the thing is i dont really know what to compare those lumens to as I've never owned a flashlight that advertised lumens. Sorry for the long post and any help is appreciated.

First, welcome to CPF. Someone will surely come along with a better answer than I offer, but I'll try my best. I think it's going to come down to deciding if you want a light for throw or flood. The Olight M20 your referring to has an XPG-R5 emitter. The JetBeam RRT-2 has an XR-E R2 emitter. The XPG's trait is prone to more flood and less throw than an XR-E R2. Granted the M20 advertises more lumens and if a light with plenty of flood is what your after then thats great. A lux measurement tells how well light is projected over a distance, the higher the number the better the throw. The JetBeam RRT-2 measures in at 14,900 lux. The M20 with an R2 emitter is 11,200 lux. I haven't seen the lux figures on an XPG-R5 in the M20, but if history repeats itself the figure will be even less. If someone shows up with beamshots to the contrary I will gladly shelf my RRT-2 and purchase an M20 with the XPG.

I have to agree about the clip to some degree. A clip would be handy on the RRT-2. I must admit the RRT-2 is a bit large for pocket carry though and a holster works quite well. In the meantime don't take everything I've said as gospel. Someone may even post some comparison beamshots of the two lights your interested in.

Thank you maskman for your reply, very informative. I had never even heard of LUX numbers before you mentioned it, I am now, because of your post leaning toward the the JETbeam rrt-2 because I didnt realize that the light went further with it, i think that may suit my needs a little bit better. I am still going to do further research to make sure i am making the right decision. Thank you for the information though.

I was once a newbie like we all were once so I understand what you are looking at. We want the brightest light that can throw a beam so far we need a binocular to see what it is hitting at. Ain't that so true?

Well, I have come a long way to realize that in most occasion, maybe 90% of the time, I prefer a nice flood beam which makes it easier to spot things in the surrounding areas. Lights like this are more useful than a throw light.

A throw beam though useful for long range is not really useful for close up work, especially if the beam is tight, narrow, and bright. Not only must you swing your light around just to find something, prolonged usage would give you tunnel vision as you are always concentrating on the hot spot most of the time.

Hope this helps in your decision making.

perhaps it might help us to help you if we could understand your needs more? do you want a long range spotter light? a 'flood my backyard with a wall of light' light?

the 2 lights you referenced are great lights but (in my humble opinion) they serve different needs. The Olight will light up a larger area and won't throw a spot of light that far and the Jetbeam will throw a spot of light further than the Olight (at least based on beamshots that i have seen here on CPF).

read more, ask more, don't rush into this though some would just say buy both lol

There are many parameters to look at when deciding on a new light, maximum lumen and lux are only a few of them.
You might also want to look at how easy it is to change brightness or how large a brightness range the light can be adjusted to (i.e. does it have a low low setting). Some lights has a low pwm frequence, this bothers some people.

This is an excellent example of a very good enquiry from a new member who has taken the trouble to do some prior research, and some very helpful and well-considered answers from other members.

Welcome to CPF, riuz426 !

Thank you all for the help, after doing a little more research and considering my needs I realized neither flashlight the rrt-2 or the m20s would suit my needs perfectly ALL of the time, so I decided to get both. I do need a spotlight for when I hunt, night ride my four wheelers, or hike. But I also need something that covers more area for when I need to work on anything up close (which is pretty often), so I decided to buy both of the lights in question. I think they will both find a purpose around me, although my G/F is a little baffled as to why I just spent a very pretty penny on flashlights, I think she'll be pleasently surprised by them when we get out on the trails with them. They should be a vast improvement over the $10 Wally world specials we've been lugging around.

Congratulations, you have two fine flashlights on the way. That happened so fast we didn't have a chance to tell you about dealer discount codes for CPF members. Possibly you already found the dealer discount thread over in CPF MarketPlace. Anyway, if you discover you need or want a holster for the RRT-2 I wanted to give you a heads up on one. There may be plenty that will work, but it can be difficult to choose one from pictures and dimensions. A Maxpedition Single Sheath #1411 is a very good fit if head up carry works for you. Several of the dealers who help support CPF carry that model as well as others so you still have a chance to use the dealer discount codes.

Oh, make sure you come back and tell us what you think of your purchases after you've had a chance to use them. :wave:

My wife never agreed to me buying lights but she always enjoys having my lights along on camping trips and during a blackout (which hardly ever happen here). Anyway, I gave her a Nitecore D10 about 2 years back which she still uses today when we go on nightout.

Hope you will get a better response from your girlfriend. I am sure you would love the lights you have decided on.

:welcome:
I'm new here as well, just a tip, get a ''Mad Money'' Credit Card and have the statements sent to your work address. I´m overseas until the end of summer and just recieved a kind email, from my wife, asking if I'd gone EFF'ing mad. She's been handling the banking while I´m away, quietly collecting packages of batteries, chargers, and few flashlights of course. What really made her think I´ve gone around the bend are the empty Surefire hosts waiting for dropins (can you hear it ''You bought a bunch of flashlights without even a bulb, you are kidding me right?''), why zero res and McClicky are good, Titanium and tritium even better, and that a buck-fifty for a Moddoo Triple is awesome. After going through the statements, quiet acceptance became...well you get my drift. Didn´t have the heart to tell her about the Lambda though, best have it sent to the neighbors house. The folks here are serious about being flashaholics, it's a disease. Just better hope you don't come down with Legomania or Modder Fever, your life will become irrevocably changed! You don´t need for the names of Malkoff, Milky, Nailbender, McGizmo, FiveMega et al...to become part of your lexicon, but you´ll want to. Good luck and best wishes, keep the two flashlights you have, be happy and just walk away.
lovecpf

yep, when in doubt, just buy 'em
unless its a fifty cent wally world special, you'll probably appreciate it.
just expect to find reasons to expand your collection
welcomelovecpf

After doing some research I found out the best light for my needs was a custom surefire. Here are the benefits I found :

-Body will accept new leds as technology progresses.
-You can choose flood or throw leds.
-Surefire makes super strong bodies.
-Custom allows to use recharageable 68500 batteries.
-Surefire lights tend to be pretty small.
-Sufires are water resistant
-Body can be modded with mcclicky so you can select your light mode by just clicking
-Light are used by military personel... these bodies wont fait in any conditions!

note : Expect to pay around 200 for the body and 40-80 for a good led.


Bodies : www.oveready.com
Leds : Do a seach for nailbender or Malkoff droppins on these boards. I personally have a Surefire bored C2 centurion, modded with mcclicky with a SST-50 550 lumens OTF. Couldn't be happier!

In all my research, I couldn't find a more versatile option for a flash light body that would last a lifetime. Only thing I have to worry about is when a new drioppin with more power and performance is going to come up .

Anyway, that was my humble opinion, production lights still pack a hefty punch, but in the long run I found out when you buy quality you dont tend to spend as much money as paying multiple times for medium quality.

edit : Yep its true us Flashoholics need help, but we are happy addicts . Oh if you want also the best EDC money can buy go for a Ra clicky. Hard to go wrong with Ra !