Exchanging TK35 for custom torch? Good or bad idea?

Hi guys,

I hope you can help me with this. I have a Tk35 (great light) but its too big to fit on handlebars of my bike. I also have a SF 6PD with NB XML drop-in and this fits perfectly on the bike with great flood.

i was thinking of selling the TK35 and getting another custom torch to replace it. My question is this: Any idea of costs and which drop-in do i get to have a similar performance to the TK35? Looking for something throwier than the NB XML.

Thanks for looking!

You're going to have some trouble with this one. The reason the TK35 is able to give you the throwier beam profile even using the XML (which because of the size of the die is not generally considered a throwy emitter) is that is has a fairly large head at 51.5 mm. This allows it to house a larger reflector which can direct most of the light from the XML downstream.

The Surefire 6P and clones have a smaller head (about 32 mm) so the same LED (NB's XML in your case) produces a floodier beam.

You could get one of NB's XR-E drop ins to put in your 6P. That would give you a much throwier beam however you're not going to get near the same number of lumens.

I think the best compromise you could make would be to pick a "tweener" light with a slightly larger head than a 6P but not as large as your TK35. Also look for one with a relatively deep reflector. A couple of lights that come to mind are the 4Sevens Maelstrom G5 and the EagleTac T20C2 MKII with one of the throwier emitter options.

thanks. I was thinking of a SST 90 drop-in or a SSt 50. any thoughts?

id jerry rig a clamp to fit the tk35 to my bike (bars/frame/helmet) for when i need more light then the surefire,.

some velcro straps should work.

i ve done that. double wrapped with velcros. the problem is that the torch is too heavy and every little bump on the road translates to the beam jumping all over the place. its quite disorienting especially when you need your wits about you, cycling in central London.

Maybe something like the Maelstrom X7?

xed888 said:

i ve done that. double wrapped with velcros. the problem is that the torch is too heavy and every little bump on the road translates to the beam jumping all over the place. its quite disorienting especially when you need your wits about you, cycling in central London.

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strap it to your helmet.

haha i dont have a helmet. plus its too heavy i think

You are supposed to.... It's really dangerous without one. There are guys that strap TK45's to their bikes, just used one of those handlebar extenders and then 2 Cyclopblocks, which should work pretty well.

Maybe this bike mount would work with the TK35?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001CJXB5E/toolkit-20/

It has positive reviews and one of them said it can easily hold a flashlight with up to 2 inches in diameter.

xed888 said:

thanks. I was thinking of a SST 90 drop-in or a SSt 50. any thoughts?

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The SST-50 Die is about the same size as the XML and the SST-90 is even larger. Per my previous post, the larger the LED the larger the reflector you will need to achieve comparable throw.

The XML is very powerful, very efficient LED and would probably work well for your application if you could find a suitable form factor. The suggested 4Sevens Maelstrom up above is a great light.

Also, maybe consider the Maelstrom S12. It is not going to be as throwy as your TK 35, but the output is really good with the SST-90, the reflector is larger than a stock 6P reflector and it has thermal regulation so it will allow you to strap it to your bars and not worry about toasting the light while it runs continuously on high. Plus, it's smaller than the TK 35 and should be easier to mount.

thanks for all the suggestions guys. Im currently looking into srfreddy's idea. Looking at this: http://www.minourausa.com/english/accessory-e/sg300s-e.html

And mounting the TK35 between the extension and my handlebars with 2 cycleblocks to stabilise it. thing is: Does anyone know the length of the body of the TK35 and the space between the extension and the handlebar? Will the TK35 fit between them, perpendicularly?

I use the TK35 as a bike light with this clamp and it is very solid for city use and less demanding trails.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/univer...nt-for-flashlights-23mm-diameter-2-pack-56320



When I go full on offroad and start hitting some big stuff I will have a TK10 in this same clamp.

Yes this thing is cheap and looks a bit crap and yes there is room for improvement but it does a hell of a job.

As for improving this thing, I changed the clamp bolt for stainless with two large washers and also carved out the jaws because they are realy tight.

Hope this helps

vsukwizard said:

I use the TK35 as a bike light with this clamp and it is very solid for city use and less demanding trails.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/univer...nt-for-flashlights-23mm-diameter-2-pack-56320

When I go full on offroad and start hitting some big stuff I will have a TK10 in this same clamp.

Yes this thing is cheap and looks a bit crap and yes there is room for improvement but it does a hell of a job.

As for improving this thing, I changed the clamp bolt for stainless with two large washers and also carved out the jaws because they are realy tight.

Hope this helps

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Can you post a picture of exactly what you did and how you mounted the TK35? I just got a mountain bike and the TK35 which I also own would be absolutely perfect!

I definately think that to match the TK35, P60 is not the way to go. Only way to break 500 lumens with a P60 is a large die emitter or multi die emitter. Both are very floody unless you have a large reflector.
Now there are Lego-able heads with big reflectors but what I think you should consider is lights that already have the large reflector. Like the Thrunite Catapult, Crelant 7G3 XML, Quark TurboX, Fenix TK41