2 CR123A torches

Greetings. I've been reading CFP for the last month while researching which 2AA flashlight to buy (thanks for all of the information)! 'One light,' I told myself. The light came, and its great, but now I want something brighter. I believe the best way to do this is to move to the 2 CR123A batteries.

I've happened upon a few lights i'm concedering

1. Fenix TK21-U2
MAX 468lm for 1.8 hours

2. Maelstrom X7
MAX 480lm for 1.3 hours

3. Lumintop TD15X
MAX 720lm for 1 hour (2 CR123A???? or 2 18650???)

I am most concerned with light output, runtime, and build quality. I will be using 2 CR123A primaries. I would love to hear what you guys think.

Do the XM-L lights tend to be more floody? What would the color difference be between the T6 and U2?

Going Gear has some video reviews and a comparison/showdown including the 4 Sevens and Lumintop models that you are looking at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/goingprepared

I don't know if the Fenix is out yet.

astein29 said:

'One light,' I told myself. The light came, and its great, but now I want something brighter.

Click to expand...

Yep, that's how it starts. Just like you, I did my research for a 2xAA light (bought an ITP SA2), was very happy with it, then a few months later, I was looking for something new. Bought an Eagletac P20C2 and figured that would suffice. Then I decided I needed a keychain light, so I bought an ITP A3. Then I decided I wanted a thrower, so I bought an Eagletac M2XC4. Then an XM-L drop-in module for an old Brinkmann I had laying around, just because. It never ends.

If I were looking to buy a 2xCR123 light right now, I'd definitely consider the new (not yet released, but available for pre-order) Eagletac T20C2 MKII XM-L. 720 lumens (580 ANSI).

Thanks for all the posts. The TK21 is available for pre-order and should ship mid-april. Does anybody know how the tint would differ between the T6 and U2 XM-L bins?

astein29 said:

3. Lumintop TD15X
MAX 720lm for 1 hour (2 CR123A???? or 2 18650???)

Click to expand...

If it's what you're asking, the TD15X is 2x CR123A or 1x 18650, but battery extenders are availiable for 3x or 4x CR123A or 2x 18650.

mwb01 said:

If it's what you're asking, the TD15X is 2x CR123A or 1x 18650, but battery extenders are availiable for 3x or 4x CR123A or 2x 18650.

Click to expand...

I was wondering about the power source to achieve the 720lm output. Probably not 2 CR123A's.

astein29 said:

I was wondering about the power source to achieve the 720lm output. Probably not 2 CR123A's.

Click to expand...

You need either 3xcr123 or 2x18500, the TD15X is one heck of a light solid build and very bright but it is on the heavy side so if you want to EDC this light you should also consider the Eagletac T20C2 MKII XM-L which is much lighter and more compact. Like mentioned above their is a newer version to be released this week that is brighter than the previous XL-M T20C2 so if you consider the T20 wait a couple days.

PS- These bright lights will drain a couple cr123's in around 1hr -1.5hr on max so if you really want to get into these bright light's that consume lots of energy you should consider and read up on Li-Ion 18650 batterys and charger. They generally have a bit more runtime and of course you can recharge them. It's just something to think about if you want to get your light now and research that setup later, oh yeh Welcome To CPF!

The Lumintop TD15 X is a fantastic light. Bright as hell and superb build. Stainless Steel bezel and tail and the threads are square cut, butter smooth. I can't say enough about the quality and touches that are put into this torch.

Now you are on the path, give 18650 Li-ion rechargeables a try - will work in all three of the torches you have chosen. A bit more economical than blasting 2 x CR123 on high :devil:

I Just bought myself a Malkoff MD2 with M61 drop-in 260 OTF.

Im excited and i cant wait i would say that this would be my first complete malkoff light.
i have the first gen mag drop-in few years back.

As far as brightness i would say 260 of perfect beam is BRIGHT. we shall see. And of course the QUALITY.

I think I've narrowed it down to 2:

1. Fenix TK21 XM-L (U-2)

2. Eagletac T20C2 MKII XM-L (T-6?)

It looks like the Eagletac has a 3 minute turbo 'boost' mode...

Can anybody comment on the tint difference between the bins? T-6 vs U-2