Newbie needs help picking a light for $100... Olight, Jetbeam, Eagletac, other?

ThomasGordon5 · Apr 11, 2011

This will be my first high output light which will mainly be used for camping/night hiking. I have had a hard time deciding on which to choose and was hoping somebody might have some personal experience they could share. The Jetbeam and M20s are probably my top picks but I like the outputs of the Eagletac, I am unsure if the quality of the Eagletac can match that of the Jetbeam or Olight. The eagletac outputs seem to be the best and the new UI will remove the strobe feature which is nice since I really don't need it anyway for my application (can activate the strobe if I ever felt it to be needed). Does the Eagletac store your last setting when turned off, and is it a high quality light? How is the throw on these lights? Any other light suggestions or help is appreciated.

Olight M20s with S2 led- Lumens=340max/115med/5lo (otf?)
Jetbeam Jet-III with R5 led- Lumens=355max/programmable second output (otf?)
Eagletac T20C2 with T6 led- Lumens=430max/60med/5lo (otf rated)

AaronG · Apr 11, 2011

If you don't have a quality headlamp that would be first on my list. The Zebralight H51Fw would be awesome for camping and night hiking. I went caving yesterday and my H51F was awesome. A bit bigger and more focused light is a nice pairing to a powerful headlamp. Were you looking at these lights because you like the battery format and size?

If your already set on this format please disregard

To stay on topic I'd be tempted by the higher output of the XM-L

shao.fu.tzer · Apr 11, 2011

Buy a P60 host and a drop in...

mrlysle · Apr 11, 2011

The Eagletacs are very well built. No, they don't really store your last setting when turned off however. With the head tight, it always comes "turbo" or max. With the head loose, it always comes on a medium level. (good combination of output and runtime) Low is easily accessed by a quick double twist of the head. The XM-l has a really sweet combination of throw and flood. One nice thing about the T20C2 MK II, is all the different drop-ins available for them. For less than 30 bucks, you could get the XR-E module for a small hotspot with a lot of throw, or get the neutral drop-in for better color rendition. The light comes with some nice accessories, including a screw in diffuser which works super well. I'm very pleased with mine. Just got the new high output drop-in today. Nice! :devil:

Warp · Apr 11, 2011

ThomasGordon5 said:
This will be my first high output light which will mainly be used for camping/night hiking. I have had a hard time deciding on which to choose and was hoping somebody might have some personal experience they could share. The Jetbeam and M20s are probably my top picks but I like the outputs of the Eagletac, I am unsure if the quality of the Eagletac can match that of the Jetbeam or Olight. The eagletac outputs seem to be the best and the new UI will remove the strobe feature which is nice since I really don't need it anyway for my application (can activate the strobe if I ever felt it to be needed). Does the Eagletac store your last setting when turned off, and is it a high quality light? How is the throw on these lights? Any other light suggestions or help is appreciated.

Olight M20s with S2 led- Lumens=340max/115med/5lo (otf?)
Jetbeam Jet-III with R5 led- Lumens=355max/programmable second output (otf?)
Eagletac T20C2 with T6 led- Lumens=430max/60med/5lo (otf rated)

How about Eagletac T20C2 with XM-L T6 putting out 580 ANSI lumens?

I am very close to pulling the trigger on one of these myself. I haven't picked up a new light (other than impulse mag from target) in over a year...

http://www.illuminationgear.com/14322/26992.html

ThomasGordon5 · Apr 11, 2011

I didn't even know there were drop ins available, very nice. The Eagletac is my favorite for output, the only real drawback for me is the rubber parts that are exposed (cigar grip ring and back end), do these hold up well? I got the impression that they may wear out quickly under heavy use. The one light that seemed to stand out in build quality was the Jetbeam... but it's real hard to pass up the output of the Eagletac.

Potato42 · Apr 11, 2011

I don't have any of those lights but do like my Eagletac T10C. If I might throw another light in the mix here, the Klarus XT10 looks very promising. UI looks simple but highly effective, very high output, fits nicely in your budget.

enomosiki · Apr 11, 2011

Build quality on EagleTac is superb. I've used P20C2 MkII and T20C2 MkII for over a year and they certainly took a repeated beatings and kept going.

ThomasGordon5 said:
I didn't even know there were drop ins available, very nice. The Eagletac is my favorite for output, the only real drawback for me is the rubber parts that are exposed (cigar grip ring and back end), do these hold up well? I got the impression that they may wear out quickly under heavy use. The one light that seemed to stand out in build quality was the Jetbeam... but it's real hard to pass up the output of the Eagletac.

I never had any problems with their cigar grips. Also, their rubber cigar grips are very comfortable.

Also, if you are worried about the rubber attachment for the tailcap that allows the light to tail-stand, you can always get tailcap that has the switch flushed. IlluminationGear has 'em. Look for the "tactical tail-stand" part.

ThomasGordon5 · Apr 12, 2011

Thanks for the input enomosiki! I missed that when I checked that page previously... I think you just stuck the nail in the coffin with that. I think I am going for the xm-l high output and throw in the tail stand, I also love the low setting of 12 lumen as opposed to 5 lumen. Another question for you guys, what batteries should I go for with this light, the cr123 or 18650? In runtime comparisons it seems as though the cr123 hold a nice even output until they are dead whereas the 18650 decline slowly over time. I was leaning toward the cr123 because I like the idea of maintaining brightness, but what is your preference... I have never used either so I really don't know which way to go. Actually I just looked at some runtime comparisons for this light and it looks like it regulates both batteries very well, can anyone recommend some good 18650 batteries? Thanks again guys!

FlashKat · Apr 12, 2011

The Jetbeam III M is very deceiving. Even though it is rated at 355 lumens it is brighter than any P7 light that is rated at 800 lumens. The Jetbeam III M is very well focused, and super bright. I can't compare it to the others, but I can say the Jetbeam is well built, and bright.

swrdply400mrelay · Apr 12, 2011

For camping/hiking, definitely a Zebralight.

shao.fu.tzer · Apr 13, 2011

swrdply400mrelay said:
For camping/hiking, definitely a Zebralight.

Yeah if you want to get stuck in the middle of the pitch black woods after your ZL unexpectedly dies on you, and then a bear eats your face off while you're madly tapping the thing against the side of your hand, trying to get it to turn back on...

Seriously - for $100, I would buy a bored 6P and a decent drop in...That way in a year from now, you can just replace the drop in without having to buy another $100 turnkey light with the "latest and greatest" emitter...

Outdoorsman5 · Apr 13, 2011

shao.fu.tzer said:
Yeah if you want to get stuck in the middle of the pitch black woods after your ZL unexpectedly dies on you, and then a bear eats your face off while you're madly tapping the thing against the side of your hand, trying to get it to turn back on...

That was hilarious, but come on Zebralights aren't that bad.

Warp · Apr 13, 2011

shao.fu.tzer said:
Yeah if you want to get stuck in the middle of the pitch black woods after your ZL unexpectedly dies on you, and then a bear eats your face off while you're madly tapping the thing against the side of your hand, trying to get it to turn back on...

Seriously - for $100, I would buy a bored 6P and a decent drop in...That way in a year from now, you can just replace the drop in without having to buy another $100 turnkey light with the "latest and greatest" emitter...

He said zebralight, not surefire.

(my surefires are 0-2...donotwant)

shao.fu.tzer · Apr 13, 2011

Warp said:
(my surefires are 0-2...donotwant)

Same for me for Zebralight - 0 for 2...

CarpentryHero · Apr 13, 2011

I'd go with the Eagletac T20c2 with XML, it's the brightest in your list, it's upgradeable. Takes multiple battery configurations. There sturdy, I have the P20c2 and love it

Devoid · Apr 13, 2011

I own the EagleTac T20C2 MK2 and it's fantastic but I agree with Potato42 in that you should also be considering the Klarus XT10.
The Klarus has the same LED as the T20C2, similar features and similar price point but I have noticed people say it is a little brighter and I love that it has 2 rear switches.

ThomasGordon5 · Apr 16, 2011

Thanks for all your replies. I thought I was set on the Eagletac,which is a nice light, but I am really looking into the Solarfire lights now. The Eagletac is not out but it seems like I may pay double for a product that is in no way superior. From what reviews I have seen on Solarfires they do well and are about half the cost of other lights. These lights look good, offer HA3, memory function, and a lot of LED options. Anyone with experience with these lights?

srfreddy · Apr 16, 2011

Well, your setup would probably be something like:
Solarforce L2P-$20
B6 Stainless Steel bezel-$5
Manafont XML 3-mode-$17
Copper tape for dropin-$4
The eagletac will probably have better thermal transfer, and throw, but the Solarforce total is less than half than the Eagletac's. I might even say that the Manafont might put more light out.

DaveyJones · Apr 16, 2011

FlashKat said:
The Jetbeam III M is very deceiving. Even though it is rated at 355 lumens it is brighter than any P7 light that is rated at 800 lumens. The Jetbeam III M is very well focused, and super bright. I can't compare it to the others, but I can say the Jetbeam is well built, and bright.

ive noticed that they understate runtimes in their specs aswel.
looking at some of the testing done by people here it turns out they run
much longer then advertised.
they also neglect to mention allot about the functions of a light i looked at (jet-i pro v3).
it has capabilities that are no reference is found to on their website, or in the specs they give dealers
to put on their websites.

these guys srsly need to hire some better marketing people or something.

Newbie needs help picking a light for $100... Olight, Jetbeam, Eagletac, other?

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