So where do I go from here?

Paolos · Apr 27, 2011

Ok guys, here's my situation. I'm new to the wonderful world of flashlights and because I'm not exactly flush, I tend to buy with necessity in mind. So, I have an;

iTP A3 R5 - super bright, but small enough to edc without even knowing it's there.

LED Lenser P4 - rarely used, lives in the bottom of my bag.

Fenix LD10 - my most used light, always in my jacket pocket, bright enough for most situations, great run time, yet small very compact. Great for going out walking at night.

Fenix LD20 - my main light, the one I take on days out etc when I need more light for longer. Great light.

Fenix LD40 - just ordered, needed a good thrower to keep in the car.

I like good quality AA or AAA powered lights (cr123's are just too damn expensive here) that are really bright but have excellent run times. I like clickies, never tried piston drives, and I'm not a fan of twisties. Oh, and I definitely prefer lights under £50 ($80) as my budget doesn't stretch beyond that and there are less tears if anything happens to them!

So the question is.... What next?! Based on what I have and what I use them for, where are the gaps in my flashlight needs?

Waspy · Apr 27, 2011

I think you could invest in a battery charger and some 18650s.

It will open up a whole new world of options and you don't have to keep buying AAs.

Also, by way of diversity, you could think about a collimator thrower, a P60 and a modified Maglite, possibly an incan.

mrpink · Apr 27, 2011

what is this silly talk about incans? why are they even mentioned here?

Outdoorsman5 · Apr 27, 2011

Paolos said:
Ok guys, here's my situation. I'm new to the wonderful world of flashlights and because I'm not exactly flush, I tend to buy with necessity in mind. So, I have an;

iTP A3 R5 - super bright, but small enough to edc without even knowing it's there.

LED Lenser P4 - rarely used, lives in the bottom of my bag.

Fenix LD10 - my most used light, always in my jacket pocket, bright enough for most situations, great run time, yet small very compact. Great for going out walking at night.

Fenix LD20 - my main light, the one I take on days out etc when I need more light for longer. Great light.

Fenix LD40 - just ordered, needed a good thrower to keep in the car.

I like good quality AA or AAA powered lights (cr123's are just too damn expensive here) that are really bright but have excellent run times. I like clickies, never tried piston drives, and I'm not a fan of twisties. Oh, and I definitely prefer lights under £50 ($80) as my budget doesn't stretch beyond that and there are less tears if anything happens to them!

So the question is.... What next?! Based on what I have and what I use them for, where are the gaps in my flashlight needs?

You have an excellent line up of lights, and mostly complete. I agree with Waspy though - invest in a Li-ion charger and some Li-ion batteries for a whole lot more selection in lights. This will add guilt-free lumens to your experience, much more power & output, and allow you to carry even more compact high power lights.

I have a wide range of tiny lights, small lights, medium lights, and large lights. Currently my favorite light, and one you should consider is the Quark 123x2 Turbo X. This is a very small mega thrower. It runs on two CR123 batteries OR two RCR123 Li-ion rechargeable batteries OR my favorite one 17670 Li-ion rechargeable battery. Below are links to the light, the charger, and the batteries all from 4sevens. Use this code for an 8% discount - cpf8
This light is unbelievable, and you would love it.....sorry I went over budget.

Turbo X - ClickHere
Charger - ClickHere
17670 battery - ClickHere

Paolos · Apr 27, 2011

That's an impressive looking light. Not bad price, and the free worldwide shipping is definitely appealing (this is usually where we get shafted).

I must admit that I am fairly ignorant to all the different types of batteries etc out there as I have always went with traditional duracells and energiser rechargeables (ordering eneloop XX's when I can scrape together the funds). Allways avoided cr123's primarily due to the cost and availability but I also heard or some safety issues with them. 18650s are basically 2x 123's joined together - right? Not at all familiar with 17670's.

I'm definitely attracted to the extra brightness these batteries allow (although to be honest, I really have little need for any of the monster lights) and runtime is important to me. Food for thought.

Keep the ideas coming guys!!

Paolos · Apr 27, 2011

Hmmm, after watching the demo of the turbo x's UI, I'm not so sure. Whilst I can see the merits of having shortcuts to 2 modes, there seems to be quite a bit of faffing to get to the various other modes. One thing I do really like about the Fenix lights UI is that all modes are easily accessed quickly. As both the L10 and 20 are more area lights, I do tend to use the 4 main modes regularly dending on the situation and the area I am lighting (never used the strobe or SOS modes beyond demonstration).

Waspy · Apr 27, 2011

Paolos,

You can get a good charger and 18650s (amongst others) from www.flashaholics.co.uk

I am a bit of a fan of P60 hosts from China and drop-ins from Nailbender. The thing about P60 hosts is that they can always be upgraded to the latest LED.

If runtime is important, you can get 2x18650 bodies that take P60 drop-ins from www.solarforce-sales.com

Nailbender drop-ins won't take more than 6 volts so 2x18650s are no good, but others make 9v drop-ins, like Thrunite (and Solarforce of course) which will take 2x18650s, remember 1x18650 is 3.7v and 2x18650 is 7.4v, so you have to make sure your drop-in max voltage is not less than your battery(s) output.

That sounds complicated, but it's easy when you think about it.

Also, different drop-ins have many different mode options.

tygger · Apr 27, 2011

I'd also look at Cottonpickers Li-ion chargers in the Marketplace. I rarely use my PILA anymore. I love the P60/18650 format but if you want to keep your battery requirements super simple I'd stick with AA format. That way you can use Eneloops for everyday useage, carry a few Energizer lithiums for backup, and of course you can use Alkalines in a pinch. And you won't necessarily have to sacrifice output. My Zebralight SC51 is a screamer and it uses one Eneloop!

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh....-Worlds-smallest-Li-ion-charger-with-display

Paolos · Apr 28, 2011

Not sure I'm quite up to building my own flashlight just yet, although I do really like the idea of being able to constantly upgrade rather than replace it.

I'd looked at zebralights when I was researching single AA lights, very impressive, and I really like the UI, but ultimately it was the price that pushed me to the Fenix LD10. Have they stopped making the sc51? Most of the sites currently offer the sc50+.

The original plan was to stick to AA and AAA's so I don't have to worry about carrying different types of batteries, and the cost and availability of AA's made them ideal. I think that I'll probably do that for the most part, but I'm certainly more open to other, more powerful types, providing I can get/use rechargeable ones.

So where do I go from here?

Paolos

Newly Enlightened

Waspy

Newly Enlightened

mrpink

Newly Enlightened

Outdoorsman5

Flashlight Enthusiast

Paolos

Newly Enlightened

Paolos

Newly Enlightened

Waspy

Newly Enlightened

tygger

Enlightened

Paolos

Newly Enlightened

Similar threads

Latest posts