a flashlight you can hold at maximum power whitout burn hands

first sorry for my english:naughty:
according to your experience, i'd like to know which is a flashlight you can use at maximum power without burn yours hands.
i mean a flashlight with 18650 battery,over 300 lumens, 2 or maximum 3 levels.
i'm thinking about a XP-G R5 at 1.2-1.5 A driven,others like XM-L or MC-E or SST 50 surely burn.
no matters money.
i like walk in mountain at night so many ours whit maximum light.
can somebody give me a good advice? thanks a lot
carlo

I'm thinking the Maelstrom G5 and X7 fit the bill. Get the G5 if distance or throw is important to you and get the X7 if having a floody wall of light is more important.

There is Fenix TK21. I read another poster on CPF said that the reliability of Fenix is a little better than 4Sevens, so you might consider that. It is good to have a good quality light that you can depend on especially if you are in the mountains. You want to have light when you activate your flashlight, and even in the instance when you drop the light on the ground. It is just a matter of safety. So my point isn't that Fenix is better than 4Sevens, but my point is get something reliable, then get a second light as backup. The point is not being stuck in the mountains at night without a working light.

Why not Fenix TK41? Flood and throw and won't burn your hands.

All I can say is, I've had two Fenix failures, both on supposedly super reliable twisty lights and no 4sevens failures, so based on MY very own experience (and an anecdotal evidence for you), Fenix is less reliable than 4sevens. Let it be known that I own more than double Fenixes than I do 4sevens, but as I typically carry the 4sevens lights I treat them much harder and they frequently take abuse.

Point being, take everything you hear on the internet (and everywhere else) with a grain of salt. I am personally very happy with my 4sevens lights and I have no reason yet to distrust them. Certainly it is important to have a backup when you are counting on your light to get you somewhere safely, but also be wary of anecdotal evidence supporting one manufacturer over another.

What would you say is most reliable, with the least reported failures? Surefire? HDS?

CPFBiology said:

What would you say is most reliable, with the least reported failures? Surefire? HDS?

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I don't think we should further derail this thread. Feel free to start a new one regarding the matter but it has frequently been addressed here before and your questions will probably be answered by search.

CPFBiology said:

What would you say is most reliable, with the least reported failures? Surefire? HDS?

Click to expand...

Every light fails - even surefire and hds. But i think lights generally fail in the first year. If they are used hard for a year or two, in my opinion, they can be considered more reliable than a brand new light.

The Malkoff MD2 equipped with the M61 light engine is also a great 18650 light that will run at max power without becoming dangerously hot. I can't believe I overlooked it when I first made my recommendation but it is a solid light at about 300 lumens otf.

Hello Carlo,

First of all, welcome to CPF as a member. Based on what you are looking for in a light, especially one that won't burn your hands on high for a long walk or until the batteries die, although you have been given many good choices, I agree that the Malkoff MD2 with the M61 or M61W (warmer tint) light engine or drop-in, would be a very good choice. If you get the MD2, consider adding the Delrin tailcap shroud with the pocket clip. But as others have mentioned, be sure to have a back-up light. Enjoy those mountain night walks!

All the best,
John

My favourite set up for this kind of thing is a Moddo Triple in a FM 2 x 26650 host..... it can run all day at full power and does not burn your hands....

If you were to pair it with a cryos cooling bezel then I am sure it would stay even cooler.

And it doubles as a self defence device if someone were to approach you on a walk!

Off the self models.... I would agree with jcalvert... get a Malkoff

My TK45 get warm, but doesn't get really hot.

I think a Jet III M would be a good choice, compact and certainly bright enough.

Zebralight SC600. Released sometime in May. Zebralight are usually conservative with output so I would think this light would run nicely at 500L.

BBL said:

Every light fails - even surefire and hds. But i think lights generally fail in the first year. If they are used hard for a year or two, in my opinion, they can be considered more reliable than a brand new light.

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agreed, all mechanical, or electronics will fail eventually. but certain designs can withstand more. then theres the lemon factor. hehe

I have "hard used" some quarks, and it seems some of the eariler models can withstand alot. but from my own experiences, later, and more recent models have poorer machining, especially around the threads and has cause mode change issues.
both my neutral tint xpg quark, and warm tint xpg quark all showed signed of this.
and honestly i havent purchased any 4sevens lights since then.

I had used a quark 123-2T R5 extensively, and it seemed great for thermal management. (it never really got hot in my hand). but another member pointed out it could be due to the fact that it didnt have good thermal transfer.
no way for me to test it, so i cant say for certain.

ok back on topic...check out Armytek Predator, imho its the most interesting light to come out this year.

i'm thinking about a XP-G R5 at 1.2-1.5 A driven,others like XM-L or MC-E or SST 50 surely burn.

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a single die on 1.2-1.5 is severely overdriven, a 1*18650 sized light will always get quite warm then
at nominal power to slightly overdriven (800-1000 mA) such a light will be still portable nicely.

XM-L, MC-E, SST 50,--- on full, all run on dramaticly higher power (than a single die) and thus get really hot

Actually no. If you ran an XM-L at the same drive currents as the XP-G (for instance, at 1.5A), it will run cooler because it is more efficient. It's only when you PUSH the XM-L to its thermal and/or drive limits that it gets "really hot".

Arc AAA!

But then again full power shines a whooping 10 lumens...

BTW Welcome to CPF!!!

Hello Carlo,

Have any of these responses met your needs or do you have more questions?

All the best,
John

p.s. PM sent to Carrot

thanks all of you, very useful suggestion
good back-up, more Flood and throw for my needs, and something not overdriven.
maybe waterproof and a lot of spare batteries.
Malkoff,Fenix,Maelstrom,4Sevens,Arc,Zebralight and Jet. I'll go through these lights and theyr specifications.
and, off course, read a lot in this great forum.
thanks again
carlo :thumbsup: