LED Lenser Products

Anyone have any experience with Coast LED Lenser products? I'm looking more specifically at the X21. I'm wanting an extremely bright, focusable light and the X21 seems like a good choice for the dough. Anyone know how they're products are or have any recommendations?

Thanks all.

I don't have the X21, but i do have the P7 and really like it. It seems to be well-made and feels solid when you use it. The focus system is pretty good (it looks like the X21 uses a similar focus system). It does have a shorter travel distance between spot an flood than something like a Mag, so you can get from spot to flood quicker, however, it is harder to stop at a certain point in between. The system seems firm enough that it's not going to slip around while I use it, but it does move when I put it in my pocket (probably not going to happen with the X21). I've also noticed that on spot mode, the beam is slightly square-ish. It's not enough to bother me, but I know some people are really picky about that kind of thing.

Mac

sorry, double post

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I have used the led lenser x21 many times, it is a amazing light and has got so so so so so much light. It a great thrower and flood light. Now where most led lenser products fall short including the LL x21 is that it is not regulated.... Meaning that if it's says it puts out 1070 lumens, it really means it puts it out for a few minutes and then the lumen rates drop immensely. I would recommend the fenix tk60. It roughly the same size uses 4 D size batteries and is regulated. So it holds the 800 lumens until the batteries are dead, it has great run times. And is one he'll of a thrower.

The X21 is interesting, and you'd probably enjoy it, but there are better options out there for a lot less money & a lot better quality. I just looked up the X21 and saw that it cost $300!! I own 4 LED Lenser lights (T7, H7, and two Police Tech Focus models), and like them ok. But, since I found better quality for about the same money or less I won't be going back to LED Lensers any time soon (& I now own over 30 lights.) Lots of folks on cpf feel this way; although I feel many are overly critical of LED Lensers. They are pretty good, but there are better lights available. The main reason I like brands like (Fenix, Thrunite, EagleTac, Olight, Quark, Zebralight, & Nitecore) better is because they produce better quality, smaller & more lightweight lights, with regulated light output, and with more output options in roughly the same price range as LED Lensers. LED Lensers are IMO mid-grade level lights for the same price as high quality lights like the lights listed below. LED Lenser has a long history of over-stating their light's output levels & runtimes. They seem to be correcting this, but I am unsure at this point if the over-exageration has ended.

So, before committing to the X21 do some research on lights like - Fenix TK60, Fenix TK41, Fenix TK50 --- All of these lights run on common D or AA batteries, and are all less than $150!! Much better quality, regulated output, and with more output options.

Another option would be to use Li-ion rechargeable batteries in lights like - Thrunite Catapult V3, or EagleTac M3C4 Triple XM-L, or Fenix TK35. The advantage with these lights is that the much more powerful Li-ion batteries makes for a much smaller & more lightweight light with incredible output & runtimes. All of these lights cost less than $150!! Each of these lights uses two 18650 Li-ion rechargeable batteries (or they could also use four CR123 non-rechargeable batteries.) The best brand of rechargeable Li-ion batteries to buy is "AW" brand with a good charger.

Go to websites like goinggear.com or fenixtactical.com or lightjunction.com or fenixlight.com to research these lights & batteries. Also, 4sevens.com has a large list of AW brand Li-ion batteries for sale plus a good charger.

nice attractive packaging and one of the first manufacturers to get a presence at retail locations in the USA.
IMHO they are not reliable. There are MUCH better makes out there.

This is where all the people with 1 or 2 flashlights (and hence a few posts) say how great they are and all the people with a ton of lights (and hence a lot of posts) say how bad they are. I for one am saying nothing. This type of post will degrade fast. There is a ton of info on LED Lenser if you do a search.

My experience with LED lensers are that would be a borderline decent product, IF they cost half as much as they do. Coast just wants too much money for the quality and performance you get.

tre said:

This is where all the people with 1 or 2 flashlights (and hence a few posts) say how great they are and all the people with a ton of lights (and hence a lot of posts) say how bad they are. I for one am saying nothing. This type of post will degrade fast. There is a ton of info on LED Lenser if you do a search.

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he ask, we answered, it is a forum

One thing people usually ignore about them is that it is a German company, and Germans are usually top-notch when it comes to precision and quality... For every product, you will find people that like it and people that hate it for some reason or another.

I got a very decent high quality lights collection and tons of experience and I'm very satisfied of the M7R. Led lenser has both lower quality AND higher quality products (just look at the price). The throw on the M7R is literally jaw dropping, especially for a 200 lumens flashlight. There where some complaint in the past about a straight line going through the optics (this is called "flash residue") that did not affect the beam at all, but they seem to have changed their molding method as I don't have that on mine. The flood setting is perfect and the spot setting is very tight with no flood (that's why I got it in the first place). Any setting in between does have a lot of rings, but that is most likely to be expected with focusing systems in general, and who really uses the in-betwen?

I took the plunge on this one after considering for months which focusable light I should get and in the end, they where the ones with the least complaints for the price. I have no regrets.

I know that in these forums that many don't like the LL brand or the usage of AA or AAA batteries. But you might want to think about how you're planning to use it. For myself I bought one LL light for camping use just because it uses AA batteries. The light has worked out great for me. I'm not planning on doing any search and rescue missions so it's bright enough. I haven't over the years have been robbed or mugged when camping so the defense option of a strobe has been moot for me. One time the batteries ran down but fortunately while stopping for gas I was able to buy fresh batteries. Try that with a Li-ion battery. I do have a couple of Li-ion powered lights BTW. Some people talk about emergencies and I believe in mixing up different batteries. Regular rechargeable batteries (AA or AAA) and Li-ion batteries. This way I won't have all my eggs in one basket.
Also with the beam pattern being controlled by the variable focus head does have a bad side effect of having little light spill around the central light spot. Having some spill is useful.

If Led Lenser (leatherman flashlights) wants to impress me (and I own several of their lights) they'll have to up their lumen output and regulate more of their lights.

utlgoa said:

If Led Lenser (leatherman flashlights) wants to impress me (and I own several of their lights) they'll have to up their lumen output and regulate more of their lights.

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Leatherman?

As far as I know, LedLenser is owned by a german company called optoelectronics, have Leatherman bought them?

kts said:

Leatherman?

As far as I know, LedLenser is owned by a german company called optoelectronics, have Leatherman bought them?

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Yes, here's some information regarding the sale.....

http://flashlightnews.org/story3137.shtml

"April 2011 News
Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. Acquires German Flashlight Manufacturer, LED Lenser
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif]Portland, OR, April 5 2011 - Today Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. signed a definitive contract to acquire a majority interest in Zweibr[FONT=&quot]üder Optoelectronics GmbH & Co. KB (Solingen, Germany), the manufacturer of LED Lenser flashlights...."[/FONT][/FONT]
http://www.leatherman.com/about/release?id=36

kts said:

Leatherman?

As far as I know, LedLenser is owned by a german company called optoelectronics, have Leatherman bought them?

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These days Brand Names and Made in Somewhere don't mean much, we have to learn to evaluate ourselves the quality of products.

Nap.

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RBR said:

Got a LED Lenser P17 and am very satisfied with this light.

They are way better than their image, getting slagged in many fora by folks who never owned one and / or repeating unreflectedly and prayer wheel like what they have been told.

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and there are the ones who used them and still feel whatever You critic

... NEVER again, there is much better for less around.

but I have to agree: they are slightly starting to not only boast marketing crap, so exaggerated anyone can see it is wrong.
nowadays the electrical properties given are starting to get near what the individual model might really be able to achieve (with the led and batteries used).
That at least improved.

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