please help- I want to buy a good torch!

Hello all- Im looking to buy a good torch that will last me years- but am getting my head mashed at all the diffrent possibilities- xenon / cree / led etc

I will be using it for walking through fields at night - eg short cut to the pub! / having a look for wildlife

Ideally not too big- something that will fit in my coat pocket
Ive just moved house and we have 3 acres so would like to be able to see whats going on in the fields around me

Should I get a rechargable torch so I would not have to buy batteries? - Im not sure if this is a good idea as the last rechargable torch I bought was useless and would not charge properly so was useless  Do the good torches need special batteries or will any do? <br><br>Ive had a look at a few reviews and surefire torches seem to get a good review?
I'd be happy to pay £50 upwards towards £70 ish

I dont want anything that gets really hot
Ive had a look at old e-bay and theres a few that have taken my fancy but Ive looked so much I dont know what Im looking at any more!

35w xenon hid rechargable torch 2200mah around £70
led lenser p7 £42.00
SureFire 6P £84.99 (Yes we are getting more expensive- but its a birthday present for myself!- this price is pushing it though)
Theres far too many to mention!
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Gareth
not sure if I will be notified via email to any replies- but in case its needed- my e-mail address is garethwelshman (at) hotmail.com

I googled and 70 pounds is equivalent to $117 American.

I would look for a used Surefire 6P body here on the forum (approx $40), and buy a Malkoff M60/M61 drop in for it (approx $50-60). You can run primary CR123's in it for ease of use.

Or, if you want, get a rechargeable, protected 17670 battery (2 for $10 shipped on ebay) and a charger (WF-139 is about $10 shipped). I like this setup and it is working great so far.

monmamcymru (Gareth),

I guess you are a Welshman, Gareth, from the details you have provided. If you are looking for a decent torch you are right there are plenty of lights you could choose. For the uses you have suggested I would recommend a 2AA or 4AA light with a neutral tint led. The neutral tint will allow you to see colours much better at night especially in rural areas if you are looking at wildlife.

The two that I have that come to mind are the Fenix LD25 or Fenix LD40 which are 2AA and 4AA respectively. The best AA rechargeable batteries to use (from a quality and economy) point of view at Sanyo (now owned by Panasonic) eneloops which can be purchased quite cheaply with a decent charger off Amazon. There are some local dealer in the UK you can look at. Two good ones are based in the Cardiff region. I will PM you the details given dealer advertising is frowned on other then at CPF Marketplace.

There are other lights as well. The best thing is to look at the ones people suggest to you and then do a search on CPF for that particular light. There will normally be a review with beamshots to help you come to a decision.

Oh and welcome to CPF! :welcome:

:welcome:

if you want something that will last, go for a brand that has a lifetime warranty.

surefire comes to mind. and even if something did break, parts are easily obtainable, as will the case for the 6p

a p60 host will last for years, and even when the led becomes obsolete, you can swap the old drop-in for an updated one.
you can easily buy spares (heads, switchs, glasses)

70£ should be largely enough to provide you a complete host, batts and charger, delivered to your door

take a look at the dereelight cl1h v4, it's actually on sale and is a very good value for the money !

+1 for sanyo eneloop batteries. On a very well known shopping website that sounds like a rainforest they have 4 sanyo eneloop HR-3UTGA AA batteries (the 1500 cycle ones) and sanyo MQR06 charger for £25. The charger is good, its a smart charger and charges each battery individualy, there are other popular chargers such as ones made by maha but they are considerably more expensive.

For the torch I agree that the Fenix LD25 or LD40 are good choices. Whatever you choose make sure it's atleast neutral tint and warm would be even better, colours look much more natural and the warmer tints penetrate rain and fog better with less light reflecting back at you.

Yes the "best" flashlights use special li-on batteries not available in normal stores. If you just want to get an ok light and not come back on here, there are heaps of good AA lights out there(4sevens, zebralight, sunwayman, Olight, Fenix all make good affordable AA lights) but if you are planning on being a flashoholic, then you might want to start on a 18650 Powered light, good ones at your budget include the Jetbeam BC40, zebralight SC600 or the olight i6. There are plenty of reviews for tye lights mentioned above, just take a look and make your own decision.

You dont sound like someone who regularly "needs" a very bright light, but a small EDC one.
--> 4sevens "Quark mini AA" model.

For usual, use it with an 14500 protected Li-Ion cell,
in case there is no charger at hand, the light will also run with standard AA size cells (but will be less bright)


If You really want a brighter light - which then also will be bigger but still pocketable - take my advise in post #3 in thread here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?324786-flashlight-help-please-*newbie*


PS: good tips so far, but costy. Standard NI-Mh rechargeables need expensive charger to be any good and when one does not yet have this equipment, Li-Ion is considerably cheaper.
And as a plus the cells store much more energy.

yellow said:

PS: good tips so far, but costy. Standard NI-Mh rechargeables need expensive charger to be any good and when one does not yet have this equipment, Li-Ion is considerably cheaper.
And as a plus the cells store much more energy.

Click to expand...

Good Li-Ion chargers aren't exactly cheap. And NiMH is more tolerant to overcharging, even if they do get damaged atleast they aren't as destructive. I'd risk putting sanyo eneloops in a cheap crappy charger but I wouldn't take any chances with a 14500, protection circuit or not.

I just picked up a Led Lenser L6, it runs on 2AA batteries and is about 95 lumens. It has an adjustable beam and a focused beam and is extremely light weight. It's not too much bigger than a mini maglight, it's about 30% bigger.

And while your deciding grab one of these bad boys, great fun IMO

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Q5-CREE-2...ernsTorches&hash=item3cb95c7b47#ht_3497wt_902

Two words: Armytek Predator.

This thing is an absolute beast, will suit your throw needs and is extremely durable. I just got one the other day as a birthday present.

I know how dark it is in the Welsh countryside on a walk to the pub,so i'd recomend something thats pretty powerful in the throw department as well as having a good spill & you wont be bothered by a few rings in the beam
pattern because you'll not notice them outside.I own a couple of Led Lensers they are spot to flood so you can take your pick how far you want your beam to throw.They're german built very reliable & for price range you can
easily get a very good one for between 50/70 pounds.The best thing is the batteries last forever in these things,they use simple AA or AAA batteries,you can't go wrong with one of them for what you need it for.:thumbsup: