Hope my first one is a good one....

Costco had a 3 pack of Techlite 200 lumen on sale for $17 so I though what the heck I'll try them out. I was shocked at the amount of light coming out of this tiny little thing compared to my other flashlights.

So now I was hooked... I started doing some research on flashlights on here, youtube and other places. I really like selfbuilt's reviews they are very good.

So now I was thinking that a good throw and flood flashlight would be a nice point for me to start at. I was going to buy the Fenix TK35 but decided to give it another day or two for research and I came across the EagleTac M3C4 3XM 3X 1200 Lumen wow this thing looked so good on paper and features (modes) close to the Fenix TK35 but just with more power. I tried to find some review on it but wasn't to lucky with that, mostly just test shots and the reviews I did find were for the EagleTac M3C4 XML with the single LED in the middle and none with the 3 LED version...

Anyway for my first serious flashlight I did end up ordering the EagleTac M3C4 3XM 3X 1200 Lumen along with two AW 18650 31's and the Pila IBC charger.
Only after I ordered this light I realized I needed the button top battery and I don't think that these are oo:, so I also ordered some 1.6mm magnetic spacers and hope that does the trick for installing the battery. If not I might have to return them and reorder some RediLast 18650 31.

What do you guys think, was this a good idea going for the EagleTec over the Fenix as far as my first serious flashlight or should I have picked something totally different???

ps: my light should be here mid next week, can't wait to try it out

LOL

It doesn't really matter. Its like wondering if you got the best crack on the street that day. Tomorrow, you won't care...you'll be out looking for more.



I WOULD recommend that you do nothing but READ a while more. This will allow ~ 25% of what you need to know to sink in per week or so. (That's not 4 weeks to know 100%, that's 25% of what was there that week....)

After a month of reading up on things...and checking out the CPFM so you can get USED lights for less $...which requires you to recognize what the lights ARE...you will START to get a feel for what YOU like, and what YOU gravitate towards....a feel for things...but, you NEVER stop learning. (Especially as what there is to KNOW grows too)




I use the lights for work for example, and I use different lights for different tasks...just like I might have different sizes of philips head, slotted, torx, etc, screw drivers, different hammers, different drill bits, and so forth.

The difference is that some people can at least understand that having TWO screwdrivers might be useful if one is slotted and one is philips, but different SIZES of those drivers is off their radar, etc....

But almost NO ONE seems to get that you might need more than ONE flashlight...as the the need for a flashlight ITSELF is off a lot of people's radar.


I can even SHOW someone a few lights and TELL them "this one is for disaster response, like looking for survivors after Hurricane Irene, and this one is for looking into long dark crawlspaces, and this one is for..."

WAIT a minute?!?!:! You have an awful lot of flashlights? Why so many?



DOH

YOU need to think about what you want to SEE, under what conditions...and if the color rendition is important enough to have the light be less bright, if you find that you really only care about how far away a thing you can see, or you find the beauty of the flashlight, and/or its beam, captivates you, or if you like a broad flood of light that lights up wherever you are like daylight, or, if you love a light that can produce less light than a single candle...to let you tip toe to the bathroom in the middle of the night w/o waking anyone up...or if its great when weapon mounted/used to bust in on a drug raid and blind perps/find hiding bad guys, etc....and down to what kind of batteries/cells seem to make sense for how you'll USE the lights.

..and so forth.

EVERYONE seems to gravitate towards PARTS of whats above....and you need to find what YOU gravitate towards. It will save you a LOT of $ to INVEST at LEAST that first month in learning about whats out there, and, yourself relative to it all.


THEN, after a while, you can HONE that gravitation...as when you finally GET and USE the lights..THAT triggers OTHER opinions and biases.

You might decide you don't like twisting to change modes, but like clicking..but a ring is better than scrolling a clicker, or that you are starting to appreciate some other aspect you hadn't considered before. You can then USE that to guide you in winnowing out the plethora of OTHER lights, and finding ones that have features that "do it for you".




:welcome:

That EagleTac is a winner, serious output too, you'll be very spoiled by how well it lights up your entire street.

Be sure you have thoroughly read up on the proper safety and handling procedures for Li-ion cells, they can explode if mishandled.

:welcome: Say goodbye to your money.
You did good for your first purchase, there are other ways I would have gone but hey I've been here a while. :devil:
Be careful using magnets on Li-Ion cells, I would go with the Redilast and sell the AW to me.

EDIT: You did real good on your charger choice from my experience it is the only one that can handle those big fat Redilasts.

The Eagletac is a good choice. The Redilast 18650 does not work in my M3C4. I bought 4x Eagletac 18650 3100mAh which works fine in all of my lights that require button top 18650.

Howdy DDan69, and welcome to CPF.
Yep, it's real easy to just start ordering lights and batteries, etc. I think TEEJ had some excellent points. I always suggest that folks spend a few weeks reading before even considering ordering any lights, but at the same time, I DO understand the desire to get that first REAL light, and to tell you the truth, I think you probably picked a winner with the EagleTac M3C4 3XM 3X. It looks like a great light, and EagleTac has a good reputation for quality products.

I also totally agree with StarHalo that you should use the next week to learn as much as you possibly can about how to safely use and charge those 18650 lithium-ion cells. You see, those little guys pack a whole bunch of power into a very small space, and if not handled correctly you can risk serious problems.

Luckily, it's not hard to learn how to use them safely, and with only minor precautions you should never experience any issues. Things like, avoid dropping or damaging the cells, this can break inner membranes. Or, don't leave your cells charging unattended, and always place your charger on a noncombustible surface. If you're using multiple cells in a light, make sure they are balanced, meaning, make sure they are the same brand, type, age, and that the voltage is VERY close to the same before inserting into the light.

Here is an excellent resource for all kinds of rechargeable batteries:
Battery University:
http://batteryuniversity.com/

Next, spend some time reading over in the "Flashlight Electronics, Batteries Included" area of CPF:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?9-Flashlight-Electronics-Batteries-Included

And finally, try not to order any more lights until your first light arrives (it's harder than you might imagine ). Give yourself a chance to handle and use your new light for a while so that you can see how it fits your style and needs, then you'll be better prepared to choose your next light.

In any case, it sounds like your off to rip-roaring start. Have fun!

WOW, thanks for all the replies and so fast too... :thumbsup:

When I was researching lights and batteries I did read that I have to use caution with these type of batteries, and am glad you guys are making sure I understand that. I did read on RediLast's site the Li-ion Safety tips, care and other facts: page and did learn a bit there too. I will still go to the batteryuniversity.com site and learn some more. Only thing that I wasn't able to find just yet is if I have to condition the battery the first few time I use/charge it.

I'm kinda surprised that BLUE LED said that the RediLast 18650 didn't work in his M3C4.... I know that the RediLast's are a bit bigger and longer but as long as they fit and contacts make contact shouldn't they work???
I guess I'll know after I do some more research and I'll also take a look at getting the EagleTac 18650 if I do end up returning the AW 18650

Glad most of you think my first real flashlight was a good choice, and yes I did have that first timer itch to buy a light LOL
I have been looking around and learning for close to 3 weeks now and like you guys say it never ends... and to tell you the truth the first light that I thought of getting was the Olight SR51 than the ThruNite Catapult V3 and Fenix TK35 before I decided to go with the EagleTac M3C4 1200 lumen
Just like TEEJ said read and learn and find out what it is that you like and what your needs are.... well I have used flashlights in the past, just not this powerful so for now I do have a good idea what I was looking for which are good flood and descent throw and both the TK35 and M3C4 have them both from what I saw in some of the review. Also many modes so that I can have it on pretty low and walk around the house or whatever and good mid range and super bright so that I can light up the street if I have to.

Just like you guys say for now until I learn more I wont be buying any lights. But the ones that really caught my eye and I would love to try out or buy are the Olight SR92 and 4Sevens Maelstrom S18 that's for the big lights, I'm still trying to decide if I need anything smaller or a pocket light, but time will tell...

And if you guys have any more battery ideas for me I would love to hear them, but I do think that I will be sticking with 18650 for this light and not the CR123

In the mean time shine on and Thank You all for the warm welcome... :wave:

DDan69

I think it's an excellent choice although I'm a newb to this stuff.

I just started looking into these new cree led lights and after a similar journey arrived at my first purchase, the M3C4 XM-L.

I'm assuming that you've had it for some time now and was wondering what your thoughts were. How do you like it? How do you primarily use it?

Thanks.