Newbie here...

Hey guys/girls.... New poster here. Man, never new so much could exist about flashlights... There's a forum for everything...

I'll be back with some questions (man, do I have questions) just wanted to say "hi" first...

Hi, and welcome to the madness...

Cthelite,
Leave while you can and don't look back, for if you don't you WILL be sucked into the vortex of flashaholism.

I've been here for three months and I already have way too many lights, not to mention everything needed to mod them.

If you have questions, fire away. There are many knowledgeable people here and odds are your questions will be answered.

BTW, welcome. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Chop, I'm already seeing that I'll get along ok here... You remind me of a bud that's pretty bizzare also... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

A fellow in another forum pointed me in this direction.

I've got probably a dozen flashlights around the house and vehicles, mostly Maglights. I know, not much by some standards but more than others...

Well, I'm down one light now. Went out to check the wifes 2 cell Maglight in her car and not only was it dead but the "copper tops" leaked and the light is ruined.

So my question is what to get her now. I live in Michigan, it's an emergency light for her car and (hopefully) may not get any use whatsoever. But then again, it needs to work for her when she needs it. It has to be able to stand up to cold, bouncing around in the glove box, user friendly for her and plain just needs to work without me having to go check it monthly. It seems that the Maglights just wouldn't make it through the winter without me having to replace the batteries...

I've got two new Surefires and am wondering what would fit the bill for her without cutting off my other arm....

Thanks in advance for any help...

Cthelite,
OK, so you see what can happen with a conventional light. You want something that runs on 123's. CR123's have a shelf life of 10 years and hold up well in the cold. Put the light in the glove box and forget it, until you need it.

There are also a number of good lights to use those batts in to. So, what do you want? Really bright or long runtime. Or both?

Check these places out. The first one is batterystation. He's a member here and the link is a broken link, so book mark it. Check out the Pelican M6. A well built aluminum light.

http://www.batterystation.com/cpf.htm

Or you could check out Brightguy here, or more specifically the Streamlight Twintask
http://www.brightguy.com/detail_int.html?cart=10679308424550480&sku=STR51015

The Twintask is probably a more flexible light and cost effective, but I personally prefer the M6.

In any case, the 123's can run up to $6 a piece, but you can get them for $1 at batterystation plus shipping.

Good luck.

My Surefires run on sf123a's. Are you abbreviating or is there a diff between the 123's and 123a's...?

Cthelite,

I agree with Chop - a CR123 light are the way to go in your case. Pelican M6 has an incan bulb that might blow out on you, so I would suggest an LED light. It should also be completely waterproof (air tight) so the changing temperatures don't pull in humid air to the batteries. I think the Inova X5 would be good for your purpose, although it doesn't have much throw. But then again floodlight is what you need around your car.

Welcome to CPF - now you will be unable to leave this great community. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

Jan

Why not jump in at the deep end? Get it over with at the start, and get yourself an ARC or a Surefire. Because you will get one eventually..

welcome, cthelite!

i live in michigan as well--southeast michigan.

surprisingly, michigander's glovebox lights have to be able to tolerate some pretty severe conditions: our actual airtemps over the course of a year may range from 0f in the dead of winter to 100f in the summer.
quite a swing in temps--and i suffered the exact same thing you described...repeatedly!

as stated above, lithiums are the way to go.
the tasklights werent available yet, so i purchased a tec 40 for each car, and loaded them with lithium aa bats.

i have only one other lithium light, the streamlight TL-2 LED. fantastic light. no bulb to blow, quite small and amazingly bright. long runtime. runs on two 123's. cost is around $60.

a less expensive lithium option is the underwater kinetics 2L. it is incandescent, and requires proprietary lamp assemblies.

have fun!

Bob

What kind of bulb is in my Surefire Z2 and Centurian...? It's not an incandesant bulb is it...?

Are 123's and 123a's the same battery...? See... I'm already /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

123's and 123a's are the same.
Your Z2 surefire is a 2 cell model and use the P60 (65lumen)incadescent bulb/Lamp Assembly. It can also use the P61 LA for high output - 120lu/20 min runtime. Your Centurion use the same bulb if it is a 2 cell model or the P90/91 if it is a 3 cell model. They are all incadescent bulbs. If you want LED you can add the KL3 head for low output/long runtime.

Bjorn

Z2 and C2 are incandesants. All 123(a)'s batteries are mostly the same as far as voltage goes. Some are made a bit better and/or have about the same capacity. The SF's are rated as very good.
Another good glovebox light is the Brinkmann Legand LX. $20 at most Walmarts. 2X123 for 6v and one hour run time, same as most 2X123 Lights. The PM6 mentioned above is a very nice light for about $30.

[ QUOTE ]
Spectre said:
123's and 123a's are the same.
Your Z2 surefire is a 2 cell model and use the P60 (65lumen)incadescent bulb/Lamp Assembly. It can also use the P61 LA for high output - 120lu/20 min runtime. Your Centurion use the same bulb if it is a 2 cell model or the P90/91 if it is a 3 cell model. They are all incadescent bulbs. If you want LED you can add the KL3 head for low output/long runtime.

Bjorn

[/ QUOTE ]

I have the P61 in my Z2 and the P91 in the three cell Centurian.

So, all I'm really looking at are two bulbs, the LED and the incandesant right...? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

Welcome Cthelite!

Welcome to CPF... you might be able to send that Mag into the battery company and get it replaced for free (for later use as a mod /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif). It might be worth checking into.

As for glovebox lights go I like the SL Scorpion, but a LED/Incandescent might be a good way to go.

-Mike

Welcome to CPF, Cthelite !

CR123a is the generic name for the 3 volt Lithium "Photo" cell that your Z2 and C3 use.

SF123a is what Surefire calls their "Surefire" labeled CR123a batteries. There are numerous two letter prefixes, they will vary but the rest is what identifies the type of cell.

You'll run into alot of "shorthand" here, you ought to read the acronym list on the CPF menu if you haven't already.

The CR123a will be referred to in shortand as the 123a, the 123, 3V Lithium and sometimes just as "L"...as in the Streamlight Twin-Task 2L (meaning 2 CR123a batteries).

Both of your Surefires use incandescent lamps.

You can go to Surefire.com and order one of their free catalogs and it goes a long way to explaining all about the Surefire line. Surefire has several options for LED lights. There are LED heads that can be purchased and swapped with the Incandescent head on certain Surefire lights that give you the option of switching back and forth.

There are others here that know much more about this than I do, you can learn quite a bit from studying SF's website.

The Pelican M6 Incandescent is an excellent 2xCR123a light and perhaps this week it will be available with an LED that many of us are excited about. The Battery Station will be selling them for approximately $44.00 and that will be around a third of what it will cost for a Surefire LED flashlight. The SF LED heads can be had for substantially less (see SF's MSRPs at their site).

It's a pretty steep learning curve, but you will pick it up quicker than you think. Using the "Search" feature here is very rewarding. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

BC

welcome! i second the suggestions for the pelican M6, and the UKE 2L. another option would be the surefire G2, but that doesn't have a lock out tailcap.

[ QUOTE ]
BC0311 said:
Welcome to CPF, Cthelite !

You'll run into alot of "shorthand" here, you ought to read the acronym list on the CPF menu if you haven't already.
--------------------------------------------------------------

It's a pretty steep learning curve, but you will pick it up quicker than you think. Using the "Search" feature here is very rewarding. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

BC

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks guys, I read the acronym list, it'll take a bit to sink in.

I already see what you mean about the learning curve here. It is steep, atleast for me.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif I had no idea so much could be made of flashlights but then again I should know better. As one with several hobbies I know how much technology has hit them...

Sometimes the KISS and TIS method works better for me to but once I asorb it it's in there.

What did happen pretty fast is that I see that I'm in real trouble here. I read the post on Lux meters and... Well, you know what I mean... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sssh.gif

wonderfull timeing on this thread! I'm looking for a budget LED/CR123 flashlight for my glove box. North Idaho, overnight temp last night 17F, summer temps 104+F. needless to say the Alkalines arn't holding up to well so thats the reason for the CR123, and the long runtime (thats more important for a emergency light) is the reason for the LED's, I'm a pretty new Flashoholic (12 or 15 differnt lights, mostly maglites) and I'm still trying to get up to speed on what is out there and what is good.

Avix

Cthelite (and Avix)--welcome to CPF. The learning curve is a little steep and at times you'll feel like you're back in high school with all these scientific terms flying over your head, but you do get used to it for the most part. I actually registered sometime last year but didn't become a regular reader until the beginning of this year just because I was overwhelmed with everything. But slowly I picked it up and while I'm not an expert, I'm a lot farther along than I ever expected to be. Just take it easy--you'll get sucked in soon enough. You think it's bad now, just wait a little while /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif