A Rant About 5 New Flashlights

miss_kabrit

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Mar 24, 2014
Messages
9
Greetings, CPF.

This is a post (rant) regarding several flashlights I recently purchased. I'm not a "flashaholic". Just the fact that such a word exists is bizarre to me. But I do use flashlights A LOT. I'm legally blind, with no night vision whatsoever. And I've been living in a very dark and dangerous 3rd world country for the past 10 years. Most places I've lived here either have no electricity, or very rarely. Even if there is power, streetlights are few or non-existent. And the city where I now live is quite treacherous, with dangerous obstacles everywhere. The primary spoken language here is screaming. I recently fell into a gaping hole in the street the size of a small car simply because my flashlight wasn't bright enough to allow me to see properly.

I haven't been back to a developed country for several years, so I was unaware of the advances in LED and flashlight technology. A short time ago I randomly searched for LED flashlights on Amazon and was thrilled at how bright and sophisticated flashlights have become. So after much research (thanks in part to CPF!) I purchased 5 flashlights online along with batteries and accessories, which I rate below. The flashlights are:

-Olight S10-L2
-Nitecore HC50
-Nitecore P12
-Thrunite Neutron 1C
-Thrunite Neutron 2C

I then had to wait a couple months for them to be shipped and then for someone from the US to travel by plane and bus and anther bus and a motorcycle taxi to get to my area, and then I rode on a motorcycle for a day and a half through rain and mud and horribly bad roads to get to him to pick up them up.

Now, my first impressions when trying out the lights, during the day, in a well-lit area: "Hmmm, pretty bright, I guess. Maybe not as bright as I was expecting."

Then my first impressions trying them out at night: "HOLY SMOKING MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, THAT'S INSANE!!!!"

Other people's first impressions at seeing my lights: "OMG OMG OMG!!! You hold the power of God in your hand! You are the promised Messiah!! WE WILL FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO!! LEAD US TO SALVATION!!!"

Some statements are slight exaggerations. But anyways, they're quite bright. In fact, almost too bright. The P12 is so bright it hurts my eyes to use it on turbo mode when shining it at anything that is not more than 4 kilometres away. Which is my first point for normal people (not flashaholics), that you really don't need 17 million lumens as you're led to believe by some flashlight geeks. 950 lumens is too much for any normal application. 400 lumens is already a lot. And this is coming from someone legally blind with 0 night vision living in a particularly dangerous area of a very dangerous country.

I mean, what do you people use these lights for anyways? How could I possibly walk the dog with a 2000 lumen light? How would that not attract every insect within 5 miles? Sure, they do have specialty applications, such as hunting. But that's the point of hunting with a bright light. You can blind the deer or bear or sabre-toothed tiger and then kill him because of your superior intelligence and technology. It's about killing inferior forms of life by seeking every possible (and unfair) advantage. Or perhaps these kind of lights are useful for security guards, where it's your job to incapacitate an aggressor, and so an insanely bright light would be useful.

Other applications I can think of:

-shining the light straight up so that the reflection off the clouds lights up the neighbourhood
-signalling to a small plane that's bringing in cocaine (here they stand motorcycles on their tails for that (apparently), but that's much more difficult)

And that's it. That's all I can think of. Because in any normal application, insanely bright lights blind everyone else around you, destroying their night vision, making them hate you, generating enemies for life. So if you're going to be buying a bright flashlight for the first time, I would recommend something more reasonable to start, such as an AA powered light, like the Olight S15-L2. Since AA batteries are much cheaper and readily available, that's probably a smarter route for most people (who don't hunt sabre-toothed tigers at night and who isn't an African drug lord), but should provide enough light for anything you need, with less enemies for life.

Now, to my reviews:

- Olight S10-L2: I bought this as a EDC light. What more could you possibly want from an EDC light? It's ridiculously small, is bright enough for any reasonable application, is very well built, has a fantastically sturdy pocket clip, tail stands, magnetically attaches to any ferrous surface, etc. Sure, it doesn't have a "Police Warning Light" like the SRT-3 or "3rd Generation Smart Selector Ring Technology" or a "stainless steel window breaker" in the head, but I'm not a police officer, the button on my S10 works just fine, and my house doesn't have any windows, and even if it did, I don't plan on breaking them, and certainly not with my flashlight. (A rock would do that just fine) So, this light is the benchmark to me. I give it 5 stars, only because I can't give it more. By the way, I got it on Amazon for only $35. It keeps blowing me away with how much light you get out of such a small package. [thinking] Yup, still blown away.

- Nitecore P12: It's a very good light. I get the feeling it's not as small as it could be. Does the head have to be that long? Personally, I prefer a more floody beam, since there aren't many sabre-toothed tigers in my area. A floodier beam is more appropriate for lighting the ground in front of me while walking . But this is a "tactical" light, a "thrower", so I can't complain about that; that's what they built it for. It's pretty chic. And that IS important. I don't just buy jeans to cover my naked flesh and protect me from sharp objects, but to look good, too. So a flashlight should not only function as one, but be somewhat of a fashion accessory, too. I think Fenix needs to understand that point better. Some have complained that the side switch for changing modes is hard to find. That's true, perhaps if you have gloves on, or if you're a buffoon. But I have no problem finding it. It's right there on the head. So, since we're being picky, and since the fantastic S10 is the benchmark, this one deserves a 4.8 stars.

- Nitecore HC50: Excellent headlamp! It feels pretty heavy on your forehead, but I guess that prevents it from heating up and lighting your hair on fire, so it's a trade-off. The beam is great. The batteries last a long time. I would have preferred a mode between 35 and 170 lumens, whereas I don't really need 350 lumens. As some have noted, what's really important is ratios. 35 to 170 is almost 5 times brighter, whereas 350 to 565 is less than 2. As well, some have noted that the button can be finicky. When you turn it off you can accidentally increase the brightness level for next time if you don't fully press the button quickly enough. I guess Nitecore dropped the ball on that one since they could have made the half-press a sort-of reverse clicky, in that it only registers a half-press if you don't fully press afterwards. But that's being very picky. Just get used to it. Pushing a button isn't too difficult, which I'm sure if why Nitecore just left it like this. I use mine every day, sometimes even during the day, so it's going to break down at some point. I'm curious as to which part goes first. I assume the rubber button and the silicone holder will go first. And so far the elastics have gone in all my other headlamps (mostly Princeton Tech). We'll see how long this one lasts. But by then nobody will care anymore about the HC50 since it will have been replaced. Nitecore seems to offer excellent value for money. I give this one 4.9 stars as well, but that's just being picky. It's a great headlamp.

- Thrunite Neutron 2C: Does anyone care about these lights anymore? Well, if you (probably singular) do, read on. This light blew me away! First of all, I only paid $10 for it on Amazon, and it's much slimmer and shorter than the P12, has a more useful, floody beam, and yet is comparable in brightness to the P12. Sure, not at long range. But that's OK. Again, I'm not an African drug lord. The difference in size is a big thing, since this light is pretty much just like a fat pen, whereas the P12 is definitely a flashlight, not comparable to a pen. So it's able to be an EDC light, while still having practically all the functionality of a larger 18650 light, except perhaps runtimes. I think Selfbuilt noted that at lower lumen levels it has noticeable PWM issues, and is also somewhat less efficient. But I wouldn't have noticed that if I hadn't read it. The light works perfect for me. Because of the economical issues I'll give it 4.8 stars, but if you factor in the price I paid, it deserves 7 stars. It's just plain better (to me) than the P12. You read that right. It's a better light than the P12. That may go against everything you thought, since technically the P12 is superior, but that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

- Thrunite Neutron 1C: I haven't used it much. It's mostly a backup, and for other people to use. It's also very slim, and well built. Pretty much the same as the 2C, but shorter. Paid $20 for it. No clip, so 4.9 stars.

- Nitecore NL189 3400 mah batteries: I got 4 including what was included with the lights. They're excellent. They quite unliterally last forever. No complaints whatsoever, other than the price (the two I bought separately were around $22 I believe).

- Fenix ARE-C2 charger: What can I say, it works like a charm. But it's definitely bigger than I expected, so not that mobile, which is too bad.

- Tenergy 750 mah LifePO4 batteries and Tenergy charger: I almost didn't buy the charger, thinking the Fenix charger could do it all. But then I realized it can't. This charger seems pretty cheaply made (cheap plastic), though it functions well. The batteries didn't seem to get great reviews, but they're relatively cheap, and work just fine for me, though I haven't tried all 16 yet. I'm afraid at some point it will just break down and I'll be left without a charger for my LifePO4 batteries. Hopefully at some point I'll be able to but one of the new Nitecore chargeres that support these batteries too.

- Nitecore NDF25 Diffuser: 2 stars. Pretty useless as is. It's mostly clear, not tempered plastic, so it acts almost the same as if you just put nonclear scotch tape on the glass in the head. It's still very much a flashlight, whereas I was hoping it would become a sort of light bulb. Oh well, I ended up fashioning my own diffuser out of white paper and tape and storing it in my cell phone pouch for when I need it. It works on all my lights except the headlamp. I'm sure there's no danger of it catching fire or melting. I mean, these lights don't heat up, right?

- Amazon: I noticed on CPF they don't talk too much about different sellers. And not many people seem to recommend Amazon. But I didn't have too much of a choice, since I wasn't the one buying directly, nor was it shipped directly to me. But my experience with them was great. First of all, I found great deals. The S10-L2 for $35 was a great deal, and the Neutron 2C for $10 and even the 1C for $20 were absolute steals. As well, buying several items together allowed me to get the batteries and charger for cheaper, too. Everything came exactly as advertised, except Olight included an extra free battery that they failed to mention. Of course, not all sellers are reputable, and there's a lot of bad deals on there too. But if you grope around and have patience, you can get some great deals.

- Unprofessional YouTube flashlight video reviews: 0 STARS!! Please, people, no more amateur video reviews! There are too many videos out there with people eating the camera mic while smacking their lips and clearing their throat every 6 seconds, without any kind of informative help. "I think this flashlight has thermal protection" DOES NOT HELP ME! Leave this to the people who can, such as Selfbuilt; informative and clear but without wasting your time. (Can someone start a thread "Worst YouTube flashlight review"? It would be hilarious. We could rate them based on how many times they clear their throat in the mic, or say "I think…", or say "Uuuumm…", etc.)

That should be it. So now, here's a question: What more modern light is there that's just like the Neutron 2C? As in, floody beam, only takes RCR123's, so slim and short enough to comfortably be an EDC light? Go!
 

TMedina

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 17, 2006
Messages
1,737
The primary spoken language here is screaming.

I'm so stealing that for use later.

Personally, I'd use a Surefire G2 host (around $35ish) and a Malkoff drop-in: M61L or LL.

The G2's Nitrolon body makes it very weather friendly; the twisty cap is much more durable than a clicky.

The Malkoff drop-in is a sweet balance of throw and floody without being too much one or the other. You can use RCR123s without issues. The "L" gives you 5 hours with a slow drop-off after the 5 hour mark. The LL gives you 10 hours with a slow drop-off after 10 hours. In little or no lighting conditions, the 100 lumens of the LL is more than sufficient for most uses.
 

Fireclaw18

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Joined
Mar 16, 2011
Messages
2,408
...

That should be it. So now, here's a question: What more modern light is there that's just like the Neutron 2C? As in, floody beam, only takes RCR123's, so slim and short enough to comfortably be an EDC light? Go!

Eagletac D25c2 - it's lighter and smaller than the Thrunite Neutron 2C. And with a voltage range of 2.7v-8.4v you can run it off 2xCR123 or rechargeables: 2x16340 or 1x17650.

If you want something really bright, how about a Niwalker Nova. It's a soda-can sized light with over 5000 lumens output. It's considerably more expensive though. If you want something cheaper, but a bit larger, for less half the cost you can get a modded Supfire M6 from Mountain Electronics. Also over 5000 lumens (5-10x as bright as any of the lights you purchased)
 

ven

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Messages
22,533
Location
Manchester UK
quote:I mean, what do you people use these lights for anyways? How could I possibly walk the dog with a 2000 lumen light? How would that not attract every insect within 5 miles?

Flashaholics need no justification for 2000lm lights,and thats not enough
:D flood or throw,maybe both,why not 4000lm,no 6500lm,nope maybe 10,000lm+ soon.

Just seeing the WOW factor in itself ,then it is useful too.Depending on where you live,type of surroundings 2000lm can be eaten up,large open areas then higher output lighs come in to their own.Yes realistically could argue 500lm is enough for most tasks and some,but why not have 6500lm on tap................i can find no reason at all not to want that,need it or not:twothumbs

Congrats on your lights,great start(notice the start bit):p enjoy them and :welcome:
 

flatline

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Jul 6, 2009
Messages
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Location
Tennessee
At night, even outside, I almost never use more than 30 or 40 lumens.

However, during the day, when it's bright out and my eyes are adapted to bright light, if I need to look in a crawl space or other dark area and don't want to wait for my eyes to adapt to the darkness, 200+ lumens is the right level.

That said, my most used output level, day or night, is about 3 lumens.

--flatline
 

StarHalo

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Joined
Dec 4, 2007
Messages
10,927
Location
California Republic
- ~500 lumens is about right for safely walking alongside a road, since it lights the area the same way you'd see it through car headlights (and is as bright as car headlights to other cars.) Outputs higher than this are for "what was that noise.."

- With the caveat that I am an Amazon employee, I've only heard positive things from CPFers ordering things from Amazon; no-hassle returns and seller ratings smooth out what are normally problems with other e-tailers.

- The Thrunite Neutrons are classics, a broad beam and straightforward design is a winning formula. Almost all pocket lights featuring the XM-L emitter (or lights that you put an XM-L drop-in into) will have very similar beam characteristics, so you'll find quite a few alternatives.

- We can and do light up clouds; this is a phenomenon known as "cloud bounce", and is fairly routine to achieve using any narrow-beam light in the >3,500 lumen range. Great for signaling and showing off, but it doesn't light the area under the cloud.

- You can't signal aircraft in the US using your light, or you'll get arrested since it can blind the pilot. Sounds crazy until you consider that the landing lights on planes are ~2,500 lumens -- our flashaholic technology gives you more light output in the palm of your hand than an entire commercial aircraft.
 

Lord Flashlight

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UK, England
I then had to wait a couple months for them to be shipped and then for someone from the US to travel by plane and bus and anther bus and a motorcycle taxi to get to my area, and then I rode on a motorcycle for a day and a half through rain and mud and horribly bad roads to get to him to pick up them up.

That sounds like an epic quest for some flashlights. I bet none of the armchair commandos here can beat that.
 

cland72

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Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
3,276
So now, here's a question: What more modern light is there that's just like the Neutron 2C? As in, floody beam, only takes RCR123's, so slim and short enough to comfortably be an EDC light? Go!

Sunwayman V11R?
 

Newguy2012

Enlightened
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
392
Sunwayman V11R?
M11r is shorter than then V11r. The downside is neither have thermal protection. If you only use primary(cr123) then I don't think it would be a problem. If you use rcr then high mode become turbo and Sunwayman warns not to run it longer than 3mins.
HDS is another one. You can program your own outputs. The light is also sealed really well (IP67) it suppose to be dust/waterproof. It also has full thermal protection.
 
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jabe1

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Apr 25, 2008
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Cleveland,Oh
Congrats and thank you.

Possibly the best first post I have ever read.

As for a light that takes RCR123s, look at Foursevens Quarks, or, as Tmedina said, a Surefire G2 would work well. For something totally bulletproof, a Peak Logan fits the bill nicely.
 
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ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

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CT, USA
"This is a post (rant) regarding several flashlights I recently purchased. I'm not a "flashaholic". Just the fact that such a word exists is bizarre to me. But I do use flashlights A LOT. I'm legally blind, with no night vision whatsoever. And I've been living in a very dark and dangerous 3rd world country for the past 10 years. Most places I've lived here either have no electricity, or very rarely. Even if there is power, streetlights are few or non-existent. And the city where I now live is quite treacherous, with dangerous obstacles everywhere. The primary spoken language here is screaming. I recently fell into a gaping hole in the street the size of a small car simply because my flashlight wasn't bright enough to allow me to see properly.

I haven't been back to a developed country for several years, so I was unaware of the advances in LED and flashlight technology. A short time ago I randomly searched for LED flashlights on Amazon and was thrilled at how bright and sophisticated flashlights have become. So after much research (thanks in part to CPF!) I purchased 5 flashlights online along with batteries and accessories, which I rate below. The flashlights are:

-Olight S10-L2
-Nitecore HC50
-Nitecore P12
-Thrunite Neutron 1C
-Thrunite Neutron 2C

I then had to wait a couple months for them to be shipped and then for someone from the US to travel by plane and bus and anther bus and a motorcycle taxi to get to my area, and then I rode on a motorcycle for a day and a half through rain and mud and horribly bad roads to get to him to pick up them up."


And you have fully functioning Internet access that let's you browse CPF from a tin can tied to a string? I must say that this is either the most amazing first post I've ever read or a pile of BS. (And, please forgive my pessimism if this is for real). So the question to me is after the plane, bus, bus, motorcycle, mud, more mud, earthquakes and the such did these flashlights cost you? I would seem to me that your 5 lights must have cost you near $1K after all of the travel involved.

You reviews are decent, but the circumstances of your existence appear way to far fetched for me to believe.
 

thedoc007

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Feb 16, 2013
Messages
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Michigan, USA
I too would like to congratulate you on an excellent first post. Not only did you provide plenty of useful information, you entertained us also!

If you want to use your lights at long range, you need as many lumens as you can get. 400 lumens, even when well focused, won't do a whole lot for you when you are trying to see a couple hundred yards ahead (or more). And you have the fun factor, too. I agree with Ven that although it may not always be necessary, it is always desirable to have high output. And that is why almost all modern LED lights (especially ultra-high lumen ones) have multiple modes. A few lumens, or even moonlight, for stealthy use, preserving night vision, etc. Mid modes for task lighting and moderate ranges. And searing modes for the "bump in the night" or long range outdoor work. Having more options/versatility is generally better.

Regarding seller recommendations, CPF does not allow direct linking to sale pages, unless a vendor pays to have that displayed. This does tend to limit the recommendations for specific vendors. Illumination Supply is my go-to shop (Craig from IS is a member here on CPF, and has been responsive to my questions), but if they are out, or don't carry a particular item, Amazon is my second choice. I have placed dozens of orders there over several years, and they do offer excellent service and pricing (for the most part).
 

miss_kabrit

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Joined
Mar 24, 2014
Messages
9
Thanks for the replies, everyone. Very kind. I'll try to respond to as many as I can.

Personally, I'd use a Surefire G2 host (around $35ish) and a Malkoff drop-in: M61L or LL.

The G2's Nitrolon body makes it very weather friendly; the twisty cap is much more durable than a clicky.

The Malkoff drop-in is a sweet balance of throw and floody without being too much one or the other. You can use RCR123s without issues. The "L" gives you 5 hours with a slow drop-off after the 5 hour mark. The LL gives you 10 hours with a slow drop-off after 10 hours. In little or no lighting conditions, the 100 lumens of the LL is more than sufficient for most uses.

Thanks for the suggestion, but that's just a little too geeky for me. And since it can take 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or more months to receive anything I order, I wouldn't want to take a chance on something that doesn't even come pre-built.

Eagletac D25c2 - it's lighter and smaller than the Thrunite Neutron 2C. And with a voltage range of 2.7v-8.4v you can run it off 2xCR123 or rechargeables: 2x16340 or 1x17650.

This is a great suggestion! I researched this light (I hadn't noticed it previously) and it looks great an an EDC light with tons of power. [scribbles on short list]

If you want something really bright, how about a Niwalker Nova. It's a soda-can sized light with over 5000 lumens output. It's considerably more expensive though. If you want something cheaper, but a bit larger, for less half the cost you can get a modded Supfire M6 from Mountain Electronics. Also over 5000 lumens (5-10x as bright as any of the lights you purchased)

Tempting, but let me put it this way: I'd love to have this light if YOU buy it for me.

Flashaholics need no justification for 2000lm lights,and thats not enough:D flood or throw,maybe both,why not 4000lm,no 6500lm,nope maybe 10,000lm+ soon.

Just seeing the WOW factor in itself ,then it is useful too.Depending on where you live,type of surroundings 2000lm can be eaten up,large open areas then higher output lighs come in to their own.Yes realistically could argue 500lm is enough for most tasks and some,but why not have 6500lm on tap................i can find no reason at all not to want that,need it or not:twothumbs

My question was "Why?" and you answered with "Why not?". You're quite a philosipher, but I totally agree with you answer. I think most people just buy them for the Wow factor, for yourself, and others. Of course, there's many ways to get that "Wow". I could get a snake tattoo from my knee to my shoulder. I could learn to solve a Rubix Cube in 20 seconds with my feet. I could learn pi to 10,000 digits. I think it partly depends on what kind of group you're in, who your friends are, what kind of forum you hang out at. All of what I listed are extremely impressive, but not to me or any of my friends. A powerful flashlight is pretty much impressive to everyone. Except maybe the people on here (and the blind). What could possible surprise and impress someone on this site? 5000 lumens from a one CR123 battery light? 10,000 lumens from a keychain light? 75,000 lumens from a pinch of pixel dust? But since most people don't even know there's different types of LED's, they're pretty impressed by anything over 50 lumens. So if you have the money, why not. It's less freaky than a snake tattoo, and much cooler than studying pi. And then there's the somewhat smaller side-benefit of you having the power of God in your hand should you run into a situation where you need it (apocalypse, Armageddon, etc.).

At night, even outside, I almost never use more than 30 or 40 lumens.

However, during the day, when it's bright out and my eyes are adapted to bright light, if I need to look in a crawl space or other dark area and don't want to wait for my eyes to adapt to the darkness, 200+ lumens is the right level.

That said, my most used output level, day or night, is about 3 lumens.

--flatline

Excatly! I need about 80 or so to see well at night in normal conditions. But that's true what you say about during daylight. My S10-L2 is great for that on max (400 lumens). If I'm in the sun and then suddenly walk into somewhere dark I can immediately pull out my flashlight and see well. That requires a powerful(ish) light.

- ~500 lumens is about right for safely walking alongside a road, since it lights the area the same way you'd see it through car headlights (and is as bright as car headlights to other cars.) Outputs higher than this are for "what was that noise.."

- With the caveat that I am an Amazon employee, I've only heard positive things from CPFers ordering things from Amazon; no-hassle returns and seller ratings smooth out what are normally problems with other e-tailers.

- The Thrunite Neutrons are classics, a broad beam and straightforward design is a winning formula. Almost all pocket lights featuring the XM-L emitter (or lights that you put an XM-L drop-in into) will have very similar beam characteristics, so you'll find quite a few alternatives.

Sounds good. Thanks for the info.

- We can and do light up clouds; this is a phenomenon known as "cloud bounce", and is fairly routine to achieve using any narrow-beam light in the >3,500 lumen range. Great for signaling and showing off, but it doesn't light the area under the cloud.

Then I guess technology is still pretty rudimentary. Let's go people! Keep working until we can light up a neighborhood using the clouds!

- You can't signal aircraft in the US using your light, or you'll get arrested since it can blind the pilot. Sounds crazy until you consider that the landing lights on planes are ~2,500 lumens -- our flashaholic technology gives you more light output in the palm of your hand than an entire commercial aircraft.

How about importing cocaine? Is that illegal, too?

I get the feeling some of my comments I should follow with a #Sarcasm hashtag just to be clear.

That sounds like an epic quest for some flashlights. I bet none of the armchair commandos here can beat that.

You have no idea!

What third world country are you in?

Since I've given away their cocaine importing secrets, do you really think I should say?

M11r is shorter than then V11r. The downside is neither have thermal protection. If you only use primary(cr123) then I don't think it would be a problem. If you use rcr then high mode become turbo and Sunwayman warns not to run it longer than 3mins.
HDS is another one. You can program your own outputs. The light is also sealed really well (IP67) it suppose to be dust/waterproof. It also has full thermal protection.

Sorry guys, you can stop there. I just could never buy something from a company that sounds like a Kindergarten superhero. I mean, what if I'm using the light, and somebody asks me who makes it? What will I say? I'd be so embarrassed I'd end up burying the light in my garden beside the lightbulbs.

Congrats and thank you.

Possibly the best first post I have ever read.

As for a light that takes RCR123s, look at Foursevens Quarks, or, as Tmedina said, a Surefire G2 would work well. For something totally bulletproof, a Peak Logan fits the bill nicely.

No, thank you. I don't know much about the Foursevens. I'll have to check them out. I briefly looked at the Peak Logan; kind of expensive. I'm not a soldier in a war-torn country. Even my cellphones stay in good shape. The water-resistance in flashlights is great for when it rains, and they can always be dropped, but other than that I don't need something built like a tank. If I need a hammer there's always rocks.

I'm gonna stick with the Eagletac D25C2 on my shortlist for now, unless I find something better.

Thanks again for all the replies.
 

miss_kabrit

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 24, 2014
Messages
9
And you have fully functioning Internet access that let's you browse CPF from a tin can tied to a string? I must say that this is either the most amazing first post I've ever read or a pile of BS. (And, please forgive my pessimism if this is for real). So the question to me is after the plane, bus, bus, motorcycle, mud, more mud, earthquakes and the such did these flashlights cost you? I would seem to me that your 5 lights must have cost you near $1K after all of the travel involved.

You reviews are decent, but the circumstances of your existence appear way to far fetched for me to believe.

It's interesting you say that. You do so because you live in a small box that is the United States. I may have thought the same thing when I was still living in Canada. But there are a lot of other countries where things like good roads, a postal system, or private vehicles are luxuries, where what I wrote is not by any means far-fetched. In fact, I didn't even tell you the half of it. BTW, the plane bus bus motorcycle was a friend of mine who was coming here who brought my lights and everything for me, so that part was free. Everything was shipped to his US address, so free shipping. In fact, they even gave me a rebate for extra slow shipping, since my friend wasn't going to be coming yet. So basically they paid me for shoddy service. I can live with that. People can go ahead and pay me for shoddy anything. Maybe you should pay me for your post. Just kidding. But seriously, try visiting other places sometimes, and not just the fancy resorts. It's an education all by itself. Maybe even life-changing. Regarding Internet access, how much of the world in this day and age does not have cell-phone access? Not much.
 

mcnair55

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Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
4,448
Location
North Wales UK
"This is a post (rant) regarding several flashlights I recently purchased. I'm not a "flashaholic". Just the fact that such a word exists is bizarre to me. But I do use flashlights A LOT. I'm legally blind, with no night vision whatsoever. And I've been living in a very dark and dangerous 3rd world country for the past 10 years. Most places I've lived here either have no electricity, or very rarely. Even if there is power, streetlights are few or non-existent. And the city where I now live is quite treacherous, with dangerous obstacles everywhere. The primary spoken language here is screaming. I recently fell into a gaping hole in the street the size of a small car simply because my flashlight wasn't bright enough to allow me to see properly.

I haven't been back to a developed country for several years, so I was unaware of the advances in LED and flashlight technology. A short time ago I randomly searched for LED flashlights on Amazon and was thrilled at how bright and sophisticated flashlights have become. So after much research (thanks in part to CPF!) I purchased 5 flashlights online along with batteries and accessories, which I rate below. The flashlights are:

-Olight S10-L2
-Nitecore HC50
-Nitecore P12
-Thrunite Neutron 1C
-Thrunite Neutron 2C

I then had to wait a couple months for them to be shipped and then for someone from the US to travel by plane and bus and anther bus and a motorcycle taxi to get to my area, and then I rode on a motorcycle for a day and a half through rain and mud and horribly bad roads to get to him to pick up them up."


And you have fully functioning Internet access that let's you browse CPF from a tin can tied to a string? I must say that this is either the most amazing first post I've ever read or a pile of BS. (And, please forgive my pessimism if this is for real). So the question to me is after the plane, bus, bus, motorcycle, mud, more mud, earthquakes and the such did these flashlights cost you? I would seem to me that your 5 lights must have cost you near $1K after all of the travel involved.

You reviews are decent, but the circumstances of your existence appear way to far fetched for me to believe.


+1 On the money there Mr Diamond.
 

calflash

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
418
Although entertaining, I'm wondering about the legally blind riding a motorcycle for a day and a half bit:shrug:
 

cland72

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
3,276
Personally, I'd use a Surefire G2 host (around $35ish) and a Malkoff drop-in: M61L or LL.

The G2's Nitrolon body makes it very weather friendly; the twisty cap is much more durable than a clicky.

The Malkoff drop-in is a sweet balance of throw and floody without being too much one or the other. You can use RCR123s without issues. The "L" gives you 5 hours with a slow drop-off after the 5 hour mark. The LL gives you 10 hours with a slow drop-off after 10 hours. In little or no lighting conditions, the 100 lumens of the LL is more than sufficient for most uses.

Thanks for the suggestion, but that's just a little too geeky for me. And since it can take 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or more months to receive anything I order, I wouldn't want to take a chance on something that doesn't even come pre-built.

<--- *flips over keyboard, walks out of the thread*
 
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