Summary:what was your 3 best flashlights purchases for year 2015?

NorthernStar

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Last year i created a similar summary thread with great and interesting response of your best purchases for 2014.

Now it´s new years eve and it´s a great time to make a summary of your purchases of flashlights for year 2015. I know that most of you have baught more than three flashlights during this year;), but which 3 flashlights was your best purchases for the year 2015?

Please tell your purchases and write motivations why these was your best flashlight purchases,and if you want to, feel free to upload pics of them!:) Moded lights could also be included in this thread, but please stick to LED lights.

SUMMARY%202015%20017_zps2xudcjpd.jpg

These where my best flashlight purchases for the year 2015:
From left to right, Fenix TK75 2015 Edition, Olight S30RII, and Olight S1.

I baught the TK75 2015 since i liked the predecessor, and i wanted a really powerful compact light. I baught the Olight S30RII since i wanted a 1x18650 light that could be worn cliped in to a pocket for EDC. I baught the Olight S1 since i fell for its super mini size and yet it is tremendously powerful.

To make a summary of the entire year of 2015, i think it has been guite good. No remarkable upgrades of diods has been released, but quite a few interesting lights has been introduced. Let´s hope that upgrades from Cree will be introduced during year 2016 and that the manufacturers will introduce more new interesting lights.

Happy new year to all flashaholics!:party:
 

AMD64Blondie

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In order:

1:Elzetta Charlie.(tough,reliable,and stupid bright..)

2:peak Eiger Hi CRI brass.(reliable,compact,and actually rather good-looking.)

3:Nitecore EA41 2015 edition:bright,runs on common AA batteries,and useful size.
 

Raven-burg

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Great thread idea!
Here's mine. Small lights this year but boy are they powerful.
Thrunite Ti Ti3 titanium XP-L V4.
Olight S1 aluminium.
Olight S1 bead blasted titanium.

The little AAA Thrunite is tiny but can reach over 160 lumens. I mostly use its super low moonlight mode though for night time activities. The lowest of lows out of all my lights. It's super light too and is my most carried light. AMAZING!

The S1 is a superb light. Crazy powerful for its size. Caters for most situations I might find myself in. Really, really love this light. Use the magnet feature more than I thought I would.

The S1 titanium! Well I've ordered this because the regular S1 impressed me so much. Who doesn't like a bit of titanium eh!!!!!

Happy and enlightening new year all!
 
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akhyar

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Mine as below:

1. Sinner Ti Tri-EDC Nichia219B.
It's my first custom and won't be my last. It has become my EDC as the size is just right in my hand and not that big to keep it inside my manbag.

2. Olight S1 Baton
Very small that it can almost disappear inside my jeans pocket. It spends most time inside my jeans pocket or my rucksack as it couldn't replace the Sinner as it is very small in my hand and the tint just couldn't compete with the Nichia.

3. Nitecore TM16
Mainly fo bragging right. Lol! Spend most time on my bedside table though
 

MAD777

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This is not as easy as it first sounds, but here goes. All 3 are modded lights from Vinhnguyen54. First up is Niwalker MM18vn, which is really two flashlights in one. It has two flooder emitters and one throw emitter, which are operated independently by two switched. About 7,500 lumens and over 100,000 lux.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Lumintop TOOLvn at 575 lumens and 4000 lux. Smaller than my index finger, weighing in at one ounce! Plus, great heat management, which says a lot for such a small mass.
The last slot goes to Eagletac S200C2vn which is an overachiever. I think I got an extraordinary sample putting out 700 lumens and 150,000 lux. That's an 800 meter throw from a 6" tube flashlight!
And I just have to include an honorable mention of Vinh's Nitecore TN36UTvn at 11,700 lumens from a soda can size light!
Thank you Vinh Nguyen for lighting up my life in 2015!
 

NorthernStar

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This is not as easy as it first sounds, but here goes. All 3 are modded lights from Vinhnguyen54. First up is Niwalker MM18vn, which is really two flashlights in one. It has two flooder emitters and one throw emitter, which are operated independently by two switched. About 7,500 lumens and over 100,000 lux.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Lumintop TOOLvn at 575 lumens and 4000 lux. Smaller than my index finger, weighing in at one ounce! Plus, great heat management, which says a lot for such a small mass.
The last slot goes to Eagletac S200C2vn which is an overachiever. I think I got an extraordinary sample putting out 700 lumens and 150,000 lux. That's an 800 meter throw from a 6" tube flashlight!
And I just have to include an honorable mention of Vinh's Nitecore TN36UTvn at 11,700 lumens from a soda can size light!
Thank you Vinh Nguyen for lighting up my life in 2015!

That sounds like a powerful light!:) How does a little light like this handles the heat from such high output?
 

archimedes

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Although I'll use the term "favorite" instead of "best" , my three favorite flashlights received over the past year have been ...

* Spyglass, by @calipsoii

* TiTinyDC, by @okluma

* Haiku with HiVeLD-S (XP-G2) , by @McGizmo and @rush

I think that these exemplify the creativity and passion of custom makers here on CPF, circa 2015 ... :goodjob:

Oh, and the photos ...

HDhT2IH.jpg


DddilRy.jpg


WYc3l3u.jpg


ASu8zt0.jpg
 
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seery

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Three of the Fenix TK35UE 2015 (XHP50). My all-time favorite light.

Hopefully 2016 will be more exciting to talk about.
 

NorthernStar

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It'll cook your dinner, and fast! But that's appropriate because your mouth is hanging wide open when you see this light. LOL
Sounds like a powerful light!:) A video about this lights performance would be great to watch.


Although I'll use the term "favorite" instead of "best" , my three favorite flashlights received over the past year have been ...

* Spyglass, by @calipsoii

* TiTinyDC, by @okluma

* Haiku with HiVeLD-S (XP-G2) , by @McGizmo and @rush

I think that these exemplify the creativity and passion of custom makers here on CPF, circa 2015 ... :goodjob:

Oh, and the photos ...

HDhT2IH.jpg


DddilRy.jpg


WYc3l3u.jpg


ASu8zt0.jpg

Favorite lights would do just fine as best purchases!:)Nice pics!

I especially like the Spyglass light and the Marvel background figures!:)
 

Timothybil

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I didn't buy that many, but the selection is easy:

TM16 - 'nuff said!
BLF 348 - Bought two. I would have never imagined such creamy goodness out of a $7 light. No hot spot, just a wonderful smooth beam.

For those who don't recognize it - The BLF 348 was a group buy in the Budget Light Forum. Whoever the wonderful designer was, they took a Singfire 348 single AAA light and replaced the emitter with a Nichia NVSW219BT. Wonderful choice. It can also take a 10440, but gets very hot very fast, so it isn't recommended.
 

saypat

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1. Zebralight H302W might be the best light I own

2. Nitecore EC11 what more could u want? So many modes. Even a red LED.

3. Lumintop Tool run it on a 10440, one of the best AAA out there IMO
 

bykfixer

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To sum it up with 3 lights...not gonna happen here.

I'm having a hard enough time picking 3 brands...

Malkoff
Streamlight
PKLabDesigns

SureFire gets an honorable mention for introducing me to the Malkoff stuff and for 6P, G2 and G2X Pro lights.

And Rayovac for making Indestructables and leak free alkalines.

UPS and USPS for getting them to me.

And my wife for being cool about having flashlights all over the place.
 
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NorthernStar

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To sum it up with 3 lights...not gonna happen here.

I'm having a hard enough time picking 3 brands...

Malkoff
Streamlight
PKLabDesigns

SureFire gets an honorable mention for introducing me to the Malkoff stuff and for 6P, G2 and G2X Pro lights.

And Rayovac for making Indestructables and leak free alkalines.

UPS and USPS for getting them to me.

And my wife for being cool about having flashlights all over the place.

This is very important!:) My fiancee is so far very understanding about my lights all over the place.
 

1DaveN

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Upstate NY
PD25 (this is the light I use every day for pretty much anything and everything)
PD35 (this is my outdoor and zombie apocalypse light)
CL25R (I don't have much use for this but it's so well designed and built I had to include it)

My new year's resolutions: Don't buy anything else until I see what comes out at Shot Show. Look for an AAA in brass or copper (Peak, Maratac, or something else to be determined). Stop being indecisive and pick out a Benchmade folder.
 

KeepingItLight

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Only three?!!

Since I started with a blank slate in May, 2015, I have acquired about 10 different LED flashlights. More are on the way. All of my lights are at least decent. Choosing three for this list is nearly impossible.

The following picks were taken from my post in the 2015 Flashaholic's "Must-Have" List.

ZebraLight SC62w
Of all the flashlights on my list, the SC62w is the easiest choice to defend. It combines superlative design with engineering excellence.

L3 Illumination L11C Nichia 219B
This one gets daily use as my EDC. I like to carry it discreetly in the bottom of my pants pocket, so the small size of AA is important. At 0.09, 3, 30, and 140 lumens, mode spacing is near perfect. I bought this light because of its mid-level price and high-CRI Nichia emitter. In case I need more power, I also carry an 18650 flashlight in my daypack.

Nitecore P36
The excellent Cree MT-G2 emitter is just one of the things that makes the P36 stand out. The P36 drives the MT-G2 at 10 different output levels, ranging between 2 and 2000 lumens. It uses a unique mode dial, similar in size to the mode dial on a camera, to select output levels. The 5000K emitter produces a beam with a wide hot spot and bright spill. I cannot see any hint of the green and purple that show up, respectively, in the corona and spill of an XM-L2 or XP-L.

The 2x18650 format makes for a flashlight that is comfortable to carry, and which easily fits in a coat pocket.

Note
Fortunately for me, I have not yet ordered the ZebraLight H600Fd Mk. III headlamp. Neither have I received the Olight S1 Copper (Rose Gold) that is currently in transit. If those were here, I would not know what to do with this list!

Honorable Mention – BLF Special Edition A6
The BLF A6 is a custom flashlight designed by members of BudgetLightForum. This 1x18650 tube light is a burner, using a FET+1 driver to supply as much current to the emitter as its battery can supply. Running the stock (i.e., unmodded) A6 on a high draw battery, it is easy to get 1200 lumens. A spring-bypass will typically get you 200-300 more. Some owners have measured 1600 lumens.

The user interface and firmware are outstanding. The A6 uses regular half-presses to get brighter, and longer half-presses to get dimmer. This simple UI makes for easy access to the seven constant-brightness levels of the A6.

Honorable Mention – BLF 348
This is an incredible 1xAAA, single-mode, stainless-steel, tube light that features an outstanding 5000K, 90-CRI Nichia 219B emitter. Timothy already praised the 348 above. Price in the group buy was only $7. Wow!

Honorable Mention – Brinyte B158
I include this budget flashlight because I have discovered that I prefer the broad beam of a zooming flashlight—set to flood—for most indoor uses. Compared to the follow-the-dot hot spot of a reflector, the unfocused beam of a zoomie is superior for showing the way down a hallway or down a flight of stairs. In a large space, it does even better.

As the B158 is the best of the two zoomies I own, it gets my pick. It features a large 50mm aspheric lens that produces a generous, floody beam. Focused for throw, it delivers 52,000 candela, reaching out to 450 meters. Not too shabby.

As is the case with most zoomies, the B158 shows some rings when focused for throw. Its unfocused flood beam is perfect, except for some chromatic aberrations at the outer edge.

Modders will love the B158. It uses a removable pill design that makes the job easy. Brinyte sells a bare brass pill to which you can add the emitter and driver of your choice. Brinyte also sells its own finished red and green pills that use colored Cree XP-E emitters.

Honorable Mention – Nitecore Tube
Everyone already knows what this flashlight can do. I got mine on sale for $6. Perfect.
 
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Tac Gunner

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Considering I only bought three lights this year it's pretty easy for me lol.

Solarforce L2 with Mountain Electronics XHP50 P60
I wanted a powerful compact light and this was the best option at the time (triple XPL Convoys hadn't become main stream yet). It runs at 3 amps and puts out a gorgeous 4000k tint flood beam (this was my first neutral tint light and well, I only want neutral now). Should be between 1800 and 2000 lumens


Fenix HL35
I wanted a better headlamp than my Coast HL7 and this one stepped up to fill that desire. A good cross of flood and throw with a nice neutral tint I would say is around 5000k and really good runtimes. Simple UI that is easy to use no matter the situation and of takes my preferred battery choice, AAs.

Eagletac D25A2 Clicky XML2 NW
The D25A2 Clicky is so far my all time favorite AA light. I love the UI the most of any light I have and wish I could have it on all my lights (thanks to guppydrv that can almost be possible), the runtimes are wonderful, the beam is perfect for general use, it carries comfortably, can take some serious abuse, and oh have I mentioned its my favorite? I currently have a CW model but after starting my switch to neutral tint I had to have a NW D25A2 so after a lot of searching and several emails later, IlluminationGear has special ordered me one because apparently Eagletac is phasing out the clicky model for the tactical model (pretty bummed over that) );
 
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