I purchased a Gonex light on Amazon a few years ago and only used it a few times. I tried to power it up and it won't work, after using brand new batteries too. I don't want to spend more than $150 and have looked at solarforce, thrunite and a few others. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
Looking for a reliable 1500 lumen flashlight
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Tachead
Flashlight Enthusiast
What batteries do you want to use, how long will you be using it at 1500 lumens at a time, and do you prefer cool white or neutral white?
ven
Flashaholic
Hi there,
Flood , throw, mix of both, any reason for 1500lm as an output?
What type of use are you looking for, general,close up, hunting...........heck general close up hunting :laughing: jk of course
Flood , throw, mix of both, any reason for 1500lm as an output?
What type of use are you looking for, general,close up, hunting...........heck general close up hunting :laughing: jk of course
Have you checked the group buy section for the nitecore ec4s/ec4w? There is a good deal, and 2k+ lumens in two 18650s.
I've run a fenix tk35, eagtac m3c4 and a few others in that range, these new lights have a huge punch in a smaller form factor, food for thought.
I've run a fenix tk35, eagtac m3c4 and a few others in that range, these new lights have a huge punch in a smaller form factor, food for thought.
ven
Flashaholic
Yes, a fenix tk35 is as tough as old boots, few different flavours be it mtg2 for a floody/respectable throw of 5000k light, xhp50 option too.
CelticCross74
Flashlight Enthusiast
Fenix TK51. You can get them on discount now. Amazing lights they are you have control over both spot and flood and a max output of 1800 lumens.
KeepingItLight
Flashlight Enthusiast
A big question is how long you need the 1500 lumens for.
The two-cell flashlights mentioned above won't do as well those that use three or four 18650s. I, for instance, own the Nitecore P36. It is a great 2x18650 flashlight that features a 5000K CCT, Cree MT-G2 emitter. The tint is uniformly white, from center to edge. If the choice is between this one, and the similar MT-G2 version of the Fenix TK35UE, I'll take the P36.
Frankly, however, neither one will hold 1500 lumens for very long. If all you need is a few minutes, they'll do fine. If you need more than that, I recommend seeing what ven and CelticCross74 have to say. Those guys own a bunch of high-power lights!
The two-cell flashlights mentioned above won't do as well those that use three or four 18650s. I, for instance, own the Nitecore P36. It is a great 2x18650 flashlight that features a 5000K CCT, Cree MT-G2 emitter. The tint is uniformly white, from center to edge. If the choice is between this one, and the similar MT-G2 version of the Fenix TK35UE, I'll take the P36.
Frankly, however, neither one will hold 1500 lumens for very long. If all you need is a few minutes, they'll do fine. If you need more than that, I recommend seeing what ven and CelticCross74 have to say. Those guys own a bunch of high-power lights!
wjv
Enlightened
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Not quite 1500 lumens, but the Fenix LD50 (1200 lumens) has a nice mix of throw and flood. Plus you can run it on 1 battery or 2 batteries. Rock solid light.
CelticCross74
Flashlight Enthusiast
There was once a Vinh TK51 where he eliminated the useless 15 minute timed step downs. TK51 is so well engineered and built it barely even gets warm without the stepdowns. Unfortunately they did not sell well for VInh but I am sure should you get a deal on a TK51(there are incredible deals on the 51 now that it has been discontinued)and still be able to send it to Vinh to get rid of those pointless step downs. Without the step downs the 51Vinh runs flat out until the batteries give out. Both the throw beam and flood beam out the 51 are textbook perfect. Id love to get another 51 and have Vinh just get rid of the step downs and do his usual strengthening of the wiring and soldering. The 51 is more than bright enough as it is it needs no power boost and with Vinhs improvements of the electronics youd end up with longer run times to boot.
KeepingItLight
Flashlight Enthusiast
Would you settle for a half-hour at 1500 lumens? That's what the Nitecore EC4S delivered in testing by FlashLion. If you can live with 1000-1100 lumens, the EC4S will give you that for about 70 minutes. If you really want 1500 lumens for a solid hour, you should say so, and maybe we can take another stab at this.
Note, as well, the moderately high standby current in the EC4S. It is a bit higher on this Nitecore flashlight than it is, say, on a ZebraLight. It is even higher in the Nitecore P36 that I own. The P36, however, can be locked out by turning the tail cap 1/4 turn. That is not possible with the EC4S.
Don't get me wrong. I am a fan of the EC4S, and especially, the EC4SW. And I like the P36 better than both of them. I am not sure, however, that these flashlights can provide the kind of output you said you were looking for.
Here are the runtime charts for the EC4S that were published by FlashLion in his review.
The discharge curve on Turbo mode shows that the output is highly depending on the voltage.
With decreasing the battery voltage,the brightness becomes lower.
The brightness is still impressive for a compact flashlight,but without a specific buck-boost driver,the output is performing as direct drive.
There is a difference in the performance on both tested samples.Yes,no flat regulation as many may expect,but for a 6V LED and no boost circuit,the result is normal.
The higher output is mostly a result of the different LED.The cool white LEDs usually show higher lumen output.
A small cooling fan was used to get the optimal performance.
No timed or thermal step down in my test.
A closer look at the first 60 minutes.
Here is a more interesting graph,comparing the High mode on the EC4S and Turbo on the EC4.
This is a comparison of the EC4 on its max mode,and the EC4S on High mode.
Lower output,longer run time.
Lumen measurements:
30 sec after activating.
Turbo mode 1990 Lm (2080 Lm initial) (the max output highly depends on the batteries)
High mode 934 Lm
Mid mode 392 Lm
Low mode 61 Lm
UltraLow mode 1 Lm
Pretty well spaced brightness levels.
Because of the electronically working dual side switch,the flashlight is in Standby mode,while the light is OFF.
In this state the driver consumes small current from the batteries.
My measurements show: 350µA on the prototype and 180µA on the latest tested version.
This will not be a problem if you use the flashlight every day,every week,but if you plan to keep it on the shelf without using it for weeks,or months,it is recommended to take out the batteries,to prevent unnecessary discharge.
It is definitely not a good choice for emergency flashlight that will stay without use,in case you need it someday.
Both EC4S samples I tested seems to have slightly different driver electronics,not only because of the lower Standby consumption,but also because of the way of controlling the brightness.
There is something like a PWM controlling on Low and Medium modes in the EC4 and EC4S NW. I don't detect any similar flickering in the Cool white EC4S sample.
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Wow, thanks for the info and graphs! The light is just for emergencies and I don't really NEED an hour at max output, but half that seems kind of low. The other thing that will sway me is price. I know that people on these forums spend a lot on lights and that's great and I wish I could, but I'd really like to stick with a budget of under $200.
KeepingItLight
Flashlight Enthusiast
A good rule of thumb is to cut the advertised output of a flashlight's highest mode in half. That gives you an estimate of the output level it can sustain for a reasonable period of time. To get 1500 lumens, I would look for something that is rated at 2500-3000 lumens.
That takes you into the realm of 3- and 4-cell flashlights, an area I know little about. There are probably some good models that fit within your budget.
Another approach would be to buy two flashlights, one that is a dedicated thrower, and another that has a general-purpose beam combining both throw and flood. You could find single-cell versions of each, so the pair might end up costing less than a triple-cell 1500-lumen flashlight. Neither of two would output 1500 lumens, but the thrower might well out-throw a 1500-lumen general-purpose beam.
A good budget combination might be the Convoy C8 paired with the Convoy S2+. Another good pair (actually, a triple) is the BLF Kronos X6/X5 paired with the Astrolux S1. The Kronos X6 is clocking in at about 50,000 candela, so it is a decent compact thrower. The Convoy C8 might be 30,000 candela or less. Compare these with the lower values FlashLion reported for the EC4S in his review.
That takes you into the realm of 3- and 4-cell flashlights, an area I know little about. There are probably some good models that fit within your budget.
Another approach would be to buy two flashlights, one that is a dedicated thrower, and another that has a general-purpose beam combining both throw and flood. You could find single-cell versions of each, so the pair might end up costing less than a triple-cell 1500-lumen flashlight. Neither of two would output 1500 lumens, but the thrower might well out-throw a 1500-lumen general-purpose beam.
A good budget combination might be the Convoy C8 paired with the Convoy S2+. Another good pair (actually, a triple) is the BLF Kronos X6/X5 paired with the Astrolux S1. The Kronos X6 is clocking in at about 50,000 candela, so it is a decent compact thrower. The Convoy C8 might be 30,000 candela or less. Compare these with the lower values FlashLion reported for the EC4S in his review.
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ven
Flashaholic
Not mentioned size, or amount of 18650's so for another angle, lights like the tk75 has a 1600lm mode and will run for not far off 4hrs!
Other lights in that class too(just throwing one in)
Other lights in that class too(just throwing one in)
