Fenix RC11

Is there anything more durable in the price range or brighter?

RC11 is pretty durable. Something more durable in the price range or brighter? I would say check out Armyteks smaller lights but the design of their smaller lights leave something to be desired. There is always Manker with their 1400 lumen little lights. You can get 18650 tubes as an accessory for them. Not sure if they are IPX8 think they are IPX6. Convoy has its S2 range that can be ordered crazy bright you can even choose how many modes you get as well as the emitter. They are not IPX8 though and they get scalding hot on max quick.

In this case it sounds like a Vinh custom is right up your alley. Going to be expensive but you will get what you want.

I threw an email to Fenix a few weeks back, and asked for suggestions for their most reliable light, fulfilling a couple of extra requirements (momentary on for example). They came back with a suggestion of TK16. Would probably be a good choice for you as well. Probably more throwy than the RC11, which may or may not be a good thing depending on what you want.

I would like something pocket able in the $80 or under range with a high output with good spot,but be able to have multiple modes. I work on cars and do a ton around the house fixing things. The RC11 I saw had a high output. I carry a preon currently but keep a knife in the same pocket.

Fenix TK15UE is awesome. Only 4 modes plus strobe though. Tough as nails and true 1000 lumen XP-L max output. A bit bigger than the RC11 though. Nitecore P12GT has the most throw in the entire PD35 class of lights at near 27k CD. It is also the first thermally regulated P12. It has all the bells and whistles P12's are known for. Only has 4 modes though they are very well spaced. High for example is 350 lumens which is perfectly fine for most task then steps up to 1000 lumens. The beam profile out of it is surprisingly good for an XP-L light. Beam profile still has a decent sized hot spot and usable spill like an XML2.

Gotten into the thumb sized light thing lately S1, S1A, PD25, RC09 and Jetbeam Jet II Pro. All of them are awesome and vanish into a pocket. Not exactly throwers though. Just how large are you willing to carry?

CelticCross74 said:

Fenix TK15UE is awesome. Only 4 modes plus strobe though. Tough as nails and true 1000 lumen XP-L max output.

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I just acquired the TK15UE a couple of weeks ago and am loving it. Solid feel and the stainless steel bezel is a thing of beauty. Not a true pocket carry though unless, you know, you have bigpockets. I've had bad luck with rechargeable torches so I tend to stay away - but that's just me.

CelticCross74 said:

Fenix TK15UE is awesome. Only 4 modes plus strobe though. Tough as nails and true 1000 lumen XP-L max output. A bit bigger than the RC11 though. Nitecore P12GT has the most throw in the entire PD35 class of lights at near 27k CD. It is also the first thermally regulated P12. It has all the bells and whistles P12's are known for. Only has 4 modes though they are very well spaced. High for example is 350 lumens which is perfectly fine for most task then steps up to 1000 lumens. The beam profile out of it is surprisingly good for an XP-L light. Beam profile still has a decent sized hot spot and usable spill like an XML2.

Gotten into the thumb sized light thing lately S1, S1A, PD25, RC09 and Jetbeam Jet II Pro. All of them are awesome and vanish into a pocket. Not exactly throwers though. Just how large are you willing to carry?

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In the wintermonths i carry my Olight S30RII in my coatpocket so i still have my sunshine when needed.

Zebralight SC600 MkIII HI. It blows your $80 budget but is small, throws up to 18k CD, has an amazingly wide beam, the tint is near halogen, the light has so many modes and functions you will need to sit down with the manual for a good while to understand all the light is capable of. $99

Sweet. Is that the best in the 100$ range?

the SC600 MkIII HI? YES. For a small light it is the king. Over 1100+ lumens on max, a .01 lumen ultralow. Light is programmable. The electronics are sophisticated as hell. Remember though the light takes unprotected flat tops ONLY. If you buy the light also buy the Sanyo NCR18650GA flat top also for sale on their site. They will ship the light with the cell already in it.

Which of is it? http://www.zebralight.com/search.asp?keyword=Sc600&search=GO

last one on the bottom with the 5 star rating. SC600 MkIII XHP35 HI.

Unfortunately that light is on back order all over the freaking place.

worth waiting for. They should resupply in under 30 days. ZL has a factory in Texas where their HQ is and one in China to supply that part of the world. ZL's are just that good they sell out quick especially the new models. There may be other ZL retailers online that have it.

What's the difference between that and the floody?

the floody is just that a wall of light very limited throw. The regular non HI XHP35 could be considered a flooder. Output is very high out of both lights. The HI version has a huge bright hotspot with an evenly diffuse corona going into tons of bright usable spill. For such a small reflector the range and width of the beam profile is amazing. The HI has an incredible almost halogen like neutral tint. The non HI XHP35 has a different tint due to still having a dome over the emitter. Its beam profile is super bright wall of light you have to look very hard to make out a hot spot. Once again the beam profile is extremely wide for such a small reflector. The HI version is very popular here due to its tint and throw range while still having the huge hot spot and very wide profile with lots of bright spill.

There is the new XHP50 SC600 mkIII that literally just came out. It has astonishingly high output and is a purpose built flooder. It features a frosted lens to assist in the flood beam as well as eliminate the cross shadow artifact of the larger quad die XHP50. If it is a flooder your after that you can carry in almost any pocket that is your light.

SuzukiGS750EZ said:

I would like something pocket able in the $80 or under range with a high output with good spot,but be able to have multiple modes. I work on cars and do a ton around the house fixing things. The RC11 I saw had a high output. I carry a preon currently but keep a knife in the same pocket.

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For pocketable, Nitecore MH20GT is a very popular light. You can check the reviews in this forum. This light replaces my Zebra MKII light. I think you will like the UI and features of MH20GT. For tactical light, I will highly recommend the new Klarus XT11GT. Very advanced and capable light!

CelticCross74 said:

the floody is just that a wall of light very limited throw. The regular non HI XHP35 could be considered a flooder. Output is very high out of both lights. The HI version has a huge bright hotspot with an evenly diffuse corona going into tons of bright usable spill. For such a small reflector the range and width of the beam profile is amazing. The HI has an incredible almost halogen like neutral tint. The non HI XHP35 has a different tint due to still having a dome over the emitter. Its beam profile is super bright wall of light you have to look very hard to make out a hot spot. Once again the beam profile is extremely wide for such a small reflector. The HI version is very popular here due to its tint and throw range while still having the huge hot spot and very wide profile with lots of bright spill.

There is the new XHP50 SC600 mkIII that literally just came out. It has astonishingly high output and is a purpose built flooder. It features a frosted lens to assist in the flood beam as well as eliminate the cross shadow artifact of the larger quad die XHP50. If it is a flooder your after that you can carry in almost any pocket that is your light.

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In all honesty,most of my lights have been mostly spot. What is flood good for?

Both the nitecore and the zebralight both look awesome. Which one would i get more utility out of? Probably the zebralight, right? I don't buy flashlights frequently so i'd like to get something i can use both under the hood of a car, walking at night, spot lighting out of my window into the yard and walking through the woods. Most of those sound like the zebra, but what does the nitecore have on the zebra? Anything?

What the Nitecore has on the MkIII HI is that there are 3 MH20 variants. 1.Standard XML2 CW 2. Standard NW 3. MH20GT XP-L HI. I have all 3 MH20's as well as the MkIII HI. The throw out of the MkIII HI is roughly the same as the non GT MH20's. The MH20GT is an amazing pocket thrower with 36k+ CD. Unless you get into custom lights there is not another light the MH20GT's size that throws that far. The MH20's have an excellent 2 stage switch like you would find on a camera. Going through the modes on the MH20's is much easier than it is on the MkIII HI's single stage switch.

As for flooder vs thrower vs general purpose beam profiles the majority of light beam profiles for over half a century have been meant for general purpose use which means its a touch of everything. General purpose beam profiles is also what you get out of the standard CW and NW MH20's they are very well done. A decent amount of throw, a defined hot spot with a corona around it be it thin or thick transitioning into the spill portion of the beam which while not as bright as the hot spot is still bright enough to be useful.

Around 2000 this all started to change as custom light makers started marketing lights custom built to have different beam characteristics. Then 15 years ago Fenix came along Nitecore a touch later then the rest of the Chinese brands sprouted up. LED tech then was still pretty basic but still a huge change from the incandescent dominated light market. Ever since then LED tech has just done nothing but improve roughly yearly. The designs and electronics of LED lights advanced along with these newer and better LED's. Over the past 5 years LED tech has just taken off at an emphatic rate. Light companies are now struggling to have their designs and electronics technology keep up with Cree's regular roll out of more and more advanced LED's.

Now in 2016 you can get a light that puts out almost any kind of beam profile you like. Flooders also started hitting the market 5 years ago from the Chinese companies. At the same time dedicated super throwers came about. With flooders the buyers are mostly interested in lighting up a large wide area such as a large yard as well as possible these buyers dont feel the need to be able to light up an object 1000 meters away. Flooders sell very well usually to people with large plots of property. There are ultra high output flooders now like the 7000+ lumen Thrunites. Despite such amazing output they only throw say 15k CD but you bet that these super flooders will light up every detail of over the acre or more of property right in front of them. In my experience super flooders are just to much for me visually. These super flooders are now so high output that seeing past where their searing beam ends becomes impossible. A wall of light I cannot see past.

Super throwers are now so far throwing and high powered that 1000 meter ranges are becoming the standard which is incredible. The beam out of a super thrower also has a much wider than average beam profile. Not as wide as a super flooder but still larger than average. Super throwers have most of their lumens focused into a searingly bright and well defined hot spot. The corona in the beam profile of a super thrower is usually very thin or almost non existant the beam just goes from hotspot to spill. Now...the issue with super thrower beams is that the hot spot is so bright that ones eyes kind of lock onto it. Super throwers have massive spill portions to their profiles usually more than bright enough to be useful but to most people get "drowned out" by the searing highly concentrated and defined hot spot.

Now some makers have become sophisticated enough to tailor their beam profiles to have specific characteristics. Zebralight in my opinion has the best design and engineering team in the entire industry. Zebralights are all small or smaller lights. They all pack a punch for their size. They all also have extremely sophisticated electronics to have their lights come with so many features and options in such small lights. The electronics are potted which is awesome. The MkIII HI runs off an unprotected cell only. No need to worry though all the overheat and overdischarge protections are built into the light. The MkIII HI beam is an excellent example of an advanced light maker tailoring a beam profile to feature the best the emitter is capable of. In the case of the MkIII HI you get near 18k CD throw, a large bright hot spot that is purposely diffuse around the edge, an even corona that transitions into brighter than average spill. The width of the beam out of the MkIII HI is amazing coming out of such a small reflector.

MH20's. These are some of the best Nitecores the company has ever made. The standards average $75-$80 the GT is $99. They all come with a micro USB cord as they all are micro USB rechargeable, they all come with belt holsters and pocket clips. They all have thermal regulation which is great. The highest output MH20 is the CW standard at almost exactly 1000 lumens OTF. MH20 has well spaced modes as well as SOS, strobe and signal beacon all easily and quickly accessible through the MH20's 2 stage switch. There is a blue LED beneath the switch that also will give you a voltage read out when you loosen and tighten the body so you can know how much voltage the battery has left. The size of the MH20 considering all they are capable of is very impressive. The CW and NW versions put out very well done general purpose beams you get easily visible hot spot, corona and lots of useful spill. The standard MH20's have roughly the same throw as the MkIII HI. The GT is a touch longer than the standards as Nitecore designed a deeper reflector for the XP-L HI emitter in the light. The tint out the GT is very white. Independent testing has shown the GT to actually be the lowest output version of the MH20 series at 900 out the front lumens but the emitters white tint and highly concentrated and defined hot spot easily makes it look as high output as the CW standard.

MH20GT beam profile is totally different than the standards. The hot spot is smaller very bright and well defined there is almost no corona. The GT's beam profile is still wider than average and usefully bright but the human eyes tendency to focus on the highly focused and bright hot spot makes the spill seem dimmer than it actually is.

Which light would you get more utility out of? Remember, the MkIII HI has extremely high output at maximum its over 1100 lumens out the front. Using the light at max it gets warm after about a minute then in less than another minute it gets hot. Remember that the ZL is a pretty small light. ZL has still done an outstanding job on heat management. The ZL also has thermal regulation. After a couple minutes at max the light will automatically lower output to lower the lights temperature. Usually most people dont notice the output drop when the regulation kicks in. You dont have to use the ZL at max all the time you have over 11 standard modes to start with then you have the ability to program all your settings to your preference. The light also has adjustable strobe and low voltage warning.

If you get the ZL you are going to need to set aside some time to study the manual the light is capable of so much.

The only thing I can mark as a negative for the MkIII HI is that it does not come with a belt holster and especially that the manuals are just a single sheet of paper and all the information is in very small print. The MH20's are easy. The hardest part about learning the MH20's is getting used to the two stage switch..