I have some 1 x 18650 LED lights currently. They are great. I have been giving a little bit of thought to my next light. I wouldn't mind going to the next battery size up or possibly two or more 18650 batteries. What do you guys suggest? Ideally, I would like a thrower. I really like to be out for a walk, horseback riding, or even ATVing and power up my flashlight and reach out a long ways. In a way, a light with two 18650s, one behind the other, is getting a bit too long for my liking. I seem to recall seeing one that has two or more 18650s in parallel. I guess that means the pop can or soda can lights, which seem like they are getting to be a bit too thick for me. So, does that pretty much mean a 26650 light? Are there many throwers to choose from that use a single 26650? And, perhaps more importantly, are they likely to out throw even the best 18650 throwers or do they simply have longer run times?
Help Me Select My Next LED Light That Uses A Larger Battery Than An 18650
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samgab
Flashlight Enthusiast
One good single 26650 thrower is the Manker U21 or the identical but cheaper Utorch UT02 (google for really good deal on the UT02).
I've got the UT02 and it's got pretty impressive throw and useful spill, plus a good solid build quality. Very happy with it so far. There are some good youtube reviews which will give you all the info you need on the UT02.
There's also the Imalent DN35, but it's a bit more expensive and I don't have that one, so can't comment on it. Also the Nitecore R40 looks pretty good.
I've got the UT02 and it's got pretty impressive throw and useful spill, plus a good solid build quality. Very happy with it so far. There are some good youtube reviews which will give you all the info you need on the UT02.
There's also the Imalent DN35, but it's a bit more expensive and I don't have that one, so can't comment on it. Also the Nitecore R40 looks pretty good.
CelticCross74
Flashlight Enthusiast
Convoy L6 2x26650, Olight R40, Olight R50 both are 1x26650
marinemaster
Flashlight Enthusiast
Not sure about going back to C and D almost size battery and the huge corresponding lights.
brighterthanthesun
Enlightened
Manker U21vn XPL PDT. 1,500 lumens and 260K lux from one 26650. It has a 2.2" diameter at the reflector and is 5.9" long. It's built like a tank so it never really gets hot. My favorite light!
INFRNL
Flashlight Enthusiast
Lumintop SD26 or olight R50 would be great compact sized throwers that would easily fit your needs. Both use 26650
you may also want to check out Vinh's site if you want killer output from these among other lights he has. not sure if i'm allowed to post it but it's skylumensdotcom
he has all kinds of beam shot videos, review videos from his opinion, comparison shots, etc. worth a check, especially for what you are looking for.
you may also want to check out Vinh's site if you want killer output from these among other lights he has. not sure if i'm allowed to post it but it's skylumensdotcom
he has all kinds of beam shot videos, review videos from his opinion, comparison shots, etc. worth a check, especially for what you are looking for.
I've got the Olight R50 Pro which I love for walks around the lake. It's taken over from a Fenix U35UE 18650 light. It's just a wall of 3000 lumens, definitely not a thrower. But I find for walking that's much nicer. For horse riding, I suppose it depends on how fast but for an ATV you'd definitely be wanting more throw.
samgab
Flashlight Enthusiast
What single 18650 flashlights throw further than (ANSI NEMA FL1 rated) ~700m? (I mean factory, not VN modded versions, and reflector not lens focused beam). I guess there is the Olight [FONT="]M2X-UT Javelot[/FONT] which is rated to 810m, only one I can think of off the top of my head. But then there's the runtime consideration you mentioned, an advantage of 26650 cells.
hahoo
Enlightened
my p30 clocks in at 675 mters on my lux meter
man this little thing is a rocket!
stock, out of the box
To try and help me narrow the choices a bit more. I have listed the lights mentioned and there published throw. It looks like the Manket U21, or the equivalent Utorch UT02, might be worth a closer look. Thanks everybody for the replies.
Manker U 21-700 Meter Throw
Imalent DN35-596 Meter Throw
Convoy L6-550 Meter Throw
Nitecore R40-520 Meter Throw
Olight R50-297 Meter Throw
Olight R40-280 Meter Throw
Lumintop SD26-205 Meter Throw
http://www.mankerlight.com/manker-u21-1300-lumen-700m-thrower-cree-xhp35-hi-led-flashlight/
http://www.imalent.com/Item/Show.asp?m=2&d=199
http://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/r40
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_359831.html
https://olightworld.com/store/specialty/law-enforcement-tactical/r40-seeker.html
https://olightworld.com/store/flashlight/r50-seeker.html
http://www.lumintop.com/sd26.html
Manker U 21-700 Meter Throw
Imalent DN35-596 Meter Throw
Convoy L6-550 Meter Throw
Nitecore R40-520 Meter Throw
Olight R50-297 Meter Throw
Olight R40-280 Meter Throw
Lumintop SD26-205 Meter Throw
http://www.mankerlight.com/manker-u21-1300-lumen-700m-thrower-cree-xhp35-hi-led-flashlight/
http://www.imalent.com/Item/Show.asp?m=2&d=199
http://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/r40
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_359831.html
https://olightworld.com/store/specialty/law-enforcement-tactical/r40-seeker.html
https://olightworld.com/store/flashlight/r50-seeker.html
http://www.lumintop.com/sd26.html
I have a couple of the Skyray King 4x18650 models, one with three emitters, another with seven.
They are about 1/2" longer than a 12 oz. soda can but about 1/2" thinner. A perfect fit in the hand, and they have a naturally positioned side switch. They have TWO perfect modes High/Low and off without having to cycle through (to me) useless lower and two flashing modes. The flash mode is enabled by a long press on the side switch.
I have a BUNCH of lights and the Skyray models are my fave right behind my Nitecore SRT7.
PS. The 3 and 7 emitter models may no longer be available, or I haven't seen them. I'm going to try an 11 or 12 emitter model soon.
They are about 1/2" longer than a 12 oz. soda can but about 1/2" thinner. A perfect fit in the hand, and they have a naturally positioned side switch. They have TWO perfect modes High/Low and off without having to cycle through (to me) useless lower and two flashing modes. The flash mode is enabled by a long press on the side switch.
I have a BUNCH of lights and the Skyray models are my fave right behind my Nitecore SRT7.
PS. The 3 and 7 emitter models may no longer be available, or I haven't seen them. I'm going to try an 11 or 12 emitter model soon.
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twistedraven
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
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- Messages
- 1,810
A lot of the best 26650 lights Vinh has modified on his store and they are relatively cheap compared to his other lights. They are the U21vn, R40vn, and SD26vn. I recommend any one of those.
I have the U21vn XPL PDT and its performance for the cost is quite incredible. 1500 lumens, 250k lux, and a turbo that requires no stepdown and is direct driven-- all in a size that can fit inside a jacket pocket.
Convoy L6 is also a very good value proposition at its price point, with amazing output and good build quality. However, since you're looking for a thrower, I can't think of anything better than the U21vn.
The batteries have very little to do with throw. What affects throw the most is emitter size to reflector diameter ratio. Extra batteries and/or larger batteries can usually push more juice to the emitter making for higher output and thus more throw, but the size of the reflector and LED are the biggest factors for throw.
I have the U21vn XPL PDT and its performance for the cost is quite incredible. 1500 lumens, 250k lux, and a turbo that requires no stepdown and is direct driven-- all in a size that can fit inside a jacket pocket.
Convoy L6 is also a very good value proposition at its price point, with amazing output and good build quality. However, since you're looking for a thrower, I can't think of anything better than the U21vn.
The batteries have very little to do with throw. What affects throw the most is emitter size to reflector diameter ratio. Extra batteries and/or larger batteries can usually push more juice to the emitter making for higher output and thus more throw, but the size of the reflector and LED are the biggest factors for throw.
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Yup you're right.
The OP wasn't clear why he needed more / larger cells but I guess I interpreted it as longer run time and throw, but he didn't specify either.
Multiple batteries in parallel should have an advantage of longer run time as supplied drain current is divided by the number of cells. But, the parallel cell multiple emitter lights I have are not much good past 200+ or so yards. I've been looking at the 2 cell Nitecore EC4s, maybe a happy medium of throw and run time?
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