New incan flashlight in 2020: STILL possible!

325addict

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So, you are in for a new incan flashlight, maybe your first after you've tried numerous LED lights, but... you cannot find any new incan flashlight on the market anymore... I saw another thread here from someone telling us a new incan flashlight should be available on ebay, many of us looked, but nobody seems to have found it.

Indeed, an "off-the-shelf" new incan light may be very hard to find nowadays, but there's one company who sells all kinds of separate parts from which you can compose your own flashlight. Meet Lumens Factory :)

A good start is their Seraph SP-6, a host for one 18650 battery. You can find it here, it comes without any light source, it is just the host (body, head and tailcap):
https://www.lumensfactory.com/en/product_detail.php?pid=330

Then, you can add one of the two 3.7V D26 incan lamp modules they have for this light:
https://www.lumensfactory.com/en/product_detail.php?pid=4
https://www.lumensfactory.com/en/product_detail.php?pid=38

Then simply add one 18650, click it on and... enjoy!

The other option you have is the longer version of the host, capable of accepting two 18500 batteries:
https://www.lumensfactory.com/en/product_detail.php?pid=446
Here, a whole lot of different lamp assemblies can be used, the ES-9, HO-9, EO-9....
As this is a 7.2V setup, brightness can be higher.

Also available is a "one cell extender", effectively making the SP-9 host suitable to accept 2X 18650 batteries:
https://www.lumensfactory.com/en/product_detail.php?pid=523
The combination of the SP-9 and this extender makes for bright AND quite long running setups!
Combining the ES-9 lamp (that draws 850mA) and two 3500mAh 18650s make for a runtime of roughly 4 hours. And that ES-9 is still reasonably bright I can tell you.

As you can see, at Lumens Factory the incan flashlight is FAR from dead!! Grab them... while still available. The grey ones are nearly gone and are type II anodized, the black ones are type III hard anodized.
 

chillinn

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I think many here are already very grateful for Mark's fantastic work at Lumens Factory, from bezels to heads to reflectors to lamps to battery tubes to switches to tail caps to switch boots. The Seraph is well known to be an excellent P60 platform, but I expect most are currently ravenous for options now available there in E Series.
 

nbp

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Thanks for this great reminder about LF. I must admit I have been feeling nostalgic for old timey tools lately. For example I just bought a Case Sodbuster Jr - what might be one of the only slipjoint traditional pocket knives I've ever gotten amongst many fancy new midtechs. And I have been thinking about a small incan as well, like an E1 type light. I need to browse the LF site and see what could be assembled for a little clean white light fun.
 

325addict

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Thanks for this great reminder about LF. I must admit I have been feeling nostalgic for old timey tools lately. For example I just bought a Case Sodbuster Jr - what might be one of the only slipjoint traditional pocket knives I've ever gotten amongst many fancy new midtechs. And I have been thinking about a small incan as well, like an E1 type light. I need to browse the LF site and see what could be assembled for a little clean white light fun.

I can only encourage you to to just that. I always have an E1E in my pocket, with a 3.7V / 50 Lumens lamp assembly from Lumens Factory in it, so I can use that little E1E with a 16340 rechargeable li-ion battery. A great little light! With every pro and con that belongs to incans: great quality of light, but as it is small in size: you cannot have a great runtime... after around 40 minutes it's over. With the new 850mAh Keeppower 16340s however, that's a full hour, which is very useful. WHEN do you use your EDC light for more than an hour a day? For me, that's a non-issue. If I need a light for more than 1 hour a day, I know this before and I take another light... a Makita DML184 or DML185 for instance! With a BL1860B battery (18V / 6Ah) it lights for 10 hours on a single charge... Both of them (or even 30 hours if I use the small spotlight on top of the DML184, this one has a special bulb that draws just 200mA).
By the way: you can fit that bulb in a DML185 as well. I have two DML185s and you already guess: one has the 600mA bulb and the other has the 200mA bulb.
 

nbp

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Yeah you're exactly right. If I think I would need a lot of runtime I have loads of LEDs I can carry in conjunction with a small incan. And years ago when you were limited to 3v CR123s and 40 min runtime you would smoke through cells so fast. But the ability to use 16340s with those bulbs you mentioned essentially makes that a non-issue anymore. I still keep primaries around for certain uses but in LED lights they last for ages if you don't use max a lot.
 

chillinn

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Shelved for now, but for the last two years, I got plenty of E incan runtime, 2.4 hours with fivemega 18350 body, KeepPower IMR18350 1200mAh and MN02. Most want brighter incans, but I find that output level, maybe 18Lm, perfect. It is brighter than E1e w/ MN01 on CR123A, more consistent light level and twice the runtime. I don't know why more don't use this set up, though I see the fivemega 18350 E head E tail is out of stock, for now. I think the MN02 are getting harder to find, so no one talks about it... big secret. I have two more similar setups with Malkoff MDC 1AA bodies with Elite heads with 14500, but the AW IMR14500 I have are 650mAh. So I am waiting for the Vapcell INR14500 1000mAh to come back in stock.
 
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nbp

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Those pineapple bodies are outstanding. I could definitely see building a little E1 pineapple with the aforementioned 50 lms lamp on a 16340. Are there any viable clip options for those bodies? I am trying to think of some kind of E series clip that would slip over the threads between the tailcap and body but coming up short. That would be handy.
 

325addict

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I now got in the Seraph flashlights and I can only say: an impossible quality for such a small amount of money. Threads are impeccable, finish is very nice and feels good, stainless steel crenelated bezels look gorgeous and that tailstanding FORWARD clicky tailcap is just about as good as it gets. I dropped in that ES-9 "energy saving" incan module, and now that it is dark, I loaded two Keeppower 18500s with 2300mAh capacity, switched it on and... just WHOOW! So much light from a Xenon lamp that just draws 850mA?? Unbelievable... and that beam shape!! Just perfect! Nearly round and without ANY artifacts... I showed it to my boss today, and asked him: "How much do you think I paid for this light?" He looked 10 seconds at the Seraph, and said: "it wouldn't surprise me if you would have to pay 50 or 60 Euros for this light!" Well... enough said. If you would like to have a VERY nice incan experience with an incredible value for money, then you can't go wrong with the Seraph SP-9 and the ES-9 lamp mdule. Don't forget to order the "1-cell extender" with the light, making it suitable for accepting 2X 18650 instead of 2X 18500. This way, you can have 4 hours of incan goodness on one charge!
 

nbp

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Parts came in for this little Lumens Factory incan build. My only incan aside from a ROP modded Mag from way back. (I suppose I do have a P60 laying around I could plug into my beater G2L too.)

MciIklz.jpg
 

nbp

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Yep!! E series clicky tail, E1P pineapple body, E series head with optional brass bezel ring, and the 90 lms incan lamp for RCR123 you recommended. I will have to post a size comparison pic, it's really small and pocketable but throws a very nice beam. I hope to play with it outside a little tonight. I love that I can use it with rechargeables so I don't have to feel bad playing just for fun!
 

carrot

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Yikes. This is exactly the kind of thing I have to stay away from. I have an E2e that's been begging for pocket carry, maybe a 3.7v bulb will make it guilt-free!
 

nbp

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Hey Steve! Get some Lumens Factory lamps to pop in there and play to your heart's content! I am happy there was a little surge of incan love here lately to motivate me to put this together. As we get closer to winter these little hand warmers will be fun. I could see an E2 size light with a 17670 in the future for extended runtime.
 

Buck91

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Another huge fan of the Seraph series here. I just wish there was an option for a tailcap where the clicky wasn't recesses quite as far. Still fantastic quality with a unique asthetic.
 

bykfixer

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To tailstand or protrude? What I like about some tailcaps is the indentions that let your thumb get past the shoulder easily while still able to tail stand. That presents it own issue though. It can be a jabber.

To me the button travel matters. Especially in a tailcap that rests at or below the shoulder.
I think the scout tailcap is a great compromise. Wide shoulder, small button that requires enough travel to not accidently activate but not so far you acciently click when you meant to signal. Then to click isn't so bad either. Pressure required is spot on too. Thanks to lego ability an incan E1 with a scout tailcap makes a mighty fine every day carry.

Still waiting on a Seraph, but knowing how other Lumens Factory products are engineered and executed I expect to like that one as much as I like Mr Malkoff's tailcap design.
 
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Buck91

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To tailstand or protrude? What I like about some tailcaps is the indentions that let your thumb get past the shoulder easily while still able to tail stand. That presents it own issue though. It can be a jabber.

To me the button travel matters. Especially in a tailcap that rests at or below the shoulder.
I think the scout tailcap is a great compromise. Wide shoulder, small button that requires enough travel to not accidently activate but not so far you acciently click when you meant to signal. Then to click isn't so bad either. Pressure required is spot on too. Thanks to lego ability an incan E1 with a scout tailcap makes a mighty fine every day carry.

Still waiting on a Seraph, but knowing how other Lumens Factory products are engineered and executed I expect to like that one as much as I like Mr Malkoff's tailcap design.


The tabs/ears instead of a fully circlular tail standing ridge would be one solution, as would a taller button though that would compromise tail standing that some people like. Its nice that its unlikely to accidentally activate but the button is just too recessed for use with a weapon (whether two handed or mounted). Not that I'm exactly 007 but still, gotta have something to SEE that bump in the night with.

While something like a Surefire Z41 with a McClicky is just about ideal for so-called "tactical" use even the lanyard ridges like can be found on Nitecore lights works well. Nothing *wrong* with LF's tailcap design I just wish it was a little more bias towards switch use.
 
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mrsteel

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Well thanks.. Now I'm getting one.. or two... I was literally just thinking, where can I find a new Incan light, I've been really kicking around picking up some used ones on ebay but now that I know I can get new ones from lumens factory I couldn't be happier. :)
 
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