Find me a new torch please

Hello Flashlight people,

My last post was October 2014 and it was so helpful I'm back.

At that time I already had an Eagletac D25C clicky, a Sunwayman and a Fenix E12. A guy on here called Twin 63 recommended a Foursevens Quark AA Pro and he was right...it was better than all my choices.

So I hope you guys can help again and I wonder how much has changed in six years!

In order of importance as I know I won't get everything.

• 600 lumens/100 lumens/moonlight (ish)
• A long runtime for the medium setting
• Battery to take 1 AA and a rechargeable option (protected)
• Size 3.5 to 5.0 inches
• Appearance I want one that I can get in titanium/copper/satin grey. I like the look of Lumintop Prince for example but they have unprotected batteries which put me off.
• Equal balance of flood and throw
• Shape I like a simple straight tube like the E12
• Must have a tail cap but not one that stops it standing up
• One that doesn't get too hot. My eagletac did and then broke though I liked it
• Simple operation
• Quite like the idea of charging the torch directly with a USB but not essential
• £100 max

Also a quick question...of my 3 lights the Quark had the lowest maximum lumens particularly compared to the Eagletac and yet side by side the Quark looked brighter to me. How is that possible?

That's all folks I hope it's enough information.

I trust you guys, let's see what has changed in 6 years.


Thanks.

600lm from a single AA cell!?

Hi Katherine.

I mean one rechargeable. For example the Lumintop Prince takes one 18650 and has 1050 lumens unless I've got it wrong! I'd like the torch to be able to take a normal AA battery too but I would expect a lot lower output then.

well there`s quite a size difference between the 2, so it`s unlikely you`ll find a light that will take 18650 or AA.
you`ll get a lot closer to the 600lm if you allow for 2x AA, that wouldn`t be drawing about 4A from a single cell then, quite a few should handle 2A.
the Lumintop Tool AA or the Manker E03 or the Sofirn SP10S will put out a decent amount of light on a single AA battery though
and I think the Lumintop can be had in differnt metals too.

Katherine Alicia said:

well there`s quite a size difference between the 2, so it`s unlikely you`ll find a light that will take 18650 or AA.
you`ll get a lot closer to the 600lm if you allow for 2x AA, that wouldn`t be drawing about 4A from a single cell then, quite a few should handle 2A.
the Lumintop Tool AA or the Manker E03 or the Sofirn SP10S will put out a decent amount of light on a single AA battery though
and I think the Lumintop can be had in differnt metals too.

Click to expand...

i think I wrongly thought they were the same size. Do AA sized rechargeable not put out more light than a standard AA then? If they don't and I had to pick I'd go for a rechargeable. Perhaps I meant a 14500?

you can tell I'm no expert!

I think it`s such a huge constantly changing subject nobody could truly be an expert in it anyway

Yes, the 14500 Li-ion cell will also fit an AA light (some of the protected ones many not though), AA such as Eneloops are rechargable as are the 14500s but use different chemistries and have different voltages too. the Lumintop is perfectly happy runing on either of these types as is the Manker E03, I`m not sure about the SP10s though.

The new Streamlight Macrosteam runs on a single AA Li-ion and is USB rechargeable, that will give you 500 lumens! 50 on low, but no moonlight. It will also not tailstand (small compromise?).

But 600 lumens on a single AA/14500 is indeed very rare, and the steamlight is the only one I know that comes close. So, if you are really fixed on this kind of output out of a single AA, the Streamlight is the way to go.

For a light that puts out 600 or more lumens I would look into either 2x AA lights like already suggested, or better a 1x CR123 light, which can have a very similar form factor to some AA lights. Those can give you more then 1000Lm output in many cases, although not for that long.

OK as my original post but with a single 18650

cobwebcat said:

OK as my original post but with a single 18650

Click to expand...

Well the Klarus XT1A will in fact give you 1000 lumens on high when using a 14500. It also has two lower outputs but no moonlight mode. Uses two tail switches and can tailstand. It can also operate on a standard alkaline AA cell, though only puts out 300 lumens on high with that. It comes with a rechargeable Li-Ion cell that uses a built in micro-usb port for charging. They don't make it in alternative metals though.

Lumintop seems to have a wide selection of different metals for a few of their lights. You may have to do further digging to find them online though. They mostly use 18650s but not all of them.

In the end I decided on a Zebralight SC5W but now I can't seem to find it anywhere for sale. Has it been replaced by a newer model?

cobwebcat said:

In the end I decided on a Zebralight SC5W but now I can't seem to find it anywhere for sale. Has it been replaced by a newer model?

Click to expand...

Zebralight.com has the SC5W MKII in stock right now, or am I missing something?

The Klarus mi7 takes aa, and with a 14500 goes to 700ish lumens

Olumin said:

Zebralight.com has the SC5W MKII in stock right now, or am I missing something?

Click to expand...

Im in the UK so trying to find a stockist here. Amazon UK and Flasaholics come up but both say out of stock.

I see. Retailers don't tend to stock Zebralight regularly, as there is not always regular supply from Zebralight themselves. The lights are often on back order on their own website. Either you ask these retailers if they are expecting to stock it anytime soon, or, if you are really set on it, order it from the US.

Olumin said:

I see. Retailers don't tend to stock Zebralight regularly, as there is not always regular supply from Zebralight themselves. The lights are often on back order on their own website. Either you ask these retailers if they are expecting to stock it anytime soon, or, if you are really set on it, order it from the US.

Click to expand...

will do thanks