First \"serious\" light
Hi everyone! I've been lurking around these boards on and off for the past few years. On behalf of all the lurkers, thanks for the wealth of information, knowledge, and news about flashlights that you provide.
Maybe 2 years ago, I got my first LED flashlight, an ARC AAA. Like many of you, I've been C-ing it ED on my keychain, using it several times a week, and generally loving it to death. However, I'm finding that sometimes I just want more light. So I've been considering taking the plunge into the world of the Luxeon.
My primary requirements are a lot of light with reasonably small size, versatility, and reliability. With those goals in mind, I've come down to choosing between the SureFire L4 and the Arc LHS(-P). From the rave reviews on this site, I'm sure that I'd be happy with either but due to my budget, I must choose only one (to start out with /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif).
To me, it seems that the ARC LS is versatile in its interchangeable battery packs and exceptionally small "smallest size". On the other hand, the L4 is versatile in its greater light production, making it suitable for a wider variety of situations, and its support of screw-in filters.
At first, I was hoping to replace my Arc AAA with the new flashlight, but at an inch in diameter and three times the weight, I think the LS will be a bit bulky on my keychain (which only has 4 of so keys to begin with, so the difference would be noticeable).
At that point, the smallest possible size of the LS became less of a selling point, and now I'm starting to lean towards the Surefire.
I still have one pressing question though: I would probably be buying and using pila batteries in my L4 (should I actaully get one), but I'm wondering what the differences in performance are when compared with Lithium 123s. From torchreviews.net, I saw this graph that shows performance using standard 123s:
Is there a comparable graph for using the Pilas? If not, how have the Pilas fared (in terms of highest initial brightness as well as charge life) versus Lithium 123s in the L4? Even anecdotal evidence would be helpful. Do you get anywhere near the 80 minutes of sun mode that the 123 graph shows? I hope the significant voltage drop from 6 to 3.7 doesn't hurt things too badly. I did find this thread, but it dealt with another light head and "badboy converters" which I'm still unfamiliar with. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB6&Number=575292
Thanks so much for any suggestions or info you may have. First post! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
P.S. If any of you DO carry the LS around on a 'light' keychain and the bulge/weight hasn't bothered you, please let me know.
Hi everyone! I've been lurking around these boards on and off for the past few years. On behalf of all the lurkers, thanks for the wealth of information, knowledge, and news about flashlights that you provide.
Maybe 2 years ago, I got my first LED flashlight, an ARC AAA. Like many of you, I've been C-ing it ED on my keychain, using it several times a week, and generally loving it to death. However, I'm finding that sometimes I just want more light. So I've been considering taking the plunge into the world of the Luxeon.
My primary requirements are a lot of light with reasonably small size, versatility, and reliability. With those goals in mind, I've come down to choosing between the SureFire L4 and the Arc LHS(-P). From the rave reviews on this site, I'm sure that I'd be happy with either but due to my budget, I must choose only one (to start out with /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif).
To me, it seems that the ARC LS is versatile in its interchangeable battery packs and exceptionally small "smallest size". On the other hand, the L4 is versatile in its greater light production, making it suitable for a wider variety of situations, and its support of screw-in filters.
At first, I was hoping to replace my Arc AAA with the new flashlight, but at an inch in diameter and three times the weight, I think the LS will be a bit bulky on my keychain (which only has 4 of so keys to begin with, so the difference would be noticeable).
At that point, the smallest possible size of the LS became less of a selling point, and now I'm starting to lean towards the Surefire.
I still have one pressing question though: I would probably be buying and using pila batteries in my L4 (should I actaully get one), but I'm wondering what the differences in performance are when compared with Lithium 123s. From torchreviews.net, I saw this graph that shows performance using standard 123s:
Is there a comparable graph for using the Pilas? If not, how have the Pilas fared (in terms of highest initial brightness as well as charge life) versus Lithium 123s in the L4? Even anecdotal evidence would be helpful. Do you get anywhere near the 80 minutes of sun mode that the 123 graph shows? I hope the significant voltage drop from 6 to 3.7 doesn't hurt things too badly. I did find this thread, but it dealt with another light head and "badboy converters" which I'm still unfamiliar with. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB6&Number=575292
Thanks so much for any suggestions or info you may have. First post! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
P.S. If any of you DO carry the LS around on a 'light' keychain and the bulge/weight hasn't bothered you, please let me know.