I'm looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

I just want a something small that I can use to find my way around if I get in a dark place. I want LED just cause it's cool /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif(But I also don't want to spend a lot of money)

The Inova X5 seemed perfect in terms of size, but I was told there are better lights available.

I'd like to get it online, but from a retailer in Canada as it would save me the customs fees.

Any Suggestions?

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

Streamlight Jr. Luxeon. I think someone was looking for a dealer in Canada a few weeks ago and found one.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

Well, you might try the Nightcutter Sport lights. The 3 LED model and the 5 LED both have a very long runtime, are very affordable, extremely well made and are perfect for the type of use you describe. They both take two CR123 batteries but really give you great performance on a small package. These are the smallest 2x123 lights made I believe.

Other brands to check would be the CMG Ultra, Peak LED Solutions and Arc for small AA lights. I have all three and am liking the Peak in particular. These lights are very compact and have long runtime.They use less expensive batteries but don't give you as much power or throw as the Nightcutter. Of these the Peak has the best throw while the Arc and CMG give you more flood with the Arc winning out in quality of fit and finish. Just some ideas....

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

I dont really like that that Streamlight Jr. Luxeon has such a short battery life. (1 hour). I'm going to be in India and I wouldn't want to get stuck without some light.

The X5 has a life of 20 hours.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

Streamlight 4AA 7LED? How about Streamlight Task light? Has 3 AA, 1 watt LUX...

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

check out the b/s/t or the group buys/passaround forums for those cool chinese led lights being offered. the price is awesome on them and they have pretty good battery life. i have a couple of what's called the "Xnova" (5 leds, 1 AA battery, 3.5" long) lights and they are good little lights. battery life is excellent. i left mine on all night with a partially used AA and it was still bright enough to be truly useful.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

Here's the battery discharge analysis of the 1xAA 5xLED "Xnova" flashlight:



It ran for just over 30 hours for this test.
I don't know what "hitch" is in hour 26. so please do not ask.

I have a web page about this flashlight right here if you're interested.
I ran a NiMH cell through this flashlight too; the chart is on the web page.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

CMG Ultra from CountyComm and a bag of their 20$20 keychain lights for gifts/bribes etc. Wait -- I'm not sure they'll ship to Canada and the military appearing ultra might cause suspicion at customs, etc. Oh well. I tried.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

[ QUOTE ]
The_LED_Museum said:
Here's the battery discharge analysis of the 1xAA 5xLED "Xnova" flashlight:



It ran for just over 30 hours for this test.
I don't know what "hitch" is in hour 26. so please do not ask.

I have a web page about this flashlight right here if you're interested.
I ran a NiMH cell through this flashlight too; the chart is on the web page.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, but didn't you apparently have a different version of the light. someone else post a runtime chart which was much flatter.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

Hey BigToque, welcome to CPF and why dontcha stay awhile!!

I think the X5T is perfect for your use. It's not too expensive, tough as nails, great flood for walking about, sucks those batteries dry. Of course you can get more expensive, or brighter, but for a trip where you might lose your light, why bring a $100 lite? I like several of the Chinese lights, but the Inova is better built.

Also, when I was in India a coupla years ago, I got 123s for about $2.50 at a camera store, and I bet you can do better now. So, you don't *have* to limit yourself to AAs. Are you going to be a tourist, or is it a trip home, and where are you going? I would think outside cities 123s might be scarcer.

However, on the AA front, the Ultra-G is excellent and inexpensive (countycomm sells it for $14.50, but they don't ship outside the U.S.), and there's always the ArcAA. If you are trekking a lot, a plastic lite might be good, like the Princeton Tec 40 or Impact XL.

welcome again,
daloosh

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

Speaking of plastic lights, what about the UK 4AA eLed? Picked mine up today, and am pretty happy about it. Slightly wider than a Mini-Mag, as bright as the X5T with a better throw, and regulated with 10-13 hrs run-time on 4AA alkalines, just $20 right now at Brightguy. Of course, now I own both /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

One thing I learned early in the flashlight game...(and I learned it the hard way by paying too much)....don't hesitate to buy from the US retailers like Bright Guy or Meridian Tactical...it's CHEAPER than any Cdn online retailer buy a wide margin. The exchange rate is pretty good now...and if they ship via Global Priority it's dirt cheap. You rarely have to pay any duties or taxes...just shipping and exchange.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my

Arc AAA ($25)6+ hours burntime and/or infinity Ultra G ($15) 10+ hours burntime.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my

Ahoy, my northerly neighbor. Decades ago, the USD was considerably (25%) devalued from Canada's currency. Of course, Rubles were 2:1 over US dollars, at that time, too. I guess that, either, Rubles were overvalued or other corruption, fianally, crushed the USSR.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my trip

[ QUOTE ]
BigToque said:
I just want a something small that I can use to find my way around if I get in a dark place. I want LED just cause it's cool /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif(But I also don't want to spend a lot of money)

The Inova X5 seemed perfect in terms of size, but I was told there are better lights available.

I'd like to get it online, but from a retailer in Canada as it would save me the customs fees.

Any Suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]
in CPF tradition, i'd reccomend taking more than one light.

the Inova X5T is a great pick. but if you were going to get it, i'd reccomend getting the Inova X5T-HA from Countycomm.com for $35 plus shipping. it is one of the toughest flashlights in the world. here's an Inova X5T review by CPF's own, Quickbeam - http://flashlightreviews1.home.att.net/reviews/inova_x5t.htm

also, a little bit wider and a little bit longer, i would highly reccomend the Underwater Kinetics 4AA eLED from Brightguy.com for $20 plus shipping. it has some of the best regulation in the world, and @ a very nice level of brightness. here's a review of the UK eLED, again, courtesy of Quickbeam - http://flashlightreviews3.home.att.net/reviews/uk_4aaeled.htm

another option worth exploring is a headlamp. they range from the very simple Petzl Zipka Plus with a few light levels and a very small compact package (review by Quickbeam) to the Petzl Myo 5 and Princeton Tec Yukon HL both reviewed @ those links by Quickbeam, and both available @ Brightguy.com for a decent price (under $80 for the Myo 5 and under $55 for the Yukon HL).

so, there's a few things to look @. those last couple headlamps might cost more than you'd care to spend, but consider that you'll be in India, possibly without another dependable light-source. the other things i mentioned are nicely within the budget tho, i'd imagine.

good luck. and let us know what you decide to do and how the lights worked out for you on your trip! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Ryan

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my

I'd suggest either the Dorcy 1AA 3LED or the 1AAA 1LED at Home Hardware. Both very inexpensive. For brighter stuff, try the Streamlight Jr. Luxeon. Feed it rechargeable NiMH AAs and you won't mind the short (but bright) runtime. Pocketlights.com sends them to Canada via USPS, so you probably won't need to pay taxes, etc.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my

Thanks guys for all the replies.

I ended up getting the Inova X5 from an ebay auction. After looking at these replies, but after I ordered, I realized there was a difference between the X5 and X5T.

Here is the link I ordered from:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16037&item=5109453551&tc=photo

It looks like the pictures are for the X5T, but who knows...

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my

By the pictures it's an X5T - although the "X5" is no longer made, so they seem to just call the X5T the X5 now. The T stood for "Tactical" as in how the tailcap switch works relative to the old design which required twisting the head.

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my

[ QUOTE ]
jayflash said:
Ahoy, my northerly neighbor. Decades ago, the USD was considerably (25%) devalued from Canada's currency. Of course, Rubles were 2:1 over US dollars, at that time, too. I guess that, either, Rubles were overvalued or other corruption, fianally, crushed the USSR.

[/ QUOTE ]

So sadly true. In the late seventies (more or less) I opened a savings account with $400 (US) before leaving Prince George, BC. I was attracted to the 10%!! interest involved.

About ten years later (say 1990), I pulled it all out and had it changed into US $, I got 400 back.....

In that same time, a standard glass of beer (in a pub, not a lounge or caberiet...) cost had gone from $.25 to $.45 Canadian.......

Doug Owen

Re: I\'m looking for a small LED flashlight for my

In rough order of preference...

I'm a big fan of the Infinity Ultra for travelling and general use. 20+ hours of regulated light from a single AA, with a reasonable throw for a single LED, in a nice, tough aluminium shell, which is also light enough to wear on a lanyard. I'm not sure about the new Gerber version, but the old CMG one is waterproof to 3m / 10'. If I was only able to carry one torch, it would probably be this one (well, at the moment anyway).

If you already have an AA Mini M*glite, you might consider upgrading it with an Opalec NewBeam.

There's certainly no doubt in my mind that the X5T is a fabulous light - waterproof, crushproof and very bright with a highly respectable throw for "normal" LEDs. Unfortunately it's not regulated and the comparative scarcity and expense of 123s may reduce its usefulness when travelling.

The Lightwave 2100 (a.k.a. Lucido C4 in Europe) runs off three AA cells. While it's not especially bright or regulated, it is fairly waterproof and has a very long battery life. A very underrated light, IMHO

Those would be my choices, particularly if I was off on the road for any length of time, maybe with a Princeton Tec Attitude thrown in for luck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif