Newbie Needs Advise!!

Hello all! This forum is great!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif I'm your typical beginner -- I've had MiniMags forever, and done reasonably well by them. But my situation is changing a little and I really want some form of "Real" light.

Here's the situation. We own some acreage in the country and walk our Siberian Huskey almost every night. With my hours at work and the dwindling light in NY in the fall, our walks are occuring after dark more and more. I've been using my trusty MiniMag and it does an okay job of lighting up the road in front of us and maintaining our visibility. However, the amount of batteries and bulbs I seem to go through is getting rediculous. Also, I do a lot of hunting / camping.

Through careful research on this forum, I've decided that LED seems the way to go for this sort of general illumination. I don't need anything with too great a throw since I have a rechargable handheld spotlight for around the house / barn / property at night. As far as hunting is concerned, I would eventually like to get a red filter for the light for approaching my tree stands in the dark and not spooking the deer, but most high end lights have this option.

Looking around, I really like the idea of the Surefire L2 with it's two stage switch. Seems like a great solution for my situation. This wouldn't be an EDC light except on weekends and around the house work. During the week, it would probably live in my truck and go for walks with us. A red filter is also available. However, the lack of re-chargable batteries and the practical 7 hours of burn time on the "low" setting are a little worrisome to me.

Here are a few questions:
1. I know SF has a good name. Would there be any problem using one of their lights as something that will get some wet muddy abuse? For the $165, I would hope it could take it all in course...

2. What is the real advantage to the CR123 powered lights? I know there is a 10 year shelf life, but let's face it. I'll go through batteries much quicker and these are a little more expensive than the AA my maglight goes through.

3. Would I be better off with something more along the lines of the SF A2? I really want dual levels as I think that would be nice when walking at night. However, the A2 has a reported LED burn rate of 50 hours / battery set. Much better than the L2. But again, the Incan bulb worries me. I want as little upkeep as possible.

I have very limited knowledge here, but any and all help is appreciated! ALso, any other brands with good lights that fit my needs would be great!

Sorry this is so long, but decisions over $100 take me a while. I like to know that I'm getting good value for that kind of money!

Thanks all for the wealth of information found here!

Welcome to the forum!

I'm far from experienced, but I'll give it a stab...

Other than the 10 year shelf life of lithiums in general, the 123s offer 3 volts compared to the 1.5 volts of AAA, AA, C and D cells. Basically, they offer more voltage for less time than some of the alk cells. Comparing an itty bitty Surefire G2 to a 4D Mag will demonstrate this.

Personally, for a dedicated walking light, I'd rather have something larger that offers great throw, very decent spill and long runtime. The Elekrtolumens FT3C comes to mind. This isn't quite a huge light. Also, your choice of Mag 2, 3 or 4 cell host with an EverLED. Either of these are available for about $50 total and offer excellent runtime.

For smaller lights, I LOVE the idea of the L2 but I'm not ready to cough up the $160+ to get one. There are also mods available for many lights to give two levels of output though it will be less convinient than the L1 or L2.

MJ,

Save yourself some big bucks and get a UK 4AA eLED ($20-$24). This will give you a chance to check out the LED experience and give you a baseline of sorts for future purchases. Look through the forum, and you'll see what people have to say about this great light. If someone doesn't second this suggestion, I'll be shocked...

REVIEW

It's not a light that wows you on sight. It does in use though! You can also get an incandescent module to pop in for special applications.

Mark

IMHO,
1) I guess depending on how you define 'abuse', but from what I read and based on my experience with SF lights, they are really quite well built.

2) I too am a newbie in the world of flashlight, so correct me if I am wrong /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif--but my take on 123s advantages are its size, shelf life and capacity when compares to normal AAs. Of course, as a trade-off, the price is higher(actually, much higher)

3) I own an A2, and it is a rather good combination of both worlds. And though I haven't used the A2 long enough or dropped it, you could be right about the possibility of the upkeep.

For lower upkeep, I do recommend LED lights using 'normal' batteries like AA, C or D.

FT3C is a good choice, and I really do adore that light for its runtime. Gerber LX3.0 is also something that I like, well built, white beam and use 3AAs.

On another hand, why not give a LED replacment bulb/sandwich a try for your Minimag if you like the form factor of the light?

Oh, I do strongly recommend going onto the two following sites for flashlight reviews before making your purchase, I am sure you will find them extremely informative:

www.flashlightreviews.com
www.ledmuseum.org

Good luck!

Hello,

I too do some camping and hunting and would add that another advantage of the lithium batteries is that they will hold their power much better when the weather dips below freezing.

I have used an A2 for about a year and have just aquired both and L1 and L2. They are all fantastic lights. The L1 is my favorite because it lasts for an awful long time on low power and gives enough light to walk through the woods in the dark. As well it is not so bright that it blinds you, if you turn it on when your eyes have night adapted. The high beam on the L1 is more that enough light for any practical flashlight use. The L1 is also very small and will use only 1 battery instead of two.

The A2 is nice too, I have the Blue LED's. The low setting on the A2 gives off considerably more light than the low on the L1. The throw on the A2 is much better that either the L1 or L2 and although not my "favorite light" is in my opinion the most useful of the three in wide open spaces. If you go with the A2 get the white leds, after using mine and comparing it to a friend who has the white, I made the wrong choice. White is the most useful.

The L2 is wonderful and would be my favorite, except for the humming it makes on low. Just a pet peeve, it doesn't take away from the light's usefullness, it's just annoying. The other thing to be aware of is that the low on the L2 is still quite bright and if you have been sitting or walking in the dark for a while it will take your eyes a few seconds to adjust.

In terms of durability I am on my second hunting season with the A2 and am very happy with it. It has never been submerged or dropped from more than 4 feet, but it has been left out in the rain overnight, still on the 1st light bulb and only 3rd set of batteries.

Speaking of batteries, I too thought that I would be burning through them quite quickly but they have lasted longer than I had thought they would. I think primarily because I have found that low power is enough 99% of the time and when I do use high it is ususally for no longer that a few seconds while I get a better look at whatever it is that caught my attention.

I have only had the L1 and L2 for a few weeks but cannot see why they would be less durable that the A2, especially since there is no bulb to burn out.

You cannot go wrong with any of these lights.

Wow! Lots of good information here! You guys are the greatest!!!

Looks like I need two things (hmm... more lights?). I need one good light to use for decent light during walks. I like the form factor of the MiniMag for this, so maybe a led sandwitch for this is the way to go...

This leaves me with more questions however?! What to do about the camping / hunting light. As much as I like the MiniMags concept, they lack seriously in illumination over a wide area. Too many rings in their beam when you don't have it focused. Also, I really need something that is brighter once in a while while hunting. Good to signal other hunters and find dropped stuff. However, the more I look at the L2, the more I realize that the low setting isn't really all that low. Granted, I could put a red filter on it for hunting to dim it down a bit, but for applications when I just want some dim light (in a tent or something), something dimmer and with longer battery life seems to be a better alternative.

This brings me to the next alternative in my mind for a small, light and rather indestructable lights. The SF A2. Great throw when needed, but long burn time on a dim setting. However, I can't see any filters for this size bezel.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif. And I'm sure I don't want red LEDs all the time.

So... now what. I guess what I want to do is get the LED sandwitch for the MiniMag and use this as my middle of the road utility light. I would also like something durable (such as a SF) which has at least two settings -- one higher than the MM and one lower. This would be my general hiking / hunting light and my wife could carry the MM if we were backpacking.

What do you all think?

Also -- thanks so much for this help. My wife really doesn't seem to understand this flashlight thing... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

You need to buy yourself a couple of good lights. I will highly recommend the surefire L2 as it has a high and low brightness setting. It does use the 123 cells and these can be purchased reasonably on the net. The good part about the 123's is that they work alot better out in the cold New York winter weather than your typical AA Alkaline cells.
If you really want to go with a AA light it is just as cheap to buy a brand new streamlight with a luxeon as it is to put a sandwich in your old mag.

You do not need to spend tons of money for decent, relatively weather proof and durable lights. Though Surefire makes excellent lights, you do not necessarily "need" to get a Surefire to satisfy your requirements. Also decide upon which battery "path" will best suit your needs.

Lights you might want to consider (there are many, many more):

Gerber LX 3.0 --- people seem to like this light and report it puts out plenty of light for walking the dog, camping etc.

Streamlight Twin Task series ---- Always gets high marks for both durability, quality and all around usefulness. Comes in different battery configurations. AA, C, D, 123 lithiums. Two light sources, xenon and LED. Xenon gets you better throw, more overall light, less run time. LED's give you good general lighting and longer run time. When the batteries get too low to operate the xenon bulb or if the xenon bulb "blows", the LED's will still work. Basically, you would be hard pressed to not have some light with this flashlight. It's also been reported that they get very good run times.

Streamlight 2L 3W Luxeon Task light --- uses a Luxeon 3W LED and has two brightness levels. Looks to have decent run times 1.5 hours on high and 9 hours on low (manufacturer claims).

Gerber/CMG Infinity Ultra ----- I prefer the old style with just the twist on-off head. Nice light to have in your pocket, very long run time, not super bright but good enough to get you around comfortably in the dark. Good backup light or for when you do not need a whole bunch of light. Fine for map reading, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, good tent light, etc.

I agree with the Infinity Ultra. Very decent light to always have in your pocket. 25 hours runtime plus or minus - bright enough to see where you're going in dark darkess.

I would very much like to get either an L1 or an L2. I would prefer the form factor of the L1, but... well... like you said. The L1 looks great, but would rather have the brightness afforded by the L2. And the low setting on the L2 is the same as the high setting on the L1. That just isn't low enough.

Anyway, keep on reading. There's tons of info on the forum... Too much... And too many lights!

Would something like this be your cup of joe?


This is what it does at night.


See how nicely it puts out in the red spectrum on that fire lane stripe?
The camera made it look a bit brighter than it is, but it is still quite nice. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif
This light is modified by the way.

Don't completely overlook the drop-in mods for your minimag. Opalec Newbeam, InReTec and Terralux Ministar are what I might consider there. I've got a green minimag with the Ministar and a blue one with a pill, and they're both great, really. I use the Ministar more, simply because it's a little less expensive so when I lose it I won't mind quite as much.

As for your other light, I was all but certain there are filters for the A2. I've got one, and it's pretty fantastic, IMO. It's my USAR light, I use the LED for walking and stuff and the bulb for looking in windows and when I really need more throw. Durability, well, you're used to Maglite, so you'll be okay. I've always had to use far tougher standards, stuff that not many of my lights would respond well to. Like the Maglite commercial where the semi runs over the light, and it just clicks on and off with each axle. I've never tried that myself, but I kinda doubt that many of my lights would accept that kind of abuse from my CV, much less a semi.

But back to the A2. The thing that you might not like about this light is the LED setting actually being a smidgen too bright. In total darkness it will mess up my night vision big time when I turn it on. I use an old-model PT Matrix headlamp as my main light when I'm in the woods, it's pretty dim but I can still move at a good clip without having to worry about outrunning what I can see. If I could only have one light in the situation, that's what I'd have.

I think the best thing for your situation is to replace the Minimag bulb with something LED, be it a pill or sandwich or dropin. Then, for your other light, you'll probably have to experiment with it a little bit. For the money you'd spend on an A2, you could get a solidly durable LED from Pelican/PT/Streamlite/UK/etc, a decently bright incandescent light from Surefire/Brinkmann/Dorcy/Streamlite/etc, and a bag of 20 keychain lights from Countycomm. The keychain lights are still plenty bright for my taste, it takes a while to get them down to where they're comfortable to my eyes. And if you really want to go nuts on brightness and spotting, replace your spotlight with a 10MCP Thor. In simple math at an early time in the morning, you'd be looking at maybe $125, which is lower than what you'd be spending on an A2. Then, once you really get bitten by the flashlight bug, there are all kinds of options. Hold on to your wallet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

If the "low" setting on the L2 is too high for your preference, you might consider an L4 with a 2-stage tailcap. That does run into a bit of money, but it lets you decide exactly what tradeoff of battery life/light you want. I went for the 30 ohm tailcap, which is dimmer than most seem to want (most go for 22 ohm on the L4), but still plenty for most tasks in the dark. Discounts on the L4 can be had (shhh...), but you might be able to save even over that by buying a KL4 head and E2e/L4 body "used", and adding the McE2S. You're not really committed to one level with the McE2s tail, you can buy another resistor board for about $5 and swap it out.

However, the only real reason to do this over the L2 is to get a shorter light, or dimmer "low". Battery life on "low" will probably still not be as long as the L2 (resistor vs. low-stage regulated). And I don't noticed the "hum" on the L2 "low" unless it's right next to my ear, and can't hear it from more than a couple of feet away even when I'm listening for it.

If you don't mind some extra bulk, though, you could save a lot buy going with the Streamlight 2L Task-Light 2L 3W Luxeon. 2-stage LED for only about $70. Only criticism I know of is that it doesn't ride in pants pockets well, and the beam is a little narrow.

i agree with Mike and Mr Dead. if you like the Surefire L2, you could save a wad of cash and get the Streamlight Tasklight 2L luxeon. it costs about $100 less than the Surefire L2. also gives you better runtime on high beam and low beam. the Surefire L2 is brighter on full output tho.

the Surefire L2 is also smaller, and of higher quality (tho not $100 of higher quality, in my opinion).

I'm also new to the forum, but not very new to LED lights - I have a fair few of them, from bitty keychain lights to my new Elektrolumens Blaster 3P. One of my recent additions was a Streamlight Junior - takes 2 AA cells and runs a 1 watt Luxeon. It puts out a lot of light and is very well made, and I like the fact that it takes cheap and easy to find cells. I learned to trust Streamlights as a fireman, and I'm glad to have it in my pocket 24/7, along with a few other lights, of course /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif (a Streamlight stylus, an Infinity Ultra and an Arc AAA - I used to have Photon IIs on my keyring, but I tend to break them). I also just picked up a Everest 7 LED double ended light from Peak LED Solutions which is a great area light, with a white end and an amber end - you could get one with a white and red end. The red would be great for your night time trip to the stand, and takes a lot less battery power than the white end, which you could use for general illumination. It takes a couple of CR123 batteries, and you can also get it with fewer LEDs to extend runtimes - 3 LEDs is probably a good compromise. I strongly recommend you check their site out; http://www.peakledsolutions.net. I got mine in brass because it looks cool, but you might want it in anodized aluminum instead.

Hello,
You might want to look into the Tektite led replacement bulbs for your Maglites and Mini-maglites. The LT-1 is a Nichia side-emitter made as a drop in replacement for the AA and AAA Mini Maglite. You can't use lithium because they will burn out the LT-1 but alkaline batteries will last 15 hours. check it out at http://www.led-replacement.com or http://store.led-replacement.com
led_replacement