Which 3inchie light and which assy?

Been looking for one of 'em EDC sized (3-4 inch) lights to EDC (duh) instead
of my relatively big Z2.

Just ordered the MXDL 3W which should suffice for my first smallish light,
but saw a few other killer smallish lights. Do I really need one of 'em over
my MXDL?

The list :-
1) Longbow Micra
2) Nuwai QIII
3) Peak Caribbean (a little different but can work as an EDC)

If I do, which one of the above is better and why? They seem similarly
sturdy with similar outputs and throws. Any comments on other
advantages/disadvantages of the 3?

Or should I skip this step to go for :-

1) HDS EDC 60
2) Mr Bulk Lioncub

at a later stage? (Adjustable brightness, more features etc)

I'm also finding my KL3 gen 2 quite 'useless' for my needs, like another forumer here finding problems with his KL1. Too tight a beam, a decent thrower but not like anything fancifully far. With a homemade diffuser, the already 'average' output is reduced a couple of notches.

I am tempted to sell this and get a BugOut 3W drop in instead, which loses about 10m of throw but adds 10 pts of output (based on flashlightreviews figures). Anybody have opinions on this? Would u prefer the KL3 gen 2 or BugOut 3w?

In addition, does the BugOut fit in an SC1? If it does, it'll make it more handy and portable than the KL3 as a swap option.

Opinions welcome! Folks who may have read my ramblings before, pls bear with me..hee ... still at the newbie stage, fumbling around to get the best lights!

Most people here would say to 'buy both', and they wouldnt' be far wrong - but it really depends on what you need. The Micra is a 1W light without all that much output, even with the optics, unless you replace it with a McCapsule that has a custom sandwich/LED module that'll let you put in a 3W that does increase output substantially. The advantage to the Q-III is that it has quite a bit of spill due to a better-than-expected reflector, wihch seems to be important for your uses. The Caribbean has good spill, though the runtime's around an hour and a half, IIRC.

You can't go wrong with any of the three above lights, to be honest, though I'd also get an HDS or a LionCub for multi-stage use - all the lights you named above don't do two-stage lighting without modifications, and a 'low' stage can be quite useful in many instances.

I have the HDS Ultimate 60 and it is the most useful light I've ever seen and the features, etc; of the light are just amazing. The others are nice though.

The Caribbean is a superb light, way smaller than your MDXL and even smaller than the QIII and Micra. Yet it has more output, throw AND runtime than any of them.

Light - size - weight(w/batt) - tested runtime to 50% - total output (flashlightreviews.com)
QIII: 92mm x 25mm - 2.6 oz - 0:55 - 1900
Micra: 81mm x 25mm - 2.8 oz - 1:20 - 1700
Caribbean: 73mm x 20mm - 2:00 - 2.0 oz - 2480

For a true pocket EDC, the pocket (not keychain) body Caribbean is hard to beat. However it's relatively expensive -- just $20 more for an HDS EDC B42.

My HDS U60 is my single favorite light, and the variable output is very useful. Beam pattern is beautiful. However (while small) it's sufficiently larger than the Caribbean that I often EDC the Caribbean over the HDS.

Another vote for the HDS. That's the one I EDC in a sheath from AW. Awesome little light, tough, reliable, functional.

If you're looking for value, I'd suggest this light:

http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=940

It's about the same size as a QIII, nearly as bright, runs more than twice as long, and costs $21.50 plus shipping.

Also, the Nuwai TM-313 lights (available from:

http://www.j2ledflashlight.com/specials.html

for 2 for about $20) are nice lights using cheap 1xAA's, long running, and bright enough for all indoor and many outdoor uses.

Haesslich said:

Most people here would say to 'buy both', and they wouldnt' be far wrong - but it really depends on what you need.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments! I would really luv to buy everything too, but for a start, I'd probably be better off spending on significantly different lights for different uses than to get a whole bunch of lights which are in the same 'category/class' range

joema said:

The Caribbean is a superb light, way smaller than your MDXL and even smaller than the QIII and Micra. Yet it has more output, throw AND runtime than any of them.

Click to expand...

Wow, it must be great deciding which one to use instead of deciding which one to buy Yeah, I did notice the Caribbean was the smallest and most powerful of the lot, and prob almost keychainable if ya can put up with it.

I'm not too sure, but it does seem a little small and thin for a 'comfortable' and sturdy grip tho. Is it?

nerdgineer said:

If you're looking for value, I'd suggest this light:

Click to expand...

Great links! Any independent reviews on the 1w light and does it have any name other than "1-watt Tactical Luxeon Light"?

Nethiker, lrp, I ultimately wanna get the HDS, it really looks like a fantastic light. Guess its justified being the most expensive of the lot?

Anyone with comments on the BugOut 3w vs the KL3 gen 2 and whether the BugOut fits an SC1? thanks!

3inchie!? for a second there I thought yall been talking to my girlfriend about me!

Just curious.. How many lumens is the Peak Caribbean and how long would the HDS EDC U60 run at the same brightness?

Peak doesn't publish lumen numbers, but you can roughly convert the flashlightreviews.com overall output to lumens by multiplying by 1.43.

E.g, Peak Caribbean overall output is 24.8 * 1.43 = 35.5 lumens.

The HDC U60 supposedly produces 60L on level 1, 42.4L on level 2, and 30L on level 3.

Visually comparing my U60 on level 2 and 3 to the Caribbean, that appears about right: Caribbean is about equal to the U60 somewhere between level 2 and 3.

How long would the U60 run at 2 or 3? Hard to say since battery and emitter efficiency improves non-linearly as you decrease power. Just guessing it seems reasonable a U60 could reach 2 hr on level 3.

The 1W light was reviewed here:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_1w_alx2611x.htm

Got 4 stars. Also reviewed here:

http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/third/alx-261l.htm

The Nuwai TM-313X was reviewed at

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/amart_tm313x.htm

and at

http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/third/tm313x.htm

LEDcandle said:

...Caribbean was....almost keychainable...but it does seem a little small and thin for a 'comfortable' and sturdy grip tho. Is it?

Click to expand...

You already have an MXDL. I don't see the point of getting another light for EDC if it's almost MXDL size, so it's good you're looking at smaller lights for EDC.

The Caribbean is available in two different bodies -- keychain and pocket. The keychain body is slightly longer and heavier. People keychain bigger lights, so it's possible.

However my favorite is the pocket body Caribbean that's so small and light you can EDC it in any pocket without thinking. Yet the overall output exceeds a Mag 3D, and it has good runtime and regulation.

The small size isn't hard to hold or point. However be advised it's twist on/off only -- the QIII, MXDL and Micra are tail clickies (Micra avail. both ways).

The HDS U60 is small enough to EDC but IMO too big to keychain. However it's really in another category -- variable output, superb beam quality, various features.

All are good lights but IMO you already have one small light. If you want easy EDC I'd suggest the Caribbean, pocket body. However -- Caribbean is twist switch, and fairly expensive -- just $20 more buys an HDS B42.

Each has pros/cons: Micra is nicely constructed and finished, QIII is relatively cheap, Caribbean is smallest with best output, HDS U60 has best beam quality, best output, nice features but more expensive.

nemul : *LOL*

nerdgineer : Oh ok, its a Nuwai. Great links!

joema : hmm... you're making it harder for me to resist the Caribbean! Damn, this is hard. Is the one on flashlightreviews the keychainable one? Does the pocket-body one come with a ring behind? I peeked at peaks site and I guess the Brass one only comes in pocket-body and the silver one only in keychain. I think the black HAIIIs are nicer.

I might be thinking to keychain it since I will prob have my pocket(s) filled with the MXDL (for now) and hopefully the HDS later.

The Z2 will go on my belt, and maybe if my hands are free, I'll just bring along the PT surge! This flashlight thing is getting "out-of-hand"! (literally, its going onto my belts and into my pockets and keychains) ..damn a pun again

Just a thought but if the Fenix L1P (with Luxeon I) comes anywhere close to spec, it might really be a contender for you. It's still between 3 and 4 inches long even though it uses a cheap, common AA battery and it's thinner than a CR123 light. Good clicky rear switch as well. Only slightly more expensive than a QIII these days, and far cheaper than the Peak or HDS at $40 give or take.

Solstice said:

Just a thought but if the Fenix L1P (with Luxeon I) comes anywhere close to spec, it might really be a contender for you. It's still between 3 and 4 inches long even though it uses a cheap, common AA battery and it's thinner than a CR123 light. Good clicky rear switch as well. Only slightly more expensive than a QIII these days, and far cheaper than the Peak or HDS at $40 give or take.

Click to expand...

Quite an elusive light to search for on the web
found a short blog about the Fenix :
http://nexro.blogspot.com/2005/07/fenix-l1.html

Not much details but seems solidly built and decent throw, though heavy according to the dude.

Can the Peak Caribbean be modded for two-stage output?

Sorry LEDcandle- I wrongly assumed you had seen the recent attention these have been getting here on CPF. Actually, the one you've found is a stainless steel version that is no longer made. The new versions are coming out very soon and are made of aluminum (much lighter)- the L1P has type III Hard Annodise (the good stuff, very scratch resistant). This thread should have all of the info you need:

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=90729&page=1&pp=10

This is an awesome group buy by 4sevens that will provide participants with the lights earlier than anyone else at a very nice price (I myself am in for 2 units). It was actually supposed to be over today (the 29th) but 4sevens extended it to this Wednesday due to CPF being down for the weekend.

The "For more details" links in first post are to the manufacturer's site and also to another info thread about these lights here on CPF.

onthebeam said:

Can the Peak Caribbean be modded for two-stage output?

Click to expand...

Probably not easily -- current design appears twist only.

Now if Peak could maintain the current pocket Caribbean size and add a two stage switch that would be fantastic.

Or if HDS could shrink their design to the Caribbean size that would be even better.