im a newbie, help me choose a flashlight :D

i bet im the first!

my two most important concerns are, brightness and battery time (omg another first i bet! ill go on a rant here and wonder why flashlight makers dont agree on a standard set of ratings. ive found a lot of nice looking flashlights that lack the ratings necessary for me to compare them to other lights. lumens, lux, distance, but it seems never all at the same time)

my main uses for such a light are:

1. nighttime hiking camping
2. anytime i need a light in the dark
3. i was only recently made aware of the self defense uses for a very bright light, either against people or animals

i really like the idea of LEDs because of their battery time, but it seems im losing something in sheer light output. thus, when i saw the Streamlight Twintasks and the Surefire Aviator. the combination of LED and Xenon would seems like the perfect compromise

question here though, are there any variable output LED-only flashlights that can nearly rival a xenon bulb?

right now im looking for a light in the around $150 or less range. im leaning toward the Aviator because the general consensus seems you cant go wrong with a Surefire. but the Twintasks seems to offer more like... 10 LEDs vs. 3. but surely at 5 times the cost i must be missing something about the A2

im also debating between 3 different sizes too. im not sure if i want a small 3 inch light, a medium sized 6 inch light like the aviator, or a full size foot long + light.

i believe ive seen full size LED only lights that claim to put out 120 lumens, with options like that, why would i go with the aviator that only claims to do 50 (certainly im aware that lumens are not the only factor). edit: hmm, now i notice the surefire L2 with LEDs only that seems to provide 2 output levels, high at 100 lumens. how do i mentally compare this to the A2? is it just a matter of range?

in conclusion im looking for recommendations for

1. lights in the $150 range
2. brightest possible (xenon or led)
3. option for long battery life (seems to require led)
4. all of the above in flashlight sizes of small/medium/large as ive not yet decided which size i want if not all

thanks for your help and patience

You won't go far wrong with the Aviator!

You're on the right track -- for night walking, hiking and camping multiple output levels are very nice. Also lower output levels really stretches battery life, far beyond what you'd expect.

The SF A2 would be a great light for your use, but it's about $185.

The HDS EDC B42 is $120, the B60 is $150. Those give four output levels, and are about 3 inches long.

http://www.batterystation.com/hds-edcflashlights.htm

Even with the latest high output LEDs, it's difficult to match a xenon bulb in overall output or throw (range). However newer Luxeon LED lights are improving and some have great performance, in some cases rivaling xenon incandescent.

E.g, the Surefire U2 has over 80 lumens output, six output levels, but is very expensive. The Nuwai ALX-352L has over 90 lumens output, three output levels, and is only about $89, but IMO it looks somewhat clunky.

My personal recommendation would be one of the HDS lights. I prefer the Ultimate versions (not the Basic) since you can program the default start up brightness on those.

well, ive seen the A2 for about $160 at online stores, so im assuming i want to spend about $150 nonretail price, maybe even slightly used. so i consider the A2 in my price range

as i understand from you, you are telling me that a 100lumen LED like the L2 would be brighter than say the 50lumen Aviator at a short distance, but the A2 would be brighter at a longer distance (throw?)

now you throw Luxeons into the mix. are there any Luxeon's that offer what i want?

also, are there any Xenon/LED combos that offer higher output than the Aviator (and have similar surefire quality ? when i see xenon bulbs offering 100+ lumens i wonder why they dont just pop a few leds in there and make an Aviator3

~Zippy!

ZippyDan,

The A2 is great light and I'm sure you could find one under $150 if you look around. I frequently see them for less than that here on B/S/T. If you want this light primarily for outdoor/camping applications, then I think you'll be satisfied with it. The L2 is going to have a brighter low mode, but it won't light things up at a distance for you like the A2 because the L2 is mainly a flood light. With the A2 you get flood and throw.

Yeah, oldgrandpajack always has good prices on all of the Surefires. He has (For Sale) threads here regarding a lot of different lights, including the A2.

hmm. ok before i bite on an a2, can anyone else recommend a light with the same dual capabilities of throw and longevity but with more brightness? maybe something bigger? maybe something luxeons? something like the a2 but a bit better

"my main uses for such a light are:

1. nighttime hiking camping
2. anytime i need a light in the dark
3. i was only recently made aware of the self defense uses for a very bright light, either against people or animals"

I had the same questions.....

and The answer I chose was the Elektrolumens Tri-Star Phazer. Best combination of brightness, runtime, size & battery type i have ever seen.

for hiking i would get the L2 over the A2, which i did. i say flood is more important when hiking.

mmm L2 with 100 lumens

omg elektrolumens tesla6 at 432 lumens for about the same price as the aviator, and using luxeon leds so i assume much better runtime and increased throw. sounds too good on paper, whats the downside?

i feel no closer to making a decision

ZippyDan said:

mmm L2 with 100 lumens
elektrolumens tesla6 at 432 lumens for about the same price as the aviator... sounds too good on paper, whats the downside?

Click to expand...

Downside is the Tesla-6 isn't optimal for 2 of your 3 stated uses: (1) nightime camping/hiking, (2) general use in the dark.

432 lumens in a single stage light will virtually blind you from the reflected output, esp with dark adapted eyes.

It would be good for your 3rd use, which is self-defense.

In general for #1 and #2 you want a variable output light. The Surefire A2, L2, & U2, the Night-Ops Gladius, the HDS EDC line and Nuwai 2-stage lights are good candidates.

ugh, i didnt realize it was single stage. with six luxeons it seems like it would be a perfect six stage light

still it seems pretty cheap for such output. why isnt surefire using luxeons like this