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Moderator: Headphoneus Supremus: Insulting his K-1000's would begin the Battle of Karthage
Originally Posted by stevesurf
Thanks so much for the comparison; may I ask an additional question? I'm actually looking for the brightest, most compact light and I noticed the U2 has an 80 lumens setting. I'm actually not worried about batteries as I'll be using compatible rechargeable lithiums. With that extra tidbit of info, would you still prefer A2?
Yes, I would for three reasons...
1. Cost (A2 is cheaper)
2. Size (A2 is smaller)
3. The A2 measures brighter and with better throw by independant testing. See the numbers I posted above from FlashlightReviews.com
__________________ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." -- Alan Kay
"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer
"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water." --John W. Gardner
Moderator: Headphoneus Supremus: Insulting his K-1000's would begin the Battle of Karthage
Originally Posted by ooheadsoo
I've used the fenix l1p for a couple months now, and it's a great edc. Unlike headphones, flashlights are easily quantifiable: dimensions, runtime, output, aesthetics. Like bladeforums.com, many of the people there use the stuff on the job and are very familiar, like handymen, police or firefighters etc.
They really have cr123 batteries that are rechargeable? I've never heard of them, nor seen a charger. I'd have gotten a surefire if I had been aware of such a thing. I should say that I mean in that form factor, specifically.
Watch out because the really high output ones will melt if you leave them on too long under the right circumstances.
I have a Fenix 1p and 0p on order from TADGear. They look like really cool lights. Actually, the 1p arrived today, but I'm out of town on a business trip and won't see the light till I get back. Besides performance and form factor, both of the Fenix lights are really cool because they use 1AA for the 1P and 1AAA for the 0p. Makes 'em cheaper to battery up.
__________________ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." -- Alan Kay
"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer
"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water." --John W. Gardner
Moderator: Headphoneus Supremus: Insulting his K-1000's would begin the Battle of Karthage
Originally Posted by jumpinjohn1234
I've got a surefire g2, with a 61p bulb in it. 120 lumens
Although since it sucks the juice out of my battries, I picked up rechargeable 123a battries. I've seen pretty crazy flashlights at gun ranges, burn holes in chip-bags.
Know what you mean... I've got a C3 that puts out 200 lumens. It gets too hot to hold in your hand after about 10 minutes of run time.
__________________ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." -- Alan Kay
"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer
"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water." --John W. Gardner
I carry a Peak LED Solutions Matterhorn (1-LED version) pretty much everywhere I go. The Fenix L0P looks interesting to me, and is almost certainly many times brighter than the Matterhorn, but the Matterhorn is bright enough for most things I need a flashlight for on most days, and I'm not hesitant to use it for extended periods, given the very long battery life. It's my favorite pocketable light so far.
Among other lights, I also have an old SureFire 9N with a couple of TurboHead attachments for it, and a few spare bulb sets for each. Rippin' bright light, and amazing throw with a TurboHead attached (though the standard head with beam-shaper is what's on there most of the time). But I hardly use the 9N, as it's not something you can carry easily, the NiMH rechargeable battery (like any NiMH battery) loses power if left uncharged for many days, and the run-time on high is only 20 minutes or so. And in low-beam mode, it doesn't put out much light at all, and certainly not enough to be worth carrying that thing. Wonderful light, though, and certainly a great and classic tactical light.
Two of the very best lights I've ever used (other than my Matterhorn) for practical everyday use are my Streamlight ProPolymer Luxeon 4AA and my Princeton Tec EOS headlamp. Both are very bright, both have superb power regulation, and both are extremely affordable. No, neither does what my 9N does, but I rarely need what the 9N does. And both run for extended periods on batteries I always have around (4 AA cells for the ProPolymer, and 3 AAA cells for the EOS). For anyone wanting top-notch lights without spending big bucks, consider these two. (NOTE: The ProPolymer is no pocket light; and the EOS can fit in a pocket, but it's not tiny like the Matterhorn.)
And here's a helpful hint: If you've not done so before, consider scrubbing your contacts with a little Caig DeOxit (and cotton cloth), and then follow up with ProGold, leaving a light sheen of it on the battery and flashlight contacts. I do this from time to time with my lights, and you might be surprised at how much brighter your light may get. I noticed oxidation on the contacts of one of my Matterhorns today, cleaned and conditioned the contacts, and it's now much brighter than before the cleaning/conditioning (and was brighter than the other Matterhorn until I cleaned/conditioned that one too).
Moderator: Headphoneus Supremus: Insulting his K-1000's would begin the Battle of Karthage
Originally Posted by jude
I carry a Peak LED Solutions Matterhorn (1-LED version) pretty much everywhere I go. The Fenix L0P looks interesting to me, and is almost certainly many times brighter than the Matterhorn, but the Matterhorn is bright enough for most things I need a flashlight for on most days, and I'm not hesitant to use it for extended periods, given the very long battery life. It's my favorite pocketable light so far.
Among other lights, I also have an old SureFire 9N with a couple of TurboHead attachments for it, and a few spare bulb sets for each. Rippin' bright light, and amazing throw with a TurboHead attached (though the standard head with beam-shaper is what's on there most of the time). But I hardly use the 9N, as it's not something you can carry easily, the NiMH rechargeable battery (like any NiMH battery) loses power if left uncharged for many days, and the run-time on high is only 20 minutes or so. And in low-beam mode, it doesn't put out much light at all, and certainly not enough to be worth carrying that thing. Wonderful light, though, and certainly a great and classic tactical light.
Two of the very best lights I've ever used (other than my Matterhorn) for practical everyday use are my Streamlight ProPolymer Luxeon 4AA and my Princeton Tec EOS headlamp. Both are very bright, both have superb power regulation, and both are extremely affordable. No, neither does what my 9N does, but I rarely need what the 9N does. And both run for extended periods on batteries I always have around (4 AA cells for the ProPolymer, and 3 AAA cells for the EOS). For anyone wanting top-notch lights without spending big bucks, consider these two. (NOTE: The ProPolymer is no pocket light; and the EOS can fit in a pocket, but it's not tiny like the Matterhorn.)
And here's a helpful hint: If you've not done so before, consider scrubbing your contacts with a little Caig DeOxit (and cotton cloth), and then follow up with ProGold, leaving a light sheen of it on the battery and flashlight contacts. I do this from time to time with my lights, and you might be surprised at how much brighter your light may get. I noticed oxidation on the contacts of one of my Matterhorns today, cleaned and conditioned the contacts, and it's now much brighter than before the cleaning/conditioning (and was brighter than the other Matterhorn until I cleaned/conditioned that one too).
As far as "tactical" vs EDC, there are only a few lights that qualify for both duties. The SF E2E, E2D, A2, pretty much barely qualify for tactical use, but they're pretty compact, but do not support the Surefire grip method like the C3, M series, G2Z, and the like.
That Princeton TEC EOS is one really great light. I'm glad you mentioned it Jude. Well designed, and cost effective. Oh, and the Caig treatments...Absolutely! Stuff does wonders!
__________________ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." -- Alan Kay
"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer
"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water." --John W. Gardner
I just bought a Surefire L4, and it's awesome, it just lights up the entire room with a dazzlingly bright wide wall of light....great for when you are investigating what went bump in the night. Nice size too, pocketable and slim
However, for some reason, they forgot to put in a gasket around the lens....sloppy quality control I guess....you'd expect better for a $150 flashlight Oh well, I hope it doesn't take months for them to RMA it for me.
Moderator: Headphoneus Supremus: Insulting his K-1000's would begin the Battle of Karthage
Originally Posted by warpdriver
I'm also liking my new E1L, it's a great little EDC with good throw.
Great lights you have there warpdriver! Both the L4 and e1L are excellent torches. I've got an E1L and an E1e with KL1 head along with an L2 & L4. I prefer the L4 over the L2. The L4 to my eyes seems brighter than the L2 (in spite of printed specs) and it's more compact. My only criticism is that since it has only one brightness level, it gets very hot after about 15 minutes of run time. The throw from the E1L / KL1 is great. You probably know that you can put the KL1 head on the body of rhe L4 and vice versa. This gives some interesting flexibility and combinations.
Besides performance and form factor, both of the Fenix lights are really cool because they use 1AA for the 1P and 1AAA for the 0p. Makes 'em cheaper to battery up. 
I thought the exact same thing haha
Oh well, I hope it doesn't take months for them to RMA it for me.
