[Kenix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif yeah, we need lighter-fi as well! i got some duponts and dunhills! music_man

music_man, you and I seem to share quite a few interests, gadget-wise. I look forward to future discussions about all things fast, pointy, shiny, and hot

 

[music_man]

after many years of collecting high end lights i went out and got a maglite 2d. to use with a nite-ize led that couldn't work in a rayovac due to no focus. for power failure.

the thing is huge and it is only the 2d. the standard led is actually brighter than the bulb included with the maglite and runs 10x as long. the threads tend to cross thread. it is hard to put it together. i suppose anyone that has owned a maglite knows all this already.

any surefire 2x123 led light is much brighter than the stock mag or the nite ize and a lot higher quality to boot. however, they will not run 50+ hours at near full output. so i will put up with it the few times the power fails. it is still better than a lantern imo.

music_man

 

[music_man]

i just realised some jerk stold one of my flashlights while a lot of people were over. the funny thing is they obviously knew nothing about lights! they stold a streamlight twin task. while all the surefires and customs were there for the grabbing. plus a lot of other non light stuff of worth. maybe they needed it for something? not a big loss.

music_man

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif i just realised some jerk stold one of my flashlights while a lot of people were over. the funny thing is they obviously knew nothing about lights! they stold a streamlight twin task. while all the surefires and customs were there for the grabbing. plus a lot of other non light stuff of worth. maybe they needed it for something? not a big loss. music_man

Ya, I guess if someone were to steal one of my torches, the SL twintask is one of my least favorite or useful lights. Lucky you! Do you have any idea who the rocket boy was that absconded with said twintask?

 

[music_man]

i hate when this happens because i am trying to think of who it was. it gets my mind going in circles as i play out all the scenarios. i just decided to forget it this time. that light meant nothing to me. besides there are at least three other tt's around here somewhere. unless those are gone already too lol. to think i once gave them as gifts. well, i guess someone else got themselves a gift then.

as far as the mag goes. i dropped that led in a tec 40. now thats more like it. can you imagine going from a mag 2d to a tec 40? it should have about the same runtime on 4 aa's with that nichia's draw. the intresting thing is that with the large reflector it is brighter than the inova x5. it is a good power failure light which is what i wanted.

music_man

 

[ast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif CR123s are CHEAP if you buy them from the right vendors. They're one of the most cost effective, energy dense primaries on the planet! Titanium Innovations CR123A 3V Lithium Photo Battery 1400mah

coming from only Maglites from Costco, I'd like to get into high quality/performance LED flashlight world! What are the best brands?


From this thread I catched a couple: 4Sevens and Fenix. From 4Sevens website I put the following on my wish list:

Fenix TK30
Quark 123 R5
Quark 123^2 R5
Quark Mini 123



No practical usage, just gear collection and for fun. Any other recommendations?


...

 

[music_man]

unless you are going to get a custom light($$$) i'd get a surefire. the e2dl is nice for all around use. you will be surprised how much you will use it.

fenix is good but it is not surefire imo.

depends if you want to spend $200 on a flashlight that gobbles $4 of batteries. that is if you get sf batteries as well. in walgreens those batteries are $13 so don't run out!

edit: i meant the e2l outdoorsman! i was confusing the model names!

music_man

 

[nineohtoo]

How's the life on the E2DL for ya? I hear it's not as bad as the old one. I just bought a used one on CPF and am planning to use some of the money I saved on a set of batteries and charger, or a 12pk of surefire batteries.

 

[music_man]

i use the sf 12 pack. it gets like an hour and a half at near full brightness. it gets several hours at decent brightness. it gets a couple more hours at like less than 10 lumens. on the low setting i did not even bother testing it, it will run a couple of days staright probably. the low is not very bright.

i just got a tec 40 with a nite ize 1 watt. i used e2 8x aa's. that should run a good long time at more than half the brightness of the e2dl's high setting.

i love the beam on the l4. the battery life is aweful and it gets too hot to use it more than 10 minutes at a time. that is a real enthusiasts light. i do not recommend it to most people.

music_man

 

[ast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif unless you are going to get a custom light($$$) i'd get a surefire. the e2dl is nice for all around use. you will be surprised how much you will use it. fenix is good but it is not surefire imo. depends if you want to spend $200 on a flashlight that gobbles $4 of batteries. that is if you get sf batteries as well. in walgreens those batteries are $13 so don't run out! music_man

we are Head-fiers so money spent on flashlight is pocket change comparing to all the headphones/amp/source....

I have no practical use for flashlight, it's just for collection and fun. top performance and quality is the name of the game. How do you rate between Surefire and 4Sevens ?




.

 

[Seamaster]

When in a war zone, surefire or something like that is a must. Blind enemy when open fire is a good thing. In that case $200 USD for a flashligt is not too expensive. I 'd hope it will work every time.

 

[Kenix]

Because we're expecting a beach assault at Seattle any day now...

 

[coredump]

Here is what I've collected so far. I was trying to get some variety.


NiteCore SmartPD EX10 R2 Edition
Fenix L2T V2.0
Quark 123^2 Turbo

The NiteCore is my EDC light. I wanted it for it's piston drive system which is fun to play with but not really practical imo. The lowest setting is great for a night light and the high is really bright for such a small light. The knurling is aggressive and tends to collect lint when it's in my pocket. It's got a lot of flood and a good throw. The beam however has rings and doughnuts and doesn't look that great.

The Fenix L2T is just a really nice light. The beam is beautiful and perfect and I really like the body style as well. It's 2xAA and not as bright as my other CR123A lights but it's close. From what I read this light is an efficiency king. I plan to use it on my bike this Summer.

The Quark 123^2 Turbo is my newest and brightest light. Programing it is simple and I love how it feels in my hand. It's big head, clip, and aggressive knurling make it impossible to drop but it doesn't fit in my pant pocket easily. The beam is nice and it floods as well as my EX10. The hot spot is super bright and the throw is probably twice the other two lights.

I'm using Eneloop AAs with the L2D and Tenergy RCR123As with the EX10 and Quark Turbo.

 

[ast]

this is the start of my flashlight-fi, just placed an order with B&H for a Surefire Saint Minimus™ headlight with one CR123A battery and max 100 lumens:

 

[ast]

and right aftewards:


4Sevens Quark Mini R5 with max 189 lumens:

4Sevens Quark 123^2 R5 edition with max 230 lumens:

Fenix TK30 with max 630 lumens!!!

Oh yeah!