Flashlight-Fi (LED & Conventional)

[yliu]

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I would say range and burn time are my priorities, but I also need something that is going to stand up to heavy usage.
 
 

 
The Fenix TK60 has a lot of throw, and very good runtimes. Only downside is that it's big and heavy like the D cell maglites.
 
The LD20 has a decent throw form it's small reflector, runtimes are good as well.
 
The LedLenser P7 is not a regulated light, so that means it will get dimmer as the batteries are draining. It has an advertised 64 runtime down to 1 lumen, while regulated light will give you full output throughout most of the battery life.

 

[StargateRecords]

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The Fenix TK60 has a lot of throw, and very good runtimes. Only downside is that it's big and heavy like the D cell maglites.
 
The LD20 has a decent throw form it's small reflector, runtimes are good as well.
 
The LedLenser P7 is not a regulated light, so that means it will get dimmer as the batteries are draining. It has an advertised 64 runtime down to 1 lumen, while regulated light will give you full output throughout most of the battery life.

 

It looks like the LD20 is the favourite for my needs, especially as it takes AA's. I didn't know about the regulated light system, how does that work? does the torch just stay at the same output then suddenly stop working? or is there some kind of warning system?
 
 

 

[StargateRecords]

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What you want to do is order a Solarforce L2T "host", XM-L "drop-in" from illumination gear, and after that you want to order 18650 batteries and the charger from batteryjunction and you'll have yourself a sweet rig with guilt free lumens! As for runtime, just ask me, it varies depending on brand of batteries and what kind of drop-in you get.
 
L2T:
http://www.lighthound.com/Solar-Force-L2T-Flashlight-Host-for-18650--L2-Host-Black-Finish_p_3900.html?gdftrk=gdfV22217_a_7c1238_a_7c7505_a_7c3900
 
Choose your drop-in:
http://illuminationgear.com/145071.html
(Also google for more)
 
Batteries:
http://www.lighthound.com/AW-18650-Protected-2200-mAh-Rechargeable-Lithium-Battery_p_105.html
 
Charger:
http://www.lighthound.com/Ultrafire-WF-188-Charger-for-14500-17500-18500-18650-RCR123-37-volt-Lithium-Battery-Charger_p_3669.html
 
18650's are the size of two CR123's except 18mm vs 16mm, and they have the runtime of two CR123's. Rechargables aren't as energy dense but they can be reused like 500 cycles.

 

Thanks for the info Chris, bookmarked, but I think the Fenix LD20 is going to be the one for me.
 
 

 

[Chris_Himself]

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Thanks for the info Chris, bookmarked, but I think the Fenix LD20 is going to be the one for me.
 
 

I still have my original LD10, it's almost two years old now! It's a great little light and being able to run on AA's is one of the greatest things ever!
 
I don't want to sidetrack you too much, but have a look at the Jetbeam BA20, it's cheaper, a little brighter, and the user interface is to die for!
http://www.batteryjunction.com/jetbeam-ba20.html
 
With the money you save, buy some Sanyo Eneloops and a charger and you'll be good to go for a long long while! 
 

 

[StargateRecords]

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I still have my original LD10, it's almost two years old now! It's a great little light and being able to run on AA's is one of the greatest things ever!
 
I don't want to sidetrack you too much, but have a look at the Jetbeam BA20, it's cheaper, a little brighter, and the user interface is to die for!
http://www.batteryjunction.com/jetbeam-ba20.html
 
With the money you save, buy some Sanyo Eneloops and a charger and you'll be good to go for a long long while!

 

The tail end of that torch (Image 4) looks like it could replace my LifeHammer !
 
 

 

[kwkarth]

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Sorry I didn't meant to come off as pretentious if I did, I was just being factual. 4Sevens themselves in the documentation for the Quark123, Quark123^2, and Quark Turbo, tell you to not run it on Turbo for extended periods. The Turbo models have the bigger head to assist with cooling as well as house a deeper and wider reflector yes, but the aluminum is still the same thickness so the heat will travel along the entire battery tube until the light becomes too hot to hold around 8 minutes. Ambient tempurate is about room tempurature, I imagine if you're out and about at night time walking, you should be ok, but it still wouldn't be enough. I used to own a Turbo XPG model which was very good, but it still heated up way too much. It was only when I switched to Surefire lights (not the only good lights out there) that everything sort of resolved itself.
 
The only lights 4sevens makes that can handle those higher 350+ out-the-front lumens are the Maelstrom series, they're heatsinked and have an internal thermal processor which will scale back the lumens intelligently as the light proceeds to get too hot.
 
4Sevens, Fenix, middle range Jetbeams, and Lumapower are great EDC lights and they can't really be beat, but when it comes to duty lights that might need to be on until they're run dry, Jetbeam's RRT line, Olight, Sunwayman, Surefire, etc. which those bulky seemingly "overpriced" lights will do what they need to do every time.
 
Here was a quick thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?316587-4Sevens-Heat-Issue-Question-Help-Appreciated
 
Like I said, I owned Fenix PD lights and for 60 bucks you cannot beat them, but if you're a lumens junkie who likes to play around with lights too much haha...
 
It's what more or less separates the PD line from the TK line, is ample heatsinking.
 
If you look at the Quark series' "high" setting which the light will run at for a long time with no problem, it's not that much lower in perceived brightness.
 
Hope that helps! CPFmarketplace is a very good place to buy barely used lights for very good prices!
 

I appreciate the info buy it seems that perhaps your information is either outdated or the 4Sevens web site is wrong.  Here's what they say about the Turbo X that I mentioned previously:

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The Quark 123² Turbo X has all of the same great features as the original Quark 123² Turbo and features CREE's new XM-L emitter! The XM-L is a slightly larger emitter, so the Turbo X received an updated, larger smooth reflector to maintain a great balance between light throw distance and spill area.

Overview / Main Features

Power: Two CR123A Batteries (3.0V~9.0V)
Output: Maximum - 450 lumens; Moonlight - 0.3 lumens
Runtime: Maximum - 1.5 hours; Moonlight - 20 days
Strobe: Strobe, S.O.S., and Beacon flash modes
Thermal Regulation: The Turbo X features both current and thermal regulation - this means it can take serious abuse and be exposed to harsh conditions, but it will automatically control its output to protect its own guts. That means you don't worry about your light - you just use it.

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[Chris_Himself]

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I appreciate the info buy it seems that perhaps your information is either outdated or the 4Sevens web site is wrong.  Here's what they say about the Turbo X that I mentioned previously:

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The Quark 123² Turbo X has all of the same great features as the original Quark 123² Turbo and features CREE's new XM-L emitter! The XM-L is a slightly larger emitter, so the Turbo X received an updated, larger smooth reflector to maintain a great balance between light throw distance and spill area.

Overview / Main Features

Power: Two CR123A Batteries (3.0V~9.0V)
Output: Maximum - 450 lumens; Moonlight - 0.3 lumens
Runtime: Maximum - 1.5 hours; Moonlight - 20 days
Strobe: Strobe, S.O.S., and Beacon flash modes
Thermal Regulation: The Turbo X features both current and thermal regulation - this means it can take serious abuse and be exposed to harsh conditions, but it will automatically control its output to protect its own guts. That means you don't worry about your light - you just use it.

---

 

 
It'll only do the highest output for about 5 minutes, but I didn't know they were thermally regulated like the Maelstroms are now. The regular Quark123 and 123^2's just end up getting really hot in my hand. I assumed my Turbo X was more of the same. Thanks for taking the time to find that out though!
 
I scored the Turbo X for like 65 bucks shipped on CPF, I'm like addicted to all the deals there now lol.
 

 

[yliu]

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I didn't know about the regulated light system, how does that work? does the torch just stay at the same output then suddenly stop working? or is there some kind of warning system?
 

There are many types of regulation, buck, boost etc. (or maybe only 2?)
 
The torch will stay at the same output for the most of the time, then it starts to dim. For example (I'm just making up the numbers): in a direct drive flashlight, when your battery is at 50%, the output will be something like 50% as well. In a regulated light with 50% battery, it would still give full output. (I just made up the numbers, don't assume if your battery is at 50% in your unregulated light the output will be 50%)
 
In other words if you are using alkaline batteries, in a direct drive flashlight the output would be somewhat promotional to the power remaining in the battery. That's because Alkalines have a flat, linear discharge curve (Voltage is promotional to percentage of power left in battery) On the other hand, NiMH and lithium batteries have curved discharge curves.
 
So lets say you need 3W to power your LED at full power, with a 1.5V alkaline you need to draw 2 amps to get 3 Watts, but after some use the batteries will have a lower voltage, lets say 1.1 Volts, in this case it has to draw roughly 2.7 Amps to get 3Watts to your LED. Alkalines tend to have a high internal resistance, which means you won't be able to draw much current (Amps) from it, unlike NiMH and Lithiums (primary and rechargeable).
 
In this case, the flashlight may not be able to draw more current from Alkalines to compensate for the lower voltage, which causes your regulated light to dim. While Lithiums and NiMh will be able to push out more current.
 
In general, I recommend you to use primary lithiums (Energizer Ultimate Lithium, make sure it's rated at 1.5V!) or rechargeable NiMh (LSD NiMH recommended like the Sanyo eneloops).
 
And the LD20 does not have any low battery warning system, one way to tell is that Turbo mode is not much brighter than High mode, or high mode is not brighter than medium etc... (depending on the juice left in the batts)
 
Hope it helps!
 
 
Oh, and the Quark Turbo X is nice as well, the XML emitter is very efficient and outputs a lot of light. The only this is that if you want a decent throw out of a XML you'll need a big reflector. If you want the best throw in a small package XRE or XPE should throw the farthest, but not as efficient as the XPG or XML.

 

[StargateRecords]

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There are many types of regulation, buck, boost etc. (or maybe only 2?)
 
The torch will stay at the same output for the most of the time, then it starts to dim. For example (I'm just making up the numbers): in a direct drive flashlight, when your battery is at 50%, the output will be something like 50% as well. In a regulated light with 50% battery, it would still give full output. (I just made up the numbers, don't assume if your battery is at 50% in your unregulated light the output will be 50%)
 
In other words if you are using alkaline batteries, in a direct drive flashlight the output would be somewhat promotional to the power remaining in the battery. That's because Alkalines have a flat, linear discharge curve (Voltage is promotional to percentage of power left in battery) On the other hand, NiMH and lithium batteries have curved discharge curves.
 
So lets say you need 3W to power your LED at full power, with a 1.5V alkaline you need to draw 2 amps to get 3 Watts, but after some use the batteries will have a lower voltage, lets say 1.1 Volts, in this case it has to draw roughly 2.7 Amps to get 3Watts to your LED. Alkalines tend to have a high internal resistance, which means you won't be able to draw much current (Amps) from it, unlike NiMH and Lithiums (primary and rechargeable).
 
In this case, the flashlight may not be able to draw more current from Alkalines to compensate for the lower voltage, which causes your regulated light to dim. While Lithiums and NiMh will be able to push out more current.
 
In general, I recommend you to use primary lithiums (Energizer Ultimate Lithium, make sure it's rated at 1.5V!) or rechargeable NiMh (LSD NiMH recommended like the Sanyo eneloops).
 
And the LD20 does not have any low battery warning system, one way to tell is that Turbo mode is not much brighter than High mode, or high mode is not brighter than medium etc... (depending on the juice left in the batts)
 
Hope it helps!
 
 
Oh, and the Quark Turbo X is nice as well, the XML emitter is very efficient and outputs a lot of light. The only this is that if you want a decent throw out of a XML you'll need a big reflector. If you want the best throw in a small package XRE or XPE should throw the farthest, but not as efficient as the XPG or XML.

 

Thanks for that very helpful information, the head-fi community has a wealth of knowledge !
 
 

 

[StargateRecords]

My wallet is feeling fuller so I have decided to go ahead and order the LD20 for my Bail out Bag, thanks again kwkarth, yliu and chris for your advice.

 

[Chris_Himself]

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My wallet is feeling fuller so I have decided to go ahead and order the LD20 for my Bail out Bag, thanks again kwkarth, yliu and chris for your advice.

Haha I love bail out bags, although mine is technically just a backpack full of basic necessities in case I need to get out and stay out. No worries man!
 

 

[jronan2]

Ok guys I just found this thread and in need some help from you all. I just survived Hurricane Irene but have been out of power for days now. I have realized how important a great flashlight really is at night during these times. I currently have like a $12 maglite that really sucks. So I want to upgrade my flashlight after this event. Can anyone recommend me some great flashlights. Thank you all.

 

[StargateRecords]

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Ok guys I just found this thread and in need some help from you all. I just survived Hurricane Irene but have been out of power for days now. I have realized how important a great flashlight really is at night during these times. I currently have like a $12 maglite that really sucks. So I want to upgrade my flashlight after this event. Can anyone recommend me some great flashlights. Thank you all.

I am relatively new to the high end flash light scene but I think the Fenix LD20 is perfect for a Bail out Bag, being tough, water proof and having a long battery life, the strobe is handy for emergency situations too. I would also recommend some military grade, long life light sticks just in case your batteries fail. I hope you get some good weather soon...
 

 

[Chris_Himself]

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Ok guys I just found this thread and in need some help from you all. I just survived Hurricane Irene but have been out of power for days now. I have realized how important a great flashlight really is at night during these times. I currently have like a $12 maglite that really sucks. So I want to upgrade my flashlight after this event. Can anyone recommend me some great flashlights. Thank you all.

Jetbeam, Lumapower, Fenix, 4Sevens, Olight, Nitecore, and Eagletac are all great lights for the money. CR123 batteries are really cheap these days for the amount of energy you get per cell, which comes out to a dollar for a 1500mah battery these days from Battery Junction.
 
Glad to hear that you made it out brother. When shopping for lights, remember that lumen output isn't the ultimate variable. This is the order in which I place shopping for them:
 
Toughness
Warranty
Output
Ability to run on Rechargables
Country of Manufacturing (really not that important these days)
Clip/carry options
 
Personal favorites are the Eagletac T20, Jetbeam RRT-0,  and Olight M20 Warrior, 

 

[warubozu]

Where I can I go online to find some good prices on CR123 batteries?