[music_man]

i had the model names confused. these runtimes are for the e2l outdoorsman!
the e2dl(defender) runs about 50 minutes before it drops out of regulation. sorry i confused them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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]

anybody have experience with any niche flashlights, such as Ra Clicky or Sundrop and so on ?

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ast /img/forum/go_quote.gif anybody have experience with any niche flashlights, such as Ra Clicky or Sundrop and so on ?

I have a Ra Clicky 170, tactical interface:

+ Near perfect tactical non-latching pushbutton clicky UI
+ Great beam pattern with lots of throw
+ Construction makes Surefires seem fragile

- Poor battery life
- Poor tint on non-GT/hi-CRI versions
- Imperfect anodizing
- Unusable stock clip
- LED used is not the latest and greatest

Also have a McGizmo Lunasol 20:

+ Near perfect EDC interface
+ Flawless construction and finish
+ Great piece of pocket jewelry
+ Smooth flood on on low, lots of throw on high

- Price
- McGizmo doesn't make aluminium versions (Ti really is an inferior material for flashlights)
- LED used is not the latest and greatest

For the price though, I'd take a Surefire LX1 over either of these. Least if Surefire ever gets around to releasing it.

 

[kwkarth]

ElZetta ZFL-M60
Battery: 2xCR123

<b>Elzetta Design</b><br>Tactical Flashlights - Pacific Tactical Solutions

+ 235+ OTF Lumens

+ 100% USA designed, machined & manufactured
+ HA III Anodized Aluminum construction
+ Uses M60 drop-ins from Malkoff Devices (also 100% USA designed, machined, & manufactured)
+ makes Surefire look cheap and flimsy.
+ <$120.00
+ ideal combination of throw and spill

 

[EtherealApril]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a Ra Clicky 170, tactical interface: + Near perfect tactical non-latching pushbutton clicky UI + Great beam pattern with lots of throw + Construction makes Surefires seem fragile - Poor battery life - Poor tint on non-GT/hi-CRI versions - Imperfect anodizing - Unusable stock clip - LED used is not the latest and greatest Also have a McGizmo Lunasol 20: + Near perfect EDC interface + Flawless construction and finish + Great piece of pocket jewelry + Smooth flood on on low, lots of throw on high - Price - McGizmo doesn't make aluminium versions (Ti really is an inferior material for flashlights) - LED used is not the latest and greatest For the price though, I'd take a Surefire LX1 over either of these. Least if Surefire ever gets around to releasing it.

I have the Ra Clicky 140 GT. I agree with most of what you've said, though the battery life is pretty good compared to my other lights. Your light puts out 140 (mine does 100) Lumens for 1 hour in ruler flat regulation, with enough power in reserve to give warning to change the battery. That's pretty impressive. The runtime on the lower levels is excellent and the driver and LED work much more efficiently at these levels. The clip also works very well as a clip but is really too chunky to hold the light comfortably.

I'm not sure that you can state that you get a "poor tint on non-GT/hi-CRI versions" either, because with those lights, like SureFires or almost any other manufacturer, it really comes down to the pick of the draw and individual lights may have better tints than others. I'm also surprised that you say that they have a poor tint when compared to the LS20, which is known to have a very cool tint.

I agree with you that Al is a better material for lights than Ti and, for that reason, I've sold all of my Ti lights except for my LunaSols. Ti is hugely overrated. It shows scratches, is a poor thermal conductor and is being used by many makers as a way to inflate the price of mediocre lights.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif ElZetta ZFL-M60 Battery: 2xCR123 <b>Elzetta Design</b><br>Tactical Flashlights - Pacific Tactical Solutions + 235+ OTF Lumens + 100% USA designed, machined & manufactured + HA III Anodized Aluminum construction + Uses M60 drop-ins from Malkoff Devices (also 100% USA designed, machined, & manufactured) + makes Surefire look cheap and flimsy. + <$120.00 + ideal combination of throw and spill

Looks solid and the use of the Malkoff dropin is a good choice but I'd still take a SureFire, if only because they look less like a kegel exerciser.

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EtherealApril /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the Ra Clicky 140 GT. I agree with most of what you've said, though the battery life is pretty good compared to my other lights. ...

Agreed on most points.

The battery life is great for how the Clicky is regulated, but for most, the only thing ruler flat regulation does is unnecessarily shorten battery life since the Mark I Eyeball would be hard pressed to tell the difference between 100% output and 80% output. Reprogramming would make up most of the difference, but it doesn't fit on a nice and neat +/- chart.

I dislike the tint on my Clicky since it's into the greenish range, but not bad enough to send in. And given that 4Sevens can get nicely tinted lights out for ~ $70, I expect a bit better in a ~ $250 light. I don't hold the LunaSol to the same standards as it falls under the 'custom item' category rather than 'high end production' and is allowed some quirks. It's irrational, but I do the same for custom knives vis a vis high end production knives.

The clip, I really dislike. The discomfort in the hand is one thing, the tendency to take chunks out of anything you brush by was a bit more disconcerting. Good aftermarket clips are easy to come by though.

I'm a bit harsh on the Clicky because it has its definite tradeoffs compared to more mainstream offerings, and I believe that prospective buyers should know what they are beforehand. That and I'm a bit annoyed that the Twisty was discontinued before I could get a spare.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif ElZetta ZFL-M60 Battery: 2xCR123 <b>Elzetta Design</b><br>Tactical Flashlights - Pacific Tactical Solutions + 235+ OTF Lumens + 100% USA designed, machined & manufactured + HA III Anodized Aluminum construction + Uses M60 drop-ins from Malkoff Devices (also 100% USA designed, machined, & manufactured) + makes Surefire look cheap and flimsy. + <$120.00 + ideal combination of throw and spill

Hmmm. Surefire P60 drop in compatible?

One of these might be a helluva drop in.

Moddoo Drop-ins: Triple CREE XP-E - CandlePowerForums

-Ed

 

[ast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a Ra Clicky 170, tactical interface: ........... For the price though, I'd take a Surefire LX1 over either of these. Least if Surefire ever gets around to releasing it.

wow that's quite a blow on fancy brands like Ra Clicky and McGizmo

I like their construction/appeal but not so much on their LED technology ( old and weak ).

Surefire LX1 only has max 80 lumens output, seems way too low in today's LED offering -- 4Sevens similar model will go around 200 lumens.

 

[ast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif ElZetta ZFL-M60 Battery: 2xCR123 <b>Elzetta Design</b><br>Tactical Flashlights - Pacific Tactical Solutions + 235+ OTF Lumens + 100% USA designed, machined & manufactured + HA III Anodized Aluminum construction + Uses M60 drop-ins from Malkoff Devices (also 100% USA designed, machined, & manufactured) + makes Surefire look cheap and flimsy. + <$120.00 + ideal combination of throw and spill

Interesting. But again 4Seven's Quark 123^2 R5 gives 230 lumens for only $70! hmm.... unless Elzetta offers more.

 

[music_man]

what is so great about the lx1? i have a titan(original) that sees no use. i carry a p1d q5 in my pocket. it is much brighter,runs longer and is much smaller. darn good quality as well. hardly scratched with keys,knives etc in pocket after 3 years.

i see the e2dl is now rated 200 lumens. they pull this all the time. did they change something or did they just decide to rate it at real lumens instead of sf lumens since the competition is ctaching up? i know my e2dl is a lot closer to 200 lumens than what it was originally rated at and it is over a year old! i'd rather have the e2dl than the lx2 since it doubles as a protection device. perfect for the car.

edit: e2dl, new vs. old. they revised the spec as i had thought. they are getting consistantly higher bin led's now so they can safely say it is 200 lumens. the old ones were actually between 175 to 200+ lumens. the new ones are consistantly 200 or slightly more lumens. consensus is that if you have an old one there is no reason to get a new one unless you just want another. in real world applications they are usually indistinguishable.

music_man

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ast /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow that's quite a blow on fancy brands like Ra Clicky and McGizmo I like their construction/appeal but not so much on their LED technology ( old and weak ).

Dont get me wrong, those two lights are still my go to EDC lights and they've beaten out a lot of other quality flashlights. A few extra lumens, a little extra battery life, or a bit better finish aren't noticable in every day use. User interfaces and beam patterns are.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ast /img/forum/go_quote.gif Surefire LX1 only has max 80 lumens output, seems way too low in today's LED offering -- 4Sevens similar model will go around 200 lumens.

User interface. I rather like idiot proof interfaces, and the press lightly for low, press harder for high, twist to hold interface is just about perfect for me. That's the primary reason I picked up the LunaSol 20 even though it's (a) expensive and (b) titanium.

I'd like an A1 variant of the new A2 even more, but it doesn't look like it's on Surefire's to do list. As far as lumens go, I'm not really picky. The LX1 provides sufficient light at both levels for my purposes. Far as I figure, lower output means more runtime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif i know my e2dl is a lot closer to 200 lumens than what it was originally rated at and it is over a year old! i'd rather have the e2dl than the lx2 since it doubles as a protection device. perfect for the car.

Trade offs aren't worth it for me. The crenelations don't do much more than add superficial cuts to blunt force trauma, makes the light harder to EDC, and makes much less socially palatable. And really, a flashlight is rarely the most effective self defense tool I have on body.

 

[music_man]

i agree about ti and flashlights because of the heat. i do find that the way ti scratches is much nicer looking ultimately than the way haIII does. i carry a ti knife and it is scratched all over but it just looks like a dull sheen. it is solid metal. when the haIII chips off to the bare metal it does not look so good to me. so really i don't know which is better.

music_man

 

[greenstuffs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif i agree about ti and flashlights because of the heat. i do find that the way ti scratches is much nicer looking ultimately than the way haIII does. i carry a ti knife and it is scratched all over but it just looks like a dull sheen. it is solid metal. when the haIII chips off to the bare metal it does not look so good to me. so really i don't know which is better. music_man

Ti lights are nice but in my opinion is that only smaller 1cell lights are good with that material, that is due to looks and weight. I had the Spy007, PD-S and few more, sold all of them and kept the PD-S i guess it will live in my pocket forever.

High end custom Ti lights are usually made by custom builders and they don't drive their LEDs as high as most other manufacturers do so heat is not an issue. I only need 80 lumens for high and 10 for low that is all i ask for. The rest is just unnecessary. Oh and forgot all levels must be mechanical access not pressing on and off to select level. That is just plain annoying.

 

[ast]

got my 4Sevens Quark Mini 123 and Fenix TK30. They are extremely bright for their size. TK30 has a high of 630 Lumens!!! Blinding bright. Very nice.

 

[jfindon]

So did 4Seven ever come out with that light that was supposed to compete with the Olight M30?

Here are two pictures of my M30 and G2.