Flashlight-Fi (LED & Conventional)

[ilikepooters]

I bought a Cree XM-L T6 1600 Lumens and it's the brightest light i've ever seen, came with crappy chinese batteries though so i'm ordering some
decent 2900mah panasonic ones soon.
 
Batteries:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300584537828&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2386wt_1139
 
Torch:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150637561886&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_7402wt_905
 
For anyone in the know, can a brighter LED be bought for that torch?

 

[Chris_Himself]

Those Ultrafires/Trustfires are honestly not that bad. 
 
XML T6: $10
5a driver: $15
Trusfires: $9 x2
 
Who knows how much that big body and head cost them.
 
Thats a pretty good deal if you consider the sum of the parts but it's based on a Surefire M3LT with some Cree parts wedged in.
 
Whats your runtime on high? I'm curious as to whether the 1600lm is based on the LED spec or if thats honestly what the light throws out?
 
And yes, there is a brighter LED you can wedge in there with some easy soldering work. You'll need a Luminus SST-90 and the appropriate driver board after desoldering the current LED and driver out of that copper pill. I'm not sure if that light is thermally sound enough for an SST-90 though. For reference check out an SR-90 intimidator from Olight. I think it's one of the brightest production lights you can get now and it's built Ford tought alright.

 

[StargateRecords]

I just recently purchased a LED Lenser P7 which I am very pleased with.

 

[yliu]

Quote:

I just recently purchased a LED Lenser P7 which I am very pleased with.

I've been kind of disappointed with the P7, it broke after 1 drop. The LED chip is not the latest as well. You'd get much better value if you buy a Fenix.

 

[StargateRecords]

Quote:

I've been kind of disappointed with the P7, it broke after 1 drop. The LED chip is not the latest as well. You'd get much better value if you buy a Fenix.

I was looking at the Fenix PD31 but it was almost twice the price of the Lenser P7; which Fenix would you recommend ?
 

 

[yliu]

Quote:

I was looking at the Fenix PD31 but it was almost twice the price of the Lenser P7; which Fenix would you recommend ?
 

How much was your P7? In the US you can get it for about 60 USD, and the PD31 also sell for similar prices.
 
I have the LD20 for about 3 months now, and it works great! It's bright, fairly simple to use, lightweight, compact, and uses AAs which are easy to find, and cheap. It has a reverse clicky so there is no momentary on like the P7.
 
If you want a forward clicky, their TK line is very good. I have the TK12 R5, it has a decent throw, I think it's very good looking. It is also very well built, and better for tactical situations.
The TK11 is a simpler version of the TK12, the TK11 has 2 modes (high,low) plus it also works on 18650 rechargeable batts (TK12 doesn't).
 
If you don't need much throw form your flashlight, the TK21 is a good choice, because it has over 400 lumens and similar runtimes of the TK12,11.
 
Other companies like JetBeam, Sunwayman, Thrunite also sell good lights.
 
Zebralight SC600 is also a very nice light.
 
I'd suggest you to do some research, CandlePowerForums is a great place to find reviews, comparisons, and information.
 
On youtube, "goingprepared" has a lot of unboxing/reviews of flashlights.
 
So it really depends what you need the flashlights for, in other words, what are your requirements?

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

I was looking at the Fenix PD31 but it was almost twice the price of the Lenser P7; which Fenix would you recommend ?

To a degree, you get what you pay for.
 
How about 405lm OTF for 85 bux?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_330&products_id=2621
 
or 210lm OTF half size for under 50 bux?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_429&products_id=2564
 
They're both very good, well built flashlights.
 
FYI, OTF (Out The Front) lumens are typically 20 brighter than emitter lumens which do not account for the losses of the optics.  So a light rated at 210 OTF lumens would be as bright as 250+ emitter lumens.  405 OTF lumens would be as bright as almost 500 (486+) emitter lumens.
 

 

[StargateRecords]

Quote:

How much was your P7? In the US you can get it for about 60 USD, and the PD31 also sell for similar prices.
 
I have the LD20 for about 3 months now, and it works great! It's bright, fairly simple to use, lightweight, compact, and uses AAs which are easy to find, and cheap. It has a reverse clicky so there is no momentary on like the P7.
 
If you want a forward clicky, their TK line is very good. I have the TK12 R5, it has a decent throw, I think it's very good looking. It is also very well built, and better for tactical situations.
The TK11 is a simpler version of the TK12, the TK11 has 2 modes (high,low) plus it also works on 18650 rechargeable batts (TK12 doesn't).
 
If you don't need much throw form your flashlight, the TK21 is a good choice, because it has over 400 lumens and similar runtimes of the TK12,11.
 
Other companies like JetBeam, Sunwayman, Thrunite also sell good lights.
 
Zebralight SC600 is also a very nice light.
 
I'd suggest you to do some research, CandlePowerForums is a great place to find reviews, comparisons, and information.
 
On youtube, "goingprepared" has a lot of unboxing/reviews of flashlights.
 
So it really depends what you need the flashlights for, in other words, what are your requirements?

 

 
Quote:

 
To a degree, you get what you pay for.
 
How about 405lm OTF for 85 bux?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_330&products_id=2621
 
or 210lm OTF half size for under 50 bux?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_429&products_id=2564
 
They're both very good, well built flashlights.
 
FYI, OTF (Out The Front) lumens are typically 20 brighter than emitter lumens which do not account for the losses of the optics.  So a light rated at 210 OTF lumens would be as bright as 250+ emitter lumens.  405 OTF lumens would be as bright as almost 500 (486+) emitter lumens.
 

I never knew there were so many torch manufacturers, thanks for all the info kwkarth and yliu. 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 LD-20 looks like a good option, the switch sounds well built (0:55) it has a nice solid click, and I like the fact it runs on AA's which you can pick up just about anywhere in the world. Goingprepared has hours of comparison footage, thanks for the link, bookmarked for future reference. The Quark 123 Turbo X looks like a solid option too. I will see how well the Lenser P7 performs before purchasing anything else, my wallet is a little too light right now.
 
 

 

[labrat]

Delete

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Lithiums AA have a voltage output of 3 Volts! Nominal!
 
http://www.batteryholders.org/AA-LITHIUM.pdf
 
Slightly higher?
If you are using a battery with 3 Volts Nominal output in a setup designed for AA cells with a nominal output up to 1.5 Volts, Maximum!, you are inviting trouble!
Better stay away from giving advice on topics you don't understand!

Trouble with AA lithiums besides price is energy density.  The CR123 lithium seems to have much better energy density and can be readily obtained for around a buck a  piece and 0.77 ea in quantity.
http://www.batteryjunction.com/pri-cr123a.html
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?233961-Quick-CR123A-and-AA-Battery-Shoot-out-Comparison


 
 

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Lithiums AA have a voltage output of 3 Volts! Nominal!
 
http://www.batteryholders.org/AA-LITHIUM.pdf
 
Slightly higher?
If you are using a battery with 3 Volts Nominal output in a setup designed for AA cells with a nominal output up to 1.5 Volts, Maximum!, you are inviting trouble!
Better stay away from giving advice on topics you don't understand!

The AA lithium from Eveready, the only brand I know to be available is 1.6V per cell, not 3V, and even at 1.6v, it causes big trouble in a number of torches designed to use standard AA alkaline primary, or NimH secondary cells.
 

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Lithiums AA have a voltage output of 3 Volts! Nominal!
 
http://www.batteryholders.org/AA-LITHIUM.pdf
 
Slightly higher?
If you are using a battery with 3 Volts Nominal output in a setup designed for AA cells with a nominal output up to 1.5 Volts, Maximum!, you are inviting trouble!
Better stay away from giving advice on topics you don't understand!

You must not be familiar with CR123A's
 

 

[Chris_Himself]

 
Quote:

To a degree, you get what you pay for.
 
How about 405lm OTF for 85 bux?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_330&products_id=2621
 
or 210lm OTF half size for under 50 bux?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_429&products_id=2564
 
They're both very good, well built flashlights.
 
FYI, OTF (Out The Front) lumens are typically 20 brighter than emitter lumens which do not account for the losses of the optics.  So a light rated at 210 OTF lumens would be as bright as 250+ emitter lumens.  405 OTF lumens would be as bright as almost 500 (486+) emitter lumens.
 

The Quark Turbo's will NOT do 450lm for more than about 3-5 minutes before getting too hot. That is definitely something to consider.
 
Surefire, Thrunite, Sunwayman, Zebralight, and Olight are one of the few brands that have lights that can produce that many lumens.
 
 
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.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

The Quark Turbo's will NOT do 450lm for more than about 3-5 minutes before getting too hot. That is definitely something to consider.
 
Surefire, Thrunite, Sunwayman, Zebralight, and Olight are one of the few brands that have lights that can produce that many lumens.
 
 
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.

I said 405, not 450, but regardless, do you have test results that validate your claims?  At what ambient temperature does this happen?  What are the other conditions that prevail?
Thanx
 
 

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

I said 405, not 450, but regardless, do you have test results that validate your claims?  At what ambient temperature does this happen?  What are the other conditions that prevail?
Thanx
 
 

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!