Let there be light.
- Thread starter AStone
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I have a couple of Coast LED flashlights and they've proven to be pretty darn good. My EDC keychain light is a little Coast AAA single cell.
Cosmoline
Member
I haven't had any problems using a surefire as an everyday carry flashlight. Totes easily enough, and most importantly it gives me intense light so I can see inside of mechanical parts even in daylight. I don't really have any need for a traditional low-power flashlight.
Maverick223
Member
IMO the SureFire E2 with LED lamp upgrade is hard to beat. I have the Outdoorsman version (like the clicker better), but the E2D should work equally well if you have the space for it. I just use my Photon keychain light for most everyday tasks. Jimdo sells SolarForce lights and accessories here in the Buy, Sell, & Trade forum, I have used some of his SureFire upgrades and they work well, appear to be of good quality, and best of all they are inexpensive. One benefit of using his lights versus most others is the ability to accept a rechargeable 18650 battery to replace those costly CR123s. I would shoot him a PM to see if he has something that meets your requirements.
Stainz
Member
My first bright LED flashlight was the Fenix 4n1 kit with a P2D Premium, 1xAA body/switch, and accessories. I learned two things - one being the utility of CR123s. The other was a quest for a larger light - that little Fenix got hot! I got a deal on a Surefire 6P LED - great light. I bought a 6P - expecting a high output 'drop-in' LED - eventually bought a Surefire P60L, giving me two 6P LEDs - one for each car. I liked that E1b, too...
Well, I scored one over two years ago - great light, whether checking the yard at night on high, or making a night dash for the toilet on low (7 cats to avoid in the dark!). It's been my EDC, clipped in my left front cargo pants pocket (RF for something louder...) ever since - and bedside light for that 'dash'. It's showing it's wear, but functions fine. Two years ago this Sept found me buying my 4" 617 - and an E2D LED. Sadly, I sprung it's clip and bounced it on a sidewalk it's first week - further crennalating that switch tailclap. I called Surefire - finally - and they sent me a new cap - gratis. I cleaned the rough edges on the old one - and the E1b sports it - allows vertical standing, ie, candlestick operation. While the E1b is rated at the same 80L as the 6P LED on high - ~4hr, it will put out 5L for over 1.5 days. The E2DL seems to work for 3+ days on low and 4-5 hr on high - rated at 120L but brighter than the P2D's rated 180L on 'turbo'. Folks have measured it at 170L. The latest version is rated at 200L - probably puts out 220L. Recall that light response is logarithmic - a 2x change in Lumens makes a percept ible change in light intensity - a 10% change does not.
Batteries - I love NiMH AA/AAAs - good secondary cells - and my LaCrosse BC-900 programmable charger - but my flashlights run on Lithium primary cells - CR123s. Dependable and inexpensive - 12/$21 from Surefire. With all of my lights now, I finally finished the first three boxes I bought 2/08 last month. YMMV - I just want my light to work when I need it.
Christmas brought another goodie - an Olight M21 Warrior. Rated at 500L on high - most say it is 350L. It's a larger spot with more spill than the E2DL - maybe slightly brighter - but it's close. After high, it has 'high-strobe' - now that is irritating. The Fenix P2D also will blink out SOS on regular high - and will blink fast on turbo. You click through the power levels with the Surefires - high first. The P2D starts with low. The M21 needs to be twisted back and forth at the head, which has heat sink fins, to change power levels - low first.
All in all, the two Surefires - and CR123s, are my choice for EDC - 90% of the time, it's the E1B. I think they list for about the same - real world discounts, like LEO discounts, make them about what the M21 runs, so shop around.
Sorry I am late to the party!
Stainz (Actually, another John!)
Well, I scored one over two years ago - great light, whether checking the yard at night on high, or making a night dash for the toilet on low (7 cats to avoid in the dark!). It's been my EDC, clipped in my left front cargo pants pocket (RF for something louder...) ever since - and bedside light for that 'dash'. It's showing it's wear, but functions fine. Two years ago this Sept found me buying my 4" 617 - and an E2D LED. Sadly, I sprung it's clip and bounced it on a sidewalk it's first week - further crennalating that switch tailclap. I called Surefire - finally - and they sent me a new cap - gratis. I cleaned the rough edges on the old one - and the E1b sports it - allows vertical standing, ie, candlestick operation. While the E1b is rated at the same 80L as the 6P LED on high - ~4hr, it will put out 5L for over 1.5 days. The E2DL seems to work for 3+ days on low and 4-5 hr on high - rated at 120L but brighter than the P2D's rated 180L on 'turbo'. Folks have measured it at 170L. The latest version is rated at 200L - probably puts out 220L. Recall that light response is logarithmic - a 2x change in Lumens makes a percept ible change in light intensity - a 10% change does not.
Batteries - I love NiMH AA/AAAs - good secondary cells - and my LaCrosse BC-900 programmable charger - but my flashlights run on Lithium primary cells - CR123s. Dependable and inexpensive - 12/$21 from Surefire. With all of my lights now, I finally finished the first three boxes I bought 2/08 last month. YMMV - I just want my light to work when I need it.
Christmas brought another goodie - an Olight M21 Warrior. Rated at 500L on high - most say it is 350L. It's a larger spot with more spill than the E2DL - maybe slightly brighter - but it's close. After high, it has 'high-strobe' - now that is irritating. The Fenix P2D also will blink out SOS on regular high - and will blink fast on turbo. You click through the power levels with the Surefires - high first. The P2D starts with low. The M21 needs to be twisted back and forth at the head, which has heat sink fins, to change power levels - low first.
All in all, the two Surefires - and CR123s, are my choice for EDC - 90% of the time, it's the E1B. I think they list for about the same - real world discounts, like LEO discounts, make them about what the M21 runs, so shop around.
Sorry I am late to the party!
Stainz (Actually, another John!)
AStone
Member
Hey, better late than never.
And you bring good information,as usual.
Looking up the E1B now ...
[abe: Oh, right, E1B. That's the one I wrote about earlier.
duh. so many numbers to keep track of.
yeah, i'm liking that one a lot.]
And you bring good information,as usual.
Looking up the E1B now ...
[abe: Oh, right, E1B. That's the one I wrote about earlier.
duh. so many numbers to keep track of.
yeah, i'm liking that one a lot.]
AStone
Member
OK, a little update after a lot of reading.
First, Amazon customers really like the E1B. 22 reviews: 20 5-star, 2 4-star. Biggest complaints: price and weak clip.
Second, in looking back at the Surefire site, comparing E1B with E1L, I learned a couple of interesting things.
First, E1B is bright (8) first, dim (5) second.
E1L is dim (3) first, bright (45) second.
But here's the rub. The Surefire site lists total run time for E1B on low at 37 hrs, but only 8.5 hrs on the E1L for 3 lumens.
What th' ...? Gotta be a typo there somewhere.
First, Amazon customers really like the E1B. 22 reviews: 20 5-star, 2 4-star. Biggest complaints: price and weak clip.
Second, in looking back at the Surefire site, comparing E1B with E1L, I learned a couple of interesting things.
First, E1B is bright (8) first, dim (5) second.
E1L is dim (3) first, bright (45) second.
But here's the rub. The Surefire site lists total run time for E1B on low at 37 hrs, but only 8.5 hrs on the E1L for 3 lumens.
What th' ...? Gotta be a typo there somewhere.
I just saw the 4 Seven line at Blade Show this weekend and I was very impressed.
I've ordered this one - http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_365&products_id=2072
I've ordered this one - http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_365&products_id=2072
AStone
Member
Quark 123, R2
Now that I'm looking at that Quark 123 more closely, it is very sweet.
It appears to have the best of both utility and tactical modes: loose bezel, switches first to moonlight (then cycles through low, medium, max); tight bezel, switches first to max. Very interesting.
DA mentioned it back in post 6:
__________
One question: what's the diff between R2 (the "old" one) and R5 (the "new" one), aside from ~$10 bucks?
Answer: Premium Cree XP-E R2 v Premium Cree XP-G R5, but I don't understand the significance of that.
PS: After a bit closer reading, I guess I get it: 180 lumen (max) for R2, 230 lumen (max) for R5.
Now that I'm looking at that Quark 123 more closely, it is very sweet.
It appears to have the best of both utility and tactical modes: loose bezel, switches first to moonlight (then cycles through low, medium, max); tight bezel, switches first to max. Very interesting.
DA mentioned it back in post 6:
DA, why is it a safe queen for you?DAdams said:4Sevens Quark (2) CR123A Titanium Tactical LE Titanium 190 lumens.
Collectors Item and safe queen.
__________
One question: what's the diff between R2 (the "old" one) and R5 (the "new" one), aside from ~$10 bucks?
Answer: Premium Cree XP-E R2 v Premium Cree XP-G R5, but I don't understand the significance of that.
PS: After a bit closer reading, I guess I get it: 180 lumen (max) for R2, 230 lumen (max) for R5.
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WardenWolf
member
INOVA Bolt 2L. It's a 4-watt LED that outputs, near as I can tell, around 100 Lumens. All that in a pocket flashlight that costs around $45. I've had mine for a few years now, and the construction is very solid. I'm not a huge fan of the momentary on button, but a quick twist of the endcap gets it in action, and the batteries run for over 2 hours. I've taken it on camping trips and gotten all kinds of interesting reactions, usually along the lines of, "What the heck is that thing?!" It definitely beats out Surefires for value, light output, and battery life. The batteries are only $1 apiece and last forever on standby, so it's not like it's going to break your bank.
rtrwv
Member
After a fenix p3d, surefire e2d, surefire u2, and a few others i can't remember I have settled on my sf m3 plain bezel with a lumens factory eo-m3 incandescent drop in for around 380 lumens at 25 min runtime. A second light the nitecore ex10 fills in for adjustable led light from 3 to 120 lumens.
Any problems, bas spring, lost lanyard, cracked lense, have been replaced by surefire promptly and at no cost to me!
Any problems, bas spring, lost lanyard, cracked lense, have been replaced by surefire promptly and at no cost to me!
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AStone
Member
Ive ordered a Quark 123, R2.
My favorite feature is that you can set it to blinding strobe with turn of the cap and the setting will be the default when you use the clicker. Great tool for disorienting someone.
The other almost equally great thing is the angled poro prism head that comes with the whole series. This allows you to attach the right angled head and clip the light to your pocket for hands free operation.
The other thing I like about the right angle prism is that you can use a very stable grip with the light and a handgun together.
The other almost equally great thing is the angled poro prism head that comes with the whole series. This allows you to attach the right angled head and clip the light to your pocket for hands free operation.
The other thing I like about the right angle prism is that you can use a very stable grip with the light and a handgun together.
AStone
Member
Right angle head?
I missed that entirely on their site.
Very cool. I've read that these don't work well for "mouth" operation,
which was a very common way for me to use my mag lite in camp
(as while cooking, or setting up a tent at night).
Having a way to clip it to my shirt could help meet that need.
I missed that entirely on their site.
Very cool. I've read that these don't work well for "mouth" operation,
which was a very common way for me to use my mag lite in camp
(as while cooking, or setting up a tent at night).
Having a way to clip it to my shirt could help meet that need.
Maverick223
Member
Sounds like you need a headlight for camping/fishing use. Those can be very handy. Unfortunately my Streamlight headlamp recently broke, so I too am in the market for one (need to check their warranty first).
AStone
Member
I do own a headlamp - two actually, but somehow always used the mag lite in my mouth. I'm talking about a minute or two, just while I stir a pot while holding it, or whatever.
Headlamps just don't work well with me and my hats (various), and I like more control over my light than "where i'm looking every moment".
Headlamps just don't work well with me and my hats (various), and I like more control over my light than "where i'm looking every moment".
Maverick223
Member
Fair enough, when I camp I like one of each (typical flashlight & headlamp); both come in handy for me. The headlamp comes in really handy when fishing, when you need both hands.
AStone
Member
AStone
Member
Received the Quark 123 today.
Very nice.
Indeed does come with the right angle prism, plus case and lanyard.
High is very bright.
I've got the secondary (loose head) set on low.
More than enough for everyday use.
(Moonlight was a little too low for me.)
Programming was a bit tricky, but I figured it out.
Overall, quite happy with the light.
Thanks, Hso, for the heads up.
Very nice.
Indeed does come with the right angle prism, plus case and lanyard.
High is very bright.
I've got the secondary (loose head) set on low.
More than enough for everyday use.
(Moonlight was a little too low for me.)
Programming was a bit tricky, but I figured it out.
Overall, quite happy with the light.
Thanks, Hso, for the heads up.
I ordered the R5 single cell 123 Quark tactical.
That is a hell of a deal. cpf8 gets you 8% off, too.
It's like everything I wanted when I bought a light 2.5 years ago. My little olight putting about 130 OTF has served me well but for the same price this thing is just a whole new ball game.
That is a hell of a deal. cpf8 gets you 8% off, too.
It's like everything I wanted when I bought a light 2.5 years ago. My little olight putting about 130 OTF has served me well but for the same price this thing is just a whole new ball game.
sm
member
JShirley is resident guru.
(Then why in the heck was I sent a PM to reply to this thread!?)
I am a firm believer in Mini-Mag , AA lights.
No matter what else one may get, they should have one of these for a backup, spare, loaner, etc.
Lee Lapin shared with me, using a Ray-O-Vac 1 watt and 3 watt . two AA light at one of his training classes he and his wife took. (Awerbuck ? forget...)
I have been carrying the Ray-O-Vac, 1 watt , daily, since about December of 2009.
I paid , best recall, $11, at a major, franchise, building supply type store.
They were on sale....
I also caught the AA batteries on sale, 48 for $ 8.99
s
(Then why in the heck was I sent a PM to reply to this thread!?)
I am a firm believer in Mini-Mag , AA lights.
No matter what else one may get, they should have one of these for a backup, spare, loaner, etc.
Lee Lapin shared with me, using a Ray-O-Vac 1 watt and 3 watt . two AA light at one of his training classes he and his wife took. (Awerbuck ? forget...)
I have been carrying the Ray-O-Vac, 1 watt , daily, since about December of 2009.
I paid , best recall, $11, at a major, franchise, building supply type store.
They were on sale....
I also caught the AA batteries on sale, 48 for $ 8.99
s
Maverick223
Member
sm, the prodigal son returneth...haven't seen you around in ages. Went into hiding, did you?
Boba Fett
Member
If you are looking for some great light reviews, checkout nutnfancy: http://www.youtube.com/user/nutnfancy
My current favorite lights come from:
Inova and 4Sevens
EDIT: forgot Fenix.
My current favorite lights come from:
Inova and 4Sevens
EDIT: forgot Fenix.
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AStone
Member
Yep. Got two of them as backups, one in each bag.
Quark has now moved into EDC niche.
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