Not sure if this is the right place...

[OregonJohnny]

In fact, www.batteryjunction.com sells the Titanium brand CR123's (very good in my experience) for $11.76/12 pack. Less than $1 per battery...thats about as good as it gets. Store them in a dry place for 10 years and forget about it.

To the OP, if your budget is $100, you still have some fantastic options. You might not find anything that fits in the palm of your hand and throws quite as well as you are imagining, but I think you'll find that a beam with a good balance of spot and spill is ideal for 90% of applications.

For $100, I'd actually recommend buying a couple of lights that you can rotate around as your needs change. Maybe a good $20 keychain AAA light like the Maratac AAA (3 modes, twisty head, 80 lumen high) that always stays on your keys, plus a good AA clicky light for your pocket, and a decent CR123 light that you can keep by the bed, mount on a long gun, take camping, etc.

 

[click clack]

Im trying to decide between a Fenix PD30, Eagletac P20C2, Olight T20, along with another Olight and one of the 4sevens

 

[basicblur]

You might want to download this free edition of American Cop Magazine?

Multiple articles on lights scattered throughout.

 

[click clack]

Hey i appreciate all the help guys and I have been looking around. Now the problem is I have found a bunch more that i want and I dont know which. Ive narrowed it down to 7so far and I also have decided to stretch the budget save for a little longer and get 2 of them. Which two do you think I should get?

Fenix- E21, PD30, LD20
Eagletac- P20C2
iTP- SC1
Jetbeam- PA01
Thrunite- Neutron 2C

The idea is that if i don't like one i can just sell it for a new one on the list.

thanks again,
cc

 

[OregonJohnny]

I wouldn't recommend the Fenix E21, unless you can find the neutral model (neutral being a nice soft white tint to the beam), but they are hard to find. The standard E21 has a very blue tint. I bought mine at REI, wanting a nice simple 2xAA light, and although it fits the bill, the blue tint made me relegate it to the truck glove box. It is very solid and well made, however, and the build quality fits more with Fenix's T line than their other E models.

The PD30 is a good choice, but they have actually upgraded it about 4 times, so be sure about which model you want. There is the original PD30 Q5, the PD30 R5, the PD31, and most recently the PD32. Check Fenix's website for specs on each light.

The LD20 runs on AA batteries, and is quite a bit longer than the PD30, and not nearly as bright, so unless you are attracted to the AA battery format, I'd go with the PD line (CR123).

Fenix quality sometimes seems to be hit and miss. Their less expensive models get a lot of negative feedback about off-center LEDs, bad threads, circuitry hiccups, blue or green tints, donut holes and rings in the beam, etc. But these are far from the majority. I own 5 different Fenix models, and on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd average their build quality at about a 7, but their beam quality at about a 4.

I don't own any Eagletac lights, but I would like to try them. They look well built, and seem to get positive feedback in the flashaholic world. I also like that many of their lights are upgradeable - you can simply swap in the newest LED/driver in your existing light.

Of the other 3 brands you listed, iTP, Jetbeam, and Thrunite, I only have experience with 1 of them. Jetbeam. I do have a Thrunite XM-L drop-in module for my Surefires, and it seems to be decent quality.

But I really like Jetbeam lights. They are well made, they are usually a little less expensive than comparable Fenix models, and most important to me - their beam quality is so much better. The LEDs are perfectly centered in the reflector, and they have smooth beams with good neutral tints (depending on the model). For the price, it's hard to beat their BA/BC line for output and quality. The brand new PA/PC models look great, but don't be fooled by the 650 lumen rating of the PA10. That is on a 14500 rechargeable battery, and only for 30 minutes before the light shuts off. On a standard AA, it will only reach that o-so standard barrier for single AA lights of about 140 lumens. Also, if you see a crazy output of something like 550 lumens for their PC10 model, that's with an RCR123 battery fresh off the charger at 4.2 volts, not a primary 3.0v CR123.

A few posts back, you said:

From the begining I was leaning towards CR123

But now I see a lot of AA lights on your list. You will ALWAYS get MUCH more output, more runtime, and more options, in a shorter (but slightly wider) 1xCR123 light than from any 1xAA light. You'll change batteries less often with a CR123 light, and if you buy them in bulk online at $1 each or less, you'll actually be doing things cheaper than if you ran a AA light with lithium batteries (which you need to do for optimum performance in a AA light).

If you want a high quality light, with the most "bang (lumens) for your buck", you'll probably want to narrow your search down to CR123 lights.