flashlights

[muphasta]

How do you like the cr123?

I love it! I have it in my front pocket and I don't notice it. I do carry my wallet in the same pocket so that may help disguise its presence. They have a Rev 2 now, and I'd like to get it, but I can't justify it.

 

[VermontEdge]

I love it! I have it in my front pocket and I don't notice it. I do carry my wallet in the same pocket so that may help disguise its presence. They have a Rev 2 now, and I'd like to get it, but I can't justify it.

I have a rev 2 arriving on Thursday and I'm so excited. Glad to hear that you've had a good experience with yours!

 

[muphasta]

Very cool! I must admit that I'm a bit jealous!!!

 

[SpyderPhreak]

Great comic Esav! Definitely "captures" the essence of flashaholicism!

I am LEDmodMan, and I AM a flashaholic. I remember the early days of "high-power" LEDs when we were ecstatic to get just a handful more lumens in the next, latest and greatest LED. 100-lumen LEDs were the holy grail for quite awhile.

Now it seems a new LED comes out every 6 months or so at 50% - 100% more Lumens than the last one. Pretty amazing stuff! We now have single LEDs producing 2,000 Lumens!

I've pretty much stopped modding lights now, as there are just SO many good choices out there. I did however, just last week, change out a white 5mm LED to a UV one in a small Battery Junction pinchlight.

I still LOVE my Welch-Allyn Mag hotwire mods! 900-1,000 incandescent Lumens out of a Mag still makes me smile.

 

[Joe_N]

If all you want to do is light up a tent go to Wal-Mart and check out the Ozark Trails flashlights. They make a 200 lumen, aluminum case flashlight that uses 3 AAA batteries for $9.95. I bought a couple for my wife and daughter to take to camp a couple of years ago and they worked great and I still keep one of them in my pickup. I happened through Wal-mart today and they had package deal with a 250 lumen flashlight that uses 2 AA batteries plus a 50 lumen head lamp for $14.95. The flashlight again has an all aluminum case. They may be cheap but they work and especially for something like lighting up a tent they work great. Both flashlights have a tail button on/off switch. They both have o-ring seals and a rubber cap over the switch that makes them look water resistant but I have never checked that feature. Again, if you just want a cheap, throw away flashlight that puts out decent light check out the Ozark Trails offerings.

 

[leghog]

I stopped chasing lumens a while ago. I use my light for watching where I'm going, and letting traffic see where I am crossing the street. NOT looking to blind anyone.

Yup. I go for headlamps often now, and if I were recommending one I'd recommend the Black Diamond Spot 2016 (adjustable 4-200 lumens) at 3.2 ounces with batteries and priced at ~$40 or the Black Diamond Cosmo (adjustable 4-160 lumens) at 3.0 ounces with batteries and priced at ~$30. If it's bright enough to walk a trail at night, it's bright enough for any other task I'll need illuminated.

 

[bdmicarta]

I do have a few old D cell Mag lights laying around, and now that the new LEDs are so bright, I doubt I'll ever use them again.

You can get LED bulbs to swap into the old Mags and they become useful again. I've found the lower powered bulbs on the auction site for about $10, a more powerful one for just over $15. There are really powerful ones available but for more money than you can buy a complete light at the big discount stores. The Mags are cheap and durable, and carry enough battery power to last for a long time. A couple of those around the house are useful- if your power goes out you can unscrew the reflector end and let it light up the room like a candle. Mag used to sell the bulbs by themselves but they don't do that anymore so you have to buy them from other brands. I have a 2C mag that I put a replacement LED in for use around the house. It is a little lighter and trimmer than the 2D versions.

I stopped chasing lumens a while ago. I use my light for watching where I'm going, and letting traffic see where I am crossing the street. NOT looking to blind anyone.

I was buying fancier lights years ago, when the first Luxeon LED's came on the market. I wasn't going for the real expensive ones, just ones that I could actually use. It is an interesting hobby but the lights become obsolete fast as new ones come out. I have a pile of old ones that are pretty mundane now. Back then for really high output you had to mod bigger lights to use higher voltage bulbs. I have a 2D Mag modded to use a higher voltage bulb, running on 8 AA NIMh batteries. The cheap LED lights now beat it for a lot less trouble.

I won't fault a person for chasing lumens and buying fancy lights, it's fun just like buying fancy knives and so forth. I'm more interested in just using them now and around the house I don't need much power but outdoors or especially indoors in large construction projects a little extra light is useful. I carry a Fenix PD22 in my pocket every day. I think it is 150 Lumens or more with a standard CR123 battery. I have an older Fenix PD32 in my briefcase that I believe is approaching 300 Lumens with CR123's. I find that around the house I am happy with my old Inova X5 that puts out a flood beam instead of a spot. I also have an assortment of AA mini-mags with various LED replacements. Some of them are fairly bright but they are convenient to use around the house. Occasionally I get the urge to look at new lights. Maybe a tiny 14400 model would be fun to play with.

 

[bravodelta]

Oh man. Knives and flashlight talk on the same forum!! I always had d cell mag-lights, but in 2002, I bought my girlfriend (now wife) one of the first LED flashlight, a Lightwave 4000.

I soon discovered CPF and got a Surefire 6p. Fast forward 12 and the lumen wars have gone bonkers and the prices have come down. I have given all of the Chinese brands such as Zebralight, Nitecore, 4'Sevens and olight a shot, but have officially given up on all of them. In my experience, they have not proven reliable enough for my needs and the service / warranty is horrible.

I have stuck to mostly Surefire, Malkoff's and a few Streamlights, due to overall quality, reliability and in rare instances, phenomenal warranty.

I have also realized that 500 lumens is usually enough for most applications and waaay to much for normal EDC stuff. However, that doesn't keep my from hanging a Surefire Titan Plus from my keys LOL.

The last 10 years have been astounding for the LED industry, I can only imagine what the next 10 will bring!!!

 

[VermontEdge]

Took some pictures tonight illustrating my tendency toward the guy showing off in the comic. I agree that 500 lumens is more than enough but I really do love throwing 1,600 lumens around with this guy:

Nothing fancy, just some pictures with my phone, but you get the idea:

 

[muphasta]

I have a rev 2 arriving on Thursday and I'm so excited. Glad to hear that you've had a good experience with yours!

give us a first impression as soon as you can! I can understand waiting until tomorrow so you have a night to play w/it...

 

[VermontEdge]

give us a first impression as soon as you can! I can understand waiting until tomorrow so you have a night to play w/it...

Of course...USPS changes my delivery date to tomorrow as I'm on my way home today!

 

[muphasta]

damn them!!!!

 

[fast14riot]

The Nitrcore P12 and Olight M21X are both great lights.

Do some research on the BLF A6. My cheapest light yet one of my favorites.

I'd check out the Fenix PD32. It takes an 18650, has a brightness range from 5 to 340 lumens and you can find them for around 50 dollars or so.

Thanks for the recommendations, I have a Shining Beam S-mini (~$30) that's a good little light but not enough overhang on the bezel to protect the lens very well for dropping in rocky terrain. Also, I'd like to check out some other lights I might want for myself, lol!

-Xander

 

[ASBOB]

That toolvn has my interest. Could someone explain the difference between the systems? Also, I could only find one place that sells them, so if anyone could pm me with some sites I would appreciate it.

My thanks for help.

 

[AusLoX]

Some stuff I have. I have various others. A couple sure fires. S1 baton. Few other Olights. I don't have really high end lights but the Fenix is a great brand IMO.

 

[zprof]

As a bicyclist, I'e been interested in adopting lighting technology as it comes out. Really impressed with current generation LEDs which have nice beam color, minimal hotspot, and amazing build quality for the price. I have Sunwayman, Fenix, Surefire and no-name flashlights and some nice bike lights (Lupine, Ibex). Plus, light, small LED headlights rock. Being able to recharge a lithium battery via micro USB is also something I appreciate. Easy to use in cars, and via a small 20W solar panel I have at the ready.

 

[camoninja]

A

That toolvn has my interest. Could someone explain the difference between the systems? Also, I could only find one place that sells them, so if anyone could pm me with some sites I would appreciate it.

My thanks for help.

Look on candlepower forum. You'll find many VN lights. He is a builder.

 

[Liu tree]

Suppose that two flashlight beams are shone on a white screen, one through a pane of blue glass and the other through a pane of yellow glass. What color appears on the screen where the two beams overlap? Suppose, instead, that the two panes of glass are placed in the beam of a single flashlight. What then?

 

[Liu tree]

Suppose that two flashlight beams are shone on a white screen, one through a pane of blue glass and the other through a pane of yellow glass. What color appears on the screen where the two beams overlap? Suppose, instead, that the two panes of glass are placed in the beam of a single flashlight. What then?

 

[nozyk]

A

Look on candlepower forum. You'll find many VN lights. He is a builder.

Yep, Vinghs builds are legendary. Now I go in search of this tiny powerhouse myself. I've promised myself to stay away from CPF but the flesh is weak.