Good EDC flashlights?

Still liking this model, I just got in a few to give as gifts to my daughter's inlaws that I will be visiting on the 4th, they have a very nice house on a lake nearby and always hosts things, so this is a small way of saying thanks, one for him, one for her.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2
 
SharpBits said:
Thanks to @DA170 @SACBALLZ @LimpCroissant I ordered and received my first Convoy flashlight. T6 copper head stonewash Ti AA. Fantastic price and build quality.
Emitter:
LED type: 519A
TC / light color: 5700K

View attachment 3172487
Click to expand...
I recently got sucked into the rabbit hole of Convoy Flashlights... I have 4 on the way. The T6 like you have is on the way but with the SFT-25R emitter, 5000K.
 
TheHollowGrind said:
I recently got sucked into the rabbit hole of Convoy Flashlights... I have 4 on the way. The T6 like you have is on the way but with the SFT-25R emitter, 5000K.
Click to expand...

It's a wonderful rabbit hole and only not shown much in my EDC pics because I take my pics in the daylight. I've got Convoys all over my house, dedicated ones for different tasks, ones I've given friends and family, etc.. 🤣

No matter what else I try, and I've tried at least half a dozen new lights from different companies this year, Convoy just never gets unseated. Battery choice, emitter choice, color temperature choice, and a good variety of mode groups/orders that appeal to me on a simple mechanical switch... it's hard to beat.

I recently reviewed a couple of lights with complicated user interfaces that necessitate long-pressing and/or double-clicking through a bunch of steps to get what I want, every time... It makes me appreciate my Convoys even more.

2ujtg5w.jpeg
 
bdmicarta said:
I have admired Olight products but never bought one. I have at least 8 Fenix products, 6 or 7 that get used regularly, and I've never had any problems with them.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I have been looking at the Arkfeld by them. I also want a rechargeable if necessary.
 
NotoriousAma said:
Agreed. I have been looking at the Arkfeld by them. I also want a rechargeable if necessary.
Click to expand...
My latest Fenix is a PD36R, it's rechargeable. I have a PD32 and PD35 that both were using CR123 or 18650 so they are running rechargeable 18650. I have a small rechargeable Fenix on my keychain. My most recent light is an Acebeam Pokelite that I bought on sale from Amazon. I think it would run from a AA battery but it came with a rechargeable. That one I carry in my pocket always.

I like a rechargeable light because otherwise CR123 batteries can get expensive. When I'm out camping I usually have the PD35 so if need be I can put in a couple of spare CR123 but I'm good about keeping the rechargeables topped off so they will always work.
 
I've had good reliable experience with Fenix , Nitecore , and Olight .

Key to the lithium battery types is to buy their brand name , or equal quality .:cool:

Lots of not very good , maybe even dangerous , lithium batteries on the market . :eek:

Other advise, is to research carefully about lumen ratings on "turbo" . Lots of these are very short duration , almost useless , and get very hot fast .

Use mainly headlamps but not for EDC carry .

Fenix PD36R Pro is my current carry . Great medium sized true tac light . Probably too big for most folk's EDC situations , however .
 
Last edited:
DocJD said:
I've had good reliable experience with Fenix , Nitecore , and Olight .

Key to the lithium battery types is to buy their brand name , or equal quality .:cool:

Lots of not very good , maybe even dangerous , lithium batteries on the market . :eek:

Other advise, is to research carefully about lumen ratings on "turbo" . Lots of these are very short duration , almost useless , and get very hot fast .

Use mainly use headlamps but not for EDC carry .

Fenix PD36R Pro is my current carry . Great medium sized true tac light . Probably too big for most folk's EDC situations , however .
Click to expand...

I still remember paying stupid money for branded Nitecore lithium cells with the protection technology built in. I later discovered that they were just a hair longer than the regular 18650 cells and were causing issues with the springs in my Convoy lights. I swapped them out for the relatively cheap unprotected lithium cells specifically recommended by Convoy on a website I can't mention here and haven't had a problem since.

Of course, I'm running these cheap cells in inexpensive lights from Convoy but I've literally never had an issue with them and I've been doing it for years. Same for most of the regulars I chat with on Budget Light Forum (a great place to discuss all your flashlight needs.) The basic rule for unprotected cells is NEVER run them in series, as in lights that stack cells back to back in a tube. I only use them in single-cell lights. It's also worth getting a decent charger for them.

Temperature regulation is a good idea. AFAIK, all of my lights have inbuilt temperature step-down but it's worth keeping in mind. It's not as much the risk of getting burned or causing a fire but of degrading the emitter over time. Both for that reason and for not discharging my cells too quickly, I almost never use the turbo setting on my lights. While most of my Convoy lights have mode order choices that look like 0.1%, 1%, 10%, 35%, 100%; I have a few that allow for a 50% that tends to be plenty of light.
 
DocJD said:
I've had good reliable experience with Fenix , Nitecore , and Olight .

Key to the lithium battery types is to buy their brand name , or equal quality .:cool:

Lots of not very good , maybe even dangerous , lithium batteries on the market . :eek:

Other advise, is to research carefully about lumen ratings on "turbo" . Lots of these are very short duration , almost useless , and get very hot fast .

Use mainly use headlamps but not for EDC carry .

Fenix PD36R Pro is my current carry . Great medium sized true tac light . Probably too big for most folk's EDC situations , however .
Click to expand...
The PD36R is a great light. For EDC I like the LD30. Smaller package, plenty of power and has nice spill.

IMG_9969.jpeg
 
Chronovore said:
I still remember paying stupid money for branded Nitecore lithium cells with the protection technology built in. I later discovered that they were just a hair longer than the regular 18650 cells and were causing issues with the springs in my Convoy lights. I swapped them out for the relatively cheap unprotected lithium cells specifically recommended by Convoy on a website I can't mention here and haven't had a problem since.

Of course, I'm running these cheap cells in inexpensive lights from Convoy but I've literally never had an issue with them and I've been doing it for years. Same for most of the regulars I chat with on Budget Light Forum (a great place to discuss all your flashlight needs.) The basic rule for unprotected cells is NEVER run them in series, as in lights that stack cells back to back in a tube. I only use them in single-cell lights. It's also worth getting a decent charger for them.

Temperature regulation is a good idea. AFAIK, all of my lights have inbuilt temperature step-down but it's worth keeping in mind. It's not as much the risk of getting burned or causing a fire but of degrading the emitter over time. Both for that reason and for not discharging my cells too quickly, I almost never use the turbo setting on my lights. While most of my Convoy lights have mode order choices that look like 0.1%, 1%, 10%, 35%, 100%; I have a few that allow for a 50% that tends to be plenty of light.
Click to expand...
My advice was only intended for those more ignorant of these things than myself ! ;)

I remember the old days , when guys were modding their "torches " and had some dramatic learning experiences . :eek:

I also have had some bad experience , with the specs of cheap lithium batteries, and flashlights , being wildly overrated .

Clone and generic lithium batteries, for power tools , are sometimes outright fire hazards .

Cheap is not cheap, if it causes a fire and /or injury .
 
I will testify that flashlights and batteries have come a long way , in my lifetime . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

On of my part time jobs, during my college years , was as a night watchman / security guard.

I carried a huge , baseball bat sized , D cell Maglite . It was an awesome club... but not a great light . 😏
 
DocJD said:
My advice was only intended for those more ignorant of these things than myself ! ;)

I remember the old days , when guys were modding their "torches " and had some dramatic learning experiences . :eek:

I also have had some bad experience , with the specs of cheap lithium batteries, and flashlights , being wildly overrated .

Clone and generic lithium batteries, for power tools , are sometimes outright fire hazards .

Cheap is not cheap, if it causes a fire and /or injury .
Click to expand...

Adam Savage from Myth Busters fame did a segment on 18650 batteries which was interesting and they agreed that cheap is not necessarily better.

 
DocJD said:
My advice was only intended for those more ignorant of these things than myself ! ;)

I remember the old days , when guys were modding their "torches " and had some dramatic learning experiences . :eek:

I also have had some bad experience , with the specs of cheap lithium batteries, and flashlights , being wildly overrated .

Clone and generic lithium batteries, for power tools , are sometimes outright fire hazards .

Cheap is not cheap, if it causes a fire and /or injury .
Click to expand...

To be fair, I do use the cheapies recommended by Convoy. If anyone doesn't know, Convoy is basically one guy and he is active over on Budget Light Forum. He makes great stuff and will sometimes offer custom mods on request. Doing that for a while, I've gotten a feeling for which cheapies are good. At least, I could open up the lights I have on hand to look. 😅

Yeah, you definitely don't want to have a problem. Most of the problems I've read about have occurred while charging and involve fire with very toxic smoke. 😮


DocJD said:
I will testify that flashlights and batteries have come a long way , in my lifetime . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

On of my part time jobs, during my college years , was as a night watchman / security guard.

I carried a huge , baseball bat sized , D cell Maglite . It was an awesome club... but not a great light . 😏
Click to expand...

I too remember the "good old days" with my incandescent (and later xenon) Maglites. When the LED thing was new, I held on because the LED choices were both crazy cool white and often had bad PWM. Over time though, better LEDs became available on better flashlights. I continue to speak highly of Convoy and part of that is that they've consistently offers great emitters with choice of color temperature. I still remember when I got my first light with a Nichia 219A at like 4000K color temperature and no visible PWM. It was awesome. Now there are just so many great options.

Coincidentally, I also still remember the last time I broke out an old incandescent Maglite and it was so much worse than I remembered. The dim light and all the beam artifacts... at least it had good color temperature and no PWM with the direct current. 🤣
 
Chronovore said:
speak highly of Convoy
Click to expand...
Worth looking at , I'm confident . ;)

I'm not quite as oversupplied with flashlights , as with knives ; but still, I have a wife and a budget . :eek:

I'm trying hard to keep both . 😏

Edit: Just looked briefly at the Convoy site . Prices and shipping seem very reasonable .

They have many options for LED and driver (and batteries ) .

I'd have to do some considerable research to even make those choices ! :cool:
 
Last edited:
I've had two versions of the Fenix PD-35 and I liked both. I have also owned two Klarus XT2Cs (one died, other one is going strong) and it is, in my opinion, the best EDC or tactical torch interface design I have ever seen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top