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That's the exact reason I just bought a D10. The variable brightness looks fun. One gripe I have about my Fenix is it goes from almost bright enough, to burn your eye sockets, with nothing inbetween.
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- Thread starter Fiddleback
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That's the exact reason I just bought a D10. The variable brightness looks fun. One gripe I have about my Fenix is it goes from almost bright enough, to burn your eye sockets, with nothing inbetween.
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- Apr 17, 2007
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For AA lights, I think the Nitecore Defender Infinity and the Liteflux LF5XT are the best ones out there at the moment. The NDI has a very elegant interface, and just feels great in the hand. It has deep options if you want it to, or you can just ignore them.
The LF5XT is my current favorite flashlight, by far. Very high build quality, latest LED technology, great runtimes, but the real draw is the interface. Not only can you program the brightess and type (continuous, SOS, strobe, etc.) of the five available settings, you can set it to have as many settings as you want. If you want a single level light, you can have it. If you want a low low, a high high, and a strobe, you can do that. Whatever you want, you can program in, and programming really isn't as bad as some make it out to be. If you can follow basic instructions, you can program the light.
I got the EX10 the day it came out and promptly sold it since the UI just didn't do it for me. I'm not saying it wasn't a great light, I just think there are better options. I do love my EdgeTac (Nitecore and Raidfire parent company) products though, so I am excited to see what they do next.
For headlamps, there are not many Chinese manufacturers pushing the envelope. Zebralight makes some cool products, but they are pure flood lights, which does not appeal to me all that much. Fenix supposedly has a headlamp coming out, but they have been saying that for a couple of years now. The best headlamps out there are coming from the traditional headlamp guys, and some of them are right up there with the Chinese companies in terms of technology.
Coleman has a little mini CREE headlamp (up to 70 lumens) that runs on CR2 batteries that I absolutely love. It has multiple levels, is light and tiny, and is bright as ones 10x its size and weight. The low level is not super low though, so I have heard some people say that it is TOO bright. Coleman is not traditionally associated with quality, but their new Exponent line is impressive, surpassing a lot of the established brands.
If you want more runtime, Petzl has some great headlamps in their Myo line. Their current Myo XP (up to 150 lumens, 80 realistically) is what I use in conjunction with the Coleman. It has multiple levels and fantastic runtime with 3xAA batteries. The best feature is a flip up diffuser, so you can switch from flood to throw without having to use crappy 5mm LEDs as the flood solution like most other manufacturers do. There is a consumer advisory out on them right now since a few have melted wires while using rechargeable batteries, so heads up on that. That said, I have used Eneloops exclusively in mine with no problems.
Petzl has a new model coming out next year, the Myo RXP. It is basically the same as the XP, but you can program the brightness levels on each setting, which is some pretty awesome technology coming from a giant corporation.
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- Apr 17, 2007
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- 1,607
We have to share our obsession with as many people as possible so that the light makers increase sales and make more lights.
Check the CPF Marketplace for used/unwanted flashlights and you can often get them below retail.
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- Oct 19, 2005
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And they do have a knife section there too Christof. You may be able to do some trading.
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- Jul 31, 2007
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- 1,421
The run times listed on Coleman's website for the mini-headlight are pretty slim. Do you feel the battery life is worth it? Perhaps in comparison to Petzl's E-lite?
L
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- Sep 6, 2007
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- 1,473
They are VERY different animals.
- The L1D has a reverse click type of button with no momentary function.
- The EX10/D10 has forward-click button with momentary function (also called tactical click button), but it also has a twist-activation option. (that's the beauty of the piston-system)
- The L1D comes with 6-preset levels of brightness plus annoying strobe and an useless SOS mode that is too slow
- The EX10/D10 has infinitive variable brightness system
- The EX10/D10 can use rechargeable Li-Ion batteries without losing functions. (80 minutes of full power on one 14500 Li-Ion). The P1D on a Li-Ion lose its lower modes, only high is available
- The EX10/D10 has aggressive knurling on the whole body, while the P1D is quite slippery
- The EX10/D10 comes with a true Mil Spec Type-III Hard Anodizing finish, the P1D is only an improved version of the common Type-II anodizing
- The EX10/D10 has a much lower low mode for optimal close area illumination and energy saving purposes:thumbup:
Watch this video to learn how the Smart PD - Piston System works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irqhuV8Xo_A
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- Sep 6, 2007
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- 1,473
The new EagleTac P10A or the P10A2 hands down!
(or the C models for more power) They are fantastic lights!!
http://www.eagletac-store.com/index.php?cPath=103
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- Apr 17, 2007
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Keep in mind that Coleman uses accurate measurements, which means time to 50% brightness, while Petzl and most other companies will use time to the end of when it produces any light at all, even if that light is completely worthless. We sell both the Coleman and the E-lite at work, and the E-lite is pretty lame, in my opinion. Not much light, and has been shown to not function (at all) when sand or dirt gets in the switching mechanism. The E-lite is better than nothing and definitely does not take up much room or weight, but I think there are better options out there.
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- Apr 17, 2007
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They make some interesting claims:
"Offering up to 50% more output and fully regulated runtime compared to other flashlight using the same battery."
What are they comparing them to, the first Fenix ever made? The do look like fantastic designs, but 4sevens should probably do some editing on the product text that was obviously not written by him or his staff.
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Well, you can check the reviews and see with your own eyes. The P10A2 is so powerful and efficient, that even using only 2xAA alkalines it almost beat the Malkoff M60 LED module on 2XCR123 (the most powerful LED drop-in in the market, bar none).
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=208362
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- Oct 19, 2005
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I want one of those Eagle Tac's too. My addiction is raging right now. At a bad time too. I ordered a Kingpower K1 yesterday. I want one of the piston drive Liteflux AA lights. And that Eagle Tac one too. I still have and use my trusty Fenix L1D also.
AA lights are really looking good this year.
AA lights are really looking good this year.
I would say that for tried-and-true reliability, Fenix is at the top of that heap. Strange to say that, given how young the company is, but the fact is that I have experience with over 12 Fenix lights (I own 4 and have distributed 8 more), and none of them have given their owners any issues. They are certainly completely waterproof down to 8ft or so (had someone dive into a pool with one).
I carry a Nitecore EX10 with me all the time, primarily because it supports rechargeable batteries, while none of the 1-cell Fenix lights do it very well (the 2-cell lights work great with LiIon rechargeables). The exception is using NiMH of course, but the L1D with a Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH feels like it's about 2X heavier (and it's also somewhat larger) than a P2D or the Nitecore with a Lithium cell... while having a max that is probably a little less than 100lm (yes, I know, saying "only 100lm" does sound pretty silly).
However, the Nitecore does have some issues... it's not nearly as waterproof as the Fenix (I dunked it into a bath as a test, and water got in). I had to disassemble the light, and while I was able to get it to be relatively water-proof with some tinkering, it has a major design flaw that makes it impossible to make the light truly waterproof, without sealing the head with epoxy.
The Nitecore also has some switching problems when using it as a clicky, when not used for awhile. The twist function still works, making this a rather reliable light in a pinch, but the clicky needs a couple of presses to come back to life.
For everyday use, the upsides of the light have won over the downsides for me... the variable brightness, and memory, and the very low level are all very good characteristics. But if Fenix comes out with a P2D-sized forward-clicky light with a 10lm low and a 120lm high, that can take rechargeables, I'll be all over it.
I know right now im getting buy with an Inova X1 (10 lumens?) and an X0 (32 lumens I read some where, boy is that right, thats lame! 
)
anyway, Having the tk10 in a few days will get me what Im looking for, ill have low, medium and high outputs covered in two lights, which works for me.
)anyway, Having the tk10 in a few days will get me what Im looking for, ill have low, medium and high outputs covered in two lights, which works for me.
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The numbers you quoted before look about right, depending on the generation. There are several versions of Inovas out there since they do not change the model number when they change the innards.
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- Jul 31, 2007
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What about the Fenix LD10? https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_69_50&products_id=466
L
L
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Looks like a good light, very similar to the L1D. I don't notice any major differences other than the anti-roll design and the textured vs. smooth reflector. I had a L1D for a while and was happy with it.
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The X line is being discontinued... There are several generations of the X1, X5 and the XO.I know right now im getting buy with an Inova X1 (10 lumens?) and an X0 (32 lumens I read some where, boy is that right, thats lame!
The original XO used the TIROS system instead of a reflector (Total Internal Reflection Optics) in the front of a Luxeon I LED. This is the model:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/inova_xo.htm
The "new" XO uses an aluminum refletor instead of TIROS lens, a larger bezel and a Luxeon III LED, this is the model:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/inova_xo-r.htm
To make things even more complicated, Inova released a new model a few years ago named XO2, which is basically an updated (more powerful) version of the original TIROS XO. This one is of out of the market. There is also an XO3, which is the twist-switch version of the Inova T3 without knurling on the hexagonal body.
Inova make EXCELLENT products with no B.S warranty and all Made in the USA to boot, but I'd avoid buying anything from the X series. The T Series is the way to go!
Be advised that there are 3 version of the T series as well, the original (discontiued), the 2007 line (also discontinued) and 2008 (current line) which is a suberb series of lights sporting the new Phillips Lumileds TFFC K2 LEDs. You can get them here at discounted prices:
http://www.batteryjunction.com/intat.html :thumbup:
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