recommendations for LED flashlights

J

jln26

Joined
Aug 16, 2001
Messages
115
hey there folks im leaning towards white LED torches however im not to familial in this area. hope u people can help with some recommendations. i want something that is not to big preferrably smaller than surefire's E2. it should be not to expensive either, maybe ard $20 max. came accross arc light (if i got the name right). its small like a maglight and uses AAA batteries. recommendations along this line with be greatly appreciated. thanks
 
The word on the streets is that the Arc is the brightest single-cell, single-LED you can get. Small enough for a keychain light, takes common batteries, about $20. Sounds like it meets your criteria to me.

Joe S
 
You might want to check out the Princeton Tec Attitude - 3 white LEDs, runs on 4 AAA batteries, about 12cm in length. Can be seen at www.brightguy.com - look under "what's new" Price about $20.

Sam
 
You should look at the Photon II and the Photon III. The Photons are so light that you can't even tell that they are in your pocket. Brightguy has those too and the Photon II is under $20. One note here. The Photon lights use 2 CR2016 lithium button batteries. They are available at Walmart in Georgia for about $2. The batteries last about 10 hours for good light. I have an ARC light too and I think the brightness of the light is about the same. (Could be wrong my eyes ain't what they used to be.);) The battery in the ARC light seems to last about four useful hours for me.
 
PHOTO PHOTON PHOTON PHOTON get the II. I like green. Some things just can't be improved upon and this is one of them. Get one go to the woods on a dark night and be amazed, plenty of light to navigate and battery life that just keeps on going. I've owned dozens of flashlights and have TWO that I really use, a Surefire 6p and a green PhotonII.
 
I'll add the CMG Infinity good personal flashlite,
but my Photon II in what is on my keychain, but I
do have that Mini-Mag on my belt.

The Infinity runs on 1 AA, may not be the brightest,
but I've never seen any flashlite I thought was
tougher, I don't think I could break it. (period) :)

Please note: I haven't used the Arc one before
 
Don't let my previous comments be construed as a review of the Arc AAA. I don't have one, but everyone that I've heard from that does says it's the neatest gadget since Og banged one rock into another, and made the second one sharp.

My personal choices as far as LED lights:
On Keychain: Princeton Pulsar white (no constant one switch, but very bright), and Photon II red (good for low-light situations of some duration where color distinction is not ultra high priority).

Sometimes around neck: Inova (Emissice Energy) Microlight, white: Although larger than some of the other lights, and not any brighter, it's very flat, so lays comfortably there, and the LED is recessed into the body (similar to Photon Covert), so the light doesn't spill back into my eyes when I hold it in my mouth to look into boxes in a dark basement at work. The rubber top is also easy on my teeth.

In backpack, and "just-in-case" pack: CMG Infinity Task Light. Not the brightest, but runs a LONG time on cheap, easy to store, and easy to find batteries(AA), in addition to being bomb-proof. Plus, the green is pretty bright.

Sometimes on belt loop: ASP Sapphire. Fun, and bright, but almost too blue, and more expensive and large than is necessary.

If I had to do it again, knowing what I know now, I would replace the the Princeton Tec with a Photon I, maybe giving up a bit of brightness for the water-proofness. Or maybe one of the new III's,as though I too dislike the excessive features, I find the water-resistance appealing. Though the Inova is ok for my purposes, it's mostly extraneous, as is the Sapphire (especially the Sapphire). Perhaps I would have saved that money, and put an Arc AAA on my keychain as my white light. The Task light might be more useful to me in white, or even red, but I hadn't owned a green LED yet, so.

My next purchase(s): I'm looking hard at the Arc AAA, because of all the good reviews, and the new Princeton Tec multi-Led's look good for real flashlight use.

Joe S.
 
For backpack carry, Photon 3. For pocket carry, Photon 2. The 3's tend to be accidentally turned on in my pockets, and the batteries drain. Several of my friends have the same problem.

Best price I have found: Bayou Lafourche Knife Works, the 2's are around 12 or 13 dollars.
 
If you want small and don't use it for long run times get a Photon 2, the Photon 3's tend to switch themselves on.

If you use it regularly and can live with something a little larger, go for the Arc AAA. It is about as bright as the Photon but stays at full brightness for 4 hours, while the Photon will start to dim after just 5 minutes.

If you will use it a LOT go for the Infinity AA. It is dimmer then the other two, but runs 40 hours on a single AA battery and is the largest of the three.

Even larger and still brighter is the Princeton Tec Attitude, using 4 AAA cells. The only truly waterproof light of the bunch.
 
Dims in 5 minutes? I think you got a bogus battery or led. I've used mine for 30 minutes to an hour at a time navigating in the woods in total darkness and if it dimmed it as so slight as to be imperceptible. Any light with only a momentary switch is a compromise at best. The on/off switch on a Photon II is optimal. The Photon III does indeed have too much gadgetry for me and the potential for failure increases exponentially with the addition of each feature. Color distinction at night is to me a moot point. Depth perception and contrast are what I find to be of value.Take a white light and a green light go to the woods just after it rains. With the white light you will take many mis-steps caused by relection of the light on wet surfaces and develop eye strain symptoms in a short period. Now turn off your light for 5 to 10 minutes and you will find that your night vision sucks. Repeat this test with the green light and you won't buy another white light that is not very powerful.Mag-Lights while being very good lights in 1985 are so far outclassed by modern lights that short of last ditch emergency where a GOOD light is not available they have little merit. This is not meant to belittle Mag Instruments it's the power source thats the problem A,B,C,D cell batteries are all heavy short lived and terribly underpowered for their size, they are 1940 technology.I don't put Photons or anything else(other than keys) on my key ring, I just put a small alligator clip on the ring on it so it can be clipped to my clothes,tent,treelimb etc or it can be slipped onto your finger like a ring, or clenched in your teeth or strung on a cord very easily. For size,weight,durability(including water resistance)light output,duration,dependability and cost the PhotonII can not be beat.YMMV.......but I doubt it very seriously.
 
Nope, there is no way the little CR2016 cells can put out that much power without dropping voltage, perhaps yours had already dimmed from the fresh battery level. Check out my chart on battery life on the Photon and Arc AAA. Don't get me wrong, the Photon is probably one of the most useful LED lights made.

http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/battery.htm
 
I just ordered a Princeton Tec "Attitude" for my dad. I have a Photon II on my keychain and LOVE it. I should probably sent him one of those as well.

Bought a Brinkman 2x3v Lithium "surefire copy" at WalMart last night. $20, including batteries. Makes a great addition to my junk drawer -- actually that sounds bad. I think it's a great little light for the $$$, so it's in a central location that I can find it quickly.

Mike
 
E-mailed "Bright Guy" asking that they change my order from "Attitude" (4-AAA) to "Impact" (4-AA).

Also ordered 5 white Photon-II's ($11.99/each) from TAD to give as gifts.

Mike
 
I just got a white Arc AAA light last week and i'm loving it. I replaced a two year old Photon II which had seen a lot of service. The arc isn't as bright as a turquoise photon with BRAND NEW BATTERIES but after the photon has seen even a little use the arc is brighter. During the last week I probably played with it for an hour and it isn't noticibly dimmer when I put a fresh battery in.

One thing that I haven't seen anyone else mention, I **LOVE** the beam pattern that it puts out. It is brightest in the center and gets dimmer very smoothly, I can't write eloquently enough to describe it :)
Every other LED flashlight (and incandescent for that matter) has 'hot spots' or an uneven beam pattern but the arc makes a perfect circular gradient.

Edit: One thing I forgot, the arc feels ridiculously durable, in comparison to both a maglite solitaire and my old photon. It feels like you could throw it off a 10 story building onto pavement and then drive over it with a car and the only damage would be cosmetic. The LED is recessed in the head and well protected, and the walls of the light are pretty thick for a small flashlight, not to mention the battery fits in perfectly flush so it's solid from one side to the other.

Adam
 
hey thanks for all the recommandations. ive kinda made up my mind btw the ARC and the CMG Infinity. but what i dont noe is how this two lights compare? can u people help me with this, i need input on the specs and the durable also most imporantly the batt life and the typre of batteries used. thanks for the input so far. pls keep them comin thanks pple.
 
The arc is a little smaller, comparable to a Maglight Solitaire. The CMG is thicker, a little thicker than a AA Mini-Mag. The Arc uses AAA, the CMG AA. The CMG has a manufacturer quoted run time of 41 hours per battery, the Arc 5 hours. The Arc is noticeably brighter.

They are both quite durable. Anything gross enough to destroy one will do in the other, or pretty close, I'll bet.

Joe S.
 
I agree with what Joe said. I would add the Arc AAA is much more "pocketable" then the CMG. Really it comes down to runtime. For me I would rather have a brighter light I always carry one me and change the battery more often.
 
I agree. The Arc is brighter, lighter and easier to carry. Actually, I don't think you will go wrong with either one.........
 
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