Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why?

Posted by: spuds

Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 12/31/12 09:45 PM

Got a maglight XL200-Love the output,will light the tops of pine trees,a little bulky,dont like the 3 AAA setup,for power hrs output they are lacking.Nice build quality.

Fenix E11-Just got it,two power modes,been using at work,very impressed size to power for one AA.I LIKE this light,a LOT.

Fenix EO5- Nice at 27 lumens and tiny well built keychain light BUT....looks like the LD01 with same size but three power modes would have been a better choice.

OK,thats where Im at for now.....AA and AAA,yet to advance to other batteries....yet! grin
Posted by: Russ

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 12/31/12 10:50 PM

In Maglights I have a 2D with 1 watt LED and a 3D with 3 watt LED -- nice lights, the 3D light has lots of reach and great runtime.

In lights that are easier to carry, I'm very partial to the lights FourSevens has available. I have the 2xAA Quark Pro QP2A and its smaller sibling the 1xAA Quark Pro QPA.

My aviation survival vest has the 2x123A Quark Tactical QT2L-X programmed with the 65 lumen medium output as one mode and the 360 lumen Beacon for the second mode.

IMO FourSevens' quality is as good as Fenix but with a 120 month (10 year) warranty.
Posted by: chaosmagnet

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 12/31/12 11:06 PM

For me to post my entire flashlight inventory would be tantamount to asking for an intervention. I'll post a few of my favorites:

Eagletac G25C2 - My "go to" light for easy mode changing, tons of output and decent throw. If I'm checking for skunks before letting the dog out, a great choice.

Hexbright Flex - A recent acquisition, very floody and significantly thicker bodies than my other 18650-celled lights. A floody as it is, it is still bright enough to light up the yard. Awesome for indoors work as well. I've started to develop my own code for it slowly.

Maelstrom X7 - Mounted on my Remington 870 with a tape switch, the G25C2 was purchased to replace it.

 
Posted by: Russ

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 12/31/12 11:34 PM

the FourSevens Maelstrom are great lights. I have the Maelstrom MM-X which I bought to see coyotes in the park. I had been using my 2xAA light which was good for seeing reflections off predator eyes, but with the Maelstrom they don't need to be looking at you. Really bright for a light you can drop in your coat pocket.
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 12/31/12 11:43 PM

I really like my latest, a Zabralight headlamp - one AA and three light levels, the brightest of which is 160 lumens (IIRC). It usefully augments my trusty keychain light, a Fenix LD01. I am constantly impressed at the number and quality of really fine flashlights available these days (conpared to "way back when").
Posted by: haertig

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/01/13 12:12 AM

I have a bazillion LED flashlights. My favorite for daily carry is the FourSevens Quark 1xAA. I like if for its bullet-proof build quality and the fact that I can run it off of 14500 rechargeable LiIon, primary Lithium, NiMH, or alkaline. That flexibility in power source is great, although 99% of the time mine is running on the 14500 for maximum brightness.

Second place goes to my Olight T15 1xAA. It has all the same desireable traits as the FourSevens.

The main difference between these two lights is in the user interface. The Olight requires you to twist the head for every mode change, which requires two hands. The FourSevens requires a quick tap on the pushbutton to change modes (a one-handed operation), then you can additionally twist the head (a two-handed operation) to get two more modes that you cycle through with button taps like before (one-handed operation again). I prefer the FourSevens interface.

However, the Olight beats the FourSevens in that it remembers the last mode it was in between uses. The FourSevens has no such memory and always starts up in the default mode. The problem with this is that if you turn off the light and then immediately realize that you need it a little while longer, when you turn it back on quickly the FourSevens takes that as a mode change command. Additionally, when you use the FourSevens and then turn it off for a while and then turn it back on, you have to cycle through the modes to get back to the level you want it to be at.

Also, the FourSevens has a super low mode, much lower than the Olight. 0.2 lumens. This is useless for eyes not adapted to darkness, but is really nice for getting out of bed at night. It is a great super low level output to putz around the house in the dark when you just woke up. The battery would last forever at this low output level.

Fenix makes some nice lights too, but they don't accept the rechargeable LiIon's like the FourSevens and Olights do, so that was a non-starter for me. The rechargeable LiIon's give you higher max brightness and longer runtimes. But their output voltage is higher so lights have to be designed to work at the higher voltage as well as at the lower voltage of alkaline and NiMH batteries. The Fenix's are not designed like that.

Posted by: LesSnyder

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/01/13 04:15 AM

nothing exotic and probably overlooked better choices

Maglight 2D LED...SolarForce L2M with 320 lumen module...my go to utility/nightstand flashlights

SureFire.... 6P with 240 lumen Malkoff module, G2 with 320 lumen Solar Force module, Scout Light on the 870 for gun lights

Fenix E01 lithium... keychain ..... Streamlight ProTac 1L... EDC

Fenix E21, and Black Diamond Orion headlamp... attempt at standardization to AAs (Sanyo Eneloops)

the cr123 powered lights are specialty lights and not routinely used
Posted by: Phaedrus

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/01/13 07:25 AM

Yeah, someone would probably stage an intervention on me if I listed them all! grin My EDC is a Fenix EO1 on my keychain. I always have an LED headlamp from Streamlight (loaded with lithium batteries) in the glove box of my truck. I also always have my JETBeam BC10 in my right jacket or fleece pocket, I'm never without it. My JETBeam collection also includes a BC20 and a BC25. My favorite lights are Surefires. I have two E1B Backups and a Tactical light (LED, a Z-something, forget the model...). Lastly I also have a Surefire 300X Ultra weaponlight mounted on my FNP 45 Tactical in case things go bump in the night.
Posted by: wileycoyote

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/01/13 04:28 PM

i mostly own and carry 1xAAA. being so small, i can always have a couple on me.

here's a pix of my custom 120-lumen MillerMods Arc, Mako, E05 and DQG Tiny.



i do try new 'lights now and then. lately i've been playing with a tactical clickie light: a JetBeam PA10 with 14500 3.6V rechargeable Li-Ion battery. this little 1xAA puts out 650-lumens.
Posted by: spuds

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/01/13 06:23 PM

Originally Posted By: hikermor
It usefully augments my trusty keychain light, a Fenix LD01.
I read these can hum,has that been an issue for you?

Have a surfire on shotty,cant remember model but a pricy nice light anyhow.

Agreed,just reading threads from a couple years ago LED lights,performance and quality jumps,so many GREAT lights out there now!

Certainly a topic that needed an up to date rollcall.
Posted by: spuds

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/01/13 09:21 PM

Holy Smokes! I did a paste and search on every light mentioned,they are all CRAZY good lights,Im astounded whats out there!
Posted by: boatman

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 12:24 AM

I carry an ARC AAA premium and an Gerber Infinity Task Light.The gerber replaced my CMG infinity that was lost.Pros are common power cells and basicly no moving parts.In this I mean there are no push button or internal switches that can fail.The connection is direct contact on the battery teminals.
The cons are the AA Gerber Infinity is a little thick for pants pocket carry.The other thing is the Gerber turns on by twisting the tail cap instead of the head like the ARC AAA or the CMG.This is just picking nits and I find they are both "Bomb Proof" pieces of gear.....


BOATMAN
John
Posted by: haertig

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 12:47 AM

I have several of the original CMG Infinities. Those are my emergency lights. In addition to being built like a tank, the battery lasts forever. Nowhere near as bright as today's LED marvels, but what you want for emergencies is long lasting light and durability. A super-bright thing that only lasts one hour per battery is good for everyday carry where batteries are plentiful and you have house power to charge LiIon's and NiMH's, but IMHO, not for emergencies. You just can't beat those CMG Infinities for emergency backup.
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 01:03 AM

Originally Posted By: spuds
I read these can hum,has that been an issue for you?

Hum? - not a bit? I usually run lithium batteries in mine (for longer runtime), if that makes a difference. I usually change about once a year, whether it needs a new batt or not.....
Posted by: Russ

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 02:12 AM

I like the CMG/Gerber Infinity lights, they are well built and reliable. However, while the newer lights can run much brighter with correspondingly shorter run-times, they can also run much dimmer with correspondingly longer run-times. For dark adjusted eyes, the 1xAA FourSevens Quark Pro QPA has a moonlight mode of 0.2 lumens which is good for 10 days (70 hours) of walking around with dark adjusted eyes.

If you need a bit more light you can bump it up to 4 lumens which is still good for 2 days. Bump it again and you get 22 lumens for 6 hrs, and then 85 lumens for 1.5 hrs. In any of those modes a simple twist of the head takes you directly to 109 lumens which drains the battery in 1.2 hrs.

I can't do that with a Gerber Infinity. With the Gerber I hold the light deep in my closed hand to limit the beam and avoid spillage. It's just the same.

Not affiliated, just a user.
Posted by: James_Van_Artsdalen

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 03:31 AM

In my carry bag:

1. SureFire Minimus, 1xCR123 headlamp
2. 4sevens Preon P1, 1xAAA twisty
3. 4sevens Quark Pro QPA, 1xAA clicky, with prism attached

The 4sevens lights are only there as bug-out bag lights; the Surefire is a daily work light. The disaster lights are deliberately single-cell and don't need exotic cells: in a hurricane or earthquake aftermath it's a lot easier to scavenge an AA than a CR123.

There's a 4sevens Mini ML (1xCR123) in my pocket. This gets the most use away from a lab bench (where a headlamp is always used). I sometimes find clicky lights get turned on somehow in my pocket so I prefer a twisty lights there: I prefer single-cell to minimize the risk of thermal runaway (i.e. "vent with flame" in my pocket sounds uncomfortable).

My keychain has a 4sevens Mini MLR2, a 1xCR2 twisty. Battery cost is the issue here, but 200 lm from a keychain...

General comments:

Don't underestimate headlamps. A steerable headlamp almost always beats a hand-held light in real-world usability for anything beyond momentary use.

Cree just announced their MK-R LED series, which reaches 200 lm/W. These will make for much longer runtimes and for honest output levels on a lot of lights (my Mini MLR2 has a claimed 200 lm max, but no way can it do that for long because of heat).
Posted by: Russ

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 03:33 AM

Interesting. I tend to use the lower output modes more often than the high end so bumping it up from moonlight to low to medium makes much more sense than a bump from moonlight to max.
Posted by: haertig

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 06:10 AM

Originally Posted By: Russ
FourSevens Quark Pro QPA has a moonlight mode of 0.2 lumens which is good for 10 days (70 hours) of walking around with dark adjusted eyes.

If you need a bit more light you can bump it up to 4 lumens which is still good for 2 days. Bump it again and you get 22 lumens for 6 hrs, and then 85 lumens for 1.5 hrs. In any of those modes a simple twist of the head takes you directly to 109 lumens which drains the battery in 1.2 hrs.

Power that Quark with a 14500 LiIon rechargeable and the max output jumps up to 160 - 180 lumens (I can't remember the exact output boost). The other modes stay the same lumen output with a 14500.

I wish manufacturers would get rid of the useless strobe, flash, blink, SOS, etc. modes. Those are just a waste IMHO, and a pain in the butt to have to cycle through if you hit them by accident. I would say, make a special version of the light specifically for folks that need those extra modes so everybody else doesn't have to put up with their annoyance.

I bought my last headlamp (I have many) specifically BECAUSE it didn't have a flashing mode. Who in the heck needs a flashing headlamp?! My headlamp does OFF - HIGH - LOW. Perfect!
Posted by: LesSnyder

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 01:51 PM

for you that may need a high output long run time light... jeopardized by a shut down due to excessive heat....you might check out the Malkoff modules... they are expensive, but have massive brass heat sinks

http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/dropin-mod-dropins-to-fit-surefire-c-1_14.html
Posted by: Arney

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 02:28 PM

Originally Posted By: haertig
Who in the heck needs a flashing headlamp?!

Some runners, cyclists, walkers, etc. out at night will use a flashing headlamp not to see with, but to be seen (for safety).
Posted by: chaosmagnet

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 04:49 PM

Originally Posted By: haertig
I wish manufacturers would get rid of the useless strobe, flash, blink, SOS, etc. modes. Those are just a waste IMHO, and a pain in the butt to have to cycle through if you hit them by accident. I would say, make a special version of the light specifically for folks that need those extra modes so everybody else doesn't have to put up with their annoyance.


The Foursevens Quark "standard" interface handles this issue very well, leaving disco modes available for those that use them and unobtrusive for those that do not. Their "Tactical" interface does it in a different way, and Eagletac has another way that works well for me.

I've used the strobe to get attention at a distance, and I'd want to have at least that available (if not the other disco modes) for a light carried for potential emergency use.
Posted by: Russ

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 05:37 PM

The Quark Tactical QT2L-X in my survival vest is set up with "beacon" (rather than "strobe") as the second mode, but that's for attracting attention over miles and over an extended period (potentially all night). It's just one of a number of devices which will be available and the low duty cycle gives it a long duration.
Posted by: spuds

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 05:56 PM

Originally Posted By: haertig
[quote=Russ]

I wish manufacturers would get rid of the useless strobe, flash, blink, SOS, etc. modes. Those are just a waste IMHO, and a pain in the butt to have to cycle through if you hit them by accident. I would say, make a special version of the light specifically for folks that need those extra modes so everybody else doesn't have to put up with their annoyance.

My headlamp does OFF - HIGH - LOW. Perfect!
Why i LOVE the Fenix E11,its a twist head single AA,hi and medium,and stays where you set it,105 lumens or 57 IIRC. Then just pull from pocket,clicky on....PERFECT work light!

The Maglight XL200 has SOS,PERFECT if Im down the side of a snowy Hill,light up tree tops with SOS,just whats called for!For home use the 200 brightness is a fine answer,just click it on and good to go.

So I can see all the different lights give something for everyone,what great choices!
Posted by: UTAlumnus

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 10:52 PM

Originally Posted By: haertig


I wish manufacturers would get rid of the useless strobe, flash, blink, SOS, etc. modes. Those are just a waste IMHO, and a pain in the butt to have to cycle through if you hit them by accident. I would say, make a special version of the light specifically for folks that need those extra modes so everybody else doesn't have to put up with their annoyance.


And while they're at it, get the level sequence right. It doesn't make any sense to me for the sequence to go from medium to low to high when I'm usually using it indoors/at short range.
Posted by: Russ

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/02/13 10:59 PM

That would depend on the light I s'pose. The FourSevens lights start in moonlight -- 0.2 lumen.
Posted by: UTAlumnus

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 01/05/13 04:38 AM

Its that way on the Fenix LD-01. Its my rarely used, always carried second EDC light
Posted by: markmark

Re: Flashaholics,what lights do you have and why? - 03/22/13 01:03 PM

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