Spec me an LED Torch

Deluxe1 said:
What will he be using the torch for?
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Just general out in the garden in the pitch black stuff..

He lives out in the country so no light.

Basically I want to get him something that looks the part, and when he switches it on he is wowed with its sheer power.

Hes getting old now, so something thats the size of a truncheon is out of the question, but also needs to be something thats not totally underwhelming.

I have a AA Maglite torch, a normal one, and its utterly dreadful.
 
The Olight M20 R5 should fit the bill,pretty easy to operate he just presses the tailcap then the button on the side cycles thru the modes:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/olight/olight-m20-s.html

With this battery and charger:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/batteries/aw-18650-2900.html

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/batteries/ultrafire-wf139-charger.html

Heres a pic of it just to show the size:

1hraq.jpg
 
Deluxe1 said:
The Olight M20 R5 should fit the bill,pretty easy to operate he just presses the tailcap then the button on the side cycles thru the modes:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/olight/olight-m20-s.html

With this battery and charger:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/batteries/aw-18650-2900.html

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/batteries/ultrafire-wf139-charger.html

Heres a pic of it just to show the size:

1hraq.jpg
Click to expand...

O god.... so much choice!!

That Nightcore looked cool too!

What do people make of the infinity ring? (sounds filthy) Are the button modes a nicer touch, or is this new ring the revelation mankind has been waiting for?
 
adamknox said:
Im in the process of buying a MTE SF-15 SSC P7-D-SXO 4-Mode Memory 900-Lumen LED Flashlight (1*18650) Its only made in China but has MANY 9/10 reviews from around the world from indipendant reviwers. It doesnt use AA bats tho only 18650 (best to get rechargables) It has 900 Lumens (but a lot of reviwers say its more like 400-500) Im using it for early morning bike rides my self :)

Also.. it has a low price tag at £24. Ive pretty sure its been featured on the gadget show too! (not 100% sure about that tho :( )
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I've got something similar to this and its awesome. I can't understand people paying 3 times this amount for something that doesn't throw out as much light.
It may not be 900 lumens but even at 400-500 it's very impressive.
People complain about build quality but they're absolutely fine, I get mine from Dealextreme. My first flashlight from there lasted about 18 months but I dropped it from 5 foot onto concrete and it broke.
Doesn't matter though because after 18 months led technology moves on, my current SSC P7 is going well after a good year and I notice there's a new led on the block giving 1000+ lumens (just looked it's an SST-50).
 
I can't understand people paying 3 times this amount for something that doesn't throw out as much light.
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It's not all about how much light a torch puts out. It's like saying why do people buy a BMW when a Daewoo will still get you from A-B.

My first flashlight from there lasted about 18 months but I dropped it from 5 foot onto concrete and it broke.
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I've dropped my Quark 1232 Ti about 10 times - I'd have been right royally screwed if it would have died on me on a few occasions (caving).

By all means buy a cheap light - just think about what you'll use it for and would you be in a situation where it would be dangerous for it to die?
 
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Batteries

AA been around for ever 1.5 volts or 1.2v for rechargebles
easy and cheap to buy but poor at high current supply.
Get sanyo enaloops for the best shelf and cycle life although not always the highest mah.

CR123 more bang for your buck and better torches available as a rule.
cr123 developed by Surefire torches and Duracell cheap to buy online £1.3 ish each £5 in the shops. Used in some cameras.
Good for high current loads and a lot more stored power than AA's. RCR123 Rechargeables 3.7volts (protected also availibe)

18650 3.7 volts shame on the computer nerds for not knowing what these are!!! They are typicaly what is found in a laptop battery pack.
Their the same size as 2x cr123 but still 3.7 volts the protected ones have a little circuit board at one end to protect the battery from usualy overcharging and discharging and short ciruits plus built in flame vent contol if all this fails.

Other sizes and types are availible see AW's threads on CPF.
 
Me and the battery debate: AA wins for their sheer abundance and convenience.

If I want more lumen's I know I will have to jump battery chemistry. But I am quite reluctant to because it involves investing in batteries/chargers that are only good for one thing.. my torch collection! AA's can be found all over the house and they can be pulled from all devices.

Jumping battery chemistry is a commitment that I am not yet ready for.

If low self discharge AA/AAA batteries weren't around then I'd be on other battery chemistries like a rash - but now with these eneloops and hybrios they are excellent.
 
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They offer poor value for money though. They are fine if you aren't planning to use the device often. For emergencies and standby situations they are great, but if you plan to use the device frequently they make no sense to me.

£10 for ten. You will get at very least +200 charges out of the rechargeable equivalent.
 
I have a variety of torches and their use determines their batteries.

Work torches use rechargeable AA, because it's always being used- Fenix L1T
Car torch uses disposable lithiums, long battery shelf life means it's always ready - Nuwai 3W thingy
Holiday/travel/daily torch use disposable AA, easy to get batteries - Fenix L1T & L2T
general fooling around and must have gadget torches use rechargeable or disposable lithium, need the power! - Fenix T1, Nightsearcher (MC-E) & Nuwai 5W thingy ('twas my first LED torch!)
 
I love the specs being branded around in this thread, half these manufacturers are just stating the max output of the LED.

If the torch hasn't been tested to ANSI standards, I would take their claims with a large pinch of salt.

Wonder how many of them have Hydrogen Pellets in their battery compartments too.

Run all my CREE torches on Lithium AA's, but that's because I don't pay a penny for them.
 
Unless you need it for gas or explosive vapour use you won't find many with pellets.

As for spec most are fairly acurate as they get independently tested by variuous users over on the Candle power forums.
That said some are more acurate than others and as usual you get what you pay for.

Also beam patern afects how you percieve output, I have two lights with 220lumen output 1 is narrow throwy beam the other slighty more floody at close range floody looks brighter and lomg range throwy or narrow beam look brighter.

How can a tiny little light be better than a big ass strong powerfull torch like for example a 6d maglite.

If in doubt as to the output some are capable of check out this site

http://fonarevka.ru/

have a look at Dam view 1 and compare a Maglight 6d cell (amazon price to £26.44 excluding batteries) to a Eagletac P100C2 only 220lumen and same size as a mini mag (£34.95 inc batts from flasaholics) and just for fun see the Fenix tk40(same as tk30) 630 lumen or on the mad insane side see the Polaron PH50 5000ish lumens (a bit of a cheat as its a HID light:))

These lights are a lot better than people think :)

Even the cheapy lights like the Ultrafire wf-1000l perform well if lacking a little in build quality.

You dont have to spend lots or buy the biggest to get decent power my Fenix pd30 fits in my pocket fine and beats a big ass maglite :)
 
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