Spec me an LED Torch

orbspeed1 said:
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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Any torch claiming to be IPX7 waterproof should carry Hydrogen pellets, especially if they do have an air tight battery chamber.

In regards to testing, there has to be a standard which is what ANSI provides. For example, how do you test run time? Some manufacturers will claim long run times but the light source is near useless for majority of it.

We have a plant in the US which is predominately for R&D and we get to test other products too.
 
Mekrel said:
For example, how do you test run time? Some manufacturers will claim long run times but the light source is near useless for majority of it.
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That would be LED Lenser :D.

My Fenix LD20 claims 2 hours on turbo and its pretty accurate. Its also full brightness the entire time, then drops to the lower mode after 2 hours.

Kazz said:
I've been looking at the Fenix LD20 for my bike, expensive but I think It'll be worth it :).
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Definitely! You can pick them up cheaper from ebay (£35 - free del) or other HK stores, well worth the money.

Also pick one of these up for attaching it to your bike:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.31871
 
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I think one already exists

http://flashlightnews.org/story2595.shtml

But again dependant on beam type, battery used etc it's still hard to compare torches by numbers alone although it would be very very usefull.
It also depends on the desired use I.E camping, close up work, hunting, walking the dogs, fixing the car etc each require something diffrent which is hard to standardise and then it depends on the format somene wants I.E pocket sized or club sized.

My 4sevens mini123 with a rechargale rcr123 at 3.7volts puts out more power than my fenix PD30 with 2 rcr123's but the mini gets very hot fast unlike the PD30 which will or 2 mins be ok for 10mins or so till it warms up.

I like Selfbuilts (on cpf)and lightreviews.com as well as beamshots (if done by the same person) to help compare 2 diffrent or similar lights.

eg

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=198804

and

http://www.light-reviews.com/nitecore_extreme/

Both try to cover output and run time under faily constant conditions and now that I own a few of the lights that they have tested I would say they do a very good job.

Also its worth noteing that a lot of maufacturers use cpf as well so they know that there lights could be tested so they tend to limit the BS and even act on suggestions from the site.

I was very sceptical about some of the claims of output when I purchased my first deceint torch but the CPF website helped me make a more informed and confident decision about which brands to trust and which torch to buy to suit my needs and budget.

IPX number can be open to interpetation as well

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

ipx7 Immersion up to 1 m Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).
 
I'm not doubting these forums and sources know what they're talking about, or that they don't test rigorously.

I just believe every manufacturer should be basing their claims on one standard alone, which ANSI is the most recognised.

The article you linked to is ANSI, but not everyone adheres to it unfortunately.
 
Hi guys, I hate to throw another spec me in here but ive tried reading the thread and most of it might as well be in klingon.

Iam looking for recommendations for-

A small/mid size torch
Run off standard eneloop AA/AAA
Preferably with various intensity settings.
Robust construction
A bulb with a decent lifespan
£30-ish

Iam a mechanic who does quite a bit of breakdown work and the dark is now firmly encroaching on my hours. Iam currently looking at the LED lenser police tech* but iam hearing differing things about how it gets lousy as soon as the batteries drop a tiny amount.


*currently available for £29, decent?

cheers.
 
im in the same boat as dalin80, need a nce robust torch for use at work (server rooms arnt the best lit) and its handy to have something like that for the inside of cases etc, is the LED Lenser Police Tech Focus torch good for around £30?
 
is the LED Lenser Police Tech Focus torch good for around £30?
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No. Steer well clear of LED lenser torches.

If you can't stretch to the £45/£50 uk price of a Fenix or 4sevens Quark (which I'd highly recommend) then this would make a fine light, head and shoulders above the LED Lenser:-

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-sa1-eluma.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-sa2-eluma.html

I've linked the single AA and double AA verions as you didn't say what size you preferred.

Both a shade over dalin80's budget at £32.95.

Reviews here:-

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=266073
 
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I have a Fenix TK12 R5 on the way for the princely sum fo £45 delivered (fingers crossed no import duty!).

Going to be my new bike light along side my MG P-Rocket.
 
I love my LED Lenser p7 so the above advice to steer clear of LED Lenser torches is carp.
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Have you tried another flashlight?

Lots of people say they love thier Maglites, at least until they try a proper torch.

I stand by what I said - LED Lensers are over priced, under spec'd and are trading on reputation (not deserved) alone. just like Maglites really!
 
I bought a couple from DealExtreme for about £70. On the side it says 970 lumens, which sounds a bit ridiculous, but then again they are ridiculously eye-damagingly bright.

Within that price I also got 8 batteries (slight ordering mistake, they only take 1 at a time) and two chargers. They were for my bike and are very handy indeed.
 
Got my LD20 and mounting bracket for the bike today. I know you can see the dimension details on website, but wow is it small. Feels so light yet well made too. Just tried it in the garden and it was lit up :). Very happy with my boy toy.
 
amigafan2003 said:
Going to be my new bike light along side my MG P-Rocket.
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No takers at CPF marketplace then for your P-Rocket?

I much agree with you about the lack of regulation in that light. As soon as I saw the graphs I went from handing over my money.. to not.

There needs to be a better regulated SST-50 light out there that is budget aimed, I wouldn't mind spending another £15 ontop of the P-Rocket price for a better regulated circuit.
 
Which torch should I go for? Definitely under £40, prefer it to be closer to £30 so I can get some batteries etc. Just for general use so not bothered about strobe.

thanks

edit: gonna have a read upwards lol been a few replies since I last looked
 
Half my family want torches for christmas now, after having a bulb go and using my TK12 shining at the white ceiling as a temp light. They were amazed that a tiny led can light a whole room up :D.

Don't think they will be getting a Fenix though, too expensive. I'll have to do a bit of research for a decent cheap torch.
 
I have 2 proper torches.
A Fenix P1D which is on my car keys, and a 6 D cell Maglite with a TerraLUX LED upgrade.
The maglite was rubbish with the stock bulb, but with the LED upgrade it is as bright as the Fenix but with an adjustable focus and insanely long runtime.

I could buy torch after torch after torch, but have my needs covered between the 2 I have already.

Maglites get slated but with the right upgrades can be awesome!
 
I've got a little Lenser k3 that I keep on my keys which is an awesome little torch for its size and I've just ordered a Fenix PD30 R2 for £39 the R4 version doesn't really seem to warrant the extra £15 not for my uses anyway.
 
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