Spec me an LED Torch

very few torches are focusable, let alone twist-focus, the reason is that LED lights are most efficient (light emitted out the torch as a percentage of total light emitted by the LED) at one exact point, and moving the reflector has a drastic effect on light-output, unlike a filament lamp.

you could try something like this;
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/nitecore/nitecore-mt2a.html

47's lights are very good quality;
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/4sevens/foursevens-mini-m2a.html

Bike mounts and holsters are usually universal to a form-factor, most 2x AA lights will fit the same mounts/holsters :)
 
Last edited:
I'm after a bit of advice so I'm wondering if you guys could help me out.

I've had cheap torches and I'm getting bored with the really pathetic levels of light they emit, or just how badly built they are.

I'm after something that is small, decent for battery life and would be used for walking (hiking, so rainproof is a must), as an emergency torch in the car / home whilst having good amount of light. Reasonably priced would be great, though price isn't too much of an issue.

I'm researching myself but I must admit I'm a tad overwhelmed and I could do with getting a hold of something sooner rather than later. Any suggestions would be great. Already good on the battery front I think, with Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries (camera stuff!).
 
Last edited:
Parsley said:
I'm after a bit of advice so I'm wondering if you guys could help me out.

I've had cheap torches and I'm getting bored with the really pathetic levels of light they emit, or just how badly built they are.

I'm after something that is small, decent for battery life and would be used for walking (hiking, so rainproof is a must), as an emergency torch in the car / home whilst having good amount of light. Reasonably priced would be great, though price isn't too much of an issue.

I'm researching myself but I must admit I'm a tad overwhelmed and I could do with getting a hold of something sooner rather than later. Any suggestions would be great.
Click to expand...

For an emergency torch, the best power-source you can choose are Lithium Primaries (CR123As, Energizer Lithium AAs) as they have the Longest shelf-life, and they work at temperatures lower than -20C! :D

Alkaline AAs and the like are okay, but they have really lousy performance at high-current draw (like in bright torches) and in cold weather you might as well not bother.

Lithium-Ion rechargeables are best for day-to-day use, and they can hold their charge for long periods of time, I wouldn't recommend them for long-term emergency storage, they can be unreliable. Storing them at full charge for long periods causes accelerated breakdown of the cells meaning that they can run-flat unexpectedly after just a few minutes of use or they could just vent and fail.

NiMH Rechargeables used to be completely non-viable for long-term use, but low-self-discharge cells like Sanyo-Eneloops can hold their charge for more than two years now. They still don't work very well when at temperatures lower than five degrees, but as long as you give them a charge every year they'll probably be fine.

Pick your powersource and budget and we can recommend you something to suit :D
 
Aod said:
Snip
Click to expand...

I edited in the power source as you were typing out that reply I think.

We have Energizer Lithium cells handy already, so that isn't an issue.

As for the price range, we could do with a couple of torches, so I'm thinking around £30-50 each would give us something half decent. That isn't fixed.

I will say we are fine with simple modes, we don't need the flashing features, so maybe something like high/medium and low modes?

Thanks for the speedy reply!
 
Well, for that budget, you'd probably do really well with some of the 47s 2x AA lights, like this one;

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/4sevens/foursevens-quark-tactical-qt2a-x.html

like I mentioned a few posts ago, 47s torches have superb build-quality and reliability, so they're great for use as emergency lights :)

Obviously, things like Surefire torches are that much more reliable, but unless you're going into combat I think that you'll be okay with 47s ;)
 
Aod said:
do bare in mind that the UV output from these torches is very high intensity, if you don't wear UV-protective goggles you'll seriously damage your eyes.

I'm talking higher intensity UV light than direct sunlight on a bright day.

When I first got mine, I used it for a couple of hours around the house without any eye-protection, my eyes were watering and unbearably itchy for an entire week. :eek:
Click to expand...

Thank you for the warning, is it possible to get anti-UV lab glasses?
 
Aod said:
Well, for that budget, you'd probably do really well with some of the 47s 2x AA lights, like this one;

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/4sevens/foursevens-quark-tactical-qt2a-x.html

like I mentioned a few posts ago, 47s torches have superb build-quality and reliability, so they're great for use as emergency lights :)

Obviously, things like Surefire torches are that much more reliable, but unless you're going into combat I think that you'll be okay with 47s ;)
Click to expand...

Cheers for the suggestion!
 
For anyone looking for a small pocket sized EDC i cant recommend the Zebralight SC600 enough.

As you can see i've got a handful of lights from the big triple xm-l's down to the little SC600 but for it's size it sure does pack a punch with 750 lumens on high.

ip2re8.jpg


I do like taking the big ones out now and then but it's the SC600 i go for most nights now and it never fails to impress me.

It's pricey but if you want to something good then you won't regret it.

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/zebralight/zebralight-sc600.html
 
panyan said:
Thank you for the warning, is it possible to get anti-UV lab glasses?
Click to expand...
Yes you can, the easiest to find are the yellow- tint glasses that you can get, I can get you a pair for a couple of quid.

Clear ones exist but are a bit more expensive and a little harder to find. :-)

Parsley said:
Cheers for the suggestion!
Click to expand...
Very welcome matey!

sim0n said:
2 x CR123 3V LITHIUM will put out more lumens.
Click to expand...
I don't think so, you can easily draw more power from a li-ion cell than you can from two primaries. A 3400mah 18650 should be capable of delivering more than 20w without too much difficulty, but two cr123a would whimper with pain and cry if you tried that with them.
 
Aod said:
This is why I like my iCharger 106B+, it charges cells with a perfect CC/CV method and they come off the charger at exactly 4.2v every time :D

Of course, it was a little expensive :p
Click to expand...

I've checked on this one but it doesn't come with a power supply and I cant see where to put the batteries as well. Can you please recommend a place where we can get a complete set? or do I need to buy it separate?

I also wanted to get a multimeter to check on my batteries but it seems they're too expensive and complicated. I only wanted to check my pile of rechargeable eneloops and infapower which I used for my camera flash as I believed my one hour fast charger is not doing its thing properly. Can you recommend something which is easy to work with?

Thanks
 
www.fenixtorch.co.uk/led_torches/fenix-tk22.html

Loving the look of this beast, I love an orange peel reflector too but this one is apparently lossless.
Had only my third chance to use my tk35 in anger yesterday when the power cut
Its silly good that torch. Serious throw.
That tk22 looks more edc though as sadly the 35 is ever so slightly to big.
Decisons over the shadow or tk22 i think....
 
reygjabla said:
I've checked on this one but it doesn't come with a power supply and I cant see where to put the batteries as well. Can you please recommend a place where we can get a complete set? or do I need to buy it separate?

I also wanted to get a multimeter to check on my batteries but it seems they're too expensive and complicated. I only wanted to check my pile of rechargeable eneloops and infapower which I used for my camera flash as I believed my one hour fast charger is not doing its thing properly. Can you recommend something which is easy to work with?

Thanks
Click to expand...

this might help out: http://lygte-info.dk/info/HobbyChargers UK.html

Hobby chargers are more for people who enjoy soldering up their own charging leads :D
 
Eliot said:
www.fenixtorch.co.uk/led_torches/fenix-tk22.html

Loving the look of this beast, I love an orange peel reflector too but this one is apparently lossless.
Had only my third chance to use my tk35 in anger yesterday when the power cut
Its silly good that torch. Serious throw.
That tk22 looks more edc though as sadly the 35 is ever so slightly to big.
Decisons over the shadow or tk22 i think....
Click to expand...

Oh wow I didn't know about this. I think this could be my next torch to replace my TK12. I almost bought the TK21 a few months ago as well. Glad I didnt now.
 
Aod said:
I don't think so, you can easily draw more power from a li-ion cell than you can from two primaries. A 3400mah 18650 should be capable of delivering more than 20w without too much difficulty, but two cr123a would whimper with pain and cry if you tried that with them.
Click to expand...

Nope - two cr123a's will put 6v into the driver rather than the 3.7v the single cell lion will do. More volts = more lumens with most drivers.

They have roughly the same amount of w/hrs avail (9w/hrs for 2xCR123a's vs 9.36w/hrs for a 2600mah 18650) but you're right, a high discharge will drop the cr123a's quicker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom