Spec me an LED Torch

Could anyone recommend a smallish torch, which can be carried on a belt, able to put out 250+ lumens and also has beam adjustment and dim settings?

Been looking at solarforce but they don't seem to have any beam adjustment unless I am reading it wrong.
 
The pocket one a few of us now have above has a belt pouch and beam adjustment and power :)
 
Ultrafire torch and 18650 battery pair arrived today, looking good, charging at the moment so will post back with feedback on how different they are (if at all) to the AAA :p
 
my XM-L facemelter arrived today.

it's far less throwy than my XR-E R2 but it produces simply biblical amounts of light.

beamshots to follow, although they won't be truly brightness-representative because my DSLR is in london and my compact is terrible.

No lights, only light sources were my three computer monitors
facemelter (1).JPG


My 1xAA EDC on minimum - a nice useable dim light (i estimate about 5 lumens)
facemelter (2).JPG


My XR-E R2 (2xCR123A) - i previously considered this to be very bright. I estimate it's about 210 lumens.
facemelter (3).JPG


The New Cat in Town. looks dimmer? pay attention to the exposure time! one fourth of the exposure of the previous!
facemelter (4).JPG


this thing gives off so much light that when shining it on my skin it feels like my skins under sunlight.
 
Last edited:
can anybody recommend some decent cr123 rechargeables?

Im currently using Ultrafire 1000mah 3.7v standard batteries and it seems that several have failed and refuse to charge, and others seems to work fine, I've kept matching pairs and tried not to run them too flat?

I dont want to be paying stupid amounts for batteries and have come across Ultrafire 880mah 3.6v protected batteries will these safeguard the risks of over discharging and will I lose much power 1000>880mah and 3.7>3.6v?

Cheers
 
No idea on that one :p

Facemelter looks good btw! The 18650 batteries charged in about 2 hours although they had some charge anyway, either way good stuff, charger works and I'm happy :D
 
I really really like my XM-L P60 Drop-in.. the output is great a nice blend of flood and throw. It is my new favourite go to light.

Now that I have a collection of 7 cools for pure grunt I am now looking towards more easy on the eye tints. I think I will be pulling the trigger on a Zebralight H51w or H51fw soon. Cools are fun but I feel like a dazed animal using my cool lights at times.

They say once you go neutral tint there is no looking back - Shall see!
 
JRJ said:
can anybody recommend some decent cr123 rechargeables?
Click to expand...

Google AW 16340 - they really are the only reliable RCR123 batteries out there.

Im currently using Ultrafire 1000mah 3.7v standard batteries and it seems that several have failed and refuse to charge, and others seems to work fine, I've kept matching pairs and tried not to run them too flat?
Click to expand...

That's mine and many other experience of ****fire batts.

I dont want to be paying stupid amounts for batteries and have come across Ultrafire 880mah 3.6v protected batteries will these safeguard the risks of over discharging and will I lose much power 1000>880mah and 3.7>3.6v?
Click to expand...

NO RCR123 will be anywhere near 880mah let alone 1000mah! The most you'll see out of and RCR123 is between 550mah and 600mah - ignore the rating on the label. If you're using 2xRCR123 does you flashlight support 17670 cells?
 
I bought a nice LED torch today from B&Q, looked ok and thought yeah I'll have that for £13, I'm not paying anyway it's for work. Got it home remembered this thread, I've only gone and bought a Khaaaan torch ;)

Running it of AAA's now, but interested in the 18650's for rechargability, mine didn't come with any adapter for the inards, just the bit for the 3AAA's to fit in, can someone photo the extra 18650 holder if there is one? From the bay they come in 2-4000 capacitys, I'm right in thinking this only effects run time not performance of the torch?

Now the strangest thing: for the first few minutes of playing it was just ON or OFF via the switch, I thought fair enough no strobe for me but the low power would have been useful. 10 minutes later to have another look at it, and it's high/low/strobe now as well?

Spent ages trying to 'reset' it somehow, but no amount of long clicks or rapid clicking can get it back on to on/off mode, perhaps it doesn't do that? Perhaps mine was acting up for the first 10 minutes of its life? Ideas?
 
If it now has strobe/medium power then it has always had it :p

As for the 1860 adapter, it's just a black plastic tube and could easily be mistaken for a piece of **** :D Sure yours never came with one in the packaging somewhere?

See tchan4's 3rd pic above, it's the tube shown there.

The UltraFire 2400mAh protected (and the charger) is what I have, from a UK seller and sold in pairs, think I pasted the link earlier on and they've been perfect. The charger needs some forcing of the battery the first time round as it's very stiff in there ¬_¬
 
A few weeks ago I got all the lights that I own out and made a video test. I'm not happy with the video as think I could have improved the video as I rushed through it.. excuse the early 2000 trance tune also (not sure what I was thinking - Drunk??).. I may re shoot it at some point... I dunno will share it for now..

The XM-L is a monster and it kicks in at 2:47 in the video.. all my other lights really are weak in comparison for total lumen output. I really like my XM-L light, it is very floodly due it the the larger emitter size but it is able to throw well at short to medium range due to pure grunt of lumens it is able to produce! I also have no issues with flickering like is present with my Solarforce XPG-R5 dropin running from a 18650.

Video shot on a Panasonic HDC-SD60 with manual mode engaged and exposure and aperture locked.

(Best to view the video directly on youtube's site as the preview window below is too small)

Maglite 2D with Fusion 36 LED drop-in (6xAA in series)
Zebralight H51
Solarforce L2R XRE-R2 2xAA
Dereelight Javelin SMO Reflector XPG-R5 3xAA
Solarforce L2R body + Solarforce 3 mode XPG-R5 drop-in 2xAA
Solarforce L2R body + Solarforce 3 mode XPG-R5 drop-in 1x18650
Solarforce L2P body + kai domain 5 mode XM-L 3.7v-4.2v drop-in 1x18650
Solarforce Masterpiece Pro1 Head with 2x18650

Distance to compost bin: 17 Metres

The Solarforce Masterpiece is fun :D The throw is ridiculous But to be honest after owning it for more than 5 months I rarely find myself grabbing it.


The building in this last video is 180 metres away and the beam appears brighter in real life than what my video camera could capture.
I didn't even know that there was someone looking out from the window until after I watched the footage back lol :D.. Opps!

 
Last edited:
Khaaan! said:
If it now has strobe/medium power then it has always had it :p

As for the 1860 adapter, it's just a black plastic tube and could easily be mistaken for a piece of **** :D Sure yours never came with one in the packaging somewhere?

See tchan4's 3rd pic above, it's the tube shown there.
Click to expand...


Totally didn't have the strobe/low to start with was just on/off :confused:

Also don't have the black plastic tube, just the AAA holder, can anyone post up some dimensions of the tube so I can see about getting something made up/bodged to fit?

Mine came in a plastic blister style pack, no holder no adapter, it's also black not grey too.
 
Hmm pretty weird! I assume you used a different seller? Might be stock differences etc,

I'll measure the dimensions in the daytime as the torch is in the car.
 
JRJ said:
can anybody recommend some decent cr123 rechargeables?

Im currently using Ultrafire 1000mah 3.7v standard batteries and it seems that several have failed and refuse to charge, and others seems to work fine, I've kept matching pairs and tried not to run them too flat?

I dont want to be paying stupid amounts for batteries and have come across Ultrafire 880mah 3.6v protected batteries will these safeguard the risks of over discharging and will I lose much power 1000>880mah and 3.7>3.6v?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Not meaning to rip you apart as it is a personal thing. But personally (ha) I really really dislike CR2/CR123A cells. Yes they are smaller than a 18650 and their size is more suited towards the use in a light but they have a ridiculously low cell energy capacity. They are more often than not well suited to many drivers in certain lights as drivers seem to favour their voltage range... but I really dislike them and would choose AA/18650 over them any day of the week because of the increased energy density in AA and 18650 cells.

I will never own a CR2/CR123A powered light.
 
Last edited:
I think people use CR123 mainly because they have a shelf life of something like 10 years, making them good for torches used in tactical environments or if torches/batteries need storing for years.

Personally i'm happy using 2 AA sanyo eneloop batteries. Cheaper, last longer and are rechargable
 
18650 is where it's at :p

BTW, here are the exact tube measurements for 18650 usage :)

cree-q5_18650_tube.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom