Spec me an LED Torch

[Aod]

I Love the Zebralights and when i get an Anglelight/Headlight zebralight will be my first port of call!

i lost my AKOray K-106 while i was airsofting so i bought an ITP EOS A2 to replace it - i'll be fetching it from home this weekend.

I'll also have another photon emitter to show off, although it isn't a torch

 

[mrk]

An update! So it seems my dad bought a "Cree" torch recently from the same seller I bought my one from earlier on and I just saw it today. It's very similar to those mini Solarforce ones and I reckon it's as bright as my Khaaan! Torch as well, the centre beam is brighter, or better quality anyway.

One thing I like about his one is it has 2 more modes, high, medium, low, blink and SOS. It does not zoom. I reckon a lot of you who wanted a fixed beam torch will like this a lot. It also runs off an 18650 battery only and the barrel looks like you could mod it etc.

Pics/video vs my Khaaan!

Video:

Pics:

Pattern:

I'm going to buy one of these now which appears to be manufactured by Ultrafire, at £8.99 it would be against the law not to get one, plus I have a spare 18650 in the glovebox which needs to be put to use

Someone did a review on the C8 here:

 

[Aod]

here's the photon-emitter i mentioned a few days ago, as you can see it's not a very good torch:

Looks like this in the light:

And like this in the dark:

GTLS all the way baby!

Yes, that does say "U.S. Government" and yes, that is the Nuclear-Radiation Symbol

This is my iTP EOS A2

That cell next to it is an AA - this thing is TINY
it has only three modes (no strobe or SOS, Thank-god)
On Low, it'll produce 1.5 lumens for SIXTY hours, medium is about 18 lumens for seven hours, and on high it puts out more than EIGHTY lumens for more than two hours, and that's with just an ordinary Alkaline AA, with a Lithium L91, possibly significantly more

 

[jmc007]

An update! So it seems my dad bought a "Cree" torch recently from the same seller I bought my one from earlier on and I just saw it today. It's very similar to those mini Solarforce ones and I reckon it's as bright as my Khaaan! Torch as well, the centre beam is brighter, or better quality anyway.

One thing I like about his one is it has 2 more modes, high, medium, low, blink and SOS. It does not zoom. I reckon a lot of you who wanted a fixed beam torch will like this a lot. It also runs off an 18650 battery only and the barrel looks like you could mod it etc.

Pics/video vs my Khaaan!

Video:

Pics:

Pattern:

I'm going to buy one of these now which appears to be manufactured by Ultrafire, at £8.99 it would be against the law not to get one, plus I have a spare 18650 in the glovebox which needs to be put to use

Someone did a review on the C8 here:

Make sure that C8 you get, has an XM-L LED in, loving mine, super bright.
Also have the same small silver cree torch you posted pics off, the C8 with the XM-L blows it away.

 

[mrk]

Aye I would imagine it would do The reflector is much larger and of a higher quality!

Gonna be awesome, playing in the field at night.

With a torch.

¬_¬

 

[2StepSteve]

This is my iTP EOS A2

That cell next to it is an AA - this thing is TINY
it has only three modes (no strobe or SOS, Thank-god)
On Low, it'll produce 1.5 lumens for SIXTY hours, medium is about 18 lumens for seven hours, and on high it puts out more than EIGHTY lumens for more than two hours, and that's with just an ordinary Alkaline AA, with a Lithium L91, possibly significantly more

I will be going for one of those next month. I would like the extra runtime that an AA cell is able to offer. I have the EOS A3 (AAA version on my keychain) it is a great light! ITP really do produce some great lights for the money.

 

[2StepSteve]

Am very surprised by the lack of people here that aren't embracing the P60 drop-in format.

Instead of shelling out each time on a complete new light why not buy a couple of decent P60 hosts? Then you are able to upgrade the drop-in each time a new emitter/drop-in is released.

Granted you are restricted to a some what small reflector size and due to the small head, heat can be an issue. But overall the format is great!

The Solarforce L2P host is a bargain for $18 (from Solarforce Sales). After holding a L2P host in your hand you will likely look at the majority of DX/KD cheapie lights in a different light p).

Feels great in the hand, is very solid and robust, I feel like I could actually depend on this light if need be! The threads are brilliant and come pre-lubed, the machining and anodising (HA III) are really impressive for such a budget light. Did I mention that I really like the L2P?

If you are using 18650 cells, there is no excuse to have a look at this format and in particular at an Solarforce L2P body! Being able to swap out emitters is seriously great, I have gone through quite a number of drop-ins in the last few months, all of which are less expensive than purchasing a whole new light.

Kaidomain 5 mode XM-L 3.7v-4.2v P60 dropin - have tested that this drop-in draws 2.9 AMPS from a 18650

 

[silversurfer]

How much is a iTP EOS A2

 

[2StepSteve]

Around about £20 is the going rate.

 

[Aod]

How much is a iTP EOS A2

i bought mine on ebay (UK seller!) for £19.95

Seller name was belsales-ltd

 

[2StepSteve]

It's a bit odd how ITP have recently introduced XP-G emitters across most of their range, but have left out the EOS A2.

Go for stainless steel if you are worried about damaging the finish/scratches.

My black EOS A3 looks quite bashed up after only 10 months of every day use. I have been looking after it, so quite annoyed about how it is looking. It is ment for a keychain so you would expect it to be built for the job. 3rd week into owning my EOS A3 I dropped it 2ft from the floor resulting in a large flake of anodising chipping straight off.

That aside after 10 months of in pocket use inside jeans, many small flakes of anodising have been chipped away. While it isn't HAIII I am still very surprised how fragile/brittle the finish is.

If you don't mind the extra weight and slight increase in cost definitely go for the stainless steel version.

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks, I was asked recently if Cree as a company were going places. Sounds like one of you'd know much better then me. Are they at the fore front of this kind of LED revolution or just another player

 

[2StepSteve]

Cree have been around for many years, lately they have been achieving some remarkable things in the world of LEDs. They are at the forefront of LED technology and frequently release new emitters which are capable of more light output for the same supply current than the previous generation.

Late last year they released XM-L emitter which produces a vast amount of light and is very efficient compared to the competitors.

Luminus is one of their competitors. They produce the SST-50 and SST-90 emitters, both of which have a high floody (same has the XM-L) output but at a cost of being not very efficient. They create a large amount of heat which needs to be dealt with. The SST-90 is a great emitter but it requires a certain body and a certain amount of metal to keep it cool enough to run at full tilt.

Cree are definitely at the forefront of pushing LED technology forward.

 

[Aod]

Thanks, I was asked recently if Cree as a company were going places. Sounds like one of you'd know much better then me. Are they at the fore front of this kind of LED revolution or just another player

Cree are very much at the forefront of high-luminosity, high-efficiency LED-devices.

their new XM-L LED delivers more lumens-per-watt than any other LED extant, and can deliver a shocking amount of light at just ten watts of input power

there's a very good reason why the overwhelming majority of LED-powered flashlights on the market today utilise Cree LEDs

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks guys , they do sound good

 

[mrk]

How do I find out what Cree LED is inside the C8? Do I need to take the head apart more than I already have done (pics below)?

It arrived today, I am impressed!

Brighter than the previous zoom-able one (posted earlier in the thread) using the Cree Q5 and has 5 modes. It's definitely Ultrafire and not some generic one and the build quality is very good too. As you screw each end in it gets smoothers and tighter, like a high quality hifi volume knob.

Pics:

(left one is just a £5 3 LED torch from the highstreet running on 3x AAA)

This is the silver Q5 zoomed to the centre:

Q5 Zoomed to flood:

C8:

Piece of **** 3 LED high street torch:

^All shot with the same exposure (10sec @ f8 iso 200)

I reckon this will light further than the zoomable Q5, that was over 180 metres and this shines brighter at the centre beam too.

 

[Aod]

from image :http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/photos/stuff-room/cree_ultrafire-c8_5.jpg

the LED in your C8 is definitely an XR-E EZ900 of some sort - no idea what the binning code is but it's probably a Q5.

Khaaan, try getting your hands on a proper flashlight - something like a Solarforce L2P with an XP-G R5 in it, you won't be disappointed
it will decimate your Ultrafire C8 and your zoomable.

<edit>
oh, and your shots were at ISO 200, not 640

 

[mrk]

Thought I kept the ISO the same for the indoor ones heh, guess not!

I'll definitely have a look at the L2P and dropin, although I'm wondering if I can just get a dropin for the C9 instead? I'm liking the size/weight of it a lot!

 

[Aod]

the C8 does not use the "standardised" P60-style dropin, although you may be able to co-opt a dropin to fit inside with modification, is it really worth the effort for a cheap light?

 

[mrk]

Probably not I guess the L2P it is!