Spec me an LED Torch

At the current draws that the XR-E and the XP-G's will be sucking down, Solder will be sufficient. obviously, don't put the blob of solder on the batteries, put it on the C8 instead. (you may need some extra flux for it to wet to the surface though)

soldering the 18650's is very bad for them, they don't like heat.
some people put little magnets on the front of their flat-top 18650's instead of more permanent modifications btw :)
 
Aod said:
Not many flashlights other than Maglites, LED-lensers and chinacrap have flood-to-spot zoom capability, because a reflector is most efficient at ...

...manufacturer like Fenix or sunwayman. LED-Lenser torches are incredibly overpriced.
Click to expand...

Ok forget the flood to spot, any recommendations with the same requirements but spot only?
 
Ultrafire C8 :) The spot illuminates over 180 metres and it's pretty compact too but very tough.

It's also very affordable. so much so that if you don't like it you could easily sell it on for little to no loss in £ I reckon.

I've posted my pics of it earlier in the thread for reference.
 
do you want "spotlight" spot or just moderate throw? spotlight spot requires a large reflector but moderate throw is available in most lights.

Assuming you're looking to pay about £50, want 2xAA and metal body, you'd likely be very pleased with:
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/jetbeam/jetbeam-ba20.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-a6-polestar.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-sa2-eluma.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/4sevens/quark-aa-2.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/sunwayled/sunwayman-m20a.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/fenix/fenix-ld20.html

the C8 that Khaaaan recommends is also a fine torch, but doesn't run on AA's and won't have the same level of reliability that these torches have, but i certainly say that if you're willing to change your requirements then the C8 is a fine option if you don't need 24/7 reliability.
 
The chinalights tend to work fine... but they react unpredictably to the kinds of abuse that more expensive lights would survive.

don't get me wrong, i have nothing against chinalights, but the brand-name lights are more expensive for a reason, though i'd only advise people pay that premium if it's worth it to them. :)
 
Is that the emitters though or the hosts? If hosts then I've found no difference really between the Solarforce and Ultrafire, both are tough, water resistant and weighty but of course the emitters may well fare different in various conditions!
 
I couldn't find a warm xml on the usual cheap import sites so i just got a standard one, i did find one with a warm white MC-E M led, also came in p60 host so i might get that as well in the future.

I did come across this though, which would be nice in a torch i bet. :D
 
3x XM-L?

I saw a 7x SSC-P7 unit on one site, was $111~ and driven by 3x 18650s!!
 
uvarvu said:
What do you think of the Fenix TK21? Looks like it's on a limited run.
Click to expand...

:eek: Looks awesome, makes my TK12's 280 lumens look pathetic lol. Hope its not a limited edition as I would like to replace my TK12 with it in the future, when funds permit.

I was hoping that getting a powerful P60 dropin would suffice but unfortunately they seem to be tinted purple and I really dont like it. Also any mode other than full (which drains the battery in no time) is like a strobe. Might look into the one Aod mentioned first as I do like the Solarforce L2P.
 
Last edited:
Khaaan! said:
3x XM-L?

I saw a 7x SSC-P7 unit on one site, was $111~ and driven by 3x 18650s!!
Click to expand...

What's the most powerful led torch around?

I imagine it's some custom job, i found a cheap one with 5 cree leds (not xml), not really useful to me though, i would however like a warm xml and 3x would be nice, would mod it myself if it wasn't too much trouble.

I also saw RGB led torches but they should have a dial to go though all colours instead of just RGB and white, maybe someone has made one, would be a useless but fun mod. :)
 
Don't know about LED but for around $100 you can get a HID Xenon one which, as you can imagine, is quite the light :p
 
Radiation said:
What's the most powerful led torch around?

I imagine it's some custom job, i found a cheap one with 5 cree leds (not xml), not really useful to me though, i would however like a warm xml and 3x would be nice, would mod it myself if it wasn't too much trouble.

I also saw RGB led torches but they should have a dial to go though all colours instead of just RGB and white, maybe someone has made one, would be a useless but fun mod. :)
Click to expand...

i think the Olight SR-90 is the brightest production light around at about 2,200 lumens... but people've been making ridiculous customs for a long time, some of which do like 20,000 or so.

like this one:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...s-Led-Flashlight-18.000-lumens-more-beamshots
 
Last edited:
Aod said:
i think the Olight SR-90 is the brightest production light around at about 2,200 lumens... but people've been making ridiculous customs for a long time, some of which do like 20,000 or so.

like this one:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...s-Led-Flashlight-18.000-lumens-more-beamshots
Click to expand...

Wow pretty impressive. :)

What do you think about that 3x warm xml led i posted above, would it be hard to make something myself with that?

What about just getting one and swapping it with the led in the torch im getting?

Also how does that cree warm MC-E M led compare to an xml? I was thinking i might get it with the p60 host it comes in as i can't seem to find any warm xml torches on the usual cheap import sites.
 
yes, making a light out of that triple-XM-L board you posted would be very challenging, you'd need an appropriate driver-circuit, probably need quite expensive IMR batteries, and you'd need milling-equipment or a lathe to manufacture a suitable host or a suitable conversion device to use in an existing host.

you'd also need reflectors or optics.

Which torch are you getting? the Skyray triple XM-L torch 2StepSteve posted? well, it's unlikely but possible that it uses a compatible board like that, but you'd have to take it apart and see.

The cree MC-E LED is old technology, using the same EZ1000 emitters that were used in the early XR-E's. the LED is quite inefficient by comparison to the magiks of the XM-L, which is one of the most efficient production LEDs in existence.

the Warm-white XM-Ls have only just been released by CREE in the past month so it'll take quite some time before they filter down into the chinalights.
Right, now i need to pop off to the post-office to pay import duty on an LED dropin for another torch ^_^
 
Too much trouble then, what about getting one of those single led's and swapping it with the one in the torch im getting?

I got a soldering iron and tools, if they're too small and easily damaged i won't bother though.
 
which torch?

emitter swaps aren't as easy as they used to be... emitters used to be epoxied to their board and soldered in place, but now they're reflow-soldered on and removing them from the MPCB is quite difficult... and removing the MPCB is usually impossible, because those are still properly thermal-epoxied in place.

of course, with this being China, who knows? it could just fall apart in your hands :)

Which light is it by the way? (i won't be able to answer for another hour from now btw!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom