Spec me an LED Torch

I've actually been considering putting a candle on my desk for when it gets dark. I usually use a desk lamp about 2m away, but that 'leaks' through a gap in the door because of angles, plus candles are just generally cooler anyway. You can just stare at them when you get bored, plus they have a much better spectrum than most bulbs or LEDs for keeping you awake. And you don't get much light pollution from candles. Bring back the candle! :D
 
Can someone spec me an LED light to put in the back of the car?

To use in case of breakdown, lost in the wild or festivals.

Something around £30, battery that can be bought from shop....rechargable would be pointless I figure as I might not use this in months and months.

It'll be kept in the glove compartment/boot so something under 12" I'm size but bigger than a keyring.
 
SPLENDID NEWS!

I found a card by the mailbox just now and it was from Royal Mail so nipped down to my local office as it closes at 8PM....2 packets awaited, the BC40 and the aluminium reflector for the C8, I bought one from Manafont too so now I have 2 just in case the HK one was plastic in the end.... anyone want the 2nd one free? I'll post thoughts/pics on the BC40 after I've unboxed and had a play :)

Raymond Lin said:
Can someone spec me an LED light to put in the back of the car?

To use in case of breakdown, lost in the wild or festivals.

Something around £30, battery that can be bought from shop....rechargable would be pointless I figure as I might not use this in months and months.

It'll be kept in the glove compartment/boot so something under 12" I'm size but bigger than a keyring.
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The zoomable one posted a couple of pages back that I said I had and was one of the first torches I bought with Cree's LED will be perfect for just that mate. It supports 1x 18650 or 3xAAA and comes with a magazine to use them as well. It's the perfect power for just that kind of usage and because it has an even beam all round it is perfect for pitching up on the bonnet and pointing down to aim at the engine bay or whatever and not having any bright centre spot which can be a pain when working on detailed things. It's also uber cheap :)

If you want pics of/from it just let me know and I'll post them up.
 
mrk said:
SPLENDID NEWS!

I found a card by the mailbox just now and it was from Royal Mail so nipped down to my local office as it closes at 8PM....2 packets awaited, the BC40 and the aluminium reflector for the C8, I bought one from Manafont too so now I have 2 just in case the HK one was plastic in the end.... anyone want the 2nd one free? I'll post thoughts/pics on the BC40 after I've unboxed and had a play :)
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You're welcome ;) Indeed splendid news, I shall be expecting pics posted before I get back in around 11 :)


Aod said:
Isn't a box of matches a worthy adversary for a Maglite? :p
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I would argue against that, I actually changed the bulb and put fresh batteries in it last night and it performs "ok" makes me miss the warm tinted lights though. Its more than a match fro my P7 when its on low mode, so about 15 lumens then :p
 
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mrk said:
SPLENDID NEWS!
I'll post thoughts/pics on the BC40 after I've unboxed and had a play :)
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glad yours arrived just picked mine up from the post office - 10 days from hong kong not bad.

the bc40 really feels like a quality piece of kit (compared to the ultrafires), i have had a little play with it with my sole set of 18650 batteries (more on order). will post some pics up along with my new ultrafire's soon....will maybe try some beam shots

these dark evenings will never be the same :)
 
CREE shares are down 12% on poor sales, apparently most people are still not that interested in LED lighting to replace their conventional gear

Cree is facing low demand and pricing pressure for the company’s light-emitting diodes, and factory utilization remains low. As long as the global economy remains weak, it may be difficult for Cree to convince consumers to purchase more- expensive lighting products, said Jeffrey Bencik, an analyst at Kaufman Brothers in New York.
“With the overall global economy in a seriously compromised situation, you don’t have consumers willing to spend even $25 on an LED light,”
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...alls-below-analysts-estimates.html?cmpid=yhoo
 
It doesn't help that while Cree's emitters are reasonably affordable from a flashlight standpoint, their lighting-fixtures are so ridiculously and insultingly expensive that i'm surprised they aren't an april fools joke.

Prices like $500 to replace a single fluorescent strip-light and £250 for a simple development/evaluation kit :(
 
Thats a shame AOD. I think they do aim to target business and factorys so maybe the prices are off when quoted individually instead of a batch job. Not sure how those things work.
The company probably wont really take off till this all can be done via the B&Q route for a reasonable amount

Bennie-Mac said:
Well any BC40 goodness today mrk? Rather interested to see how it performs as my current "big torch" is a lowly 3D Maglite in dire need of replacement.
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This does look powerful, 830 lumens for $69 apparently

 
They must have sent ours at the same time :p

Raymond Lin said:
Thanks, if you were me. Which one would you get?

Like I said, it's something left in the car to be used when needed.
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I'd go for the 2nd one as it has a few more features like tactical ring, clippy thingybob :p

As for the BC40... Had a play and it is indeed better build/feel quality pretty much everywhere compared to the SolarForce L2 and Ultrafire C8. It is quite light though minus batteries and probably about the same as the C8.

The screw feel is very smooth and everything feels solid, the housing has been machined nicely and the marketing blurb is pretty much 100% accurate from what I can see. It comes with spare orings and button, and a worldwide warranty too which is nice !

Some pics:

With holster:
bc40_holster.jpg

^ The ring on the holster is metal, not plastic.

Box contents:
bc40_contents.jpg


Reflectors up close (C8, middle - SolarForce L2, right):
bc40_reflectors.jpg


Opened up:
bc40_screws.jpg


My current team:
bc40_allcomp.jpg


C8 on the right, both at max power:
bc40_brightmax.jpg


C8 on the right, BC40 at lowest power:
bc40_brightlow.jpg

^ The colour of the output is slighlty warmer than the C8 and Q5 LEDs, this is probably good as it's more neutral than bluey white, it's about similar to a decent XM-L really.

Saving the best until last.... Beam shot! Can you guess which one is the BC40 and which is the C8? :P
bc40_beamsup.jpg


The BC40 cost about 2.5x more than the C8 and I feel the build quality and performance is 2.5x the C8, I think the C8 does a superb job though and for what it costs it's easily a disposable weapon of choice for those looking for a torch that is bright, pocketable and has a long battery life, although it's not waterproofed or scratch proof. I can't seem to find a way to unscrew the head to get to the reflector though, might be very tight. It looks like the reflectors of the C8 are the same depth and size and I bet the BC40 would light even further with a smooth reflector as the C8 does...!
 
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Always wondered... what is with OcUK and this torch thread? I mean.. torches..? Seems pretty random :confused: :p Someone enlighten me. Are lots of you mountain rescue members or something?
 
Sundance said:
Someone enlighten me
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*points torch at your direction and turns it on*

Nailed it!














Lots of different uses from people in this thread, some bike, others walk at night with pets, some folks just like to shine torches and so on and so forth. I explore abandoned places. I have also been playing with torches since I was a kid :p
 
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