Spec me an LED Torch

Anything he wants. anything that needs to be lit.
Since i got up i've used a flashlight more than twenty times, from looking under the desk for a spring i dropped to going to the shed to fetch some powertools to examining a recess in a gun i was working on.
 
Aod said:
Anything he wants. anything that needs to be lit.
Since i got up i've used a flashlight more than twenty times, from looking under the desk for a spring i dropped to going to the shed to fetch some powertools to examining a recess in a gun i was working on.
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Yup - same as AOD I've always got a flashlight on me and I always end up using it 10-20 times a day, not just for the sake of it either.

Some people like expensive watches, some like expensive flashlights - they both have a very specific purpose but sometimes it's nice o know you have an awesome piece of craftsmanship in your possession - one that'll last you a very long time.

Personally, I couldn't spend more than £100 on a watch, but I understand those that do.

On another note, I've managed to thin out my flashlight collection again - I'm now down to just:-

McGizmo Haiku XML
4Sevens Maelstrom G5
4sevens Quark AA Ti
4Sevens Quark AA2 XPG
4Sevens Quark 123 XRE with Ti body
4Sevens Mini AA Warm White
ShiningBeam Smini XPG neutral
ShiningBean Smini XML
MG P-Rocket XPG neutral
ITP A3 EOS Upgrade Ed.
Romisen RC-A3 (from SB)
Romisen RC-N3 modded with an XRE R2 with 1.5a driver
Akoray K-106 (programmable version)
 
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Here's a bit of a random one. I don't have hazard lights on my cars because they're all classics. Can't be bothered to meddle with the wiring either. The strobe on my L2D is pretty good with the white diffuser and would make a pretty good warning beacon if I broke down, if it was yellow. Are there any high intensity yellow LED flashing torches that I can stash in the glove box? Or something I can fit a yellow diffuser to? Something the size of the L2D and running on AAs would be ideal I guess.
 
Jonny69 said:
Here's a bit of a random one. I don't have hazard lights on my cars because they're all classics. Can't be bothered to meddle with the wiring either. The strobe on my L2D is pretty good with the white diffuser and would make a pretty good warning beacon if I broke down, if it was yellow. Are there any high intensity yellow LED flashing torches that I can stash in the glove box? Or something I can fit a yellow diffuser to? Something the size of the L2D and running on AAs would be ideal I guess.
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http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/accessories/fenix_traffic_wand.html

or

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/accessories/fenix_red_diffuser.html
 
Jonny69 said:
Here's a bit of a random one. I don't have hazard lights on my cars because they're all classics. Can't be bothered to meddle with the wiring either. The strobe on my L2D is pretty good with the white diffuser and would make a pretty good warning beacon if I broke down, if it was yellow. Are there any high intensity yellow LED flashing torches that I can stash in the glove box? Or something I can fit a yellow diffuser to? Something the size of the L2D and running on AAs would be ideal I guess.
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Jonny, you could try this;
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/cree-x...t-drop-in-led-module-38mm-26mm-8-4v-max-26345

combined with this;
http://solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FB&s=1&id=20

and this:
http://solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FA&s=27&id=211

It's not yellow (not very many high-intensity yellow LEDs) and the strobe might be too fast to use, but it's cheap and it'll run on CR123A's as well as an 18650 so it's good for frequent use as well as being an emergency light.
Why you want CR123A's

Also, this light will be impressively waterproof :)
 
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Ok, so i've just discovered this thread, it just so happens i am in need of a new torch as my (sorry for this) Maglite is frankly rubbish compared to what i have seen in here on the last some pages! :)

BTW, i know very little about them, i thought a maglite was a good torch! :o

So, any suggestions as to what i could get that would be small enough for a pocket or small holster, nice and bright and not too expensive? Say £50 max, its that enough for a decent one?

That Jetbeam looks great, but do i really need/want to buy a special charger for the batteries and all sorts?

I'd prefer it if i could use 'normal' AA or AAA batteries, or the CR123 / 18650's (Which of the two latter ones are better?)

Ta
 
£100 on a torch?

If you are wondering... there are whole groups of communities just like OcUK which are dedicated to torch buying.. They make unboxing videos, they do reviews, they do side by side comparisons shining their torches at test print outs and so forth.

I only know this as I stumbled upon a forum one day and I was shocked to see how much time, effort and money went into these torches.

As much as I wouldn't spend £100 on a torch I know I wouldn't spend £4k on a new PC. But people do... it just depends on what you are interested in really.
 
As long as my torch is reasonable in price but unreasonably bright to have some fun with is all I care about :p

V_R, depends on what you want to light up and where, you could start off with a cheap eBay aluminium one like teh UltraFire or something else like ones mentioned recently above. They're o-ring sealed so still provide water resistance and they can use AAA or LiOn batteries.

the latter will provide more run time and be safer all round as well.
 
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V_R said:
Ok, so i've just discovered this thread, it just so happens i am in need of a new torch as my (sorry for this) Maglite is frankly rubbish compared to what i have seen in here on the last some pages! :)

BTW, i know very little about them, i thought a maglite was a good torch! :o

So, any suggestions as to what i could get that would be small enough for a pocket or small holster, nice and bright and not too expensive? Say £50 max, its that enough for a decent one?

That Jetbeam looks great, but do i really need/want to buy a special charger for the batteries and all sorts?

I'd prefer it if i could use 'normal' AA or AAA batteries, or the CR123 / 18650's (Which of the two latter ones are better?)

Ta
Click to expand...

Hello mate! if you want a £50 torch that uses AAs, you could try any of these:
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/4sevens/quark-aa-2-tactical.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/fenix/fenix-ld20.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/icon/icon-rogue-2.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/jetbeam/jetbeam-ba20.html
http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/thrunite/thrunite-neutron-2a.html

All of those would be incredibly bright in comparison to any maglite and they all take regular AAs.

If you want more brightness, then you'll have to move on to lights running 18650's or other such Li-Ion rechargeables as they offer considerably greater power delivery capabilities, but do need a special charger :)
 
ThriceNightly said:
wow these russians really like their beam shots

http://fonarevka.ru/indexen.html :eek:

also check the different scene settings.
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HID torches are the next thing I want!!

8_3.jpg


I've also sent Jetbeam an email asking if they sell a smooth reflector for the BC40 because I much prefer smooth over orange peel, the beam is way tighter.
 
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bloodline76 said:
I have just been reading through this thread and generally feel better about my life not knowing this much about torches :D

Really? £100 for a torch? What are you using it for?
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Well for me my main use for my torch is mountaineering, so I'm often found abseiling down cliff faces in the dead of night where a reliable bright torch is quite literally a lifesaver. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I dropped my current torch halfway down a cliff and it fell around 60 feet onto rocks below, it still works perfectly fine which I think is testament alone that spending a bit more to get a well engineered torch is 100% worth it.

Saying that though I don't think id ever spend £100 on a torch unless i had a use for it, but spending upwards of £50 is not a problem for me considering what I get in return.
 
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I may be a heathen for asking this, but I'm not after a torch that will illuminate the moon or blind airline pilots. I just need a decent, fairly rugged, fits well in the hand, LED torch with a fairly wide beam and average-to-good range.

Except for one thing - it must be rechargeable - and preferably via USB. I need it for going to/from work and I don't want to have to carry a 'brick' with me, but I can charge most anything USB at both ends.
 
Berserker said:
I may be a heathen for asking this, but I'm not after a torch that will illuminate the moon or blind airline pilots. I just need a decent, fairly rugged, fits well in the hand, LED torch with a fairly wide beam and average-to-good range.

Except for one thing - it must be rechargeable - and preferably via USB. I need it for going to/from work and I don't want to have to carry a 'brick' with me, but I can charge most anything USB at both ends.
Click to expand...

How much are you willing to spend?

This seems to be the perfect solution:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-r01-rechargeable.html

Not sure how good it is but ITP are a decent make.
 
Mark A said:
How much are you willing to spend?

This seems to be the perfect solution:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-r01-rechargeable.html

Not sure how good it is but ITP are a decent make.
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I was looking at that as well, the only problem with it is the spot beam rather than a wide flood, and depending on what he's using it for 180lumens might actually be too bright if he's working in a small area eg rummaging around in computer cases. There's only the one brightness setting.
 
As I indicated, it's for walking to/from work. I have poor eyesight so need extra light, but don't want to be a nuisance to oncoming drivers or pedestrians. Flood is probably overstating it - good illumination of a footpath 5-10ft in front of me is what I'm after.

I don't mind spending that sort of money if it'll last me a few years. The £80 Lenser I found seemed excessive, and wasn't suitable anyway, but £20-£40 is fine.

PS - would be nice if it accepted a standard micro USB cable, but I can live with a custom cable.
 
Berserker said:
As I indicated, it's for walking to/from work. I have poor eyesight so need extra light, but don't want to be a nuisance to oncoming drivers or pedestrians. Flood is probably overstating it - good illumination of a footpath 5-10ft in front of me is what I'm after.

I don't mind spending that sort of money if it'll last me a few years. The £80 Lenser I found seemed excessive, and wasn't suitable anyway, but £20-£40 is fine.

PS - would be nice if it accepted a standard micro USB cable, but I can live with a custom cable.
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Ah sorry i misread your original post, I thought you would be using it during work rather than on the journey.

How long would your walk to and from work take you roughly? I'm of the opinion that a reasonable torch that takes rechargeable lithium batteries would possibly be a better option than a dedicated usb charging one. It means you could get a torch more specific to your needs rather than settling for one that can be charged by usb, that way you can charge up a set of batteries at home and the torch will last you through the day, then you charge the batteries again for the next day.

Obviously it depends how long you will be using the torch for each day as to whether what I've said above will suit you though. There's always the option of charging an extra set of batteries and leaving them in work should you need them I suppose.
 
I've got stacks of NiMH AA batteries, so that'd work (one set at each end if needed). I don't know anything about Lithium technology so don't know if I can charge those. I hadn't thought about putting rechargeable AAA batteries in my existing torches either.
 
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