Torch recommendations

Get a Fenix torch that suits the batteries you want to use and the budget you have. Best torch by far that I have owned.
 
Ben M said:
Normal people don't think this deeply about buying torches. I'm sorry, but they don't. they just go out, to a shop, and buy one.
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Personally I'd say it's the ignorant people that don't research something before they buy it. But that's just me.

Doesn't apply to everything of course - not saying you need to research what beans you buy, but if you want a decent torch, buying a crap one from a shop isn't going to be particularly successful.
 
You can get cheap LED torches from Hong Kong that are pretty bright, and good value for money, but the build quality isn't necessarily top notch. It can be hit & miss if you get a decent one or not.

I got these (1xAA):
Romisen RC-G2 (cree XR-E) $10.90 delivered
MTE SSC P4 $14.50 delivered
(google it).
Both last about 45-60 mins with a 2100mah AA, after that they start to get dim (still brighter than a 2xAA mag though)


Both are still working after almost 3 months usage, had a bit of hassle with the MTE but i fixed it.


It might also be worth asking at candlepower forum.
 
Love the maglight obsession on here, bar the fact you can club people to death with them, whats so to recommend? Big, heavy, dim and crappy incan battery killers... all things I don't want in a torch tbh.

JIM_BOB knows what hes talking about, I have every Romisen torch made and they are simply the best value for money you get, although I have modded them all with Q5 crees and most take exotic batteries, which imo are worth getting, but I can understand you may not want to.

With batteries in mind I recommend a fenix P2D, unbelievably bright out the box on 2xAA. Plus a couple of places do free shipping from the states so you save on the exchange rate.
 
Bigsy said:
JIM_BOB knows what hes talking about, I have every Romisen torch made and they are simply the best value for money you get
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Does your RC-G2 stop working when the cell drops below 1.20 v?
Mine won't turn on if the cell is below 1.20, but if i run it from >1.20 down, it will run till the cell is totally empty (<1.00 V).
I know you're not supposed to run batteries down to 1.00 V, but i dunno if it's a "feature" or a fault.
 
Spanker said:
Not planning on buying one but would this LED conversion be any good?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280203221637
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TerraLUX are decent dropin makers, I would seatch on candlepower forums about this particular dropin.

Personally speaking I wouldn't go for luxeon K2's there a little dated, although they can match cutting edge emitters given large current, and even surpass them given huge amounts they are just not as efficient and thus a lower lumen per watt.

Personally I'd go for the following emitters: SSC P4 U-bin, Cree Q5 or R2 (if you can find them), Rebel 100.
 
JIM_BOB7813 said:
Does your RC-G2 stop working when the cell drops below 1.20 v?
Mine won't turn on if the cell is below 1.20, but if i run it from >1.20 down, it will run till the cell is totally empty (<1.00 V).
I know you're not supposed to run batteries down to 1.00 V, but i dunno if it's a "feature" or a fault.
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I don't know, because soon as both (gray and black) arrived I modded them both with the SKU 7880 driver off DX (driver at around 800ma off an AA!), with a rebel 100 in one and U-bin SSC in the other. Fantastic little throwers.

Best of the bunch is the RC-N3 tho, I modded it with a 3 mode 1.2a driver and Q5 and it runs off a rcr123, unbelievable pocket thrower, it must be chucking out ~280 lumens...not a lot of run time on high tho :)

Just such great quality for the money these romisens, couple of easy cheap mods and you have a torch that is up there with the best of them.
 
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Find yourself a nice 2 foot long peice of wood, wrap some cloth around the end of it, dip it in oil and light. Try to get one that is not too heavy, so you can still hold your pitchfork in your other hand.

PK!
 
Mikey said:
I'm looking at the maglite torches now for my le mans trip.. £20 doesn't seem too bad.
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£20 for a 2xaa non-led maglite?
I dunno if they have changed the bulbs (my torch/bulbs are quite old), but it's seriously rubbish compared to a cheap-o LED torch. The bulbs also do not last very long, and are expensive to replace.
It looks nice, and is well made, but it's just not all that good.
cheap-o torches f-t-w
 
Agreed, and I should know - I have one.

Looks nice. Well built (robust). Obliterated by a decent LED torch (even the cheap ones).
 
Best of the bunch is the RC-N3 tho, I modded it with a 3 mode 1.2a driver and Q5 and it runs off a rcr123, unbelievable pocket thrower, it must be chucking out ~280 lumens...not a lot of run time on high tho
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Seconded!

Got two Romisen RC-N3's with the Q5 emitter and dual mode from shiningbeam.com plus bike mounts - £39 all in delivered. Puts my cateye 10w+20w halogen bike set to shame (I'd say the RC-N3 lights are easily twice as bright) and 2hrs + run time on high with a CR123 battery (I carry a couple spare in my pocket as well) or 12 hrs on medium (still brighter than a 10w halogen) and runs for 4hr+s on high with two AA cells or 20hr with two AA.

RC-N3IIBK.jpg


Maglites are dinosaurs and need to be relegated to history.
 
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I've got a Fenix torch with runs on CR123 batteries, and I'm looking at getting another torch. Can someone (Bigsy, JIM_BOB7813, amigafan2003) tell me the best place to get top quality CR123 batteries online, as I can only find Panasonic or Energizer photo batteries and I'm not sure how good they really are.
 
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