My new torch

[Waspy1]

LocoBlade said:

I know there were similar £20 torch recommendations earlier but all were seemingly from US websites, so can anyone recommend a ~£20-30 torch that I can get from the likes of Amazon or one of the UK torch websites? Main criteria are adjustable brightness and build quality, will be used for things like dog walking at night etc so I guess a beam favouring flood rather than long distance, although adjustable would be a benefit. I'd like one for myself up to around £30 or so but also thinking about a Christmas present for a relative which would need to be closer to £20, and would need to use AA or AAAs

Also on another note does anyone have any experience with the ~£10 rechargeable torches I've seen on Amazon etc that plug into and charge off the 12v socket in the car, are they any good? I'm thinking they'd also make good little Christmas stocking fillers if they're any good.

Edited by LocoBlade on Sunday 6th November 00:14

How about this for yourself:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-sa2-eluma.ht...

....and this for the relative:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-a2-eos.html


UK website.

[anonymous-user]

Ordered my P7 today. Now the wait for its arrival and my move to the 21st Century

[tenohfive]

LocoBlade said:

I know there were similar £20 torch recommendations earlier but all were seemingly from US websites, so can anyone recommend a ~£20-30 torch that I can get from the likes of Amazon or one of the UK torch websites? Main criteria are adjustable brightness and build quality, will be used for things like dog walking at night etc so I guess a beam favouring flood rather than long distance, although adjustable would be a benefit. I'd like one for myself up to around £30 or so but also thinking about a Christmas present for a relative which would need to be closer to £20, and would need to use AA or AAAs

Also on another note does anyone have any experience with the ~£10 rechargeable torches I've seen on Amazon etc that plug into and charge off the 12v socket in the car, are they any good? I'm thinking they'd also make good little Christmas stocking fillers if they're any good.

For yourself the LED Lenser P7 is a cracking torch. I've got the T7 for work which is the P7 in a different case and it's perfect for what I use it for (everything from examining things close up to searching large open areas at night, and everything in between.)

[LocoBlade]

Waspy1 said:

How about this for yourself:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-sa2-eluma.ht...

....and this for the relative:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-a2-eos.html


UK website.

Cheers chaps, Waspy how does the eluma above compare with the Lenser P7? Also would you get the EOS A2 over the Fenix E11 I found on the same site here?

Slightly above budget but I also found a P7 and P3 twin pack for £40 at Maplin here, which seems good value as I could put the smaller one in the car or give it to the wife?

[nick_j007]

zcacogp said:

Probably ... 'tis a lovely thing, but I need an opportunity to use it in anger. At the moment it's just sitting on my desk, awaiting a world-saving mission ...

Perhaps I'll love it more if I can rescue the EU economy with it!

Lol. Unlikely I suspect! These darker nights should give you chances to use it. Try camping and or get a dog


Oli.

[Mr Pies]

I got to use my new Lenser P14 for the first time last night at work, Wow. I love it...

What torch would be the next step up for me?

[Waspy1]

LocoBlade said:

Waspy1 said:

How about this for yourself:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-sa2-eluma.ht...

....and this for the relative:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp/itp-a2-eos.html


UK website.

Cheers chaps, Waspy how does the eluma above compare with the Lenser P7? Also would you get the EOS A2 over the Fenix E11 I found on the same site here?

Slightly above budget but I also found a P7 and P3 twin pack for £40 at Maplin here, which seems good value as I could put the smaller one in the car or give it to the wife?

It depends what you want the light for, if water resisitance is important to you and digital regulation (no dimming as the batteries drain) the I would go for the ITP Eluma.

The P7 takes twice the number of batteries so the runtime would be longer, also the P7 can adjust the lens to throw a tighter shaft of light a long way (at a cost of a lack of 'spill' or surrounding light, perhaps that is important to you?

I would say the ITP is more a more practical, everyday light but the P7 has longer runtimes and that ability to adjust the lens.

Personally I'd go for the ITP but the P7 seems to be very popular on PH and why not? They can't all be wrong.

Also, I was trying to stick to your budget, if you have more to spend I would not have suggested the ITP

Fenix beats ITP IMHO.

[Waspy1]

Mr Pies said:

I got to use my new Lenser P14 for the first time last night at work, Wow. I love it...

What torch would be the next step up for me?

It depends, do you want more light or more throw or longer runtimes?

Either way, next step is definitely a Li-ion 18650 battery setup.

By the way 18650 means 18mm diameter and 65mm long. AA size batteries in Li-ion are 14500 or 14mm diameter and 50mm long.

Alakaline batteries are 1.5 volts, Li-ion are 3.7 volts, so you cannot simply replace an 2 AAs (for example) with a 2 14500s. You have to use the batteries recommended by the torch manufacturer.

Edited by Waspy1 on Sunday 6th November 19:54

[anonymous-user]

My P7 just turned up from Amazon.

All I can say is [VickyPollardMode]OMG[/VickyPollardMode]

This is my first ever LED torch and the level and quality of light is amazing!!!

Shall be going out late tonight for some fun!

[Matt106]

Where is the best place to purchase the P7 from? I know some places often do the P7 and P3 as a pack for a little bit more?

[audi321]

Matt106 said:

Where is the best place to purchase the P7 from? I know some places often do the P7 and P3 as a pack for a little bit more?

As someone put earlier. Maplins do the pack for £40

[Matt106]

audi321 said:

As someone put earlier. Maplins do the pack for £40

Thanks just checked they also do £3.50 off anything over £35 with the Myvouchercodes app.

[Mr Pies]

Waspy1 said:

It depends, do you want more light or more throw or longer runtimes?

Either way, next step is definitely a Li-ion 18650 battery setup.

By the way 18650 means 18mm diameter and 65mm long. AA size batteries in Li-ion are 14500 or 14mm diameter and 50mm long.

Alakaline batteries are 1.5 volts, Li-ion are 3.7 volts, so you cannot simply replace an 2 AAs (for example) with a 2 14500s. You have to use the batteries recommended by the torch manufacturer.

Edited by Waspy1 on Sunday 6th November 19:54

More throw would be even better!

[Matt106]

Just purchased the P7 and P3 from Maplins for £36.50, I'm now looking forward to walking the dog this evening

[anonymous-user]

Just walked the dog - like daylight. Totally impressed with the P7 - all from something so small!

[Project C]

Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

There I was thinking of buying a small decent torch and that a Maglight was the pinnacle of torches and now I know better - sadly!

All this talk of Lumens is confusing and I need a real world comparison, so..... I have a very, very cheap torch that has nine LEDs and runs off three AAA batteries. How many lumens could that be putting out? Roughly?

[defblade]

Project C said:

All this talk of Lumens is confusing and I need a real world comparison, so..... I have a very, very cheap torch that has nine LEDs and runs off three AAA batteries. How many lumens could that be putting out? Roughly?

Well, it ~could~ be putting out 9x900 lumens for about 2 minutes but then you probably wouldn't have called it very,very cheap unless you're Bill Gates.... it's probably putting out maybe 30. On fresh batteries, before the LEDs heat up too much. And with a lousy throw and beam pattern.

10 lumens to protect your night vision, 60 lumens is useful for close-ish stuff, 100 is getting better, 200 is good all-round power these days and normal people will be starting to comment how bright it is, 700 and above you get involuntary swear words out of them 1300 lumens out of a filament lamp (bulb, not LED) will set paper on fire

[Waspy1]

Project C said:

Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

There I was thinking of buying a small decent torch and that a Maglight was the pinnacle of torches and now I know better - sadly!

All this talk of Lumens is confusing and I need a real world comparison, so..... I have a very, very cheap torch that has nine LEDs and runs off three AAA batteries. How many lumens could that be putting out? Roughly?

About 10.

Also, it will have absolutely no throw. Throw is acheived by a deep, smooth parabolic reflector, multi-LEDs ruin that.

[tamore]

Waspy1 said:

About 10.

Also, it will have absolutely no throw. Throw is acheived by a deep, smooth parabolic reflector, multi-LEDs ruin that.

doesn't the lenser x21(r) have multi leds?

[Waspy1]

Mr Pies said:

Waspy1 said:

It depends, do you want more light or more throw or longer runtimes?

Either way, next step is definitely a Li-ion 18650 battery setup.

By the way 18650 means 18mm diameter and 65mm long. AA size batteries in Li-ion are 14500 or 14mm diameter and 50mm long.

Alakaline batteries are 1.5 volts, Li-ion are 3.7 volts, so you cannot simply replace an 2 AAs (for example) with a 2 14500s. You have to use the batteries recommended by the torch manufacturer.

Edited by Waspy1 on Sunday 6th November 19:54

More throw would be even better!

Well, I believe the furthest throwing torch available (apart from the Olights) is the Tiablo A9 fitted with the Collimator head.

Canadian eBay seller kit-tronics sells them. http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/kit-tronics/m.html?hash=...

Knock yourself out.



Some Chinese come close though, Solarforce Monster Thrower head with 2x18650 body is a great thrower.