What torch would you recommend?

[rhinochopig]

Arif110 said:

Just found my oar again...

I can concede the further points made on the Lensers - esp say the 'zoom' function, but the (impractical) purist in me just has a problem with a beam focused with front-of-source optics.

As to their being used extensively by professional forces - well the great thing here is that we live in an Age where there's almost no such thing as a 'crap' car, or phone, or torch - the base level for many such goods are 'very good'. You know - what with iPhones and Hunter fans being made in China, and all that.
Further though, you'll often find that it's pure accident that a certain product got taken up by a large group like that.

My collection consists of a few Fenixes: LD01s (plus stainless steel version), LD10 R5s, LD20 R4s and R5s, the TK41, and the TK45. And the Olight SR90!

The LD20s (2xAA) are deployed as glovebox lights for me and the Mrs' car. I do have also in my car a 6-Cell Maglite with the 300M-EX LED upgrade (made it a great walking-light, too).

I always have either an LD10 or LD20 on me somehow, and of course the LD01 as keychain for parents' housekeys (single AAA). I've made the Mrs use one of the LD01s as a key-fob. She's already reported it being useful once, esp as Winter approaches!

I use the TK45 the most out of the lot - from checking up on baby (decent 'Low' of about 11 lumens, IIRC), to walking.

The TK41 was attained 'randomly' - wouldn't have bought it per se - it's comparable to the Olight SR90 on 'Low' - and an equally tight beam (great for searching for lost dog in field/lamping)

The SR90 I got because I don't drink, smoke or spend too much on anything else! It's completely fecking useless in day-to-day life, but I do walk in local forests at night to get to dark spots quite deep inside for astronomy - and I do feel 'armed' with the SR90 slung on my shoulder, pointing forwards.

On the theme of bright light-sources, I also have a few green lasers - no, not from 'Wicked' lasers!! A certified post-2-minute 800mw, is my best so far. The size of a 3-Cell Maglite, 100% duty-cycle, and fan-cooled. Fecking stupendous at night - what with a laterally-visible beam. I get them from a boutique specialist, bunch of dudes based in Toronto, Canada (Laserglow Technologies). Think SVS subwoofers - that's pretty-much how it felt to be at Laserglow's offices. Run by enthusiasts.

I used to hate living in my Age until LED, laser and model jet engine technology became what it is today - affordable and accessible.

Ah an SR90. I was very tempted with one of them but have recently had to stop doing the MR due to children etc. so no longer have a justification. As you say a lot of money, but like a WWII AA search light over your shoulder.

I take on board what you say, and can't say I disagree, my point was simply that Lensers may not be the best, but to dismiss them is wrong because for the money they are very capable and reliable torches.

Lasers are funny things, a lad in the team had some stupidly powerful one that on an open moorland with zero light sources for 20 miles in any direction had the most amazing ability to turn grown men into giggling kids pretending to Luke Skywalker. It became a competition to find things ever further away to see if the laser would illuminate them.

[Arif110]

Yup - the more powerful green lasers do rather have that effect on grown men! That you can 'see' the beam, even by broad daylight if close to it, it just stupendous. What's more, is they burn things, and can burst (red or black) balloons across a garden. For anything above 500mw, even looking at the spot it makes is dangerous to the health of your eyes - I normally use goggles rated for 520nm blocking. They're thousands of times brighter than the sun (in terms of Lux/light-intensity per unit of surface area).

Whenever I see a white hot-air balloon in the distance (several miles), I have to resist a childish and legally questionable temptation to point the laser at it and turn it into a bright green UFO! At that distance (or any), it would be harmless to that sort of fabric.

The SR90 on a Winter's night has quite a visible beam, too.

I only really got the SR90 in order to own the most powerful single-LED torch in the World (I think, still) - and not any of that Ebay or Dealextreme t@t. The very leading-edge of LED tech, for a while.

[Mars]

I made myself a ROP out of a 6D Mag, using an overhead projector bulb (Pelican, hence the name), 6x NiMH D cells, a milled alloy reflector and a crystal glass lense.

I can categorically state that nothing throws light further this side of a HID (although I believe a HID wouldn't have cost much more overall). The problem with my home-made affair is that I have now burnt out the switch and a PWM replacement from that nice chap on Candlepower Forums wants something like 80 quid for one (worth it, yes, but I want to spend the money on all sorts of other crap).

For close-ups, lighting a room, finding keys or money you've just dropped under your car, and generally having an EDC in your pocket, the Fenix LD01 with a surefire rechargeable 3.6V battery will provide enough light (short duration because of the battery) to put your friends into a coma.

For outdoor/camping use and setting fire to paper from ~10 inches away, you need a ROP.

If you're sensible, buy a HID. They're coming down in price now. Bright as some LEDs are, they just do not throw like a hot wire or spark.

[Mr Pies]

What torch would you torch gods recommend for £50-80? Not bothered about being able to got from spot to flood like those lenser p14's.

However I would like it to be brighter than my mates p14 (bragging rights) and be able to run off rechargeable AA batteries.

[Pothole]

http://www.yourlightingstore.co.uk/rolson-61770-72...

you can get them from Asda, they have magnets on the back and are plenty bright enough for wheel changing.

[moleamol]

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/skyray-s-r5-cree-xpe-...

I have one of those with a charger and 2 batteries bought from Dealextreme. It really is good.

[Waspy1]

Mr Pies said:

What torch would you torch gods recommend for £50-80? Not bothered about being able to got from spot to flood like those lenser p14's.

However I would like it to be brighter than my mates p14 (bragging rights) and be able to run off rechargeable AA batteries.

Not easy to meet your requirements.

Your mate's P14 puts out 200 lumens.

The Fenix TK41 puts out 800 lumens and uses eight AAs BUT costs £112.95.

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/fenix/fenix-tk41.htm...

The Solarforce M6 puts out 550 lumes and costs $99 (£62) but that includes batteries, charger and car charger, however the batteries are not AAs but rechargeable Li-ion 18650s which are a bit larger than AAs (and last longer). These are the same batteries as used in your laptop.

http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php...

Edited by Waspy1 on Friday 9th September 08:00

[defblade]

How did I miss this thread?

I've stopped modding torches now as it's simply too cheap and easy to buy something LED from dealextreme with massive performance.

Used to enjoy hotwires; made a regulated mag mod putting approx 1200 lumens out the front of a 2D cell maglite for about half an hour which was fantastic (if I do say so myself )... but what you can buy for £30 these days is just silly so it kinda takes the fun out of it for me.

LEDs will throw very very well the right reflector and lense

[Mr Pies]

moleamol said:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/skyray-s-r5-cree-xpe-...

I have one of those with a charger and 2 batteries bought from Dealextreme. It really is good.

Does it come with the charger and batteries?

[Timsta]

I give you the Lenser: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OGCP6W/ref=...

105 lumens fom just 3 aaa batteries.

[Waspy1]

Mr Pies said:

moleamol said:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/skyray-s-r5-cree-xpe-...

I have one of those with a charger and 2 batteries bought from Dealextreme. It really is good.

Does it come with the charger and batteries?

It doesn't mention them, so I think the answer is no.

Just to clarify things, the brightest, most efficient LED emitters are made by a company called Cree.

They make many different LED emitters, like XR-E and XP-G but their latest, brightest one is the XM-L.

So your best bet when searching Chinese websites like Dealextreme or Bestofferbuy or Kaidomain or Solarforce Sales is to look for a torch with a Cree XM-L LED and 18650 batteries and charger thrown in.

Or of course you can buy directly from a UK supplier like Flashaholics or Thetorchsite.

[JaybirdUK]

Would this really churn out 1000 lumens?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/power-M3-2I-XM-L-Lumen-tor...

Quite tempted and have a budget of around £60 to spend on a torch

[Waspy1]

JaybirdUK said:

Would this really churn out 1000 lumens?

Not sure, it might, but I'm sceptical. Solarforce-sales.com (a respectable Chinese torch manufaturer) claim 780 lumens for their M8 (Cree XM-L) - £54

For a more informed opinion you should ask this question on Candlepowerforums.com

Edited by Waspy1 on Friday 9th September 22:35

[defblade]

Timsta said:

I give you the Lenser: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OGCP6W/ref=...

105 lumens fom just 3 aaa batteries.

I'll raise you http://www.dealextreme.com/p/romisen-rc-c8-cree-q5...

210 lumens (seems about right) from 3 AAA, 2 CR123 or 1 18650 as you prefer. Fully adjustable between flood and throw. 10 quid.


Just had to order 5 for a farmer friend of mine I lent one to a while back. He's not really interested in playing with torches but reckons he's never had anything so useful, at any price. So that's some real world testing for you.




I reckon the "1200" lumen torches are putting 700-800 lumens out the front really, but where else can you get that sort of power for £20- £30?? My only downside is one torch (I've had dozens now! Not all for me....) needed the switch end taking apart and a little extra solder adding to make a good contact and several of them have needed the battery cap threads (which as usual form part of the electrical circuit) cleaned up, again to make a good contact - 10 seconds work with a bit of tissue.

[rhinochopig]

On the topic of lumens. Some quoted figures are the rating of the chip and others, such as lenser, quote the lumens measured from the torch. My P14 is - objectively - only slightly less bright than my 700 lumen Dealtimeextreme cheapo torch. The usable range of the P14 is about double that of the DTE torch.

[Waspy1]

rhinochopig said:

On the topic of lumens. Some quoted figures are the rating of the chip and others, such as lenser, quote the lumens measured from the torch. My P14 is - objectively - only slightly less bright than my 700 lumen Dealtimeextreme cheapo torch. The usable range of the P14 is about double that of the DTE torch.

Rhinochopig,

I know you like LED Lensers, but one of the reasons they have a long range is because they have an aspherical lens.

This comes at a cost of lack of spill.

The 10 quid torch mentioned by defblade above acheives the same thing by using an aspherical lens.

I have a Lenser and very good it is but it can't compete with my powerful XM-L with a regular lens for throw AND spill.

[tenohfive]

Anyone got any suggestions for something as cheap and powerful (but more reliable) than a Cree P4? I bought about 5 of them for about £3.50 each and was well impressed, but I'm noticing that more and more often I have to give it a shake to get it to work due to batteries not being secure.

Not looking for anything pricey - I have a Lenser T7 for work (cracking torch for what I use it for - anything from searching fields to examining objects up close) but want something cheap and cheerful for camping, leaving in the car etc that I don't mind losing. No more than £5 ideally.

[Waspy1]

These are £5.82, about as cheap as you'll find for 120 lumens.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/kinghon-1aa-cree-q3-w...

[defblade]

Waspy1 said:

rhinochopig said:

On the topic of lumens. Some quoted figures are the rating of the chip and others, such as lenser, quote the lumens measured from the torch. My P14 is - objectively - only slightly less bright than my 700 lumen Dealtimeextreme cheapo torch. The usable range of the P14 is about double that of the DTE torch.

Rhinochopig,

I know you like LED Lensers, but one of the reasons they have a long range is because they have an aspherical lens.

This comes at a cost of lack of spill.

The 10 quid torch mentioned by defblade above acheives the same thing by using an aspherical lens.

I have a Lenser and very good it is but it can't compete with my powerful XM-L with a regular lens for throw AND spill.

I'm well (ok, very well (ok, sadly, geeky, well)) aquainted with various lumen figures batted about and that's why I tend to qualify the DX ones especially at the higher end (similar % losses in the torch make a bigger difference). Not to mention that it takes 3-4 times increase in lumens to double how "bright" a beam looks to the eye. Flood vs throw is another issue and it gets so you need different torches (or reflectors or heads or bulbs or drop-ins or lenses ) for different jobs... you can't say one is "better" than another. It's why I've been buying and playing with adjustable focus recently (just ordered one of these). Filament vs LED is another one - I used to be a hotwire guy but have defected of late (still love my 1300 lumen 2D mag mod though ).

I always found Lenser to be overpriced and underpowered, but a bit of a google suggests they might have caught up a bit now on both fronts. I stand by DX (and similar sites) offering far and away the best bang-per-buck torches available.

A 100-200 lumen torch tends to get a "blimey" from the unenlightened (especially when it's a little 1x cr123 jobbie);

700 upwards gets a "bloody hell!"

You can guess which end most of mine are....

[defblade]

tenohfive said:

leaving in the car etc

I'd suggest getting a lithium battery torch for this (eg CR123 (get from dealextreme as well)) as lithium batteries hold their power for 10 years or more.... so when you come to need it, it still works