My new torch

[V8RX7]

tenohfive said:

But check the size of the 26650's, the L6 will only take ones up to 70mm long.

I thought the 26 was 26mm wide and the 65 was 65mm long ?

[silverthorn2151]

Well I must admit that's how I thought it worked, and then that post made me doubt myself. I haven't checked other than noting all my 18650's are 65 long.

[tenohfive]

V8RX7 said:

tenohfive said:

But check the size of the 26650's, the L6 will only take ones up to 70mm long.

I thought the 26 was 26mm wide and the 65 was 65mm long ?

Give or take. All cells are not created equal(ly sized.) There's often slight size differences.

From the L6 page on Convoy's Aliexpress store:

Simon from Convoy said:

Notice that Convoy L6 must run on 2pcs protected 26650 batteries which can withstand more than 6A current.I recommend protected keeppower 26650 5200mAH battery. (length of battery can not be more than 70mm . Pls use new version protected keeppower 26650,its length is 69mm)

[V8RX7]

tenohfive said:

V8RX7 said:

tenohfive said:

But check the size of the 26650's, the L6 will only take ones up to 70mm long.

I thought the 26 was 26mm wide and the 65 was 65mm long ?

Give or take. All cells are not created equal(ly sized.) There's often slight size differences.

So like the BMW numbering policy - it was obvious and worked - so they changed it.

[tenohfive]

V8RX7 said:

So like the BMW numbering policy - it was obvious and worked - so they changed it.

If by 'they,' you mean 'most battery manufacturers,' - then yes, I guess? I just know it's not totally unheard of for different batteries not to fit different lights. That being said of my collection I can think of only a couple of cells that won't work with certain lights.

[V8RX7]

L6 Convoy arrived today from Gearbest.

I can't believe I'll ever need a better torch - highly recommended.

[silverthorn2151]

specifically what batteries are you using in it?

I feel an order coming over me!

[V8RX7]

silverthorn2151 said:

specifically what batteries are you using in it?

I feel an order coming over me!

As I wasn't expecting it so soon I haven't got around to ordering them so I stuck a couple of old 18650s (with an adaptor) that I had in my Ultrafire.

It has a better flood and a better zoom - at the same time !

[bingybongy]

I have a Bang Good version of one of these and it is great for looking for stuff in cupboards and keeping in the glove box but is very plasticy. Saw this and thought why not.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nebo-6373-Lil-Larry-250-L...

[Max5476]

I need a torch at work for finding things at the back of a shipping container, does anyone have experience with torches like the below? Its only £1 so not a disaster if terrible.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-5000LM-MINI-USB-Rech...

[moleamol]

For 99p is it worth not trying it? I can't comment on the torch as there seems to be 3 different descriptions! I did get a torch from Amazon for £1.89 though, a while ago and it is perfectly fine.

[littleredrooster]

If it really is a Q5 led, it will be as bright as the bright little thing I bought for double that amount. Worth a try - I may just buy a couple myself at that price!
ETA: 3 options on the page from .99p to £4.59, mine are closest to the £4.59 choice but aren't rechargeable. I've just ordered 2 of the .99p variety out of curiosity!

Edited by littleredrooster on Wednesday 8th March 22:19

[williredale]

99p for a shiny probe.

I have nothing of value to add to this.

[tenohfive]

I would be really wary of using the USB recharging on a 99p torch - it's going to be a cheap cell and probably a basic charging circuit. Fire risk could be an issue.

Why not just get an SK68 - twice the price but they're tried and tested. I've got about 5 knocking about somewhere from a sale and they're perfectly adequate for basic tasks.
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_5496.ht...

Or push the boat out - £12:
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_368125....

Edited by tenohfive on Thursday 9th March 05:51

[defblade]

The 99p is going to be a candle at best and have no USB charging - that type takes a AA generally. I suspect the lumens claim is out by 2 orders of magnitude.

The £4.xx one will be ok light-wise, but the battery will not last long and I'm not sure I'd ever want to leave it on charge without being right next to it....

[tenohfive]

3 new lights for me:

Klarus Mi7 - owned, loved, lost, immediately replaced. Great little light for using day to day. Not really new as such but a different colour (shiny silver.)

Nitecore NU20 - 47g, 360 lumen headtorch. For races/events where the minimum kit list says I have to have one but when I'm unlikely to need it. Seriously considering getting a second one (with a Nichia LED) for DIY jobs - it's a pleasant beam pattern, and in high CRI should be even better.

Skilhunt H03R - big boy headtorch for races where I do expect to use it, and may need plenty of power. 1200 lumens in a similar style to my Nitecore HC30, but I've modded this one (my first mod.) By swapping centre tubes with a BLF A6 short tube it's now running an 18350 instead of an 18650, and I've swapped straps for a lighter/simpler Convoy offering. Reduced runtimes but I've now got 1200 lumens in a parcel smaller than a cigarette lighter. Very lightweight too. A bit of a niche role but I'm really happy with it as there is nothing out there similar - everything else involves compromising on weight or beam pattern. This has a good flood, good throw and it's just tiny.

ETA: modes on the Skilhunt - cleverly done. Low, Medium, High and Turbo each have two settings. You turn on, cycle through (in order, with mode memory.) If you want to change Medium from 20 to 70 lumens you go into Medium then double tap. It'll save that so you only need to go back into it if you want to tinker with it. For my needs - where getting the right enough light and no more to eke out runtime is important - it's ideal as I can set it all up ahead of time rather than fannying around on the go. Strobes are hidden away behind a triple tap.

Edited by tenohfive on Friday 10th March 16:11

[Zad]

Not sure this is "company director" enough for this thread, but Lidl have their own branded torches in at the moment. 3W Cree LEDs, usual 3 functions, zoom lens, and 2200mAh capacity (so I guess it is an 18650). More importantly, it has USB port(s) and can act as a phone booster battery. £8

They also have a 5000mAh booster battery with dinky solar panel for £10. It won't be any use for charging the battery I wouldn't think, but it should be ok for keeping it topped up.

[C0ffin D0dger]

Just picked up one of these in Aldi, £20 was perhaps a bit more than I wanted to pay but I liked the fact that it's USB rechargeable: https://www.aldi.co.uk/12w-led-cree-rechargeable-t...

Seems pretty bright but can't really tell until it's dark Zoom function too.

[Mothersruin]

Just saw this thread pop up again.

Last year I got a LED Lenser H14R.2 to add to my Mountain Rescue gear.

It's been on plenty of call-outs, in some tasty conditions and it's been excellent.

I haven't had it run out on me yet and will typically go through a good mix of low, full and boost modes during a search/rescue sometimes over a full night. Still feels well put together and the zoom/beam function is smooth, easy to get as you want and works very well in a search environment. It's also easy to change sizes when mounting to a helmet.

Seems to take a while to charge, but it's not an issue unless you forget to plug it in. I'm pretty well drilled to get all kit back up to scratch as soon as I get home before mentally knocking off and I put my car keys on top of it charging so I can't forget it if I get another call or I've returned it to the kit.

Only small annoyance is having the battery pack at the back - the control wheel sits exactly where the top of my bergen, when full of kit, wants to be when I'm ascending and looking up, it keeps 'clicking' it. It doesn't really do anything other than blink it off for a millisecond and make a noise.. Putting the battery pack to the side unbalances things so I live with the clicking - probably something that won't affect the majority of users.

So other than a minor annoyance that most people wouldn't have to worry about, it's a great bit of kit and really pleased with its performance.

[tenohfive]

Pleasant surprise to see this thread getting a bump, given it's light from 4am most days.

My latest addition is a Skilhunt H03R - an 18650 powered 1200 lumen headtorch. But I modded it, removing the main tube and replacing it with a short tube from another light so I could make it take an 18350 (about half the size.) Replaced the headband with something smaller/lighter too.

End result? A 1200 lumen headtorch weighing 80g, that'll run for hours on the lower outputs (fine for good trails) but which I can whack up to full clap for short periods to work out where I'm going. Each output setting has higher and lower options which I've changed ahead of time to get the spacing right so that in use it just cycles through the 3 modes quickly.
It's intended for long distance off road runs where gram counting matters, but equally not getting lost on a mountain somewhere does too. I'm very happy with the final result - there just isn't anything else out there that'll do what the modded H03R does in terms of performance/weight/runtime. Hence why I had to mod.

I could shave a few more grams off too by removing the tailcap magnet but it's pretty handy for storage - it's currently within arms reach hanging off the wall by that magnet.