Discussion
Amazon Black Friday deals have some decent Sofirn lights on offer.
SC31 - 2000lumens, 18650 with USB C charging - perfect every day, every car torch - £26.59 ( the MX5 of torches!)
https://amzn.to/40L2x4Z
IF23 4000lumens, & led inspection light, mentioned above 36.99
https://amzn.to/47g1UmD
For the lighting up a whole football field from a pop can sized lamp -
Q8 3x18650 and 11000 lumens , 89.99
https://amzn.to/3MJCOUL
But the slightly bigger and nearly 50% brighter
Q8+ 3x21700 and 16000 lumens - 85.67
https://amzn.to/3MQ5Pya
SC31 - 2000lumens, 18650 with USB C charging - perfect every day, every car torch - £26.59 ( the MX5 of torches!)
https://amzn.to/40L2x4Z
IF23 4000lumens, & led inspection light, mentioned above 36.99
https://amzn.to/47g1UmD
For the lighting up a whole football field from a pop can sized lamp -
Q8 3x18650 and 11000 lumens , 89.99
https://amzn.to/3MJCOUL
But the slightly bigger and nearly 50% brighter
Q8+ 3x21700 and 16000 lumens - 85.67
https://amzn.to/3MQ5Pya
Phooey said:
Can anyone recommend a good rechargeable lantern please... A quick Google recommends 'Goal Zero Lighthouse 600' but before i buy i'd be interested in some fellow forum opinions 
I've had a Fenix CL25R for a few years now I paid £35 for it but its stood up to a decent amount out use. For its size about 10cm tall by 4cm diameter it produces a lot of light. It runs on a single 18650 cell and recharges it via USB. A magnetic base and a wire hook mean I've always got means of hanging it up and the brightness ranges from a night light to illuminating a whole room/cabin/tent... its discontinued now but I imagine there's a newer model now.So I visited this thread years ago and ended up with the original Fenix LD22. It's been a fantastic torch but after recently using my dad's RS Components rechargeable torch it dawned on me that my 2012 torch is a dinosaur, 200 lumens isn't bright in 2023 and enloop batteries take ages to recharge.
So far this AceBeam has caught my eye with the black Friday deal
Any other contenders I should be looking at? Fenix these days are very expensive but I do love the build quality of mine and the fact it's been 100% reliable.
Need something of a similar size to the above.
So far this AceBeam has caught my eye with the black Friday deal
Any other contenders I should be looking at? Fenix these days are very expensive but I do love the build quality of mine and the fact it's been 100% reliable.
Need something of a similar size to the above.
Edited by RichFN2 on Sunday 19th November 15:27
That looks nice but you can get similar claimed spec for a fraction of the price. Sofirn IF25a for eg 3800lm and 420m throw using the same 21700 battery size for under £28 from aliexpress, says 5 day delivery. I don't have any Sofirn products so not recommending it as such just throwing out an alternative and probably a more wel known maker. The ace beam you linked is also just some Chinese make too.
Edit to add the Sofirn also says it has BLF (bargain light forum) interface which I have on a smaller 18650 flashlight and it's very user friendly and switches back on to the mode you last used rather than cycling through every mode until you reach the one you want.
Edit to add the Sofirn also says it has BLF (bargain light forum) interface which I have on a smaller 18650 flashlight and it's very user friendly and switches back on to the mode you last used rather than cycling through every mode until you reach the one you want.
Edited by indigochim on Sunday 19th November 21:18
Lidl's Parkside rechargeable torch is my current favourite (the rectangular one, as the advert shows two types). It has a long light on the side and a round one on the end, a magnet for attaching under the car or sticking to the bandsaw to illuminate the cut, a fold out stand which allows you to adjust the angle of the beam, a hook to hang it from and recharges from a micro USB plug.
The link must be old, as they're definitely more than £6.99 now in store, or you can get them for £14.60 from Ebay
The link must be old, as they're definitely more than £6.99 now in store, or you can get them for £14.60 from Ebay
My new torch... is an old torch! There's a story...
Many, many, many, moons ago, when I was a Venture Scout I had what was at the time a fairly special torch.
Made by a company called Tekna it was lightweight, waterproof, compact and pocketable. Had the useful feature of floating in water, beam up, if dropped - this was accidentally tested once on camp!
I added an uprated xenon bulb and it blew everything else around (mainly Maglites) out of the water - while sucking down a set of 4 AA Duracells in about 20 minutes
One night around 1990, while on a 12 car rally, I put it down on top of the car at the half-way stop, and forgot to pick it up... I never saw it again
I couldn't track down a replacement either; even the shop that imported originally it had gone.
A few years later, about '94, I finally got onto this new-fangled internet thing and one of the first things I did was try and find a new Tekna. It turned out that Rayovac had bought Tekna... so I wrote to Rayovac, asking if they still made them. A day later I had my answer... it was bad news, no production and no plans to start again... but can you imagine that! An answer from America! In a day!!! This internet thing is amazing!
Some time later, 2002 according to my profile, I started using ebay. I think I must have searched for a Tekna torch then... and not finding anything, set up an alert.
This week, 20-odd years later and long given up and forgotten about the quest, I finally got a saved search email!
I vacillated for a bit - I need another torch like, well, like nothing, I've got torches coming out of my ears - but nostalgia won and so did my snipe for £16 inc P&P
It's a bit grubby, and there's a nasty scratch across the front that I might try and polish out.
It's a simple screw-down-to-make-contact system that still works smoothly; even the o-ring is in good condition.
Given it's likely to be at least 30 years old, I'm really pleased with it.
I'll be giving it a bit of love and maybe seeing if there's a drop-in LED bulb available to update it, but to be fair, it's still a reasonably good torch albeit with a very yellow tone, not half bad for an ancient hot-wire
(Garage at roughly 18 metres)
Many, many, many, moons ago, when I was a Venture Scout I had what was at the time a fairly special torch.
Made by a company called Tekna it was lightweight, waterproof, compact and pocketable. Had the useful feature of floating in water, beam up, if dropped - this was accidentally tested once on camp!
I added an uprated xenon bulb and it blew everything else around (mainly Maglites) out of the water - while sucking down a set of 4 AA Duracells in about 20 minutes
One night around 1990, while on a 12 car rally, I put it down on top of the car at the half-way stop, and forgot to pick it up... I never saw it again
I couldn't track down a replacement either; even the shop that imported originally it had gone.
A few years later, about '94, I finally got onto this new-fangled internet thing and one of the first things I did was try and find a new Tekna. It turned out that Rayovac had bought Tekna... so I wrote to Rayovac, asking if they still made them. A day later I had my answer... it was bad news, no production and no plans to start again... but can you imagine that! An answer from America! In a day!!! This internet thing is amazing!
Some time later, 2002 according to my profile, I started using ebay. I think I must have searched for a Tekna torch then... and not finding anything, set up an alert.
This week, 20-odd years later and long given up and forgotten about the quest, I finally got a saved search email!
I vacillated for a bit - I need another torch like, well, like nothing, I've got torches coming out of my ears - but nostalgia won and so did my snipe for £16 inc P&P
It's a bit grubby, and there's a nasty scratch across the front that I might try and polish out.
It's a simple screw-down-to-make-contact system that still works smoothly; even the o-ring is in good condition.
Given it's likely to be at least 30 years old, I'm really pleased with it.
I'll be giving it a bit of love and maybe seeing if there's a drop-in LED bulb available to update it, but to be fair, it's still a reasonably good torch albeit with a very yellow tone, not half bad for an ancient hot-wire
(Garage at roughly 18 metres)
Plenty of cheapo drop-in LED bulbs these days; I paid ~£20 to put an LED in my maglite 10 years ago, you can get the same thing for £3-4 now. No point in going mental as there's no room for thermal management and it would just f
k the stone age batteries. I also can't be fagged mithering with converting it to 18650s or whatever as I've got a ready supply of D cells and it would make it lighter and less use for bonking miscreants over the head with.
k the stone age batteries. I also can't be fagged mithering with converting it to 18650s or whatever as I've got a ready supply of D cells and it would make it lighter and less use for bonking miscreants over the head with.N4LLY said:
You guy's made me spend ..... £32.99 for a SC31 pro.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08FM6MZQ6/ref...
They’re £26 at the moment, thought I might as well get one as the evenings are now dark…https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08FM6MZQ6/ref...
Sporky said:
The Nebo Torchy 2k is £21.71 at Amazon at the mo.
I like mine. Not too chunky, doesn't look too much like a BDSM lightsabre, not too many modes, and rather bright.
I bought one. It is really impressive. The turbo mode which allows you to boost up to 2000 Lumen for 30 seconds at a time is impressively bright.I like mine. Not too chunky, doesn't look too much like a BDSM lightsabre, not too many modes, and rather bright.
There is also a strobe mode which I found by accident (I think a double press on the power button) which was quite unpleasant in the pitch black - not sure why I'd want that?
Would be nice to be able to focus the beam but not a huge issue. I love the magnetic charger and the size. Feels indestructible too.
hidetheelephants said:
No point in going mental as there's no room for thermal management
Yep, 100% plastic and no cooling path available at all. I've stuck to a 1w/120 lumen drop in, and will be watching it carefully.Hopefully the batteries will last longer than with the OE incandescent!
595Heaven said:
There is also a strobe mode which was quite unpleasant in the pitch black - not sure why I'd want that?
A function of "tactical" torches. The idea is, if you are attacked in the dark, you strobe your attacker and he (/she/they?) is both mostly blinded and quite disorientated. Became a thing when outputs hit about 200 lumens (below that, it's just a bit irritating) and from playing with it years ago, it's actually quite effective. Whether you'd be able to trigger it under pressure is another matter... with modern torches packing several hundred/thousand lumens, there's not much need to strobe tbf. It's not nice even in daylight when someone shines it at you.
defblade said:
Yep, 100% plastic and no cooling path available at all. I've stuck to a 1w/120 lumen drop in, and will be watching it carefully.
Hopefully the batteries will last longer than with the OE incandescent!
There are a couple of drop in that house the LED in a large brass holder that also transfers heat to the alloy body. Malkoff and a cheaper one on the Torch Site. Hopefully the batteries will last longer than with the OE incandescent!
SlimJim16v said:
defblade said:
Yep, 100% plastic and no cooling path available at all. I've stuck to a 1w/120 lumen drop in, and will be watching it carefully.
Hopefully the batteries will last longer than with the OE incandescent!
There are a couple of drop in that house the LED in a large brass holder that also transfers heat to the alloy body. Malkoff and a cheaper one on the Torch Site. Hopefully the batteries will last longer than with the OE incandescent!
No alloy body here! The only metal parts are the spring that contacts/supports the bulb, and the battery contacts. Everything else is plastic.
(My days of magmods are long gone - hotwires were fun, but LEDs just took over (firly, they're better in pretty much every way) and I get bored by comparing bin numbers... although I do still have the approx 1300 lumen, 2D cell bodied, 6 2/3rds A cell powered firestarter that was my hotwire peak in the garage... I'd have to solder up a new battery stick for it though... hmmm, I wonder if there's any lithium alternatives that would fit, these days?
) Thank you for those that commented, ended up with a Sofrin SP33S for £37. It's the latest model of the SP33 and from I read improvements have been made and this one is a very good torch.
5k lumes in turbo mode but you will get a very stable 2k in high mode which suits me just fine. Quite a heavy torch and much fatter than the Fenix but it will still fit into your jeans pockets.
5k lumes in turbo mode but you will get a very stable 2k in high mode which suits me just fine. Quite a heavy torch and much fatter than the Fenix but it will still fit into your jeans pockets.
The Sorfin lights must be best bang for buck you can get whilst still having decent quality, still using the IF23 as a powerbank more than anything else.
Just a headsup that Olight's black friday sale has begun which has a fre iTHX, stand out deal I can see is the Arkfield UV for £45 which comes with another free torch.
I've had mine for a while now and it's useful for checking car aircon leaks as well as other types of leaks in hotels etc..
https://www.olightstore.uk/flash-sale
Just a headsup that Olight's black friday sale has begun which has a fre iTHX, stand out deal I can see is the Arkfield UV for £45 which comes with another free torch.
I've had mine for a while now and it's useful for checking car aircon leaks as well as other types of leaks in hotels etc..
https://www.olightstore.uk/flash-sale
TimmyMallett said:
Any recommendations for running headtorch under £30?
Mrs Harpoon and I both have Alpkit headtorches for night running.I've got a Quark (just over budget at £33 on offer). I think Mrs H's model is discontinued now but the Muon and Vallis are under £20 on BF:
https://alpkit.com/collections/lighting
TimmyMallett said:
Any recommendations for running headtorch under £30?
Anything here?https://alpkit.com/collections/lighting
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