My new torch

[klmhcp]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0156IDAUW

This does what you need and I use it for dog walking. Happy to hear better alternatives though!

[Pesty]

moleamol said:

Sorry, ideally around £50 or less. I was under the impression good torches were cheaper these days. That Fenix looks like a beast but seems expensive when extremely cheap torches use the same LED? As you can tell, I don't know much, hence asking here.

There are some great cheap torches I have a bunch I'm a fan I have them stacked everywhere. Even led ones for a few pounds are better than anything with a bulb years ago. Don't know much either but here are a couple of options.

So for dog walking which means every night so you want it charged and ready this time of year, here is an option.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olight-Rechargeable-Flash...

Right on top of your budget. I have one it's great very small, always ready to walk out the door when I don't want the bulk. But comes with battery and recharger station with that price.

Does not adjust as you require but throw and flood are pretty good.


Or just something like this. I have one in every car. But you might want to buy an 18650 battery and charger.

Does adjust from throw to flood. You get a small square when 'zoomed' but good enough for dog searching. I'd also recommend a dog light for the collar I mentioned a page back or so.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000LM-CREE-XM-L-T6-LED-...





Led lenser are quality and have the focusing you require so worth a look but I don't know much about them. Probably can't go wrong with one.

Edited by Pesty on Saturday 15th October 10:29

[Kaj91]

moleamol said:

This thread is huge so can someone offer a torch that is good for dog walking? Colin is a Springer Spaniel so I would like something with a good spread or whatever the term is for general walking, with a range of 30 feet or so when wide. But also something with a big throw that can be adjusted to a spot in case he runs off or I need to see further away for any reason. Also, bright.

So torchies, what do you recommend?

What is your budget?

[moleamol]

Kaj91 said:

moleamol said:

This thread is huge so can someone offer a torch that is good for dog walking? Colin is a Springer Spaniel so I would like something with a good spread or whatever the term is for general walking, with a range of 30 feet or so when wide. But also something with a big throw that can be adjusted to a spot in case he runs off or I need to see further away for any reason. Also, bright.

So torchies, what do you recommend?

What is your budget?

As above, up to £50 ideally. It's a bloody minefield this torch lark. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[silverthorn2151]

moleamol said:

Pesty said:

moleamol said:

This thread is huge so can someone offer a torch that is good for dog walking? Colin is a Springer Spaniel so I would like something with a good spread or whatever the term is for general walking, with a range of 30 feet or so when wide. But also something with a big throw that can be adjusted to a spot in case he runs off or I need to see further away for any reason. Also, bright.

So torchies, what do you recommend?

Budget ?

I lik the fenix tk51 for dog walking it does both

flood on low while walking press button momentarily for full throw+flood.

I mainly like it because of the user controls. But it is expensive throw is as much as you need flood isn't as great as some others bit of a jack of all trades etc.

Sorry, ideally around £50 or less. I was under the impression good torches were cheaper these days. That Fenix looks like a beast but seems expensive when extremely cheap torches use the same LED? As you can tell, I don't know much, hence asking here.

There are many to choose from here and £50 would go a long way.

http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-LED-Flashlight-c...

[leglessAlex]

moleamol said:

Sorry, ideally around £50 or less. I was under the impression good torches were cheaper these days. That Fenix looks like a beast but seems expensive when extremely cheap torches use the same LED? As you can tell, I don't know much, hence asking here.

The difference is the quality of the construction and probably more importantly, the battery management. When you're using lithium cells you don't want a torch overworking the batteries and blowing up in your hand.

A Led Lenser P14.2 fits the bill for you, it's the right price range and it takes normal AA cells. As I said in my past post though. They're maybe a litte expensive for what they are.

The cheap cree 2000lm torches that Pesty linked too are pretty good to be honest, they provide more than enough light for most situations and they're so cheap it'a no big deal if they get lost or broke. You'd need some 18650 cells and a charger to get the best out of them though, I use a Nitecore i4 charger and various 18650s, mostly Ultrafire and Panasonic.

300bhp/ton is a great lad for the cheaper (but still decent quality) stuff, might be worth chucking him a PM if he doesn't see this post, I know he's a fan of the Convoy C8 lights but they're quite throwy I think.

[TameRacingDriver]

Thanks guys, I've actually ordered one of these £4 torches, I mean if it was crap, it was £4 which is nowt!

[5678]

For me, the difference between cheap and pricier torches is worth it. Knowing that it will always work when you want it and also last for a decent amount of time is worth the extra.

I've got 4 different Eagletac torches, D25C, D25C Ti, D25A2 and a beast M30 that's 2750 lumens!
Then I've got a Fenix tk51 and a Nitecore TM16.

The Tm16 and M30 are great for dog walking. We live quite rural and walk the dog over large fields. These can light up trees over 500m away!
The tk51 is great around the house, checking the chickens, jobs on the car etc.
The others are bedside table torches. The 1 lumen mode is perfect for checking the kids at night.

I've tried a few random ones from Banggood etc. They never last long or are just a bit st.

[V8mate]

Saw this in Costco today. Interesting spec.

Wish I'd bought one now, actually

[tenohfive]

Not having a dig at anyone but I really don't get why so many people buy torches with an alkaline power source rather than li-ion powered. Smart chargers are cheap, safe and you end up with more output for longer. Or a lighter torch - I've got 60g torches that'll output 900 lumens (not lux) and throw 300m running off a single 14500 battery.

It's just a no-brainer for me now. I really think that it's the power source - switching to lithium-ion - that has driven torches so far forwards in the last few years, rather than Cree's latest emitters (not knocking those mind.)

[stemll]

tenohfive said:

Not having a dig at anyone but I really don't get why so many people buy torches with an alkaline power source rather than li-ion powered. Smart chargers are cheap, safe and you end up with more output for longer. Or a lighter torch - I've got 60g torches that'll output 900 lumens (not lux) and throw 300m running off a single 14500 battery.

It's just a no-brainer for me now. I really think that it's the power source - switching to lithium-ion - that has driven torches so far forwards in the last few years, rather than Cree's latest emitters (not knocking those mind.)

One read of a thread such as this one from CPF would put a lot of people off.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php...

Also, if the torch is for occasional rather than regular use, you won't recover the additional cost of Li-Ions and the charger.

[leglessAlex]

stemll said:

tenohfive said:

Not having a dig at anyone but I really don't get why so many people buy torches with an alkaline power source rather than li-ion powered. Smart chargers are cheap, safe and you end up with more output for longer. Or a lighter torch - I've got 60g torches that'll output 900 lumens (not lux) and throw 300m running off a single 14500 battery.

It's just a no-brainer for me now. I really think that it's the power source - switching to lithium-ion - that has driven torches so far forwards in the last few years, rather than Cree's latest emitters (not knocking those mind.)

One read of a thread such as this one from CPF would put a lot of people off.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php...

Also, if the torch is for occasional rather than regular use, you won't recover the additional cost of Li-Ions and the charger.

To be fair, I don't see what's in the thread to put people off other than they may not want to shell out for a proper charger and cells from a reputable brand, which is really the main message it gives.

I understand the point about occasional use too, but it does seem the majority of posts here are asking about something that's a bit more than your average 2AA Maglite, so I think recommending some decent batteries isn't too unreasonable.

[Magic919]

For a torch to leave in the car, I prefer alkaline batteries as I can buy them with ease. I don't mind lithium ion batteries for home-based ones. Some people like to nick alkaline batteries from work. Horses for courses.

[tenohfive]

leglessAlex said:

stemll said:

tenohfive said:

Not having a dig at anyone but I really don't get why so many people buy torches with an alkaline power source rather than li-ion powered. Smart chargers are cheap, safe and you end up with more output for longer. Or a lighter torch - I've got 60g torches that'll output 900 lumens (not lux) and throw 300m running off a single 14500 battery.

It's just a no-brainer for me now. I really think that it's the power source - switching to lithium-ion - that has driven torches so far forwards in the last few years, rather than Cree's latest emitters (not knocking those mind.)

One read of a thread such as this one from CPF would put a lot of people off.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php...

Also, if the torch is for occasional rather than regular use, you won't recover the additional cost of Li-Ions and the charger.

To be fair, I don't see what's in the thread to put people off other than they may not want to shell out for a proper charger and cells from a reputable brand, which is really the main message it gives.

I understand the point about occasional use too, but it does seem the majority of posts here are asking about something that's a bit more than your average 2AA Maglite, so I think recommending some decent batteries isn't too unreasonable.

That thread is 7 years old, the price of the cells and of smart chargers is now peanuts. It costs £10 for an Xtar VC2 from Amazon which will prevent overcharging, give a digital display with the amount charged and will charge both li-ions and most NiMH batteries etc, the price of protected cells now is very cheap and li-ions have flatter discharge curves than alkalines - one of the reason my 'just in case' glove box type torches are li-ion powered. The one in my car currently hasn't been charged in the last year.

But as Alex pointed out, in the context of this thread - where most posts are 'I want something a bit special without breaking the bank' type posts - there's a degree of wanting to show off amongst a lot of posters. (Something I wholeheartedly support btw and am as guilty as any of.) And that's where li-ion powered torches come into their own. Nitecore, Convoy, Thrunite, Manker etc are midrange but reputable manufacturers who do some cracking lights for not a lot of money - and the best of them are (IMO) li-ion. Or run both, but put out more output on a li-ion. Example: Manker T01 - 900 lumens on a 14500 or 200 on an AA.

I'm not saying that alkaline lights don't have their place for some people - and anyone making an informed choice to buy one will get no stick from me. In fact nor will anyone - it's your own money, not mine to spend. I just think that if you want the 'wow' factor - be it through throw, flood, raw output, battery life, or weight - then spending a tenner on a decent charger and a couple of quid extra on the rechargeable cells will get you more torch for your money. And I think that's what a lot of posters on here want.

[V8mate]

tenohfive said:

That thread is 7 years old, the price of the cells and of smart chargers is now peanuts. It costs £10 for an Xtar VC2 from Amazon which will prevent overcharging, give a digital display with the amount charged and will charge both li-ions and most NiMH batteries etc, the price of protected cells now is very cheap and li-ions have flatter discharge curves than alkalines - one of the reason my 'just in case' glove box type torches are li-ion powered. The one in my car currently hasn't been charged in the last year.

But as Alex pointed out, in the context of this thread - where most posts are 'I want something a bit special without breaking the bank' type posts - there's a degree of wanting to show off amongst a lot of posters. (Something I wholeheartedly support btw and am as guilty as any of.) And that's where li-ion powered torches come into their own. Nitecore, Convoy, Thrunite, Manker etc are midrange but reputable manufacturers who do some cracking lights for not a lot of money - and the best of them are (IMO) li-ion. Or run both, but put out more output on a li-ion. Example: Manker T01 - 900 lumens on a 14500 or 200 on an AA.

I'm not saying that alkaline lights don't have their place for some people - and anyone making an informed choice to buy one will get no stick from me. In fact nor will anyone - it's your own money, not mine to spend. I just think that if you want the 'wow' factor - be it through throw, flood, raw output, battery life, or weight - then spending a tenner on a decent charger and a couple of quid extra on the rechargeable cells will get you more torch for your money. And I think that's what a lot of posters on here want.

Just for clarity... that torch I posted yesterday from Costco^^... just because they put some 'normal' batteries in the retail pack, I could still use rechargeables in it, couldn't I?

[tenohfive]

V8mate said:

Just for clarity... that torch I posted yesterday from Costco^^... just because they put some 'normal' batteries in the retail pack, I could still use rechargeables in it, couldn't I?

Rechargeables? Yes. NiMH batteries will be fine.
Li-ion rechargeables? No.

For clarity, li-ions run at a higher voltage than the equivalent alkaline/NiMH batteries. There are other - fairly complicated - differences, but this plays a big part in the number of lumens that come out the front. Some lights can handle the lower voltage of alkaline/NiMH and the higher voltage of the li-ion equivalent, but most aren't designed to take both.

But don't rush to take it back because I'm having a rant - if you're happy with it and it does what you need it to then who cares what some internet torch geek thinks?

Edited by tenohfive on Sunday 16th October 18:51

[V8mate]

tenohfive said:

V8mate said:

Just for clarity... that torch I posted yesterday from Costco^^... just because they put some 'normal' batteries in the retail pack, I could still use rechargeables in it, couldn't I?

Rechargeables? Yes. NiMH batteries will be fine.
Li-ion rechargeables? No.

But don't rush to take it back because I'm having a rant - if you're happy with it and it does what you need it to then who cares what some internet torch geek thinks?

I didn't buy it and was genuinely curious. I had no idea that batteries and electrical items which use them were not fully interchangeable.

[moleamol]

leglessAlex said:

300bhp/ton is a great lad for the cheaper (but still decent quality) stuff, might be worth chucking him a PM if he doesn't see this post, I know he's a fan of the Convoy C8 lights but they're quite throwy I think.

Thanks for all your help guys. I've checked out everything you've all posted. For now I'm going to try this one as it seems like it would be ok on the lower setting for closer and then it has really good throw if you crank it up. If I do get the bug I'll be back with more budget.

[leglessAlex]

moleamol said:

leglessAlex said:

300bhp/ton is a great lad for the cheaper (but still decent quality) stuff, might be worth chucking him a PM if he doesn't see this post, I know he's a fan of the Convoy C8 lights but they're quite throwy I think.

Thanks for all your help guys. I've checked out everything you've all posted. For now I'm going to try this one as it seems like it would be ok on the lower setting for closer and then it has really good throw if you crank it up. If I do get the bug I'll be back with more budget.

I think that's a good choice. Someone somewhere has written out a great guide for all the modes that's dead useful, I'll try and find it*.

Apologies if you already have all the kit, but you'll needs some 18650 batteries for that (like these) and a charger for said batteries (like this). Apologies if you know all this already!



*Found it! It's on the actual website, it might also come with the light, I don't actually have one! Just thought it was useful. Link


Edit; I've just ordered one because I was trying to find that info above and my finger slipped. I'm blaming you for this moleamol

Edited by leglessAlex on Sunday 16th October 23:30

[moleamol]

leglessAlex said:

moleamol said:

leglessAlex said:

300bhp/ton is a great lad for the cheaper (but still decent quality) stuff, might be worth chucking him a PM if he doesn't see this post, I know he's a fan of the Convoy C8 lights but they're quite throwy I think.

Thanks for all your help guys. I've checked out everything you've all posted. For now I'm going to try this one as it seems like it would be ok on the lower setting for closer and then it has really good throw if you crank it up. If I do get the bug I'll be back with more budget.

I think that's a good choice. Someone somewhere has written out a great guide for all the modes that's dead useful, I'll try and find it*.

Apologies if you already have all the kit, but you'll needs some 18650 batteries for that (like these) and a charger for said batteries (like this). Apologies if you know all this already!



*Found it! It's on the actual website, it might also come with the light, I don't actually have one! Just thought it was useful. Link


Edit; I've just ordered one because I was trying to find that info above and my finger slipped. I'm blaming you for this moleamol

Thanks for the info Alex, I apologise for making you buy one. It was clearly my fault. I'm ordering from BangGood though because delivery says 7-20 days rather than 20-40.

Are cheap eBay batteries a bad idea then? Will the 'do a Samsung'?