My new torch

[300bhp/ton]

CoolHands said:

Anyone want 4 Samsung 30Q (Button Top) 18650 battery unprotected for £12? I bought in September for £21, don’t fit my torch as I need protected which are slightly longer, which I didn’t know. Otherwise I can’t see me using these which is a waste.
https://18650.uk/product/samsung-30q-button-top-18...

I assume by the above you are saying they are unused and still in good condition? Do you know what voltage they have been stored at? But yes I'd like to by them

I'll shoot you a PM.

[Bear-n]

Right.

After dabbling in cheapo stuff, and making myself nearly ill with research, I know what I want.

Any advice or links for me to just blindly click on and buy without questioning would be appreciated.

Rechargable (directly to the torch)
Zoomable (not fussed on more flood or throw)
Pocket sized
Bright as fk for the buck, for a decent amount of time (so no Olight 1min tricks)

That's it. Budget up to £100.

Please tell me what to buy.

[300bhp/ton]

Bear-n said:

Right.

After dabbling in cheapo stuff, and making myself nearly ill with research, I know what I want.

Any advice or links for me to just blindly click on and buy without questioning would be appreciated.

Rechargable (directly to the torch)
Zoomable (not fussed on more flood or throw)
Pocket sized
Bright as fk for the buck, for a decent amount of time (so no Olight 1min tricks)

That's it. Budget up to £100.

Please tell me what to buy.

Personally I don't see the appeal of in built charging. Generally just makes the torch bigger, more complex and more prone to going wrong. Plus you can't charge a battery while you are you using it. Or charge multiple batteries at a time.


When you say "Zoomable (not fussed on more flood or throw)" what do you mean by the bit in brackets? Generally there aren't all that many zoomy lights on the market. Most are cheap or Led Lenser, which are just expensive and under performing.

Also a zoomy torch is usually bigger, so less pocket friendly as a rule.

There really is no need to spend £100 on an EDC size torch. Plenty of really good ones for £20-50


But if you really must spend that kind of money, these are probably as good as you can get:

http://www.zebralight.com/SC600w-Mk-IV-Plus-18650-...

http://www.zebralight.com/SC700d-21700-XHP702-Neut...

[Bear-n]

£100 is probably/hopefully way OTT, but just saying that's what I'll pay for what I'm after, as unconventional as those asks may seem. It's just what I want.

[defblade]

Bear-n said:

Right.

After dabbling in cheapo stuff, and making myself nearly ill with research, I know what I want.

Any advice or links for me to just blindly click on and buy without questioning would be appreciated.

Rechargable (directly to the torch)
Zoomable (not fussed on more flood or throw)
Pocket sized
Bright as fk for the buck, for a decent amount of time (so no Olight 1min tricks)

That's it. Budget up to £100.

Please tell me what to buy.

https://ylplight.com/en/katalog/seriya-professiona...

I thought you'd have to forgo the direct recharge, but it seems I've got the F15 and the F20 linked above does do that.
Comfortably under budget.
800 lumens appears genuine to me with mine; not the very brightest, but plenty... generally I use it on medium doing stuff around the garden etc, or low when walking.
Proper optics on the flood-to-throw zoom, not just sliding the reflector around and hoping for the best like the cheap Chinese lights.
Just feels solid and decently made... if you've ever played with those cheapie Chinese lights you'll soon like the feel of the nicely weighted slide action and decently cut threads (although with integrated charging, you shouldn't be unscrewing it much at all!).

Oh, and the ring around the button lights up red when the battery's getting low, rather than just cutting out on you with no warning... which is nice.

[Bear-n]

Thanks both for replies; I keep coming across the the Falcon but it seems expensive for the output - but then it does do what I just asked for above I suppose

£70. Hmm.

[Fabric]

Bear-n said:

Thanks both for replies; I keep coming across the the Falcon but it seems expensive for the output - but then it does do what I just asked for above I suppose

£70. Hmm.

Had a look at the Klarus XT11X? I bought one in January for outdoor work over the winter, and I've been pretty chuffed with it so far. Think I paid £96 on Amazon in January, iirc.

[300bhp/ton]

Bear-n said:

Thanks both for replies; I keep coming across the the Falcon but it seems expensive for the output - but then it does do what I just asked for above I suppose

£70. Hmm.

It's a new one on me.

But it looks like a much improved Led Lenser, solving all issues with them.

Total lumen output isn't the be all and end all either. Although in the case of the Falcon because it uses a TIR optic (total internal reflection), it requires the LED to be on a post, so that the lens can fit over it. This limits how much heat dissipation can occur. So you need to limit the current to the LED and thusly lumen output.

If you want more current and a zoomy, you'll need to look at one that uses an aspheric lens.The end result is very similar, although most TIR optics don't focus down to get the imprint reflection of the LED profile. The aspheric lenses usually do (i.e. you can see the LED shape when fully zoomed).


I really like the fact the Falcon is using an XP-L HI. I like that it is mounted on a copper MCPCB and I like that the tint is Neutral White. These are all very good design decisions.


However it seems the F15 and F20 models are pretty similar. I think the F20 just has inbuilt charging. But it's $36 vs $70.

[defblade]

300bhp/ton said:

However it seems the F15 and F20 models are pretty similar. I think the F20 just has inbuilt charging. But it's $36 vs $70.

Bear-n said:

Thanks both for replies; I keep coming across the the Falcon but it seems expensive for the output - but then it does do what I just asked for above I suppose

£70. Hmm.

Yes, as far as I can tell it's the same torch beyond the charging. As I already have a pile of 18650s and a Fenix charger, it was a no-brainer for me.
I reckon a couple of 18650s and a half decent charger could be bought for the price difference and I know where my money would go... once you've got the charger and a couple of decent 18650s, a huge world of affordable torches in a thousand flavours opens up

On the other hand, being stuck with one torch and integrated charging might be a good way to stay at the very top of the slippery slope

PS, there's a 10% discount code on BLF, which should cover the P&P at least: https://budgetlightforum.com/node/66157

[Lemming Train]

I have just received an Astrolux EC01 from banggood as per recommendation up thread. I am a tad disappointed it doesn't come with a battery though (probably said so in the blurb but naturally I didn't read it). It says it needs a 21700 battery whatever that is. Where is best place to get them as I noticed they don't do them on the battery racks in supermarkets?

Btw, if you're ordering from banggood, whatever you do, make sure you order using a throwaway email address. The spam is insane and the opt-out link doesn't work.

[Mr-B]

Lemming Train said:

I have just received an Astrolux EC01 from banggood as per recommendation up thread. I am a tad disappointed it doesn't come with a battery though (probably said so in the blurb but naturally I didn't read it). It says it needs a 21700 battery whatever that is. Where is best place to get them as I noticed they don't do them on the battery racks in supermarkets?

Btw, if you're ordering from banggood, whatever you do, make sure you order using a throwaway email address. The spam is insane and the opt-out link doesn't work.

The EC01 will also work with an 18650 if you have one of those, I use mine with a flat top Samsung 30Q. I did get a 21700 from fogstar.co.uk.

[Lemming Train]

Mr-B said:

The EC01 will also work with an 18650 if you have one of those, I use mine with a flat top Samsung 30Q. I did get a 21700 from fogstar.co.uk.

OK thanks. I know nothing about these odd battery numbers. What is the difference between them?

[Mr-B]

Lemming Train said:

OK thanks. I know nothing about these odd battery numbers. What is the difference between them?

The numbers themselves relate to physical dimensions, 18650 is 18mm diameter and 65mm long, 21700 = 21x70, etc. bigger batteries will tend to have bigger storage capacity.

[300bhp/ton]

Lemming Train said:

I have just received an Astrolux EC01 from banggood as per recommendation up thread. I am a tad disappointed it doesn't come with a battery though (probably said so in the blurb but naturally I didn't read it). It says it needs a 21700 battery whatever that is. Where is best place to get them as I noticed they don't do them on the battery racks in supermarkets?

Btw, if you're ordering from banggood, whatever you do, make sure you order using a throwaway email address. The spam is insane and the opt-out link doesn't work.

Most torches do not come with batteries. Especially Li-ion powered ones.

They are rechargeable, so you’ll need a quality charger too. Also worth having a digital multi meter too.

Li-ion are great. But you really should read up on them. They can be highly hazardous. So you need to treat them a bit similar to how you’d treat a can of petrol.

[Lemming Train]

The EC01 has its own charger?

[anonymous-user]

Can anyone recommend a replacement to my single AA battery LED Lenser torch which just died after many years service.

Basically want something as bright as possible but in a single AA, double AA or other sort of compact body.

Thanks!

[techguyone]

Lord Marylebone said:

Can anyone recommend a replacement to my single AA battery LED Lenser torch which just died after many years service.

Basically want something as bright as possible but in a single AA, double AA or other sort of compact body.

Thanks!

Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 (also uses li ion 14500 for super bright goodness in a tiny package (also good as a hand warmer if used in the winter on high power with a 14500)

[300bhp/ton]

Lord Marylebone said:

Can anyone recommend a replacement to my single AA battery LED Lenser torch which just died after many years service.

Basically want something as bright as possible but in a single AA, double AA or other sort of compact body.

Thanks!

Not many flood to throw AA lights. I'm guessing this is what your Led Lenser was?


2 x AA are a lot longer, and a lot less pocket friendly.


If you are prepared to go Li-ion, then there are many compact 18650 lights. These will have much higher performance.

If you want smaller, then there are some AA lights that will run on a Li-ion 14500 battery (same size as an AA). But while they can put out a lot of light for their size. Run times can suffer. Although at lower outputs they can still be very good.


If you want to stick with normal AA's (don't use alkaline batteries!!!! Use lithium primaries or NiMh rechargeables). Zebralight probably do the best single AA you can get.

http://www.zebralight.com/SC5w-Mk-II-AA-Flashlight...


Suspect the Armyteks might be pretty good too:
https://www.armytek.com/flashlights/models/prime/a...


Or if you want to go cheaper. Convoy T2:
https://www.banggood.com/XP-G2-5W-Strobe-Mode-EDC-...

Edited by 300bhp/ton on Monday 9th November 22:32

[anonymous-user]

techguyone said:

Lord Marylebone said:

Can anyone recommend a replacement to my single AA battery LED Lenser torch which just died after many years service.

Basically want something as bright as possible but in a single AA, double AA or other sort of compact body.

Thanks!

Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 (also uses li ion 14500 for super bright goodness in a tiny package (also good as a hand warmer if used in the winter on high power with a 14500)

That looks perfect thanks.

And its only £18.99 on Amazon!

[PugwasHDJ80]

Hi all,

Need some torch help please

Child number two threw our torch in a lake yesterday, so now we need a new one.

We also need a head torch.

We have a load of protected 18650s.

Don't want to spend much more than 20 to 30 on each.... What's best bang for buck rightnow? L