Flashlight Folks, please steer me in the right direction...

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Caveman

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 1999
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Looking to cut to the chase and get 1 or 2 really good flashlights. After a little research, here's my take... Please guide me away from any misconceptions:

1) CREE = good What makes CREE bulbs so much better than others?

2) I was surprised to find there's many more good lights that don't use standard AA size batteries. There seem to be many batteries that are rechargable but are "unknown" types to me: 18650, 16340, 57380, etc... What's the draw for making flashlights with these "special" battery types. I guess some more performance...? How much more? Seems like the convenience of AAs would trump a 5% performance boost.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfi...-4x16340-57380

3) The lumens are impressive. I take it 1000 lumens is a great baseline to shoot for, yes?

4) The runtime of these lights is so much less than what I thought... I thought LED flashlights last a long time... 1hr seems pretty standard... I guess when you're putting out 1000 lumens, the batteries drain quickly.

5) Any charger recommendations for the "weird" batteries?
 
Dirigible

Dirigible

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2006
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A claimed 1000 lumens is overkill for most people. I mountain bike at night with a light that claims 900 lumens and I'm riding at speed down narrow technical trails.

The 18650 batteries are common for bright led flashlights. I don't know why. You'll want to be sure your device and charger have protection circuitry so they don't charge or discharge too much. Those cheap dx lithium ion things have been known to cause fires from mismatched cells and poor protection circuits.

Sorry, but offhand I can't remember anything specific to recommend for you.
 
0roo0roo

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
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candlepowerforum
emitter tech keeps advancing.
the stuff in big box stores are generations behind..esp stupid maglite.
 
Texashiker

Texashiker

Lifer
Dec 18, 2010
18,811
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Caveman said:
3) The lumens are impressive. I take it 1000 lumens is a great baseline to shoot for, yes?
Click to expand...

For most applications 1,000 lumens is overkill. I have a surefire G2X pro mounted on my AR-15, at 200 lumens I can light up a 2 - 3 acre field very well.

Video about the G2X pro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9A9EFlyxvY

Keep this in mind - around 50 lumens screws up your night vision. At night, if you hit someone with 1,000 lumens your going to blind them temporarily.

Caveman said:
4) The runtime of these lights is so much less than what I thought..
Click to expand...

The higher the lumens, the lower the run time.

Caveman said:
5) Any charger recommendations for the "weird" batteries?
Click to expand...

From what I have heard, the rechargeable batteries do not release a steady current. When the battery is freshly charged, its voltage might be higher then what the light is designed to handle.
 
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DisgruntledVirus

Lifer
Dec 26, 2007
11,782
2
76
1) CREE = good What makes CREE bulbs so much better than others?

Output, clarity, etc. Same reason BMW will be better than a Kia.

2) I was surprised to find there's many more good lights that don't use standard AA size batteries. There seem to be many batteries that are rechargable but are "unknown" types to me: 18650, 16340, 57380, etc... What's the draw for making flashlights with these "special" battery types. I guess some more performance...? How much more? Seems like the convenience of AAs would trump a 5% performance boost.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfi...-4x16340-57380

Generally the reason for them is that you can then use a battery specific for that light which can allow for more power in the same size space. Personally, I like the 123's. They are kind of expensive, but Li-Ion will gradually hold less and less of a charge over time.

3) The lumens are impressive. I take it 1000 lumens is a great baseline to shoot for, yes?

A thousand lumens is crazy bright. I have the Surefire E1B Backup and E2D LED Defender which are 110 and 200 lumens respectively. Both will throw a beam 100+ yards. I fail to see any reason for higher than 200 lumens (from a quality light, not something from Walmart for example) outside of some very specific situations. Keep in mind that higher the lumens, the lower the battery life will be given everything else being equal.

4) The runtime of these lights is so much less than what I thought... I thought LED flashlights last a long time... 1hr seems pretty standard... I guess when you're putting out 1000 lumens, the batteries drain quickly.

These are high powered LED lights. They aren't one of those keychain things that put out maybe 10-20 lumens (although the cheaper stuff will be lower). One hour is going to be for a very high powered light. My E1B has been on the same battery for over 6 months (not using it too often and use the lower powered 5 lumen beam for most taks). If you're using it at the bright setting it will do 1.3 hours on one battery, vs 37 hours on the low setting. The E2D LED is similar, as was my A1 Aviator I used to have.

5) Any charger recommendations for the "weird" batteries?

Buy something with retail packaging new from a known company (like Surefire, although there are others too) and they will most likely bundle one with it.
 
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