STL-V2 can´t Deal With It, need more durable recommendations for 2 x 18650!

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Sorry if you get bored with my recommendation threads...

Ok, long story short:

My friend at work uses big deal of his time hunting foxes etc.

I recommended him STL-V2 XM-L some time ago, uses 2 x Xtar 2600´s.

However, one of his lights lost driver, I guess. It won´t go on anymore. Clicky is also dead.

We figured out, that clicky + driver + some assembly is almost not worth it for a cheap light. He thinks it could be a better deal to get new one.

I told him, that let´s not buy the same since I really thought it could hold up longer. It did only about 3 months.

So, in need of good 2 x 18650 Thrower.

Most important feats are:

- 2 x 18650 is mandatory for runtime excess of one hour. Battery + charger -gear ready for this setup!

- XM-L is practically mandatory.

- It must be capable of taking some abuse. For example hard shaking -> mode skipping = NO-NO! (running, fast situations)

- It must have a good reach, OP-reflectors are not suitable. STL-V2 does it well enough, is also bright enough.

- MODES: Blinky modes = NO-NO! CAN DO with 1-mode, can do very well on 2-modes. 3-mode WITHOUT Blinkies is acceptable also.

- Side clicky, tail clicky, no difference if it can be used with gloves with ease.

- Price can be a bit over STL-V2´s but not too much.

Bottomline is, he was VERY pleased with the STL-V2. Often referred as the King-of-the-hill flashlight compared to others.

I was not pleased since I always try to get the best price/quality to my buddies so this time, I need your help.

My ideas:

- That Xin TD got already a bit of an approval from my friend. Bad thing is lack of wide user base and lack of longer field test. Good price but does it throw?

- Jetbeam whatwasit again 2-mode but was it with OP reflector??

- SWM T40CS but I´m not sure if it´s too pricy.... Yep, too much...

- Olight M3X is also too pricey...

2

Not really. Throw is decent but nor even close to STL-V2. Unfortunately better 2x18650 throwers are well over $100, Crelant 7G5 is $90, Solarforce M8 - $67.

3

I was gonna post those two exactly:)

also CT, how much would it cost to send the dead stl-v2 to europe? may be interested;)

4

Hmm, ok. That is not good news I say.

It could be enough if it is close, it does not have to be better than STL-V2 but it cannot be much worse throw-wise.

Lumens in the same ballpark. Runtime also.

Crelant has also a very slim chance to become selected because of the price.

5

I think this is where shadow should enter the market next, say a $70 thrower of the same sort of proportions but higher quality.

6

I have the XinTD L2, and it's not in the dedicated thrower category, it's just a flashlight that can throw. As i have said the reflector it's with about 2mm larger and deeper than the C8 type of reflector. The C8 type reflector (dimensions) can be found on the Shadow TC6 or Fenix TK35.

7

How about XinTD compared to 980L, throws some better?

I think C8´s throw better than 980L.

8

Being direct driver they will have the edge in throw, that is most C8s and the 980L are direct drive.

Actually the current seems like 2.6A to the LED. That I have been told. My XinTD L2 throws better than my Shadow TC6 which has the C8 reflector, however this is something that is far from a night and day difference, so it's a minimal difference, not something that will leave an impression.

9

Hmm... The user will not be a professional in beam inspection, if you know what I mean.

Maybe it is not yet OFF-the-list.

Oh bugger, it is so much in a good price-spot with about all other feats in the range. hmm, decisions.

10

Because it's bright, very efficient and throws nicely with proper reflector.

11

My thought exactly.

An XR-E would have a less bright corona and spill, which will yield a crisper target image, although with a narrower field of view. I don't hunt, but I do check wildlife at forest edge and for that I prefer any of my XR-E throwers to the XM-L TrustFire X9.

12

In lumen/watt, the XM-L beats the XR-E, but for distant targets the extra lumens (outside the hotspot) of the XM-L hurt rather than help.

Short range (under 50-70m) is a different story.

13

I was actually curious about this precise match up and here are crops of an XR-E vs. an XM-L light (top is LumaPower XR-E w/Turbo Force Kit and bottom is T40CS XM-L) out to 565ft. (172m) at the last column:


To be fair, I think there is something wrong w/the XR-E pill as I only got around 20K lux at 1m (vs. 40K+ for T40CS). Some guy on another thread got 50K+ for the XR-E in this setup.

Full thread here for those interested.

14

Me too. Comparing my X-RE (Q5) vs XM-L (T6), there's just no competition, XR-E clearly beats XM-L in light "crispness". Which is essential for long throws. The narrower beam maintains your night vision better too.

XM-L spill out a LOT of light, but also spill them out all over the place. Long range wise, it makes the target a little more blurry than the XR-E.

15

Foy's .02 -

The MPP 1 is going to out throw a lot of big hit lights, it's just not going to light up the target as well.

The XinTD L2 is slightly brighter than my M8 but the M8 out throws it noticeably.

Honestly; when you consider throw, demonstrated reliability, ruggedness and price, you could do a lot worse than an M8. A lot of people here own one and it is a respected flashlight. For the demand criteria listed, this is not the time to experiment with an unproven design.

Of course there are other proven designs that would do the job . . . .

goodluckFoy

16

This is exactly why I ask recommendations, you guys always seems to know what parameters can be questioned to get the most for the least amount of $$$.

I think MPP1 can be one option, even if it does not have XM-L.

Good throw, fair price, good quality and good selection of spareparts make it worth thinking of.

Does it make a difference in brightness when driven only with 1 x 18650?

What would the euntime be like when used with 2 x 18650?

Is this for example 1-mode or what? http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=LF&s=26&id=260

17

Foy, thanks for your cents!

I agree with ruggedness & price, Solarforce has really reliable flashlights (I should post my work beater some day...).

Going to work now, going to make a few recommendations... :)

18

Also, CT -

The MPP 1 works up to 16 volts so, it will actually run up to 4 18650s. It is pretty well regulated with only a small brightness increase with more batteries. I'll have to go find my old MPP 1 review - can't remember how many amps it pulled but if it's like most Solarforce lights, it's probably a little under-driven. Run time therefore with say, three 18650s will be quite a long time. It does make for a long flashlight, however and of course, 'tain't the brightest thrower there is.

One thing I will say; some of my flashlights have serious wow factor when it comes to sheer lumens but nothing in my humble collection throws as far as the MPP 1. It has phenomenal reach.

XR-EsurfacebrightkingFoy

19

At work now so just shortly:
had some talk with my friend. XR-E might do it but we will think about it.
One chance is, that I’m maybe ordering Xin-td to myself, he could test it to see, if it has enough guts.

20

Foy: did you mean these first impressions?

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/2448

Seems, like it takes a bit better amperage on two cells. 1,0A versus 0,75A on two.

Any idea how this will fit the longer batteries like Xtar 2600´s? Might be a problem if it does not...