I was very stubborn about not using 14500 cells.

Great looking beam :wink:

I've tested 14500's against eneloops in my zebralight H52's & they give more or less the same run time exept you get turbo (+200 lumens) for 1 min with lithiums.

Thanks man.

Well I took my new Wuben E05 on a test drive tonight. I used both the supplied 14500 battery and a couple of old worn out Energizer rechargeable AAā€™s. I live in an urban environment so lots of ambient light even on a nature trail close to my home. Even the old Energizers could kick out enough light to make a difference on high mode. But using the supplied 14500 the flashlight can light up a field a couple hundred feet right in front of the user. Nice little flashlight I must say.

  1. I feel you there, it was the same story for me regarding reverse-clicky switches (though I was burned on next mode memory of nuckfutty cheapos). Thankfully Convoy changed that right quick :smiley:

2) 18650 all the way, for several reasons. Iā€™m a sucker for long runtimes but not in the slightest for lumens, Iā€™m a big guy with big hands that isnā€™t bothered by a slight size increase from AA, and most importantly, 18650 is all the li-ion I have. I live in one of those countries where itā€™s all but impossible to get li-ion cells imported, so if I am to jump through hoops to get those, Iā€™d much rather get cells for my lights that donā€™t have an alternative like AA or AAA.

As a side note, Iā€™ve been finding myself using my two sizes of Lumintop Tool and my Thrunite Ti3 and T10 the most often, but thatā€™s always when I have my Convoy M1 or S2 handy, just for peace of mind.

Have you tried a 26650 light? IMO, that size tube fits even nicer in your hands than 18650, plus more runtime. :slight_smile:

Certainly thought of it, but times are tight and dosh is shorter than ever, so Iā€™m keeping to the cheapest formats for now. Any budget-friendly (as close to Convoy-tier as possible) recommendations you can think of right off the top of your head? :slight_smile:

Sofirn SP 33

Not bad! Reminds me of when I was looking for a Nitecore EC20 at good price. Gonna keep an eye on this one for when the wallet isnā€™t as emaciated :smiley:

Well, if you like Convoy, there is the BD06 - it can run on both 18650 as well as 26650, thanks to the included adapter. But the Sofirn mentioned by the previous poster is capable of higher output, if thatā€™s of some importance.

Actually what I liked most is that the Sofirn can optionally come with a 26650. Thatā€™s HUGE when you live where itā€™s almost impossible to import li-ions.

Mi7 is only $21.99 right now on Massdrop :slight_smile:

How do you attach a TIP to your hat? The available clip doesnā€™t look like it would fit on a hat brim.

Iā€™m not a fan of the 14500. I sometimes use them in a couple of older Zebralight SC52ā€™s, just to give them a bit of a pop. But, theyā€™re still plenty bright enough on an Eneloop, so the 14500 isnā€™t really necessary.

If I need higher output, Iā€™ll go with 18650, which gives some reasonable run-time on a bright level. 14500 just doesnā€™t have enough juice.

Some other (non Zebralight) AA lights I have really do benefit from a 14500. Many 1xAA lights can be pretty mundane with a AA, but turn into nice lights with a 14500. The problem is those lights often get too hot with a 14500. Okay for brief use, but not so good for more than a couple of minutes.

The stock clip works just fine for me.

Maybe Iā€™ll acquire a clip and try it out. My TIP is a couple years old and the clips werenā€™t available.

I find the beam of the TIP pretty ideal for close up work and I like the UI.

Yep. I once propped up a SK68 with a 14500 to light up under the house while I was doing some repairs.
It had become scary hot by the time I picked it up again.

Love the 14500:
Sofirn SF14v2.0, SF12, SP10A & SF10
Lumintop Tool AA2.0
ThorFire TG06S
Enogear AA Stainless Steel (AA/14500)
and most recent, Wuben E05

Favorite? Wuben for top lumen, Tool AA for accessories, Enogear AA for tint, Sofirn for budget and ThorFire ā€™cause it was my 1st 14500 :slight_smile:

Got just now interested in AA/14500 FLs and noticed many (most?) of them are not really optimized for Li-Ion operation, not even taking protected cells. Pulled the trigger on a Lumintop EDC05 due to many positive reviews.

Not only that but the drivers donā€™t seem to be optimized for Li-Ion. Iā€™ve tried a lot of these combo AA/14500 lights and I find that the regulation isnā€™t as good for the higher Li-Ion voltage as it is for the AA battery that has a boost driver. Seems that a lot of manufacturers go with some type of pulsing or PWM when they detect the higher Li-Ion voltage. Most of these inexpensive AA/14500 lights donā€™t seem to have a buck-boost driver. The only AA/14500 light that I didnā€™t mind with a 14500 was the Fenix LD11 which is now obsolete but you did have to pay a little more $$ for that one than these sub $20 lights.

Thus my attitude with them is that I buy a AA/14500 light for the AA ability and not the other way around. Interestingly enough, I donā€™t see the driver issue with the CR123A/16340 lights. And that my have to do with the fact that both of those batteries are closer if not above the Vfwd of an LED. For Lithium ion, I like 18650 and 16340 and not so much the 14500 :slight_smile: .