New guy with Coleman CT-20 LED flashlight

Hello everyone! This is my first post here and I just picked up a Coleman CT-20 LED light yesterday at Walmart for $25.

Coleman CT-20 LED Flashlight

I’m not well versed in all of the minutia of flashlight tech, etc., but this is definitely the brightest light I’ve ever owned. Rated at 200 lumens on high and IIRC 100 lumens on the low setting. It states on the package it comes with a Cree LED but I don’t know what type. If I had a better camera I’d snap a pic but at that close it would just be blurry.

As far as EDC is concerned, it’s fairly lightweight but too big for pocket carry IMO. One downside is the lack of pocket/belt clip, so I may try making a kydex sheath for it for belt carry.

Overall, I’m impressed with this light. I don’t have a job that requires constant use of a light so it won’t see any heavy-duty use. This may be a good glovebox light for emergency use, etc.

Eric

BTW: This article is what started my venture into flashlights: Tactical Flashlights- Art of Manliness

Welcome to BLF! Glad to have you here!

-Garry

Thanks! I have to try my best to make sure this doesn’t turn into another expensive hobby lol!

Eric

So have you investigated ordering from the respectable online Chinese retailers? Have you considered trying a lithium-ion powered light? Sticking to readily available "common" batteries? Walmart does carry a 6AA XM-L light which is ok, although pricey at $49.88. Sounds like you need to experience a hard-driven XM-L! :) You won't look back!

-Garry

Besides the Coleman CT-20, I’ve bought this:

Terralux TLF300

and this:

CREE LED 7W

and I’m thinking of modding my 3D cell Maglite like this:

My $2.24 triple emitter Mag Mod

It’s funny you mentioned the Walmart 6AA XM-L because I almost bought it instead of the little CT-20 but I didn’t want to shell out $50 for a light yet.

So far I think I want to stick with AA powered lights due to the cost of batteries. I can get CR123’s at Walmart or Lowes so that could be an option. I almost got some lithium AA’s yesterday but I wasn’t sure if it was worth the extra cost. Not sure about rechargeable batteries yet, but it may be an option for the future. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the differences between 14500/18650/26650 batteries.

Eric

Dude! If you wanna save a ton of money… Forget about lumens & brightness. Throw the Coleman out the window & RUN… not walk away from this forum!!! :bigsmile:

It's kind of a struggle to get really high output from AA's. You have to go NiMh due to the high internal resistance of alkalines (any size). If you really turn this into a hobby than you'll likely eventually go Li-Ion because you just can't get the same level of output in the same small sizes. One light you may want to look at locally (if avail.) is the hot new Defiant Super Thrower at Home Depot. It's a great performer on standard alkalines, but is large. A great buy at $22.97 and sure to impress!

-Garry

I read about the Defiant 500 lumen light just a couple hours after I bought the Coleman. Had I known about that light before going to Walmart I would have it right now :bigsmile:

I’ve used some Duracell NiMh AA’s in the past and found they don’t hold a charge very long. This may just be those particular batteries but for an EDC light that isn’t something I want to worry about.

Any advantage to using regular lithium AA’s?

Eric

IIRC lithium AA’s have longer shelf life and maybe longer run times.

At a bare minimum look for some low self discharge (lsd) NiMh cells (they are capable of supplying much more current than the alkalines). Eneloop are the trusted standard.

+1 to Dale, if you want to save a bunch of money RUN away from this forum.

Hope you feel welcome if you ignore the advice and stick around.

Yep, some Duracell & some Energizer NiMh's were really bad. Sometimes you can find "Duraloops" which are Duracell 2000 mAh with white tops (positive end) at local stores (Walmart). The Energizer 2300 mAh's have been good too. Hobby King also sells Turnigy LSD AA's that are good. Eneloops have always been the standard though.

-Garry

Alright, I just dug out my old Duracell batteries. They are 1800mAh. I also just found some Energizer 2300 mAh NiMh that I forgot I had. Not sure how old they are though.

So here’s a couple more newbie questions: do rechargeable batteries have a limit or lifespan of how many times they can be recharged? Is there a way to test them with a DMM to see if they are still any good?

Eric

They do have a cycle limit of roughly 1,000 charges (maybe 500 on some old old ones). You'd really have to do a discharge test to check them out. Then you're getting into the world of battery charging, discharging, capacity testing, etc. . . I bought myself an AccuPower IQ-328 to do simple discharge tests - about $32 oon EBay if I recall.

I don't think the Energizer 2300's have been out that long, so they can't be too old.

-Garry