ADVICE Please ! Taking Dive into 18650 LED torches for Christmas - family and kids at college

I have been reading and reading but much of the finer points of selecting a best choice still eludes me. But I definitely need two high output LED torches for use around the house, yard, camping.

And I want to buy two good units but smaller hand-size that college kids can carry or strap to their packs. The strobe function is good for visibility walking on campus.

I'd appreciate all comments on the choices shown below, better options you identify, and any better site (quality/cost) than DX to buy these now to receive before Christmas.

LIGHTS

SKU Product Name Quantity Price Line Total

57749 TrustFire X8 XM-LT60 5-Mode 1000-Lumen Memory White LED Flashlight with Batteries Set (2x18650) 1 $56.30 $56.30

57985 FANDYFIRE 501B SSC P7 3-Mode 900-Lumen White LED Flashlight with Strap - Black (1 x 18650) 2 $17.99 $35.98

90606 FandyFire C8 CREE XM-LT6 3-Mode 750-Lumen White LED Flashlight w/ Strap (1 x 18650) 1 $21.90 $21.90

Batteries/chargers

91268 SuperFire 18650 3.7V "2600mAh" Lithium Batteries - Green (Pair) 1 $6.50 $6.50

03499 2x 18650 Digital Battery Charger 2 $4.70 $9.40

73442 Ultra Fire All-in-One Batteries Charger with 2 x 18650 Rechargeable "3600mAh" Li-ion Batteries 1 $12.50 $12.50

I would change the batteries if I was you: the "3000" mAh ones are really about 2200mAh if I remember rightly.

Try these instead: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfire-protected-18650-3-7v-true-2400mah-rechargeable-lithium-batteries-2-pack-20392

They have the reputation of being the best 18650s available on DX and are actualy what they state: 2400mAh

Forget the cheap batteries and charger. If you are going to buy decent lights then you should get a decent charger/ batteries. Especially when using 2 x 18650. Check out the WPII V 2 and the xtar 2600.

China / HK Post collapsed last year and will probably do so again. So it may be too late already. Dx was the worst performer postage wise last year in my personal experience.I got an order I made in October in late January.

Kd C8 is a great light and cheap at the moment. TF X9 is a great light as well. Both single 18650's.

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/ultrafire-wf502b-t6-5mode-led-flashlight-118650-black-p-7640

That is a P60 host with a single 18650 battery config and a XML-T6 emitter. I'm quite sure it's a common flashlight among here too.

Thanks all for the comments.

edc: "Check out the WPII V 2 and the xtar 2600." Are these chargers or lights?

What site, DX, do you recommend I find them?


Thanks!!

WPII V2 is a charger and xtar2600 are batteries.

I use the trustfire flames (those manual man posted), they are good. Those xtar2600 may be a bit better though.

I'd omit that SSC P7 light; that LED is somewhat outdated. Get an XM-L version of the WF-501B or WF-502B, like pacbough posted.

I would echo the other posters in recommending a good charger and cell combo. Lithium-ion requires a bit of care for safe handling.
A single-cell light is the safest option.

If these are for Christmas, it might be too late to order from DX. My FASTEST delivery was 65 days. I haven't tried the US warehouse yet - the choice is limited but they claim a 3-5 day delivery inside the US.

We're all fans of high runtime/ high output, but if you step back a second and think about the description, "family and kids", are they the right people to be carrying/charging 18650s? (If you sincerely think they are, then please ignore the rest of this note.)

The dreaded CPF has an excellent smoke/fire/close calls section about lithium ion batteries. Lots (maybe most) of these relate to multi-cell lights, but the simple fact is that these batteries can easily vent with flame if they are shorted. (It could be as simple as a nick in the wrapping.)

My pick would be a single cell AA lamp. Plenty bright for normal people. Get Eneloops and a charger if you're feeling extra nice.

And they're not going to vent with flame in someone's pack or dorm room.

I'm 17 and I have plenty of 18650 and other li-ion flashlights. I only have 1 multi 18650 flashlight. I think that as long as your buying genuine high quality batteries, even the Trustfire Flames are good, AND you only use them in single 18650 flashlights then you will have a very low chance of anything bad happening.

For the college kids, maybe 18650 is not the best route. How about a flood to throw AA light like the SIPIK. Three mode variations can be had on EBay with strobe. It's a $10 light, cells are everwhere, can be used to read in low light, and has a clip. Also used as a self defense item (I have a daughter and think like a Dad).

http://www.tbotech.com/kubotans.htm

THE choice of a 502B sized light was my attempt to find a size/design that could function as lighting protection on campus and possible self-defense protection option.

I'm a Dad thinking of a daughter in college.

I just did the same thing about 3 weeks ago- got my first 18650 Torch- love how powerful the light is AND the batteries are real powerhouses, IMO.

Guys far more expert on here than myself can advise on best torches for your needs.

From everything I've read and heard using SINGLE 18650 torches is much safer than those which use two for various technical reasons ( there was quite a lot about this on the literature sheet with the Redilast battery I just received).

With college kids that are likely non-flashlight types, I would really look at aa format lights, not 18650. If a single nimh is not bright enough for you, there are some multiple aa lights that perform pretty well. If you must have 18650, you definitely want to go single 18650. However, if you want to buy kids each their own charger, it will get pricey, unless you buy them each an Xtar Mp1 single charger. They're slow, but safe and very cheap.

Here's a thought: You could e-mail Miles from Xtar and see if he can still give you a deal on an Xtar R01 or A01 and a Xtar 2600 18700 battery. The R01 and A01 have a charge circuit built in so the kids won't need a separate charger.

Hate to say it but a flashlight isn't a self defense item . never has been and never will be .There's way too much fantasy about strobes or attack bezels ability to save ones life . Odds are very good the day you're mugged your flashlight will be at home resting safe and securely on a shelf ... a sharp stick is a better weapon.

I'm a big fan of AA or cr123 lights 200 to 300 lumens is a ton and a sweet tint and a great build /body ,and a nice user interface can't be beat . All of the ligt picked by the poster were 18650's so i stayed with that concept ..But other batteries shouldn't be dismissed ..i wouldn't be afraid of having my kids use 18650s..if i was ,i wouldn't be sending them to college.

I´m sorry if you think I´m completely off my rocker, and you may ignore this if thats the case.

But you and your family are stateside? Then a self defense item looks like this :

And if that is somehow not an option, self defence classes are a better choice of preparing her/them than some gadget that they can half heartedly stab/throw around. They might just make the attacker angry with that :O

Flashlight related: Get them a sipik/romisen single AA battery. I have several other lights now, but my go to light? Is a 9us$ SIPIK SK68 from deal extreme. I do wish I had bought it from shiningbeam though, but they dont mod that specifik item. And I dont like the "turn the head" zoomies.

Ooh and one last thing - buy from manafont for fast delivery. They are hands down the fastest delivering firm that I have done business with in the far east.

i just received my first thrower and I make my own batteries from dead laptop batteries... am new to battery stuff. do they need a 300+ yard laserbeam light or just a regular flashlight?

single 18650 works for my apps.

my journey is here https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/4827 might be off topic but is more info.

I found one guy on ebay who sold this light and received in a week. only $33 vs waiting 4 to 6 weeks from china for exact same light (because of christmas timeframe)