Hi people! I pretty new to the flashlight world and have been searching all over to find a small but bright flashlight!
Any one have any ideas on a few "pocket rockets"
Thanks :)
My two are a Balder SE-1 XML NW
And an Ultrafire 501a XPG NW
Xeno E03.
Depends on how big your pockets are ($$ and how much light will actually fit).
Not budget by any means, but I really like my ZL SC51W and SC51C. Lot of light from ordinary batteries.
If your open to 14500 Li-ion, you can find a bunch of brighter options. I hear the Xeno's are pretty bright and a good value if you don't need a real low level.
And what you consider a "rocket". I have a Shiningbeam modded Romisen RC-C3 II NW and find it quite bright given its size. It is the size of my thumb and will impress anybody who is not a flashaholic and even some who are. Plus it is very pocketable. In fact, it is the light that finally converted me from a Surefire fanboy to a fun loving budget cheapskate. As a bonus, use the BLF discount code, which if I recall correctly is "BLFuser", the light is like $12.
That said, I buck the cargo pockets are cool trend and wear carpenter style pants that have narrow vertical pockets on the legs. This allows me to comfortably carry some variety of Solarforce L2 in a pocket that others usually find too big for EDC. I think most would agree that something with an XM-L drop-in is in the "rocket" category.
Oh, and Welcome to BLF.
xeno e03
the citycat from cnqg is a little rocket, 18650 - 3 mode no strobe
Some of my favorite, and economical, pocket rockets are iTP A1 EOS (or the newer Olight i1) and Jetbeam BC-10.
But, how pocketable is "pocketable" for you? Also, about how many lumens you consider "rocket", what batteries you prefer and what is your budget?
Ultrafire WF 501A, Ultrafire 3 mode Xm-L drop in, bestinone IMR-18350 cell... pulls around 2,5 A on high when full, but is small enough to fit in your palm 
Runtime maybe 10 to 15 minutes, but hey, that's what pocket rockets are for in my opinion: blasting away, leaving purple spots on retinas and jaws hitting the floor ;)
My Pocket-Rocket is a 28mm aspheric-modded 501a with a hard-driven XR-E R2 being powered by a single 16340 cell. Lumen output is low, but range is extreme for such a small light...
Details on the build are here:
You guys know your stuff... all of the flashlights mentioned above are awesome... got some researching to do! :P
What are some thoughts on the Akoray K-109 Cree Q5-WC 5-Mode 230-Lumen ?
Love to get some opinions!
nice, the romisen rc-c3 is one which i'm considering. and is XM-L one of the most efficient LEDs?
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/cree-r2-5mode-memory-led-dropin-module-342v-p-6095 ($8.95)
4 inches, $14.84 shipped... Very bright, great throw. It also comes in one mode (cheaper) as well.
If you are not familiar with the LED flashlight world, don't have any gear, and would like a light that is pocketable, functional, useful, and impressively bright for the size, start here:
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/sky-ray-sr5-flashlight-tube-no-led-emitter-p-5548 - $7.99 - A very nice single 18650 P60 host with good features, cool styling, and good heat-sinking. Not quite a mini-flashlight, but still easily pocketable, and my favorite host.
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/ultrafire-cree-t6-3mode-memory-led-dropin-module-42v-max-p-5178 - $16.21 - The popular 3-mode XM-L P60 drop-in with no useless strobe or SOS modes. VERY bright!
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/protected-trustfire-18650-37v-3000mah-rechargeable-batteries-2pcsset-p-7941 - $11.70 - Good quality 18650 cells.
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/trustfire-multifuctional-charger-fir-10430-10440-16340-17670-18650-cr123a-us-plug-p-1205 - $9.42 - A decent 2-bay multi-cell charger.
I own all of these and have been very happy with them! This will get you some good hardware that you will really enjoy having/showing off.
The links above do have referral codes, so I get a tiny cut if you purchase from them. I'm only recommending them in this way as they are all excellent equipment and I have been very happy with Manafont in the past. They are still my preferred dealer.
There are a ton of options out there. All should have XM-L but there are plenty of battery choices. Do you want 14500 or 16340 or even a compact 18650? If you tell us your spending limits we can recommend the light that is just right for you.
Or you could always go to Shiningbeam.com and buy a Pocket Rocket
+1
The XML is the most efficient and does everything better except throw. The XRE is still the king of throw so if you want distance the XRE is the way to go. If you want a massive wall of light an XML will beat out everything else in an amp per lumen contest.
That was my first real LED and I still use mine as a nightlight in the bedroom great little light. If you live in the States I highly recommend the Shiningbeam Neutral version mine has a ridicules amount of hours on it and it's just as bright as the day I bought it.
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-205/Romisen-RC-dsh-C3-II-NW/Detail
My budget is around $30 and I prefer the cr123, I also like the strobe functionality with a memory and forward clicky! LOOL it's a lot to ask for
OK for $30 bucks and CR123s this is what I would do and I have a couple of these running just like this.
Get a 501A you can use a CR123 a 16340 or my favorite the 18350.
Since you want to use a CR123s you need a low voltage drop in so you can pull all the juice out of the battery.
I use these Solarforce XPG ones they work great you get almost 500 lumens with a fresh CR123, but these are 3 mode no flashing modes. You can choose a SMO smooth reflector for more throw or an OP orange peel for a smoother transition of the beam.
http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=RB&s=10&id=113
http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=RB&s=10&id=207
Less than $30 bucks and you can upgrade the little 501A to any P-60 drop in later in the game when you get into Lion rechargeables.
For the naysayers these dropins are way under rated at 320lumen they are direct drive on high and pull an honest 2 amps. Check XPG R5 on the brightness bin.
http://flashlightwiki.com/Brightness_Bins
I can post a picture of my Fluke hooked up to one of these pulling 2 plus amps if anyone is interested.