Yeah, these guys are great! I went from knowing virtually nothing about these lights in general to being very comfortable picking out parts to build one, all in the length of this thread. In fact, I’d be comfortable answering questions about what to look for in a driver to use with which emitters thanks to the awesome links with lots of technical data. Just need to work on my practical (hands-on) knowledge now.
I’m so excited to build this thing and move on to the next project. Maybe I’m demented, but I’m even looking around for ideas on custom tubes so I can do a real ground-up build. I haven’t a lathe, but I can be pretty crafty. That’ll be a little ways down the road though…
ETA: Garry and keltex - I took a look at that other host. I didn’t realize initially that there was a difference in the spacing which would create a thermal issue, but I do like the appearance of the other one a little better. It’s less “tacticool” and just more classy. Looking for thermal paste on either fasttech or manafont so I can add it to one of the orders. Probably just going to use aluminum foil for now. I can get fancier later.
I will remind you that the last two days, reading this forum has been my full-time job. The pain I’m in and the pain meds I’m on combine to make me pretty immobile. I have seen a lot of OL’s work (though I previously missed that piece) and I am impressed. I won’t say I’m that awesome, but I will certainly give it a go.
FastTech has the thermal glue, only problem is, it's a huge tube (relatively speaking, think the size of a travel tube of toothpaste) that will go bad before you use it all. You only need a very thin layer between the emitter base and the pill:
Or should I just stick with the known stuff? I would be willing to order from somewhere else, as long as I could assume it won’t take an extra 8 weeks to get to me after I have everything else. That’s the main reason I’m trying to keep the suppliers limited.
I personally use diamond grease picked up from a local electrical suppliers. It’s not slick, it still fairly sticks a star in place, but I had to get some local.
Ebay is a horrible bad place for a noob to play ,,,there isn't a chance in hell of stumbling into some great deal that 1000 budget boys have somehow missed .. it's the very reason budget light exists ...to share the pain and the joy ..Like a bunch of skiers all over the hill and sometimes running right down the same ruts that another member is sking is the best place to be . the guys who answered your question are doing some of the nicer mods on the better hosts with the best results ..Following exactly what they are doing will produce a good light .. the ebay c8's are hugely hit or miss with some so bad there is no fixing them [[ the reason why people told you to buy the xintd from int outdoors ..Ebay is wreckless .. the best plan would be to shop a bit conservitive ly from some of the better vendors ..int ./out cnqgoods / fancyflashlights ...and fasttech.....another great move is when the whole forum jumps ..."jump with it " :p some great deals are fast and furious ..you need to be ready to .....jump ..
Obviously, ebay is a gamble. That’s why I keep my gambles small there. I’ve got high hopes for the C8, but I’m not going to let everything ride on that. If it works out well, awesome! If not, at least I can get a good idea of the form factor and maybe pull a useful part or two out of it for use on another project.
So far, I’ve learned a ton from all the great input on this thread. However, I’m not looking for “this is the light I built so you should too” (though I started off asking for examples). I’d rather learn and figure out what I want and why. I took what I’ve learned and assembled a couple hypothetical builds. Because I’ve followed so many different links in the past couple days, I didn’t realize right away that those builds were pretty close to a couple that were suggested, but I guess that means I’m taking my lessons to heart. And there are some very good odds that one of those will be my first DIY. That’s not a done deal yet, as I am talking to Boaz about a few items via PM as well.
All that being said, I am proceeding cautiously. I don’t have a ton of money to throw at it, and I’m concerned about committing too much to one line of thinking. The C8 I bought may or may not work out at all (and that’s ok), but the first DIY (which I hope to have done around the same time as the C8 arrives, if not sooner) should be a good, solid light — a great introductory light that will last me a long time…even though I’m pretty confident that I won’t stop there too long.
I’m just trying to say that I appreciate the advice, and I’m certainly not going to do anything counter to that. However, I don’t intend to deliberately produce exactly what someone else already has. If I wanted that, I’d just buy one. I’m not learning if I don’t make some decisions (and potentially mistakes) for myself.
I think most maglite are under 200 lumens. Not sure about the newer ones but the Magelite 3D LED is 131 lumens. The 9 LED is like either 50 or 100 lumens at best. I’m only guessing on top of my head from stats posted around here in some threads.
Awesome. I asked that in my introductions thread too and by now just assumed nobody knew for sure or cared to answer one way or another. For that matter, I’m really beginning to care less because I’m starting to see how ratings don’t really have any basis in fact. However, the huge collection of data by this community is very enlightening (can’t help myself). It really shed a lot of light (please stop me) on my whole understanding of brightness. Also, I have a feeling that my own perception will be influenced by being r/g colorblind so ultimately, all of it is going to be meaningless until I really start playing with different setups.
Saying all that makes me sound a tad ungrateful. I’m not. Thank you so much for answering my question! Every answer brings me closer to the level of understanding I’m hoping to attain. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but this is one of the most helpful communities I’ve ever joined. It’s not just a big collection of information but a willingness bordering on eagerness to share that knowledge with anyone willing to learn.
I’m considering changing my signature to “You guys are awesome!”
Yea I know how u feel Boris. I ask question on threads and get thread jack all the time with people who like dont’ even post revelent posts concerning the thread. Which really makes me feel like they are just forum personality or pitching products at you like some type of seller.
Those cheap 9 LED lights are more like 30 lumens I believe - definitely not 100 lumens! Also, it hard to judge by lumens alone. A hard driven XR-E (i.e. Jacob A60) will only be about 300 lumens versus a hard driven XM-L light (i.e. P60 3A XM-L) at +/- 850 lumens, but you're comparing a thrower vs. a flooder. It's kinda like comparing apples and oranges.
Here's a thread with numerous lights tested including some Maglites.
but he wanted a builder so I linked to the host //with a driver and anw xpg2 it's ust a better version of the christmas special xiangzhu
Nw xp-g2 xiangzhu..:P that's a mouthful I just call it a d4 built right
Gords we need to stop having this discussion it's clear we like the same light ..how about next time we see who can link to it first :)
There is a thread by MAtch where he looks at three host from cnqgoods and speaks pretty highly of all of them ..When you said you were interested in a c-8 host I thought of this thread where he builds all three .. the d4 is one of the hosts he reviews and i'm not ashamed of riding on the coattails of others here on blf ..I have lots and lots of lights that are pure crap that I bought on my own:P when the common wisdom was the c-88 was a classic beast ..I was happy I jumped ..
I think one trick is look at who you're listening to and follow their lead ..I have had a few people I quietly stalked and did what they did ..i did it because we had the same thoughts going on as far as what we wanted ...Gords1001 is a classic example ..Match is another ....the reverse is true too .I won't name names but they have a totally opposite opinion of what i think a great light is.
If you're a modder or a builder than every light is a host ..you'll find a way to mess with every light you get ...or send it packing because it's not worth messing with .
Imagine the frustration of poor Match when he finds a light that is perfect right from the factory ..:P
i try to keep every light i own under 25$ so it means I'm looking for solid ,wellbuilt hosts/lights for 14$or less ...guess what !! they are rare .There isn't anyone giving away old lights just because they have an old emitter in them ..Sadly it just isn't how the chinese vendors do business.. So it makes it less likely that you are going to be walking where someone else hasn't already been .
Um, I don’t think my c8 upgrade solution was all that different……
But yeah, its a pretty safe formula. What you could do is keep an eye out for a host that would take a 3up 20/35mm board and optics for an xp-g2 tripple build, the extreme runtime host chi-x likes is a good possibility, possibly with the dry turbo driver. Hmmmm…. :bigsmile:
BorisTheSpider, I just remembered this post of beamshots I did which shows a 2D incandescent Maglite, 2D LED Maglite, Lowes Task Force 2C, and KD C8 to give you an idea how a C8 compares to off-the-shelf lights (at least in the US). Note that I have corrected the distance to that shed as 150 to 200 feet now.
That link is broken, Garry. I’ll poke around and see if I can find it on my own.
I think I’m just about out of questions for now…
OK, here’s one. When looking at a host (or a whole light), and the dimensions listed, how do you know what size driver, emitter, and reflector it will take? I mean, some of them list compatible parts explicitly and there are some standards, like the P60 and C8 hosts, but what about other, non-standard or new things? Is there some formula for figuring it out based on the dimensions listed (e.g. “head 40mm”) or is it just a “best guess” until you get it in your hands?
I am really enjoying the beamshot comparisons — especially things like similar setups with different emitters, or the same emitter with different setups. I really dig the mouseover comparisons the most. Beats scrolling back and forth. So yeah, keep those links coming.
Oh, and Boaz, please let me know if you didn’t get my PM. I’m not sure if I may have done something wrong when sending it.
