I was very stubborn about not using 14500 cells.

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 AA’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. I’m a sucker for long runtimes but not in the slightest for lumens, I’m a big guy with big hands that isn’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 it’s all but impossible to get li-ion cells imported, so if I am to jump through hoops to get those, I’d much rather get cells for my lights that don’t have an alternative like AA or AAA.

As a side note, I’ve been finding myself using my two sizes of Lumintop Tool and my Thrunite Ti3 and T10 the most often, but that’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 I’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 isn’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 that’s of some importance.

Actually what I liked most is that the Sofirn can optionally come with a 26650. That’s HUGE when you live where it’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 doesn’t look like it would fit on a hat brim.

I’m not a fan of the 14500. I sometimes use them in a couple of older Zebralight SC52’s, just to give them a bit of a pop. But, they’re still plenty bright enough on an Eneloop, so the 14500 isn’t really necessary.

If I need higher output, I’ll go with 18650, which gives some reasonable run-time on a bright level. 14500 just doesn’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 I’ll acquire a clip and try it out. My TIP is a couple years old and the clips weren’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 ’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 don’t seem to be optimized for Li-Ion. I’ve tried a lot of these combo AA/14500 lights and I find that the regulation isn’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 don’t seem to have a buck-boost driver. The only AA/14500 light that I didn’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 don’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: .

Well Thanks, Now I am looking at that E05. And 14500 lights in general.

I mostly use 18350 for my short lights.