EDC Suggestions for a Noob (Please)

Wellp, even 16340 lights do have their purpose. Same reason people use AAA/10440 lights…

No one is going to use an AAA light to go rooting for truffles at night. But a lot of people won’t even carry an AA light, when I’m good with EDCing an 18650 light. Tastes vary.

So yeah, 18350 lights are small, but to some people, they’re still too big, and will deal with only 16340 lights at best.

And compare a Jet-II with a shorty S2+ or SC31pro. It’s a fairly big difference side-by-side, in the hand and in the pocket.

that is a tall order… and pretty much rules out any battery smaller than 18650

here is a runtime graph for a highly respected brand of light, that could meet your stated output and runtime goals:

pic is a link to an excellent review site

it is about electronic components… not relevant to your quest for sustained 1000 lumen lights…

The S2+ cannot sustain 1000 lumens….

click the runtime graph for the whole review:

7135 denotes the “current regulator”, if you will, that manages the power from the cell (battery) going to the LED in the flashlight. Each one allows 350 mA of current. Maybe a piss poor analogy, but think of a river dam with several gates to regulate water flow. The more you have/open, the greater volume of water released. The more 7135’s on a board, the more power it can supply from the cell to the emitter. In a nutshell, that’s what your looking at in the description. There are far more knowledgeable folks here who could do a better job of explaining it, but that made it simpler for me to understand when I first started learning about flashlight electronics.

Hey! Thanks! If I remember my electrical basics... Having 8 channels delivers more current with less resistance; if that had to be done in serial, there would be more resistance, correct? Now I'm going to have to go look, LOL.

Yeah, the Zebralight checks most of the boxes, but is outside my $$$ limit at $119. Even could I avoid the fight with the wife, I don't want to pay that much for a light I may misplace because it is small. Thanks, though.

From the description:

My S2+ in 7135*8 configuration with XP-L HI emitter can get a bit toasty after a while of running on full brightness, but it’s manageable. Alas, as others already pointed out, it will not maintain 1000 lm output for an hour.

Also, the ones with biscotti UI are more configurable.

+1 for Zebralight. Worth every penny.

Zebralight for sure. Worth the extra money. I have several and at least on of them gets carried every day. Without fail they always work and they take a beating very well.

The SC52w is usually in my pocket but that one won’t meet your requirements. Looks like the 700 would work for you. If you can give up a bit of that run time the 600 series is smaller and rides in a pocket a lot easier as well.

I guess it is the second time I suggest this light this week:
https://ylplight.com/en/katalog/1/ruchnye-fonari/unicorn-10/

102mm
neutral white
$46
uses 18650, so you have longer runtimes (but not at 1000lumens, no way)

Check this review from zeroair:

Forgot I had an Amazon gift card! I just spent it on the Unicorn. :-)

I'm likely going to save up for the Zebralight, since it checks most if not all of my boxes. But the unicorn looks fun, so I'll enjoy one of those in the mean time.

Thanks, everyone!

excellent choice
congrats

Im glad you got the High CRI option, hope you like it

will be interested to hear if the sustained 400 lumens on high proves to be enough for your application

please share your impression after you get the light
enjoy!

The good news is that I got my light today, way earlier than I expected!!! The bad news is that "batteries are not included" LOL. Do y'all have suggestions for good batteries? I'm making a trip on Sunday, so I'll want to either get the battery before Sunday, or I'll have to have it delivered to the in-laws...

Thanks again -- you guys are awesome.

Will

Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA or Samsung INR18650-35E probably the two best out there. Lots of runtime and enough current for you highest settings.

Firstly, thanks for the quick response.

Secondly, I realized I hadn't searched before I opened my big reply box... On this forum, it is suggested that the "Samsung INR18650-36G" is also a really good option... But I can find neither of them on Amazon, for example. Any places you can suggest I should buy them? I'm still searching, by the way.

Thanks again!

Should be able to find something in your local “vape” shop…might be a little pricey though.

Here is a good place to start

I would avoid Amazon and Ebay for 18650s

sc31 pro

Try one of these reputable shops:

Life sucks to be me, LOL. They are sold out of all the high capacity, 3.7volt batteries. I'll keep looking, but thank you.

I think Amazon or a local vape shop is your best bet since you need it so quickly. Keeppower has some 18650 protected cells that are high capacity and decent cells, just a standard drain type, though, so not for higher power lights. They're a little more expensive because of the rewrapping and protection, but those might be on Amazon. Amazon is kind of scared of lithium-ion cells, it seems.

Also, there's a shop in California called Aloft Hobbies that several of us bought some large 26800 cells from recently. I was astounded with how quickly they shipped/I received the packages. Neither of my packages were labeled with the "contains lithium battery" sticker like they're supposed to be, so I'm sure that's why they rocketed through the postal system so fast. Anyway, they have some Sony VT6C cells at a good/normal price. They're high drain cells but have a respectable 3000mAh capacity...good choice really. I think they were $6.99 or $6.49 each (some places have upped their price on those to $9 or more, which is crazy) and the shipping was pretty cheap. Might be an option if you can ship to your inlaws.

Many cells from many vendors are out of stock at the moment, except for lower quality ones at some places. Those will still do if need be, just kind of a waste of money compared to a good quality cell. If there's a Sofirn light on Amazon that you like, many of those come with decent cells, too, and maybe you could get those delivered fast.