Interested in the next BLF/Manafont custom light?

Buy / Sell Want to Buy
20

Heck, count me in. I wanna be in the custom light club. LOL

Honestly, I don't know enough about the specs to voice an opinion. I have faith in what others suggest. If it's going to be 14500, I'd like to know so I can combine that with my order that I'm about to place. I have 0 batteries in stock and 5 new lights on the way.

On second thought, can I vote yes AND get one of Match's XM-L?

21

1. $20-$25

2. XP-G or XP-E

3. 1, 8, 40, 100

4. Always start at lowest. I definitely, definitely, definitely do NOT want the light to ever start on high first.

5. 14500/AA - both

6. No real preference, prefer neutral white.

22

ok, im gonna go out on a limb, but we already have a aa/14500 BLF flashlight. i think its time for a diff base battery flashlight.

a small 18650 light should be next. something along the lines of the Olight T20 but able to fit an 18650. that flashlight is still one of my fav (xpg R5 version)

twist the head to change modes, forward tactical, HAIII finish. but it doesnt take 18650!

so thats where our manafont relationship should come in. a nice version of that thats cheaper! (well i got mine for 30 lol)

23

If you have any lights that are known to accept a 14500 (and not all that can, are advertised as such but it's best to rely on the experience of others before embarking on a journey of a thousand and one angry, blue LEDs ;)), I'd highly recommend you order a couple just to play around with. They're relatively cheap - I order mine from DX because they're known to sell the real thing and the TF 14500s (sku.26124 -- how weird is it, that I didn't even have to look that up? ) are one of the items that they actively try to keep in stock. There are some well-regulated lights that won't really benefit from a 14500 in terms of brightness but since most budget lights aren't, you might very well be impressed. The C78 on 14500s is one of my favorites.

Heh. Exactly my kind of thinking. :)

24

I guess you're right. If I'm going to be getting into my flashlight obsession, I'll probably need them at some point. Too funny that you didn't have to look up the batteries and you know them by SKU. OK, I'd better place my order for some batteries from DX so they get here before summer..........

I'm guessing the C78 is a light. Tell me more.

Never mind Oxy Moron - I looked it up on DX.

25

Hmm, had to google that one but that does sound interesting. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in as long as the light is reasonably priced and takes either a protected 14500 or one or multiple protected 18650s - 16340 compatbility isn't all that important to me, but, hey, as long as it doesn't significantly increase the cost of the light, that's always a nice bonus.

I don't really care all that much if it's going to have a strobe mode or not (I find them useful but it's not exactly a super-important feature IMHO) but as long as we have some input and unless there are any objections, how about a light without SOS, or make that "SOS"?

I often use the strobe modes on my lights for added visibility or for signaling purposes (much easier to spot from the air) and I can understand why so many people find them annoying, but I can't for the life of me think of any scenario where I would actually need a SOS mode.

26

1. Price: Budget light!!!

2. Led: XM-L

3. Battery: 14500 and NiMH

4. Modes: High, Mid, Low

5. Memory: No

5: Tint: Neutral

27

SOS is useless. i do agree, but strobe has possibly saved my car and my life lol

broken down car? slap it in strobe, point it towards traffic, and people slow down. something tough to do in New England. get someone to slow down lol

so yea, i just dont have a need for a 14500 light, because it doesnt save much on length, and the last one didnt save ANY on width.

i also HATE twist light. i dont understand why people love them. a flashlight should be operable with ONE hand. i carry a modded Aurora V6 (XM-L p60 mod lol) with a 2.8 amp shiningbeam driver, and an 18650 trustfire (one of only two that actually provide the current like claimed) the three modes are very useful, and perfectly spaced. i never carry the BLF flashlight because its battery dies just as fast, and only draws 1 amp!

why carry something that doesnt provide any advantage? high is dimmer than med on the V6, and battery life is LESS than high on my V6. only "advantage" is it takes AA. but at a loss of light.

well my V6 takes cr123, at a GAIN in output lol

JMHO

28

Yup, this one, to be more specific. It's a flood-to-throw light and it's not bad if you're using it as intended. It really does shine on a freshly charged 14500 though. You can read a bit more about it here, here and over at the DX forums (which are a bit of a mess). Just try to avoid the Osram version that FP had on sale a while ago. The latter is the version most eBay sellers are (re-)selling, by the way as it's cheaper.

29

I used to call South FL home so I know precisely what you mean. :D

I keep one of my 8-mode P7 lights in my truck for the very same reason (two regular modes, SOS, the rest are strobe modes).

30

im just curious, whats with the members fascination with 14500 anyways? lol

or really tiny lights?

31

I'm with you xP. Gimme something with 5,000 - 10,000 lumens and I'm good. Damn it, when I want light at night, I want some light. LOL

32

Not just size, but also being able to use an AA if you get caught short somewhere. Both the J4 custom and the Xeno/Farka that are being discussed have that ability.

Besides, having a lithium-ion only light necessarily excludes a lot of people unwilling to make that extra investment. At the price we're talking about for the light alone, a decent charger and a pair of protected 18650s doubles the outlay. Even something that supports CR123As is a stretch for me - I would be paying something like $4-$5 per cell local.

33

  1. Price - $30-40 if perfect (like said before)
  2. LED type - XP-G (XM-L isnt necessary)
  3. Mode arrangement (quantity, order, and approximate lumen output for each mode) - 1 mode, ramping with shortcuts, Think of D10 (hahhaa)
  4. Mode memory? remember brightness level, yes
  5. NiMH and 14500 support, Primarily NiMH, but 14500 would be nice
  6. LED tint Neutral all the way Anything between Cree tint 3-5

  1. Price - $30 if perfect (like said before)
  2. LED type - XP-G (XM-L isnt necessary)
  3. Mode arrangement (quantity, order, and approximate lumen output for each mode) - 2 mode, High 140 and Low 10, Head Tight/Lose respectively, Forward Clicky.
  4. Mode memory? remember brightness level by Mechanical mode selection
  5. NiMH and 14500 support, Primarily NiMH, but 14500 would be nice
  6. LED tint Neutral all the way Anything between Cree tint 3-5
34
  1. Maximum reasonable price - I'd go $20-25
  2. LED type - XPE R3
  3. Mode arrangement (quantity, order, and approximate lumen output for each mode) - 4 modes, Moonlight, low, med, high
  4. Mode memory? yes, but not critical if it isn't there
  5. NiMH and 14500 support - if ~150 lumens on NiMH, then I don't need 14500 support
  6. LED tint - not picky here

Good luck

Sam

35

1. I'd spend up to $50 if the light was somethin' awesome

2. I'd prefer XM-L, it'd be amazing to see in aa/14500 form. I'd be happy with an XPG though.

3. I like low-med-high arrangement.

4. mode memory is not critical if the arrangement is good.

5. I would need 14500 support if the light was AA size

6. I would like a neutral tint

7. I would like HA-III and darn near IPX-8 waterproofing as well! I take my lights camping/fishing/canoeing in all sorts of conditions, so I want my lights to withstand the elements :)

8. A pocket clip is nice, but not 100% necessary as I know its not likely to get a light meeting everyones specs lol.

Thanks for getting this going! I am excited to see what kind of light we end up with for the BLF V2 :D

36
  1. Price - under $40 delivered. I'm not buying as many lights this year but will pay for the one i want - can't afford to buy so many especially as I am now consulting lawyer about an 18% pay cut coming in April 2012.
  2. XM-L for preference - XP-G fine
  3. I like the arrangement from the last BLF light - XL,L,M,H but would really like ramping if that's doable at a sensible price
  4. Mode memory. Don't care but probably none for preference. UF-H3 arrangement would be very good.
  5. Don't care if it is 14500 only. NiMH for me a bonus - will mostly get used on 14500. IMR if necessary. This is something I'm happy to compromise on. NiMH only would not be good for me unless it is very bright (>200lumens). Don't care about current draw below 6A on NiMH on high.
  6. Don't care. At the same level of output I'd prefer warmer to cooler - but not at the expense of output unless it is horribly blue or green.
  7. Hard anodising would be nice but is far from essential.
37
  1. Price: $18 - $25
  2. LED type: XP-G R5 with smooth reflector optimized for throw
  3. Mode arrangement:
    • NIMH: 0.5 lumens, 20 lumens, 80 lumens, 140 lumens
    • 14500: 0.5 lumens, 20 lumens, 80 lumens, 300 lumens
  5. Mode memory: Yes, memorize mode after OFF for half a second
  6. NiMH and 14500 support: Both
  7. LED tint: neutral
38

Woah, sorry to hear that, Don. That sucks. Let us know if there's anything we can do. There are always plenty of people lurking (I know I was lurking for months before I started posting) and someone might know someone who knows someone. Well, you know how these things go.

BTW, I first read that as "I am now a consulting lawyer" and my first thought "I don't think I've ever seen anyone go from being a pastor to being a lawyer". :D

39

My father was a law professor and judge. Legal advice comes cheap for me.

It'll work out or I'll end up doing an IT job I'll hate but will pay rather better.

I have some exotic IT specialties in dental systems and prepress systems - but the printing industry is dying.