Brightest 14500 light

itp sa1 is over your budget by 6$ (if you use the ggcpf10 code for 4$ off), but its an awesome light and very bright..the xp-e r2 was tested at ~250 lumens on cpf and they since replaced it with an xp-g r5 so it should be a bit brighter..I have one in the mail cus I busted my r2 version by being an idiot lol

You'll find the link to the list of outputs from lights I own in my sig. If you have a Google account you can sort this sheet any way you want.

The brightest one I have (Which needs IMR 14500 cells for safety) is an XM-L modded Mr.Lite J4 with the stock Mr.Lite driver. It gives me just shy of 400 lumens at switch-on.

The brightest unmodified one (338lm) I have is the Yezl S5 (An R5 version of the Trustfire F22 which is a better (but not as bright) light) but it gets far too hot on high and the current draw is heavy. A more sensible and still fearsomely bright light is the Ultrafire C3 R5 from Manafont - just north of 300 lumens but the Ultrafire C3 (apart from the stainless steel ones) is not the best design. I love them, but they can be flaky.

The Ultrafire U20 and the Trustfire R5-A3 are about the same brightness at just under 300 lumens.

I'd be happy to recommend any of these - but do be aware that Ultrafire C3s aren't for everyone.

Haven't received my Xeno E03 yet, but someone from CPF said that on high with 14500 is driven by 1,5A or so.

Im quite happy with the U20 i got from manafont. good brightness on 14500s and works quite well with AAs

Im quite happy with the U20 i got from manafont. good brightness on 14500s and works quite well with AAs

Dont know about it yet because it has not arrived but the Uniquefire G10 http://www.dealextreme.com/p/uniquefire-g10-cree-xp-e-r5-1-mode-350-lumen-white-led-flashlight-with-strap-1-14500-1-aa-55244 would seem to fit the bill.

The black model will PUFF with 14500 (see old's review). But the grey one seems to work well with 14500

I ordered that light so long ago that I had forgotten about that issue. I probably would have thrown a 14500 in there right away. Of course I still might.

Interesting, I have a black one on order. The website says it is compatible with both AA and 14500 batteries.

Ok I looked at it a little more and I think I’m ok with a 14500 because I ordered the one mode light. I think I knew that when I ordered it but it’s been so long since I ordered that until this thread I had forgotten all about the light.

same as the yezel light don is talking about .. i have 2 stainless steel lights from this company and they are both the same so i assume dons is the exact same under the hood .. really pretty tint xpg and 340 sounds exactly right ..using a regular AA or a nimh it runs very nicely .. add the 14500 and people are impressed .. i like the style the size the shape the weight the tint , the output , no pwm .. it's in my top 5 lights .. very hard to beat ..i can pick on it .. but you haave to be really a picky picky person to be digging on this one .. here's the con ..a lil odd switch ..works perfect . just wierd hard to explain that one knurling could have a little more bite ..maybe a lil lower low .. on AA it's good on 14500 it's too bright ..needs a nitecore clip added ..Not looking forward to drilling into stainless steel.size ?? someone wil say it could be smaller .. yeah maybe barely .. who cares it isn'tthat big all of the cons are petty . there is Nothing wrong with this light ... nothing . old will get his from cnquality goods soon and do a review and you'll see what he has to say ..

Beware!!

http://www.budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/1321#comment-28267

just ordered trustfire r5-a3, this thread saved me a lot of research for a mtb helmet light :)

I just got the G10 single mode and it works great on 14500s. By far the brightest XP-G light I have.

Rats, makes me wish mine was single-mode.

just to update..got the r5 version today and it is brighter than the r2 version..hotspot is much larger which is the reason for the brightness increase..happy to have my edc back with me..no more tinkering on this light! lol

I only have the R5A3, and it really wins on 14500s, it competes with my V10R for output!, but not beam quality. The V10R is a known 210 lumens, this R5A3 is definitely in the 200 lumen ball park too! But it does it very efficiently, It doesnt seem to get that hot at all, warm, but not hot after a few mins) (and yes I have rebuilt it to ensure heat transfer from the LED to the pill, to the body)

only complaints are the doughnuts, the not so tasty kind.

Mine with the not at all low gave 292 lumens on high at switch-on down to 250 by 2 minutes. Might do better with an IMR cell - I didn't own any when i did this test.

The V10R puts out a bit more than that, IIRC, just like the 155 lumen rated Thrunite 1A puts out 240 lumens on Nimh....

DX C78 inexpensive takes both batteries its a bright all around flashlight. Here is a link to an in-dept review http://www.xmanproject.com/reviews/c78/c78.php