Is there a chart somewhere that shows the bang for the buck value of each flashlight mentioned on BLF? I guess Lumens/$ or

maybe $/lumen? Of course the list would be limited to flashlights of acceptable build quality.

Do you guys have favorite bang for the buck champions?

Right now I'm looking for a reasonably prices monster thrower. Any recommendations?

Thank you,

Ron

You have to read the review of the light you are looking at. There really isn't a simple way to rate flashlights, especialliy P60 hosts, since the "bulbs" are interchangeable.

Frankly most of it is as subjective as anything since most people don't actually do useful work with their hobby pieces. I don't recommend buying on specs as buying what you like.

Don has a spreadsheet which is linked from his sig that will give you a lot of data.

For throw, start with 1. the MRV clone, 2. The sipik (cheapo but decent) recoil thrower,. 3. A 18650 zoom light.

what kind of price range and what kind of battery ?

That's the first question = What battery ?

Once you decide on the power source , you can then think about what light you want ...

Some folks only use AA , and there fore stick to AA lights , which I guess simplifies life ...

+ there are some decent AA options out there , I for one would like to see more 3xAA lights ...

But let us know what battery you wish to run .

I have always been amazed how many threads there are on throwers ..I think if you want people to flock to your question just add the word thrower . it seems like I see lots and lots of threads talkin about throwers ..Seems to me that scubaduderon is asking a very commonly asked and there are lots of threads on budget throwers here on blf .

Well, yeah, it's pretty common... most recent one was here, actually. But let's not tear the poor guy's head off. This isn't 'that other forum' after all. :P

Seriously though, lights are very, very subjective. Take some time, hit the 18650 subforum and read through the reviews. Check out the pictures, figure what matches the situations you expect to encounter. If you need help with the terminology, hit up the wiki (conveniently located in the sidebar right over your information).



other than thanks for the insight.

No worries. I'm not one for toilet plungers and other non-pocketable lights, but the UF-980L seems to be getting some decent praise. Check out Foy's review.

What I would like is a flashlight is the brightest LED flashlight I can find in a mid range size. Budget for the total deal, including battery, is under $100 including shipping. I don't know what a P60 is, or much about the current tech. I haven't looked at flashlights at all in about a year and a half, and that was at the other sight, you know, the one with the mean folks.

It's great to find a place with folks of similar interest.

Ron

No worries, there's always a few questions when you get started.

P60 refers to a common and interchangable size used for hosts and dropins, originally designed by a company called Surefire. Ideally, any p60 host can hold any p60 dropin, allowing you to choose your body size and style independently of what kind of emitter you wish to use. They're not ideal since they were originally designed for incandescent bulbs, and don't have the reflector size or heat dissipation necessary to really handle a good modern LED. On the upside, they're small(ish), inexpensive, standardized, and easy to tinker with.

You'll see a lot of references on this site to the ultrafire 5xx (501, 504, etc), solarforce L2, etc. those are all hosts (they're basically just fancy aluminum tubes with o-rings and a tail switch). You'll also find people comparing various dropin modules using shorthand names, such as the MF 3-mode xml, etc. Usually this is the company the dropin was purchased from, as well as the number of modes and the type of LED used.

Hope this helps!

For $100, you've got a LOT of options.

You can generally get a good p60 host + dropin for about $30 including free worldwide shipping. You can drop that by $10 if you go cheap-cheap, or push that up significantly if you want something really nice and/or blingy. p60's make good casual-carry lights. They're a bit big for the pocket, but if you need to walk the dog or go for a walk in the woods, they've got you covered.

When you go above that (at least around here) you seem to wander into specialty light territory. Large reflector throwers, like the solarforce masterpiece pro-1, are great for lighting up a tree from a quarter mile away... but since most lights are built around a standard range of led's, you're just pushing the same amount of light into a very narrow cone. It's impressive to light up your neighbors house, but when you trip over a rock, your friends will laugh at you. :P

Other choices up there are IPX rated lights, which give water resistance ratings, as well as maximum depth ratings.

Personally, I'd say look around, and maybe get a couple lights instead. Say a E07 for your key chain and a p60 to light the trails down by the beach.

Yeah, I could get 2. Or maybe I can fit a battery charger in there. The only one I have is a Maha-9000 for AA and AAA. I've asked the charger question on another thread, so I'll go over and check it out.

Now I gotta research the E07!

Thank you,

Ron

Yeah, no question. I didn't mean to call you out for being too reactionary, and if it came out that way, I apologize.

Personally, I don't get the appeal of throwers. It's impressive, but the required head size makes it impractical to carry and you end up with a cone of light so narrow you'll trip in the dark. One of the prejudices I got from growing up in a place with very short sightlines, I guess.

:P Probably explains why I prefer pistols and knives to rifles.

What I mean is bright as possible. I am a newb after all.

Ron

Ahh, sorry. Thought you knew what you wanted. ;)

Flooders and Throwers are beam patterns, rather than the amount of light you dump out the front.

Flood = wide beam pattern, Throw = narrow.

If you just want a ridiculous amount of lumens, just grab pretty much any XML light that tickles your fancy. do a forum search for 'xml' and 'beamshot', and you'll find dozens of pictures and reviews.