A decent single led with multiple batteries?

I am trying to find a decent single led torch with 3 or maybe 4 18650 batteries. I would like to get as close to 1000 lumens as possible but have much longer runtime than the single cell ones. Any recommendations? Point me in the right direction.

go forth and do your own legwork.

As I see it you can solve your problem one of two ways:

  • As musicmagic suggested, there are plenty of options already discussed ad nauseam on BLF. Search! Use terms highlighting the number of 18650’s and things like ‘single’ or ‘thrower’. You should find several threads like this one: Old-Lumens - Update - $29.95 from GB, on the Ultrafire 1226 - GOLD COLOR ONLY
  • … or just get over your desire for a single emitter. 3/4/5/6/7 emitter lights with 4x18650 have been even more heavily discussed on here. Whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish, the Supfire M6 probably does that and then some.

Yeah I have been searching this forum and others but not finding decent results. I really like my Fenix TK41 but I wish it used 18650’s instead of AA’s. I have other lights like the SRK and TK70 and I think I am going to order the FF4. But I would really like to have a single emitter with multiple batteries so that I could use it for hours on end. I figured I would ask you guys to get good advice or direction.

I forgot to say welcome! So welcome.

Anyway if you like that form factor consider a 2x26650 light maybe? The Yezl Y3 is popular. There are a bunch of 2x26650 lights with a single emitter if that’s the form factor you want.

Thanks for the welcome wight! Although it is hard to top the one that musicmagic gave me (although at least he didn’t waste his 1000th post on me). :bigsmile:

Yeah I am not opposed to the 26650’s since my Nitecore charger will charge them as well. I just have so many 18650’s……… I will check out the Y3. Thanks!

The Y3 can take 18650’s with an adapter tube. It takes extensions too, I forget what the max voltage is. I’d say 3s or 4s is the most you should attempt (but not before you try and figure out some more official limit).

Perfect!! I was just going to ask about extensions and adapter tubes. Thanks!

I will probably buy it just to try it since the price isn’t bad. Do you know who carries the tube extensions?

If you want 2x18650 with those specs: single emitter, 1,000 lumens, good thrower and long running, I’d get the LustFire K08 instead, a knockoff of the Convoy L2 I think it was? I got one for about $20 on sale, and I was completely surprised by the size, quality, and output of it. It is the first single emitter light thrower I have that I’m happy enough with that I really think I’m going to leave alone, and I thought I was buying it to put an MTG2 in. Somehow I lucked out though, mine is in the 3A driven range, while others are reporting a bit over 1A. The tint is nice for a CW, and it throws the farthest I’ve seen a budget light throw. It takes 18650 and 26650 just like the Y3.

The Yetzl Y3 is OK but I am underwhelmed by it in quality (loose lens, missing o-ring, knurling feel is good, but Lustefire somehow feels a lot better in the hand, Y3 feels cheaper and thinner). In output since its significantly less bright than the Lustfire, focus of the center spot is off and it doesnt throw as far. The loose lens, chipped adonizing, greenish NW turn me off of the Yetzl Y3 I have.

Another light in similar form I also really prefer over Y3 is my 2.8A Convoy L4 with $5 extender for 2x18650. I cant really compare brightness since mine is 7C and obviously going to be significantly less, but the quality is also great, feels good in the hand (not as good as Lustfire though), price is the same as Y3, and somehow looks as bright as the Y3 anyways (Y3 is probably not well driven). It does not take 26650, but no problem there with what looks to be your preference.

I have massively overpowering multi emitter lights, and the Lustfire and Convoy L4 still get rotated in and taken out on night walks, whereas my Yetzl I never used more than twice on a walk…its just kind of disappointing.

Yezl Y3 could probably use a resistor mod. I think the usual suspects carry it. There have been two ‘group buy’ type things recently from different vendors, search and you’ll find them.

I haven’t really played around with the Y3 much. There are definitely some quality control issues though.

I don’t think that the LustFire K08 is still available? I see it on Amazon for nearly $100, I don’t count that as ‘available’ for a <$50 light.

Small Sun ZY-T08 http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=80&product_id=158
Reviews
Review: Small Sun ZY-T08 2x18650 XM-L T6 from Fasttech
Small Sun ZY-T08
also see TK35 and clones
New-117 (TK35 clone) mod. Turn a TK35 into a TK35UE (Updated with Beamshots 3-jan-2015)
Review: UniqueFire UF-F10 (Fenix TK35 clone)

Ah, you have to look around the threads here, there are about 3 different named models, knockoffs of the Convoy L2, I forget the thread that had it but some are still around. It is more expensive, but around $45-50 when I looked, Yetzl is about $30+10 so $40 I think, and its much inferior in quality, I really wanted to like it, but was disappointed.

Where is the resistor mod thread though? Mine needs it, then maybe I’ll have a Yetzl green-yellow pea soup lazer :wink: Its still noisy and not even water resistant though, I can’t believe they didn’t even fit the lens to the light before selling it…

Hmmmmm…… yeah I like the look of the Lustfire but Amazon was the first seller I saw as well (and in the $100 range). A couple other places like Alibaba and Tmart had better prices but said discontinued.

OK I found one, $45, different name, another clone of the Convoy L2, just like the Lustfire K08:

http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_73031.html

*EDIT OK now that ^ is out of stock?!? I’m sorry it is looking like all the clones are sold out, the Banggood Dipper clone is also sold out, so is the Wallbuys clone. Looks like there is a run on the Convoy L2 clones around…

Similar Lustfire at $31, smaller reflector head: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/free-shipping-LusteFire-D01-CREE-XM-L-T6-LED-1000Lm-Flashlight-Torch/827438284.html I don’t have this light (or clone) though. Look at this thread for D01 owners and deals: Affordable 2 x 26650 + 2 x 18650 mod host $13.60 LustFire D01

If you like the look of the Convoy L4 its also much better quality control than the Yetzl Y3 or the Smallsun ZY-T08 ( have 2 of those too). Most Convoys have good quality standards. But, if you get a Smallsun ZY-T08 modified increased output and user interface by Richard of Mountain Electronics, its going to blow all these lights away… :slight_smile:

http://www.banggood.com/Convoy-L5-CREE-XM-L2-T6-4C-2-Group-3-or-5-Mode-1000LM-LED-Flashlight-p-916742.html You also can get different tints if you look around BanguGood. Quality is really great too! Easy to mod.

Can you use extension tubes on the convoy l5 as well?

Personally I’m pretty sure I’d rather have a Supfire M6 than a Smallsun ZY-T08. RMM mods both.

B42 I think you got the short end of the stick with your Y3. As far as resistor modding, I’m sure I’ve posted about it in at least one or two places. Probably somewhere in this big thread: YEZL Y3 CNQUALITYGOODS Group buy. 3 Versions. See post 274 for delivery details.

… rather than attempting to find where I’ve explained it before, we’ll just go through it again:

  1. Find the sense resistors. The Y3 uses two resistors in parallel, a normal setup. In this case it’s R180 and R150. The R is a decimal point, those resistors are 0.18 ohm and 0.15 ohm respectively.
  2. Determine the total (net) sense resistance. Use an online parallel resistor calc to see what the total is. PARALLEL RESISTOR CALCULATOR We can easily see that the total is about 0.08 ohms.
  3. Measure the output current (current to the LED). This should be around 3 amps with the stock driver and 2s or more.
  4. Determine the sense voltage: Punch current and resistance into an online ohms law calculator or just multiply the net resistance and the measured current together… 3 * 0.08 = 0.24v
    (Or skip those steps because we already know the sense voltage is in the 0.24v to 0.26v range due to it being a QX9920 buck controller. )
  5. Determine the new net resistance we need: Now we know sense voltage and we know your desired current (say 4.0 A), we clear our ohms law calculator and punch in the desired current along with the sense voltage… or we just divide the sense voltage by the desired current. I’m going to use 0.25v here because that’s about right: 0.25 / 4.0 = 0.0625 ohms
  6. Go back to your parallel resistor calculator and see what you need to put in parallel to achieve that resistance.
  7. Purchase and install whatever resistors you need.

Tks wight. I think I lost interest in modding it after my Y3 showed up bedraggled and limping, then I had better lights arrive and I put it aside. Maybe I’ll try it soon with this simple info. I’ll need to buy a lens that actually fits before attempting to mod so I can actually use it in the prevalent rain though, the one they shipped it with is slightly smaller diameter and loose. Then I have to change out the emitter and driver for an MTG2 and get rid of the pea soup color…

Yes I’d rather have a M6 modded, I was just indicating a Smallsun ZY-T08 someone brought up doesnt have to be a bad selection if modded, M6 is just much further off the single emitter mark…

You’re welcome. I’ll have to take a look at what I have at some point, I don’t think I had lens fitment issues.

Further off the single emitter mark, but closer to the 3-4 cells mark. :wink: