Best sub £30 small torch - anything beat the LED Lenser P7.2?

The C8 will be much brighter. An 18650 has roughly the power of 4xAA cells.

DQG Tiny 18650 V4 is a very nice light.

It is the smallest 18650 light (~9cm long), takes most 18650 cells, has cool white and neutral white options, has a very good UI (instant access to moon, medium, high and turbo from off), and does not have noticeable PWM (I am very sensitive but did not even notice any. Does it actually have PWM?)

You can ask M4D M4X for a discount code. $27

I’ve pulled the trigger and ordered the P7 and C8 from Amazon, I’ll have a play once they arrive.

Am I right in thinking that the P7 cannot take any rechargeable batteries? 18650 type?

I do like the look of the DQG however I would never order from Gearbest again, plus I need it rather quickly and I have free next day delivery on Amazon :slight_smile:

Thanks!

Hi mate - the DQG is actually from Banggood. Code is EAAE9B - takes it to £19.27

That light looks good, but up to 20 business days just for dispatch? Thats 4 weeks!

Come one Banggood, get some into physical stock...

I had and liked the P7 but it is not really that bright, bearing in mind it will not run in turbo mode unless you hold the button. Also 4 x AAA don’t hold much power.

I know you have ordered a couple of lights but the light I bought after my P7 was the Klarus P2A. 2 x AA, runs longer, brighter and better built. A bit dated with the XPG but still one of the best built lights around.

For what its worth its still probably brighter than the new P7.2.

Again that isn’t a zoomer so it is not really a comparable light.

Hi
Thorfire C8, Thorfire VG-10 or the eagle eye x6 from ali express all cheap and good quality,
much brighter than the led lenser stuff, sk98 also good all rounder.

Neither is the C8. Also I’m not sure he needs a zoomer for ‘walks home from the pub’

My klarus was such a step up from the P7.

I’d suggest the BLF developed…
Astrolux

I’m unsure if you specifically require a zoomie, but IMO this is better, zoomie’s suck usually.

The C8 will out throw if that is your requirement but the Astrolux is a great balance and really puts out the lumens with one of the best UIs around.

The Thorfire c8 would do the job but i hate to say this i think it may be a little to much for just walking along a road to pub and back i use mine to search for my husky puppy when he decides to go for a explore . Then again what am i talking about you need more power more power is good get the C8 its amazing you can use it to scare away darkness.

If it is a zoomie the OP wants then nobody has yet mentioned this WARNING: Cometa – read/fix BEFORE inserting battery the joint CPFI/BLF Cometa.
This should give the performance of a modded light straight out of the box & on the face of it looks to be extremely good for £28.

You want some low self discharge NiMh batteries for the Lenser. Ideally Sanyo Eneloops. They are the best batteries to run in it.

In terms of performance. The internet always has a lot of hate for Lensers. But to be honest it’s usually unfounded or for very poor reasoning.

In terms of a “zooming” torch they do perform well. Total output isn’t the highest, and the tint is decidedly on the cooler side (like most premium lights still are) and it doesn’t use regulation. But the flood beam is wider and arguably better than any other zoomy. And on throw mode it has a very usable beam. Other zoomy lights use a different type of lens and simply don’t light things up as well at range, offering an angular shaped beam and smaller lit area.

The C8 should offer a lot more light and it’ll give some flood and some throw at the same time. But I’m willing to bet it won’t really out perform the Lenser if you compare just flood or throw individually.

That said there are lots of great lights out there. The C8 is a bit chunky for jeans pockets. There are high output tube lights. But they won’t be able to throw all that well if you want some distance. And being smaller means you might not be able to run them on high for extended runtimes, due to it getting too hot to hold.

For general walking I actually like the p60 format. Check out the Solarforce L2M. You’ll need a drop in for it (Int’l Outdoors does good ones). They are a lot smaller than a C8. But more throw than a tube light. And comfortable to carry in the hand.

This is going to fly in the face of the above post, but I’ve found my Lenser lights do not like Eneloops (T7 and H7.2). Both will run with them but output wise - and purely subjective, not tested - they don’t seem as bright as with Duracell alkalines. But I don’t use them much these days anyway, the T7 was replaced by the EA11 and the H7.2 by an HC30.

Neither of those Nitecores are sub £30. They are each £50.

They can be had for significantly less than £50, I won’t say how much I paid with discount sorted by forum members but it would be unlikely to concern the OP’s bank manager.

But that’s neither here nor there - my post was to share my experience of using eneloops in Lensers and only in passing mention their replacements.

I think to answer the OPs question: ‘anything beat the Lenser p7.2?’ Yes most stuff does and for a lot less than £30.

Eagle eye F30 is another favourite of mine and you should get a couple of good cells and a charger for the money.

Olight S15R - $23 (£15/16).

The list could go on for ever.

Marc

You see I don’t really agree with this. The Lenser is far too specialist to be replaced with something generic.

I’m sure for some/many people they will find a normal tube light fine for their purpose and might even see it as superior. But that’s not quite the same thing.

I know of no lights on the market that can do what the Lensers do really and certainly none that do them better.

I have lots of other zoomy lights, some way more powerful than the Lensers and running Li-ion. So in terms of lumen output, regulation and runtime they are superior. But in terms of tactile build quality, design and actual use they just aren’t as nice or versatile.

Lenser I think are love or hate for many. But they do offer a polarity of abilities in a single package, that a conventional reflector light can never achieve.

Lensers might be specialist for you, but for many they are bought because they are generic. If a non zoomie offers similar flood and similar throw to a Lenser then chances are it is comparable.

But it should boil down to intended use at the end of the day. If a non zoomie will meet and/or exceed the needs of the user then it should be chucked into the mix. And the OP’s needs are far from specialist.

I don’t hate Lensers, I like them but you can’t argue with the facts that most lights available to us are better. And for the OP he actually doesn’t need a zoomer, for walking home from the pub a tube light is perfect, small, bright and quite floody for walking home.

The problem is, when I got my P7 I was worried about replacing it with a normal light as they weren’t the same. But the fact was they were much better for 95% of my needs. And of course much brighter if I wanted.

As for build quality my switch on my p3 has just broke for the 2nd time. And the anno on Lensers is poor.