What I want...I can't find the "perfect" light for me.

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum but an active reader for some time now. I own about 40 different flashlights -mostly from budget sites from China. I have passed on many of my experiences and "finds" to other friends for their enjoyment as well. Great forum… look forward to contributing.

My son and some friends are in Law enforcement and are "experimenting" using this recommended flashlight for their everyday carrying use on their belts. They, like me have been enjoying it…. But…

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/x2000-flood-to-throw-zooming-glass-optics-cree-p4-wc-led-flashlight-1-18650-14450

Personally I love this X2000 zoomie, it is so practical and versatile in just about any circumstance… there are just a few “issues”

Just so you know… I myself have several of these with different mods, and about a dozen other "zoomies" from several sites including UltraOK. I have also moded out this light to a XM-L T6 with 2.8 Amps… -just for a “look” to see how it would perform…and have not been impressed, the throw spot was too big and still too dim -the old Q5 in this light still shines the best. All the zoomies from the last several years are all about the same performance wise, more or less no real improvement here.

Why we like it:

-small and short. 1 cell size

-very easy one hand on/off AND sliding zoom –your other hand stays free, your flashlight at your eye level, or easily in your hand

-many hours use on one full charged 18700

-very nice tight beam for throw, a “light tunnel” or in a small rooms -zooms out for wide exposure

The problem:

-quality stinks, switch fails, threads strip

-like everyone… I want more light! Could be brighter…

I also have some other flashlights like the Solarforce L2P and L2T and like the “brightness” of the Xm-l T6 drop in. And -there is no question that the quality of these is vastly superior to any of the cheep zoomies I have.

So what I want:

-A zoomie light with a bright XML –with the optics tailor made for the XML (not just a rehash of some old lens used for XRE’s or XPE’S) –design something that works!

-Packaged in a small L2T (or preferably shorter yet) frame for one hand on/off and zoom out/in function, the L2T would work great with the rubber handle grip. Driven at perhaps 1.5 Amp

-could be “thicker” (but not longer) and be able to use an 18650, or 3 AAA OR an 26650 battery… -several hours use on a charge…why not?

-higher quality for everyday use… with large easy to use threads.. the battery could be changed out daily and still be fine after many changes.

-give me a high quality pouch that fits a 2” belt loop too

-be relatively inexpensive… $20-30 bucks seems reasonable

In short… give me a shorter version of the L2T with a good bright LED AND the zoom in and out feature…that could work on the three battery types… Someone do this and a million law enforcement personal and a few other millions like me will snap these up in a second!

Tell me what you think… do you want one too?

2

Sounds like wishful thinking ... and that's fun but 100% unrealistic because ....

the xml will never work as a flood to throw emitter .

Until cree or someone else makes a new emitter than the xre will remain king of the flood to throw . It's not an issue of the lens either ..xmls just don't work unless all you want is flood ...xml don't throw .

.. MY suggestion is try the edi-t lights and modify from a little nicer build . Flood to throws are basically a gimmick light and it's hard to expect a serious manufacturer to get really serious about making nice ones ..(edi-t and led lenser ).I like the edi-t lights because of the build .I think they are a good value at 10~15$ in a Q3? .. If I were you'd be hunting down xre's and xpe's with nice tints and some decent drivers to mod them with .

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I'm with Boaz on this...you are in a fantasy land. Would be nice if a light existed with those requirements but you won't find it anywhere, at least at this point in time. A Solarforce L2P or L2T would be their best bet in my opinion. You just can't get the kind of throw you want in a flood-to-throw light without going to a larger light like the Trustfire X9. The X9 will also give you decent flood. Just my $0.02.

Good luck!
Johnny

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Check this one out

http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1107

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Actually that doesn't seem all that bad. Here's a couple links on it with photos.

A thread right here on the forums

A link in that thread to many photos

Much better than the X2000 and there's comparison photos in that link.

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https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/3150

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Thanks guys for the comments...

The Yezl T9 is a great suggestion and probably the closest to what I think could "presently" fit the bill, thanks for the suggestion, I have not personally held it in my hand but the reviews that I had seen did not seem all that positive, I should have mentioned “something like the T9”… only better, but good thinking, thanks.

WOW... Hey guys… my first post -OK… please don’t be so quick to place people in a “fantasy” land… just a little creative thinking here… that’s how good change happens…

I don’t think it is “fantasy”… to suggest this can happen… and having had many projects over the years and making several “lightsabers” – I can attest to the fact that optics play a huge part… you can usually get light to go wherever you want it to –with the right optics… we just don’t have it yet is all I am saying… “fantasy”… No, - but just perhaps “wishfull” thinking would be better… take a look at this mod…

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?325344-TrustFire-Z5-reworked-(aspheric-lens-comparison)-Romisen-RC-C8-XML-upgrade-too

I have about a dozen lenses I have tried –but not this one from KD–that is currently out of stock…

What I would really like to see… is some manufacturer pick up on this… some good tailored lenses for the XM-L… it is only in the last little bit that we are even seeing the right reflectors to take advantage of the XML… everything up till now was a rehash of the old XRE or XPG…

In regards to “zoomies” –I do fail to see why some treat this as a “gimmick” light… My best Q5 still throws further to the tree tops 200m away than any P60 -T6 drop in I have… if that is a Gimmick.. I’ll take it any day… I just simply think… and should not be criticized for “thinking” that this wall of light that the XML is, could be presently harnessed better than it is currently is being offered in a zoomie…

-so… you may think it fantasy… but I happen to still believe we can do better for the XML… AND that someone could quite easily design a L2T that could accommodate a sliding zoom… it is not that different from the current zoomies… lock the LED down… slide the front lens…

Did not mean to illicit such a “negative” response…there are plenty of other web sites that go there…

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Great threads... Thanks

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By The way I have see this thread too...

no idea if it is availible on some other "discount" site like KD or Dealextream... at least that I have seen

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=8989647145

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I agree with Boaz and JohnnyMac. The nearest to what the OP wants as regards light distribution and output is not a zoomie and is not L2T sized. IMHO its a C8 or MRV clone with a smoother reflector and well driven XM-L. I'd rule put the X9 as far too big for routine belt carry.

A C8 or MRV light is little bulkier than an L2T in practical terms and is just as wearable on a duty belt. It sacrifices very little to an X2000 as regards total throw. But everything in its scope it fills with far more light that an X2000.

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Here is a pic of some of my stuff… just so you know it’s not just an “academic” question from me to improve what we have to what we want… and to invest in doing so

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No doubts about it then, CopperTop, you belong here.................

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Hey Copper Top welcome!



You just happened to get Boaz as the first person to respond to your first post! He’s a very nice and funny guy but he is also rather blunt :slight_smile:



He’s right however :slight_smile: Here’s the thing, the older emitters (XR-E) just have the highest surface brightness. It’s brighter than the XM-L. Even though one is driven at 1A and the other at 3A the XR-E is still brighter.



By brighter I’m only talking about the brightest part of the hotspot. The XM-L puts out more light and has a much larger hotspot but it’s not quite as bright.



Emitter surface brightness (as measured in lux) and the diameter of the reflector or aspheric are the only things that contribute to throw.



Therefore the only way to get more throw out of a XM-L is to go to a larger and larger reflector/optic. If you want to keep the size small then the XR-E will always throw further until/unless a new emitter comes out with a surface brightness that is greater than a XR-E.



You can compare surface brightness for yourself if you wish by dividing the emitter size by max lumens (according to the spec sheets for each emitter). You will see that the XR-E has the larger number.



You can optimize optics and reflectors depending on how you will be using the light but you can’t increase the output that way so the XR-E will still be brighter.



You can have a C10 based light with a XM-L that throws further than a XR-E in a smaller diameter light. However if you put a XR-E in the C10 it will throw even further than the XM-L.



If you aren’t looking for maximum throw but rather just decent throw and a bigger beam then that’s why some people might prefer a XM-L in a C8 for instance.

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Good to see more Ontarians on here! Nice collection.

I dig your "wishful thinking" light, especially the 3xaaa/18650/26650 compatibility.

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Welcome , CopperTop .

Good luck finding your perfect light .

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whats the bottom left? looks like you have 4 of them, and i like the looks of it

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+1

What are those?

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Good thoughts and comments, thanks.

This light has been successful (moded) in running all three battery types:18650, or 3 AAA or an 26650... it is the ability to have a fall back to AAA as well as the much greater capacity (4-5000mAH)of the 26650 I would like, especially if I will be running higher amperage and still have good timed runs.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/sacredfire-nf-08-flood-to-throw-zooming-cree-p4-wc-100-lumen-led-flashlight-1-18650-3-aaa-2-123a-26342

Thanks for pointing out the details of the XM-l LUX density, it is true what you are saying… I have no misunderstandings on that (I think) but I have done some interesting things with a XM-L both domed and dedomed running through different optics especially a couple of the convex parabolic designed for entirely different LED’s, –I get some interesting focus patterns, sizes and focusing distances, but usually at a larger diameter than the 28-30mm I would like… like you say it may only be possible with a larger diameter reflector or optic. But again most of the lenses we are using are past history for older LED’s, Remember I want flood to throw, not just throw.

Let me give you an example of how some changes to optics can work:

I have this light:

http://www.ultraok.com/newest-version-zoomable-focus-3-modes-cree-led-aluminum-flashlight-torch-400-lumens_p1864.html?cPath=882_884&zenid=7b0389ab89cf77164f6ed9ccf7a398a0

This light uses the same led as the X2000, but compared to the X2000 –from the same throw distance say about 15 feet the focused image on the wall is 4 times brighter and about ¼ the size… now I know it is two cell, but it is the same LED –the difference is the ability of the optic to compress the light more –thus giving me a “denser” light from the same distance.

-So… this too can be done with the XML… I can get a focused image no problem… but with an optimized optic I can reduce this size to make the light “denser” –thus appearing brighter. No doubt the size of the die and density affect the throwabilty of a light… but so does an optic…-make sense?

-And –manufacturers… if we can’t get a XML to perform like a XRE… so OK –but how about a Zoomie… L2T… -fix the led and slide the lens… can you make one, I can already see how easy it would be to make the change, at least that would give us a great design high quality for a zoomie.

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- O ya... the 4 lights we bought at Costco about 4 years ago...I forget the brand... they were originally for a 3aaa set up with a K2 led, 140 lumens…two of them moded now to a XRE and 18700 setup (very hard to do as they were crimped inside)…they sit between a P60 and C8 for reflector size, nice heavy lights and great throwers…but I still like my tricked out XPG L2P better.

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woops...

the above link was an incorect one

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/sacredfire-nf-08-flood-to-throw-zooming-cree-p4-wc-100-lumen-led-flashlight-1-18650-3-aaa-2-123a-26342

I will find it again and post it...