Now that the dust has settled and the excitement has worn off, how are you guys liking your Emisar D4K lights? Does the extra battery capacity make up for the larger footprint? Do you feel the difference in your pocket?
Just curious if opinions have stayed constant.
Not really, if I’m being honest. The D4SV2 w/ 26800 tube has killed pretty much all of the other Emisar models for me, including the D4K. The ergonomics are wonderful, the runtimes are much better, it takes longer to get hot in your hand…I guess the only thing about it that isn’t as good as the smaller lights is that the emitter selection isn’t quite as robust. Still a good number to choose from, though.
Do you actually EDC a D4Sv2? If I did that I think I’d want a belt holster or something.
For me the main use for the D4V2 (or potentially a D4K) would be to carry in a pants pocket all day every day. It competes for space with a wallet, keys, pocket knife, phone, and a bluetooth earbud case. And that’s assuming I don’t put something else in there temporarily!
I do love both of my D4Sv2 with 26800 tubes though. I’m definitely getting another one—need to decide on the config.
I find the battery tube balances the size of the head better on the D4k. The size difference is not super apparent and I appreciate the bigger battery. The D4v2 fits into the large edc category for me (vs much smaller, lighter lights) so the D4k is better to me due to battery capacity. This is just my opinion of course.
Do you carry the Emisar lights with a clip or no? My approach is to let them lay along the bottom of my pocket and that’s why I wondered about the length difference potentially bothering people. My reason for no clip is that I think it works better for sitting down.
Love my 18650 sized lights and for me that is the small category :D. Do you dabble in smaller Lithium Ion cells or the smaller alkaline formats like AAA?
I’m talking coat pocket carry. I have AAA or 10180 for the keychain and either AA or other small size (14500, 16340, 18350) as other small edc. I can’t comment on pants pocket carry. For that, you’d probably prefer the D4v2. The difference is small but in that style of carry, noticeable.
Ah you were thinking coats. I actually don’t use a keychain light anymore. Instead I just have an 18650 light in the left hand pocket.
So how many battery formats do you have going? (just for flashlights I mean)
For me it’s four: 18650, 21700, 26650, and 26800.
Is the boost driver the popular way to go now? The loss of peak lumens seems fine to me in trade for extended runtime? Are you guys ordering that way?
The short turbo and high with the regular driver seems to make them 400lm flashlights….
I think many people tend to use their pocket lights in short bursts so the advantage of the boost driver isn’t as clear for them.
For me the most common use of my pocket lights is loading my car in the dark when I leave my parent’s place in the country. Another is finding small things that have fallen into cracks or under objects. I’ve used a D4V2 with standard driver while assembling a PC before and it was also useful for that.
The maximum output is a lot lower on the boost driver models and the maximum output is one of the Emisar claims to fame. If you only care about sustained lumens and battery life, it might make more sense to buy a Zebralight or something with a similarly high end and efficient driver.
But yea, if you plan to take your D4K on a 45-minute walks in the dark then the boost driver would be the winner hands down I think. I confess I’m still on the fence myself about picking one up with the boost driver.
I just love my Fireflies E07 from three years ago. It’s the best light I have and I carry it everyday because I work on Airplanes and we use them all day everyday. I had to have the switch replaced last week but that was the only problem I’ve ever had. Hands down, it’s a winner for me.
Makes sense….thanks for your thoughts :+1:
No problem. I guess I could have summed it up with: “It depends on what you plan to do with it.” :laughing:
Is it superior, yes, by alot, no.
Me too. When the sun sets, the holstered D4SV2 goes on my belt. But I live in the mountains and need to see further than city folk. No street lights up here. There are smaller lights in my pockets for close tasks as well.
D4K with boost is the first Emisar light that I’ve been interested in and purchased. Similar to Gunga, I use it as a jacket pocket light and consider it too big to EDC in a pant pocket. I was never interested in the D4V2 because I already have a SC64w HI and considered the D4V2 too large and inefficient (back before the boost driver was offered).
Yep, that’s my go to light. It out throws the D4K (especially with W2’s), has a nicer beam, handles the heat better, and feels better in your hand. I wear cargo shorts most of the time, so the extra weight doesn’t bother me.
I do not EDC anything but my keychain light, but I’m retired and almost never leave the farm, so there’s really no need in my case. All of my lights are shelf lights regardless of size, because I’m always home.
Does the D4SV2 have the boost driver….or doesn’t really need it the same way, due to it’s size?
2A per led in a small light is acceptable but in a big light with a 26800 it seems like there is a lot of potential wasted
I really don’t get it why the boost lights can’t have an extra FET only channel
E07X has buck + FET
Boost + FET wouldn’t work because the emitters are in series. You’d be trying to run a 12V board of emitters with a 4V cell. Buck + FET would be great in an emisar light, or even just a higher powered boost. The emisar boost driver is a nice idea but in the d4sv2 comparison there’s one point that sticks out:
“Despite the Boost driver’s great regulation, the Linear+FET driver can still achieve a higher brightness than the Boost driver at almost any voltage level and on almost any mode.”
People talk about the boost driver as a direct upgrade but I’m not sure I’d consider it so