I need your thoughts/suggestions on a few questions i have, i’m on the look-out for a small single cell thrower flashlight. i’ve spent a lot of time on this forum and read many posts, some of them are a year old, a few models have been discontinued and many versions of the same flashlight that its not possible for me to tell the difference between them.
After doing my internet search i have narrowed down on these best of throw Budget flashlights Jacob A60 / C8 / XinTD U3, All 3 have different types of LED’s too.
Are these the best single cell 18650 with best throw capability under 20-30$ range ?
Which version of C8 is the best value for money ?
Are there any single cell lights offered with U3 LED ?
The emphasis is on throw & wow factor.
There is a lightmalls version of a C8 U2 (recently changed to a U3 I believe) which is getting a lot of attention - think it's $17. The Jacob A60 may need some attention to the emitter/heatsinking and last I heard DX was out of stock on it. That XintD, while a nice light, is not a dedicated thrower. You need a large reflector light to be a thrower.
You might want to try and pickup an HD2010 right around $30 (maybe with some coupons - see LightsCastle). This will likely wow you better than the Jacob A60. I have the Jacob and I spend a lot more time using my Small Sun ZY-T08 ($26 Manafont). (I do have an Ultrafire HD2010, but it's dead at the moment.)
I was going to buy the XinTD U3 but it added up to ~$31, so i ordered the lightmalls C8 with U3, came to $20 with shipping. will let everyone know what i think when it gets here.
If you want a dedicated thrower, yes. Even with the difference between T6 bin and U3 bin I am most sure it will still outperform. Throw is more determined by reflector size than the emitter's bin (unless you are comparing different bins in the same host).
The HD2010 comes with a battery sleeve which allows you to run 18650's as well as 26650's. Don't discount it just because it runs 26650's. You will definitely need good batteries to run it hard like it wants to!
i actually have an hd2010 but i use only 26650’s in it, i mean it is what it is so why would i want to run it on a smaller cell, just to save the weight difference or not have to have 26650’s and charger? I just see a basic utility difference in a c8 size light and the hd2010, love my 2010 but anticipate using the c8 more. and of course the c8 is less expensive. In any case i am learning a lot here and these are just my personal observations.
It's just that if you don't own 26650's yet the ability to run an 18650 is already there. No need for new cells or new charger right away. Of course you can always substitute an 18650 for a 26650 using a homemade PVC spacer (cut down PVC water pipe or electrical conduit pipe).
If wow factor is what you are looking for I would say get the HD2010 as soon as can. I have a C8 with a U2 and it wont even get close wow like the HD2010. The C8 has more flood then 2010 but the 2010 out throws the C8. When showing both these lights to a non-flashaholic they go crazy over the 2010. They still like the C8 but love the 2010. I personally use the C8 more then I do the 2010 and like the beam profile that it has. Its alot more everyday usable.
I think you will get the wow with the C8 U3, get the 2010 or the Small Sun that Garry was talking about to get a different kind of wow.
I have only 18650 batteries, so i’m looking at some flashlight which i can use them with.
2010 has more throw than C8 but would it beat a C8 with U3 ??
Not understanding what you mean by "beat". The HD2010 "beats" the C8 for throw no problem, even when driven with an 18650 instead of a 26650 and being a T6 vs. a U3. apt323 vouches for this even comparing a C8 with a U2 vs. the T6 HD2010. Are you looking for flood? Flood generally doesn't impress like throw does.
No problem here like I've been saying. Any light you choose will work best on higher quality cells though. The HD2010 is no excepetion. Plenty of users have been using 18650's in their HD2010's.
I fill the same as to what Garry stated in posts #6, and #8.
Theres only one way to understand some of these things and its buying lights, looking at the beams and doing back to back comparisions to understand what is being said. Well at least it was with me. :bigsmile:
When I said beat I meant throw, I have a skyray king and Am looming for a cheap thrower, skyray has plenty of flood. So I should be looking at 2010 for throw… It’s a 30$ flashlight, any other suggestions ? What abt xp-g LEDs?
Your next best option is probably the Jacob A60 (if still available) with the slight modding to improve heatsinking (remove paper disk if there, de-annodize the pill surface, and remount the emitter). It's a direct drive XR-E with a large head and these are throw kings, albeit thin "pencil beams". It's only about $14, so it's a no-brainer to just buy it. I don't know of any high performance XP-G (or even XP-G2) lights apart from mods.
i agree with all of the above. if you can only get one light on a budget (i am) and want a thrower with wow factor i would go with the hd2010 (imho). there are so many lights out there that it can be very difficult to choose. ever since joining this forum i have been averaging two new lights a week. i am learning an enormous amount and still have only scratched the surface. these knowledgeable guys are really amazing and do not look down on us newbies but encourage us to try and experiment. quite a difference from another flashlight forum that is out there.
if i am showing folks my flashlights, if there is a close horizon like a nearby treeline, i bring out the sky ray king. if it is a distant horizon, the hd2010 really wows.
ken
thanking all the pros here for cutting me some slack!
That link to LightsCastle has been the cheapest I know of and I've had some good dealings with LightsCastle recently. There is a thread on the Lightscastle HD2010 too. It has been found that the FandyFire's seem to be a little better build than the other *fire brands. It's at least the same. I bought the Ultrafire HD2010 from T-Mart because they gave a discount and it was shipped from a US Warehouse. It's a very good build quality. Much better than the typical cheaper $10 to $15 budget lights. Like I've said, mine is dead and I don't know why. I don't like the direct drive on high driver anyway, so I am planning to mod it with a regulated driver and a U3 emitter (apparently my emitter is dead). The only issue I am aware of with these HD2010's is the potential for the metal reflector base to short the wires at the LED. You just need to add an insulator there. Apparently many users have done nothing and not had an issue.
In any case i am learning a lot here and these are just my personal observations.