Well since joining this forum I have definitely been bitten by the bug. What started off as just asking a few questions to get one good torch has led to me buying a number of torches and finding myself wanting even more now! Budget is probably not the best way to describe this new hobby! haha
So with what I have bought and sold in the last few months, my current collection stands at a Thrunite TN31 (XM-L2 Version), Thrunite TN30 (XM-L2 Version), Thrunite Ti2, XinTD C8 V4, Olight M10 Maverick, Olight S10 Baton, Trustfire Mini-01 and I am currently in the process of modding my first light a UniqueFire UF-T20 to have a Qlite 3.04A driver with an XM-L2 U2 1C emitter from Illumination Supply.
I want something new though! I saw the photos comfychair put up of the MT-G2 Solarforce S2200 and loved the light output of it and the tint was awesome!
I am happy to spend up to $200. I do not like the long torches like the TK70 and I want it to run on 18650s because I already have a bunch of them.
With that in mind what would you get if you were spending $200 on a new torch? I am pretty keen to give a neutral white tint a try.
This light is over $200 ($268 with cells), but considering the torches that you currently have, this light will be a nice compliment to your collection. Have you considered an HID?
This one: the FireFoxes4
Remember, you already have the TN30 XML2, which is already quite difficult to be beaten substantially by any existing LED light. The FF4 also has a nice, warm glorious tint.
The FF4 I have definitely considered! I suppose it would be a unique light compared to what I already have. How would it compare to the two TNs I have? Would it decimate them or is it just a bit better? I especially like how compact it is!
It think it’s going to come down to either a HID or an MT-G2 based light. Are all the MT-G2 lights the same tint as that S2200? That looked awesome to me and given everything I currently have is CW it would be a nice change.
I’m keen to take a look at virtually anything suggested as long as it isn’t overly long and preferably runs on 18650s. I figure the best place to start is to find out everyone’s opinions so at least I have a list to start looking through as there a heaps of lights out there which I’m sure would be perfect but I don’t even know about them!
The Solar force MTG2 light? Forgot what it’s called.
But why not get into P60s, they take 18650s and you can mix and match with different heads, bodies, tail caps and drop ins. Quite fun to make the ultimate P60.
I have never really looked into what a P60 is. I see a lot of people talking about them regularly and see “P60 Drop-Ins” listed on a lot of the retailers websites but from what I have noticed they look like they are a smaller sized light? Possibly around the same size as my X8? Is there P60 drop-in combinations available which will really wow me in comparison to my XML2 TN30 and TN31?
Going back to the FF4 as I’m quite liking the idea of this torch now, how floody are they? Flood would be better than a super bright but small hotspot. The throw on my TN31 is adequate enough for most circumstances so something which has a ton out output and just lights up a big area would be awesome.
If you are into MT-G2 LED lights, the following are your choices: (but these lights are at best only at par with your XML2 TN30, brightness-wise, even less)
I’m thinking that if I want to go for a step up from what I already have the best option will be the FF4. Is doingoutdoor the only supplier doing these lights? Or are they the best priced?
If I am going to spend this sort of money I want to get something which will be a definite increase over my TNs.
Haha fair enough, depending on the price I might get one sometime in the future to use to learn some more about modding. What’s the go with them? A bunch of different manufacturers make their own version which uses standardised P60 drop ins? Is there one which is regarded as better than the rest, similar to the XinTD in the world of C8s?
Well not really.
Here at BLF everyone loves solarforce because they’re cheap and on par with the xintd in terms of build quality. But over at cpf and r/flashlight, they love their expensive surefires which the base model costs $95, and the top one closer to $250.
There’s not much difference between P60 hosts other than mass, surface area and aesthetics (although surefire tries to push that theirs is tactical and durable and whatnot but whatever, I’m not going hunting anytime soon).
In my mind, I would say the ultimate P60 host is probably the Solarforce P1D since it has the most mass in a single 18650 format. And add a $3 AR coated lens from KD and it looks 300% better.
Since you already have the TN31 and TN30 you haven't really left a lot of room for improvement. How much "wow" do you really need - between them, these two lights have you covered for both throw and flood.
MT-G2 lights are pretty new but you may have more options to choose from if you wait another 3-6 months. (Invest the $200 in a term deposit and then look around again just before Christmas )
Yep, the bug has certainly bitten you. If you really need to burn $200 and build your collection, start investigating tints, high CRI options and other form factors.
No collection is complete without at least one triple Nichia 219 and that would be a nice match to a P60 Solarforce host.
You should also consider getting yourself a good headlamp or two. Zebralight, Armytek, Spark and others all have some nice choices.
Welcome aboard. As you've probably already realised, you'll find plenty of us here williing to tell you how to spend your money.
Thanks for all the info, it seems I have some more reading to do! So do you buy the complete torch and then pull the internals out and use what you want? Or do you buy an empty host and go from there?
haha I realise its a bit of an ask. Don’t get me wrong I’m stoked with both the TN30 and TN31, they certainly provide adequate “wow” factor and even more so to those who are not familiar with decent torches! But as is the way with human nature, we always want the bigger and better version and since I’m in a position to be able to afford it currently I figure why not? After all can you ever have too many torches?! If the FF4 is going to be better than the MT-G2 I would prefer to just go straight for that now and then next year when there are more MT-G2 torches available I will look at them then.
You buy the empty host, and all you need is a drop in module to slot in. It’s just a pill with a reflector essentially. The host comes with everything excluding battery and drop in (pill).
You can get the triple 219 from illumination supply, but the whole thing is only driven at 2A in total, which is pretty weak. You’ll have to go for a custom one to get at least 2A out of each emitter, then you’ll have a P60 light with 1500 lumens
So from what I can tell, THIS list is the majority of the hosts available which accept P60 drop ins? So I can just choose almost anything from that list and the generic drop ins will fit?
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