Brightest 18650 ramping light?

mortuus · 2019-09-13T15:14:34.000Z

blf q8 ?

wle · 2019-09-13T16:02:36.000Z

mortuus:

blf q8 ?

true, after all he didn;t say ‘small’.

fireblade893 · 2019-09-13T16:53:21.000Z

wle:

mortuus:

blf q8 ?

true, after all he didn;t say ‘small’.

No but he does say single 18650

The BLF A6 can have 4 or 7 modes and can sustain a good output for little money outlay. Not ramping but you get bored of that after a while anyway.

It comes in a warm, neutral or cool white LED as well.

Tixx · 2019-09-13T17:01:50.000Z

Scallywag:

But, you said brightest possible, then complained about the light stepping down. That simply won’t do.

Have to deal with science first

wle · 2019-09-13T17:02:20.000Z

right - i would concur, the blf a6 has 7 levels,which are nicely spaced,

in fact it is faster to cycle through them all, with half-presses, than it is to do ramping in any light i have ever used, including FW3A

it;s my 2nd favorite UI
and i have used at least 3 other ramping UIs besides anduril

or i would also say that convoy i saw on sale recently with biscotti UI

wle

Lightbringer · 2019-09-13T17:04:23.000Z

SP32Av2, GTmini, unno.

Not interested in having a weenie-roast if one accidentally turns on in my pocket, so…

Small and sustainable are kinda mutually exclusive.

scosgt · 2019-09-13T18:35:15.000Z

Fireflies E07 can also run off 18650. Adapter included. 6900 lumens

patmurris · 2019-09-13T22:01:49.000Z

Small single 18650 form factor and sustainable high output just does not compute. The best sustainable output you can expect from such tube like lights is around 600-800 lumens - nothing to brag about.

However if you can live with a 15-30 seconds real bright turbo, then Emisar D4V2 is probably one of the best these days - and it may even help if you need to start a fire somewhere lost in the deep forest, although it still has to be demonstrated.

Harborseal · 2019-09-14T16:53:49.000Z

Thanks for the replies. As usual I didn’t explain clearly. What I meant by excluding the FW3A was that the claimed output doesn’t last long enough to be useful. It drops to half or less in microseconds, before your eyes can even adapt (seemingly). I’d be happy with something like 30 - 90 seconds of turbo which could be regained after a cool down, at the expense of short battery life.

IOW I don’t think the claimed lumens of the FW3A is an appropriate number and I can’t find any info on what the output would be that it could sustain for, lets say, a minute or 2. It might still be the best option if I knew how it performed in greater detail. Especially compared to the D4V2. The flashlight itself is beautiful so I’m disappointed a little.

I haven’t bought a light in many years so I haven’t kept up with what’s out there now. I appreciate the help.

As far as ramping goes, well, to each their own.

I’ll check out all the suggestions except the Q8

Thanks!

pennzy · 2019-09-14T17:01:03.000Z

You have to think about pocket rockets as 500 lumen lights with benefits.

Scallywag · 2019-09-14T17:05:07.000Z

Harborseal:

Thanks for the replies. As usual I didn’t explain clearly. What I meant by excluding the FW3A was that the claimed output doesn’t last long enough to be useful. It drops to half or less in microseconds, before your eyes can even adapt (seemingly). I’d be happy with something like 30 - 90 seconds of turbo which could be regained after a cool down, at the expense of short battery life.

IOW I don’t think the claimed lumens of the FW3A is an appropriate number and I can’t find any info on what the output would be that it could sustain for, lets say, a minute or 2. It might still be the best option if I knew how it performed in greater detail. Especially compared to the D4V2. The flashlight itself is beautiful so I’m disappointed a little.

I haven’t bought a light in many years so I haven’t kept up with what’s out there now. I appreciate the help.

As far as ramping goes, well, to each their own.

I’ll check out all the suggestions except the Q8

Thanks!

I kind of understand what you’re saying. The FW3A should have an ANSI lumens rating, the standard for which calls for measurement after 30 seconds of being on.
There are some lights out there more like what you describe. Nitecore has a few lights with XHP35 HD that do ~1800-2000 lumens for a ninety-second turbo run. It is timed. You can immediately resume it by going back into turbo, but eventually you’ll start overheating things if you do that constantly.

But I guess that really goes back to my earlier comment that recommended the XHP70.2: the XHP series in general will get you more lumens with less heat. 70 would be the most efficient there, but you can look at XHP35 and XHP50 lights as well.

pennzy · 2019-09-14T17:10:53.000Z

The Sofirn SP32AV2 holds turbo forever. Mine does anyway. Mine steps down when in step mode but not in ramping mode. ??? Doesn’t make sense to me either. Anyone else’s do this? Does’t overheat either. Both turbos look the same to me.

nzlux · 2019-09-16T00:09:32.000Z

Im not well versed on whats available nowdays so im sure there is something higher - but iv got a Maxtoch rainbow 1+ on the way that is 5000+lm on a single 1850 and has ramping. (4 x XP-L2 HD leds)

Sillen · 2019-09-16T00:59:27.000Z

I’m a big fan of the Astrolux S43 and S43S

Macka17 · 2019-09-16T03:21:49.000Z

Also the Astrolux S41/S41S (Stainless)

Pity you don’t like the 26650 size rather than the skinny 18650’s.
I have both, Use both.
But for range. heat per output. size of beam and comfort.

Much more comfy in hand. grips better.
More weight when you snot somebody.
Plus it instantly opens up a much wider range of beams.
Strength, and time duration.
IE. Imalent DN35/70. Just as starters

I’d try (read up on) a couple. they really are a better range with more comfortable grip.

Harborseal · 2019-09-16T03:27:10.000Z

I’m not at all opposed to the 2xxx0 battery. That’s just a different thread.

Thanks for the ongoing replies. It will take me a few days but I will look into all of these.

Harborseal · 2019-09-16T03:43:07.000Z

Also, some of the ramping OS can set a limit to the ramp. Is the FW3A like that? Does anyone have experience limiting it to something like 1200 Lm and seeing how long it can last there?

And there’s another light that’s an FW3A with a little longer nose that I came across but now can’t find and can’t remember the differences.

scosgt · 2019-09-16T03:51:15.000Z

Harborseal:

Also, some of the ramping OS can set a limit to the ramp. Is the FW3A like that? Does anyone have experience limiting it to something like 1200 Lm and seeing how long it can last there?

And there’s another light that’s an FW3A with a little longer nose that I came across but now can’t find and can’t remember the differences.

You can set the floor and ceiling to whatever you want.

anonymous_user · 2019-09-16T04:47:24.000Z

Harborseal:

And there’s another light that’s an FW3A with a little longer nose that I came across but now can’t find and can’t remember the differences.

The FW1A? Basically a single emitter version of the FW3A.

scosgt · 2019-09-16T05:06:33.000Z

Go with the FireFlies E01 from the USA warehouse.
You can have it in 3 days for $35 shipped and it includes a 21700, charger, and 18650 adapter.
It is about 1.5” longer than the FW3, and on paper it may not be quite as bright.
HOWEVER.
It is a great design. It is bright and has an excellent throw for such a small light.
Biggest point: It can 5 on Turbo for 5 minutes without a discernable stepdown and it won’t burn your hand - heat handling is excellent.
Not really a pocket light, but there are small belt holsters on Amazon that work fine with it.

Turbo is rated at 2300 lumens, but you can keep it on for an extended period, unlike some of the other lights (D4V2, FW3, E07).

http://www.ff-light.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=58&search=E01