Flashlight to beat Fourseven's Quark MKiii

LED Flashlights – General Info 21700 Flashlights
1

This would be my first flashlight. I’m really excited to get one! (:

I want to get a flashlight to hopefully beat my dad’s 90 euro flashlight but, much cheaper. It’s probably quite a lot to ask for. But I want a light for around 30-40 dollars/euros that can visibly outperform it. (preferably more throw and flood, if not mutually exclusive) Also, i’d like if it wasn’t made out of plastic. And it MUST be rechargeable. I’ve been looking at the Sofirn SR12, but also the new Convoy S21G with copper. I also looked at the Sofirn SP36 pro, but I think it’s too big for an EDC, especially if it’s my first. What do youguys think I should get?

Somewhat related question: are the 21700 batteries that you can get with the Convoy S21G rechargeable.

Thank you! (:

1 Thank
2

Welcome to BLF!

Copper+titanium

In general, copper+titanium lights look good, but often perform worse than aluminum. They may heat up more and/or dim sooner. See, for example, this source. Some lights can get quite hot. The body tube might get as hot as a hot shower. Non-Convoy lights will never get hot enough to burn you. Some Convoy lights can get even hotter.

I don’t know specifically how the Convoy S21G in Cu+Ti performs. Also, I haven’t done a Google search to try to find out. But I suspect that, for your first light, you might be happier with an aluminum light, maybe in your favorite color and/or design.

Don’t burn your pants

A light can turn on by accident. I would suggest: Don’t burn your leg or your pants, and don’t drain your battery. Before you put your light in your pocket or bag, lock it out. Just untwist the battery tailcap slightly, so that the light can’t turn on. This is especially important for some Convoy lights.

Anduril

The Sofirn SP36 Pro has Anduril 2, which makes it better than an equivalent non-Anduril light. However, it’s indeed not so small.

The older Convoy S21E has old Anduril 1, which I assume is still better than a non-Anduril UI (but not as good as Anduril 2). You must buy a battery. Once you buy it, the light can charge it for you using its USB charging port.

All 21700 batteries are rechargeable, but I’m not sure if the Convoy S21G can charge them. You might need to charge them outside the flashlight.

Battery safety

If you disrespect an AA battery, whatever. If you disrespect an 18650 or 21700 battery sufficiently, it can catch fire. If you’d like some battery safety tips, see my /r/flashlight welcome post.

Optional questions

All of the following questions are optional. If you answer any or all of them, we might be able to help you better.

You can answer one or two questions at first, then edit your reply later to answer more.

A.) What are some of the main things which plan to use the light for?

B.) How sure are you that you want a regular flashlight? Have you considered a T-shaped headlamp, a right-angle light, or a right-angle headlamp? In general, a right-angle headlamp is perhaps the most versatile. The best light for you might depend on what you want to use it for.

C.) What flashlight or headlamp do you currently use to light up dark places?

D.) What’s your favorite flashlight you’ve ever used, and why?

E.) What flashlight don’t you like, and why?

F.) Why do you want to outperform your dad’s light? :slight_smile:

G.) Would you rather buy a light which is new, hardly-used (“shelf queen”), or visibly used?

H.) Let’s consider what color temperature you like. If you don’t have access to a smart light bulb with tunable color temperature, I would suggest: Go around your home. Unscrew some LED light bulbs from their sockets. See what color temperature is printed on the base in faint gray writing. Which bulb gives your favorite shade of white? The warmer 2700K, or the cooler 5000K? Or maybe something in between?

1 Thank
3

#iseewhatyoudidthere

4

What does this hashtag mean? I’m no expert on the memes that all the cool kids are using nowadays.

5
6

I Googled it even before asking you. I’m still not sure what it means.

Did I accidentally write something clever in my earlier post? If so, what?

7

Perhap the Wurkkos TS26S? 【New Release】Wurkkos TS26S EDC Flashlight, 4*519A Leds with CRI 90+,max output 3100 lumens 191M, waterproof IPX8＆Boost driver . I had to look up what the Foursevens Quark Mk3 was, but it appears to have used an older Nichia high CRI LED, and the TS26S uses four of the newer 519A high CRI LEDs. Plus it has a regulated current driver. It will fit in your pocket.

1 Thank
8

Convoy M21F. Cheap, well made, super bright, not just a 1 millisecond turbo then dim, well regulated, 21700 cell but only unprotected so take care, no unattended charging. Don’t skimp on a cheap charger, get a good brand, even if it’s only one slot.

2 Thanks
9

Please enjoy your time here, cmdC!

21 Sandra Bullock
21 Sandra Bullock2000×1284 137 KB

3 Thanks
10

M21F has an integrated charger. No need for an external one.

11

It’s quite unfair to try to beat a 14500 sigar light with a beefy 21700 rival. Or is it a no rules championship ?

12

I’m not sure but isn’t OP talking about the 16650 flashlight (QK16L MKIII)?
Still, it is a very different light from the 21700 spoken above! But…the 21700 surely surpasses the stock version of the 16650 light!

I modded my Foursevens with a H17f Driver and a 219B 5700K and got my grail light, capable of using 16650 and 16340 cells :slight_smile:

1 Thank
13

Maybe you are right. I first saw the 2xAA version and thought it is a compact flashlight (in terms of diameter). But now after digging into specs I see its size 22.3 x 114.3 mm (QK16L) is not that much different from regular 18650 light.

1 Thank
14

I will definitely read the battery safety right after I post this response, and I will get an aluminum light for my first one.

To answer your optional questions:

A.) What are some of the main things which plan to use the light for?
I mainly plan to use it to light up the forest when going on walks/biking through the dark.

B.) How sure are you that you want a regular flashlight? Have you considered a T-shaped headlamp, a right-angle light, or a right-angle headlamp? In general, a right-angle headlamp is perhaps the most versatile. The best light for you might depend on what you want to use it for.
I don’t think a headlamp would be right for me, because what I imagine me doing with the light is having it in my jacket/pants pocket throughout the day, and never having to mount it on my head.

C.) What flashlight or headlamp do you currently use to light up dark places?
I currently don’t really use a flashlight, though when biking I’ll use a bike light (which I don’t plan to get rid of, it just doesn’t really allow for seeing a lot)

D.) What’s your favorite flashlight you’ve ever used, and why?
I haven’t ever really used a flashlight other than my dad’s Quark MKiii, therefore it must be my favorite.

E.) What flashlight don’t you like, and why?
Using the same reasoning the Quark MKiii must be my least favorite flashlight too.

F.) Why do you want to outperform your dad’s light? :slight_smile:
That’s a good question! I just like the one he has, but I think I can do better with more research.

G.) Would you rather buy a light which is new, hardly-used (“shelf queen”), or visibly used?
I think I’d prefer the first two options, though if it doesn’t affect the useage I don’t think it’d really matter to me, for I can replace the batteries.

H.) Let’s consider what color temperature you like.
I prefer a light that isn’t too cold but isn’t too warm. I think 5000K would be great as it’s just like the sun!

1 Thank
15

Do you mean the flashlight must have a built-in charger?
The mentioned S21G doesn’t have it.

The batteries sold by Convoy are rechargeable but you need to get an external charger in case a flashlight doesn’t have a built-in one.

1 Thank
16

You can attach a right-angle light to your clothing, backpack, or pocket. Or you can attach a regular flashlight to your handlebars. This is useful when biking.

A bright flashlight might blind oncoming cyclists and car drivers. Bike lights with a proper beam cutoff are designed not to blind anyone. If you wanted, you could buy a high-lumen bike light, which you could use as both a flashlight and a bike light. This link can give you more information on choosing a bike light.

The smaller and lighter the light is, the more likely you might be to actually keep it in your pocket.

A 1x21700 light is one option. 1x18650 is smaller. 1x14500 / 1xAA is even smaller. 1x10440 / 1xAAA is yet smaller than that.

Smaller batteries hold less energy.

Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries are so cheap that you can buy plenty, and you can carry lots of spares. “Panasonic Eneloop” and “Ikea Ladda” are both good. I recommend the lower-capacity type of AA and AAA batteries. For example, AA less than 2200 mAh or AAA less than 850 mAh. They can be recharged more times than the high-capacity ones.

A light running on Li-ion batteries may support an ultra-high-lumen “turbo mode”, which might last between one and three minutes before dimming. NiMH batteries often do not allow turbo mode to work at all.

A heavily-scratched light might still work perfectly. Aluminum lights are quite durable.

Even if a truck ran over it, it might still work fine.

You can buy a light from BLF buy/sell, or /r/flashlight buy/sell, or CPF for-sale, or CPF lights wanted.

You can post and tell them what you want. If you want a light which doesn’t have many scratches, you can tell them that. If you want a light which may be heavily scratched but still works perfectly, you can tell them that instead.

It’s best to tell them what country you live in. Don’t forget to consider the cost of shipping.

Duties and customs-clearance fees may be charged when an item arrives in your country. If you use the postal service, customs-clearance fees might be very reasonable. If you use a courier, customs-clearance fees might be low, or might be quite expensive. I don’t know exactly how this works in Europe. You can Google it, or start a new thread and ask.

If a courier arrives at your doorstep, and wants to charge you unexpected duties and customs-clearance fees, you can ask the delivery person what your options are. They might be able to hold the item at the warehouse for a few days, while you decide what to do. Or you can reject the item, and they’ll return it to the sender (possibly for a fee).

I very much like sitting out in the sun, even at noon on sunny days.

But, when it comes to artificial lights, I dislike 5000K, which is like the noonday sun. I much prefer 2700K, which is more like sunrise or sunset.

High-lumen 5000K lights might also interfere with human circadian rhythms, making it harder for you to fall asleep at night. The older you get, the more circadian disruption might be a problem for you. I guess you could eventually give your new 5000K light away to a younger relative.

That said: 5000K flashlights are perhaps more common than 2700K.

17

I used to run at night cross country including through woods, until my knees started objecting. At the start I used an incandescent Maglite, and often fell over tree roots. I’d say that the minimum brightness you need is 200 lumens. Yes you could use 100 lumens, but I find 200 lumens an ideal minimum. And it doesn’t dazzle other people too much.

There are some nice lights that take 2 AA NiMH cells, a nice safe chemistry. My Olight S15 is still going strong after 10+ years. Good ones have excellent runtimes, and they are not expensive. 18650 and 21700 lights have the advantage that the cell has a lot of energy so if you run them at 200-300 lumens, you’ll get a long runtime. For your usage look for lights that have good regulation i.e. the output is constant. Some lights have an output that gradually drops.

Don’t forget you can carry spare batteries, in a protective case for safety of course.

As someone suggested, you can buy an adapter that allows you to clamp your light to bike handlebars. Maybe some lights are traffic friendly, but where I live bike lights are a menace, and when driving I am regularly blinded by oncoming push bikes and motor bikes.

I have several rotary lights, whereby brightness is controlled by rotating a ring. These are ideal on bikes if you want to run on max in woods, and medium on roads say, as you can change brightness almost instantly. My Sunwayman M40A is superb but no longer made.

If you use NiMH, make sure you get a charger with individual charging slots, some charge in pairs which is not so good for the batteries. And only buy a good brand from a trusted source, some cheap chargers are dangerous.

I find that I can often buy new lights from AliExpress for less than used ones on eBay. I’ve never had issues with buying from China. And my experience is that I you buy new from a UK seller on eBay, they won’t honour the warranty anyway.

Arguably the best reviews on the planet:

https://flashlightreviews.ca/

He has some recommendations but I think he wrote them quite a few years ago.

Regarding batteries, I prefer protected lithium ion over unprotected for safety. With NiMH make sure you get Low Self Discharge cells which hold their charge. Made in Japan are the best quality AA and AAA e.g. Eneloop and Ikea Ladda. As someone said, avoid high capacity cells, they wear out more quickly, Avoid made in China AA and AAA cells, they also wear out more quickly.

18

Thank you! I will definitely look into warmer lights. And to respond to the blinding oncomers concern, i’m thinking it’d be a light I turn on every so often, just to see far, but it won’t replace my existing bike light which I would use. I think I’ll look into the second hand lights too. Yet again, thank you for your detailed comment!