Hey Guys! I'm Brand New to This Forum and I want a Major Thrower!

LED Flashlights – General Info
50

Hi, i am new, so no Beamshots at this time, but i have the TK70, HID75 Watt (Ebay) and the TN31 XML2. The HID does definately beat the others in throw.
However, if i was going to choose one of them, even for Throw and Flood, given you are a Newcomer like myself, it would be the TK70. The reason is simple, the first thing you will need to do if you are going to get into “Litium High Powered Multi Cell Lights” or even single Cell, is do some reading on the handling of Lithium Batteries Safely. You will need to do this as they are not the kind of Cell you can just throw in the Charger when empty and then throw in the Torch when they stop Charging. There is much more to it than that, and this Forum will be the place to learn how to handle them.

The TK70’s main advantage over the opposition is that it is not Lithium but it still puts out the Power of a Lithium Light, without most of the precautions (newcomer Safe). I am not aware of another Light that can compete with it on NIMH, and it throws with the best of the Lithiums still. If you want a first Light that you will have a very hard time trying to outdo, then this is your Light. They are well made and will take the knocks, so if you want to convince that Raccoon to let go of your Dog, Club him with it, it’s long enough to do this without putting your hands in harms way. The TK70 can be shortened to three Cells though if you wish.

The other reasons for it’s choice over Hid and TN, i would definately not wan’t to Drop the Ebay Hid on anything solid if it was Hot, let alone club anything with it, because the Bulb might let go. The TN31 XML2 does throw well but the Hot Spot is too small, unless you have perfect vision for Distance then this Light is best for finding stationary Targets or at least slow moving ones. You will have trouble trying to track an Owls Progess in flight with it, not with the TK, you wont have to have the Light directly on it to see him Clearly. It is great for Tracking fast moving objects at a Distance, and i wouldn’t be trying to fend of a Raccoon with a TN31 Either.

I’m almost certain that any of the Budget Lights will need to be Modded substantially to be in the race with the TK, and if you are new to LED, Modding probably wont be an option for you yet (as in my own case).

Don’t worry about the fact that going for such a Powerful Light in the first place will put you off further Purchases, as i doubt this will be the case. I started off with a TK70 & a TK35 and thought that should end it there (Both chosen as a result of advice from this Forum). I now have a Bookcase full of Lights (Mostly Lithium, also reccommended here), if you find LED as amazing as i have and most of this Forum do, you will need to buy a Bigger Bookcase for the Purchases you are going to make over time. For with Led, one size does not fit all, and this Forum is the place to learn what to buy on a Budget to stock your Bookcase. You will be awed by most of them, if not you can learn how to Mod them here. Even though you have the TK70, which is a hard act to follow. You will also learn all you need to know about High Powered Multi Cell Lithium Lights and the Safety aspects of them and Litium Batteries.

In short, for what you want the Light for and the Throw that you want, if you want to buy a Light right now (that is very hard to beat for the money), that wont require any Mods, that is Plug and Play (NIMH) with all the Power of the Lithiums top Contenders (just put Batteries in and go), TK70 is your Light. If you still want to go High Power Lithium first, then if you aren’t up on Lithium Safety yet, do some more reading and ask some more questions of the other people on this Forum First before you Purchase.

Hope this is Helpful
Cheers and Welcome to the Forum.

51

extremely good advice there.

well said.

52

A TK70 can’t come close to out throwing a good 85watt HID. I know that.

53

If this comment is directed at my Advice, then i Thank You very much and i am suitably Humbled by it.
Cheers Gords.

54

Any link to Ebay 85W HID? Been hearing lots of good stuff about it but with such generic search terms I couldnt find anything good.

55

Hi and welcome to the BLF

Here is my take on a Major thrower.

This is from the shop Meritline and Andi - our resident X7 thrower/modder king - says that besides a little bit quality loss from poorer ano it is on par with the original

It is basically a TrustFire X7/T8 (also sold under other names) with a XML already installed instead of the Luminus SBT 50 that mine came with.

It has a wide head and should throw about 70 kCd in stock form. Should you want to mod it there is a great thread here about some of our german members who are throw maniacs! And very nice people who are helpful and has a LOT of fun with their projects :-)

That whole thread is a fountain of ideas and knowledge about how to mod this particular light.

As you've worked in radioshack before and mention that you believe minor modding is within your abilities I just wanted to say HI and give you an option that even with UCL lens, a XML2 U2 on copper PCB would set you back less than 100 USD. Mine runs at a steady 175 kCd with a DX XML T6 on their take on copper PCB and I dont think I even care to improve it anymore. It just works. And I have used about 110 USD including 2 sets of 3100 mAh protected panasonic batteries.

56

It’s just hard for a TN31 or TK70 to keep up with a 85watt Ebay HID light.

57

We know the TN31 can beat a TK70. But a TN31 won’t compete with a 85watt hid.

58

Rusty Joe,

I BEGAN shopping with a functional purpose. I have no need for an expensive light. I respect that this is a budget forum for working people & I’m not wealthy. Without question, this will be a toy. Although no military or police dept is paying for my light, the TK75 seems to make sense by more less filling the King’s & Stl’s role in one light, even though I think its really expensive. Price wise, its still more than both together. When I factor the extra two batteries that the two combined lights take, however, I figure the difference makes warranty & good service worth it. If it broke though, yeah man, I’d just be sick.

59

Wow, there were just like a page of comments while I wrote that reply!

60

Toph,

You mention safety. I recently bought my dad 2 protected Sanyo 18650s with an xtar charger to use in a Fandyfire Stl-v6 & its on the way. Now, do I have to worry about him burning his house down?

61


No, you shouldn't have to worry. My XTAR chargers and the ones I have sold/gifted (15+) are all working great.

That is an excellent combination! I recommend that thrower combination to anyone on a budget.

62

Ok, thanks. I wouldn’t want my dad’s present to cause an explosion! Your advice is very good and I agree the Fenix lights look very nice. I’ve been looking at both the Tk75 & the TK70. They both look like practical lights, lots more fun than anything I could find in a store, and sensible investments.

63

It isn’t an every day occurrrence in fact these days rare, but yes, if you don’t take certain safety precautions and at least know how to handle Lithiums, you could very well burn your house down. That is why i suggested that you Got the TK70 for your first Torch, it is NIMH Batteries (rechargable), not Lithium, and therefor you basicly just charge your Batteries and Go. You would find that the TK70 will throw further than the TK75 also, which was your initial requirement. The Tk75 just has a bit more Flood i believe.

If you want to stay safe with Lithiums, read some of the many good posts on this Forum on Lithium Safety, quite a few Good People have spent alot of Time and Research putting these posts together for other peoples Safety. You will get alot of Good Advice there to help you enjoy this Brilliant Hobby (Pun intended) for many years and many Lights to come.

Being new myself, i can’t answer all the questions you need answers to, but if you search Litium safety on this Forum and on Google, you will get your answers. Don’t just read one Post, there are a few, including staying safe with Multi Cell Lights. I will however suggest that if you or your Father don’t have a Voltage Meter, that you get them. Keeping a check on your Battery Voltage Levels is Crucial to making sure you continue to enjoy your upcoming Collection.

Hope this was Helpful
Cheers

64

I think this is Very Poor Advice, especially from someone who is now selling Litium Product and should know better than to give this Advice to someone New. I don’t know about over there, but here we have a thing called Duty Of Care. The Torch he has purchased is Multi Cell. What if both his Charger and Cells are Knock-offs, what if one of the Cells he gets is Faulty or doesn’t charge properly, or there is a Problem with the Battery Charger, what if he ends up with a reverse charge senario, what about if the wrapping on his Cells is Damaged and they short out on the Torch itself etc etc.

Advice like this is what gives us these rare events where People get Badly Injured and Houses do get Burnt Down. I forgot to mention that not all advice on this Forum is Spot On, but the Majority of it is, i think you will be Smart enough to spot the Difference. If you research some of the Senarios i have mentioned above, you will find the Correct Answers, you will at least be informed and You and Your Father will be able to insure you remain enjoying your Lights to the Full for many years to come.

Having a Battery Charger that works does not Insure you’re Safety in any way. Do yourself a Favour, get Voltage Meters for You and Your Father and do some Further Reading of some of the Very Good Advice on this Forum. You will learn and you will enjoy both the Knowledge and your Lights.
Cheers

65

Thanks for the info on the 85 watt HID now I have something else to save up for and look forward to :bigsmile:

66

Umm with due respect, and while I applaud your concerns about someones safety, personally I feel that might be harsh.

I think JOE can defend himself but I thought his post was fine, even in these pc times you cannot have a page of caveats every time you want to say something.

It already has been pointed out many times about the fact there are some safety concerns about Li cells. Each individual has to make their own research, as you have pointed out, and then their own choices .

A bit of perspective, there are over 2 billion Li cells produced every year, a lot of the apocryphal stories are either not true, exaggerated or from a time when the Li cells were in their infancy for the mass market. Yes there are incidents but really how many relative to the actual amount of cells in the wild. And baring in mind the usage and miss use they go though by the great unwashed, the problem rate is very very low.

Be aware yes, be frightened no.

67

Be careful which one you choose, the one I got s/h was utter dross. after 3 repairs it went back to its former owner. I have seen them quite often s/h as people buy them not realising how big they are. Not to mention as said some (but not all) are poor.

68

I am new to Lithium and even i know that the best advice you can be given is learn the Risk and Precautions First, then Enjoy. Either you agree that he should read and learn, or perhaps learn the hard way or you don’t. I don’t see the issue. If you have already done your Homework then you can make an informed decision for Yourself on your own Risk Mannagement. My suggestion is that he do the same and he should advise his Father to do Likewise. That he shouldn’t rely on just a Battery Charger as his risk Management. I encourage people to enjoy the new Litium Technology, i have a Bookcase full of them. But this is one subject where Ignorance is not Bliss. When you are New, you can only assess your own risk on the advice that you are given and the Knowledge imparted and obtained. Yes you are right, Be Aware.

69

Thanks I’ll have to keep that in mind. I might just have to find one from somebody on this site who is tired of lugging theirs around.