LEPs vs telescopic zoom flashlights

I am new to the flashlight world. And I am a little confused why people would buy LEPs at costs hunders of dollars, if chinese marketplaces sell $30 LED flashlights with telescopic zoom that can focus a floodlight to a pencil thin beam. Are they different in look, performance, function, lumens/watt? And strangely, the sellers sometimes say that these flashlights with telescopic zooms (can do both wide and pencil beams) are actually lasers (mostly 30 watts). So, why don’t expensive LEPs from Astrolux and Acebeam have telescopic functions for their flashlights, so their LEPs can be more useful for actual use?

I apologize if it seems I am asking lots of questions. But it seems it is because I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is I don’t know about LEPs vs LED flashlights that make them same/different…

I hope you enjoy your stay, CandleMan!

Thank you. Please help with my question. I am a complete newbie

“the sellers sometimes say that these flashlights with telescopic zooms (can do both wide and pencil beams) are actually lasers (mostly 30 watts).”

They’re lying. 30 watt laser is already a weapon.

“Are they different in look, performance, function, lumens/watt?”

Yes.

I don’t own any telescopic zooms, but think of it this way:

A typical compact 32mm head diameter LEP can easily give you 300k - 400k candela (candela measures the range of your beam, how far it reaches). That’s 1200m range.

Telescopic zooms, even zoomed all the way in, will not give you that range if it’s only 32mm head diameter.

Quality telescopic zooms, like Convoy Z1, has 52mm head diameter, significantly more bulky than 32mm.

Even with 52mm head diameter and CULPM1 emitter (a very throwy emitter), it still cannot give even 200k candela, not even 800m range.

An LEP with 52mm head diameter will give around 1 million candela. 2000m range.

“why don’t expensive LEPs from Astrolux and Acebeam have telescopic functions for their flashlights, so their LEPs can be more useful for actual use?”

LEP give extreme range because the beam is extremely thin and focused.

The lumen is actually very low. Mostly 300 - 500 lumens. And it’s terribly inefficient compared to LED. It takes a lot of power to produce the 300-500 lumens.

The moment you spread the beam out, even just by a very little bit, it’s useless compared to LED.

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I see… Thank you for the very detailed reply.

Not as useful, yes, but man the SK-01s and LA60s are two of my most favorite lights I own, even when zoomed out, that little bit of light still reaches out there, and the sharp cut off to zero spill through out the zoom range is just love :smiley: Now if only Microfire would hit me back about an S50/S90… :thinking:

Wanna hear a funny story? So LEPs are illegal where I am, if you order one online it can get seized by customs. 99% of the time they make it through fine, but there’s always a risk it might get seized, and it’s an expensive thing to lose.

But I do kind of want one. Some people call the convoy Z1, a zoomable flashlight, the “poor man’s LEP”. So I ordered a convoy Z1.

It got seized at customs…

Seriously Canada? Seriously?

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Wow. My Convoy Z1 got through Aussie customs fine and they’re strict on laser pointers and the like here. I was actually wondering if a LEP would make it through (I reckon it would.) I’ve heard of flashlight shaped high power lasers making it through!!!

I’m always careful with the Z1 in the backyard. Commercial flights fly over my area and the Police helicopters are often up.

This happened 6 days ago in the city I live:

I suspect it was seized for other reasons. Probably something to do with the paperwork or maybe the declared value. There’s no reason it would be restricted. I didnt even order a battery in it. Probably the declared value was low, to avoid import taxes, and customs didn’t buy it this time.

It was just funny to me that it happened to this flashlight of all others. Like, fate won’t even let me get a poor man’s LEP lmao

Those “cat toy” laser pointers are ridiculous. They just put a 1mW label on everything. Like, if it takes multiple 18650s and advertises a 3 hour battery life, it’s not 1mW. That math doesn’t add up lol. I don’t believe for a second that guy didn’t know what he was doing tho. He doesn’t even regret shining a laser at a helicopter, just that he regrets it was a police helicopter. Idiot. He’s 36 too.

Most people know that these things aren’t really cat toys, it’s just like a *wink *wink type deal, but if you read the reviews there are people who actually buy them thinking it’s a cat toy and actually mess their eyes up, and I feel bad for those guys. Like every laser pointer for sale online is way overpowered.

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I own a Thor 2 V1, Antman Ti, and a Z1. The Z1 will never throw as far as the LEPs, but I put a warm 519A chip in the Z1 and man it’s honestly one of my favorite lights lol. I feel like the whole flashlight community sleeps on it because it’s a zoomie.

Unless I’m going somewhere wet, or doing something rowdy, the Z1 is probably the best light I could bring along. Granted I have never handled something like a DM1.12 but I’ll say based on my experience with other ramping lights, it probably doesn’t throw ramp quite as nicely and quickly as the Z1. Obviously that comes at some expenses but there’s something to be said for it.

And yeah, the throw may not catch an LEP, but an LEP will never catch my Z1 on quality of light or flood. And honest the Z1 can be floodier than some of my most floody lights too.

Anyways, LEPs are fun and I often carry one. If the Z1 had Anduril 2, mine in 519A would probably be my favorite flashlight, and I don’t care what y’all think about me for saying that lol.

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Yep, plenty of idiots around here.

BTW local stores do sell LEP’s too, I just came across this in a local Australian based store https://www.liteshop.com.au/content/acebeam-w30-2-4km-ultra-throw-lep-torch/

I wonder if it’s a case of the laws being behind the technology and that’s why they’re freely available?

Hell no, no way. I’ve yet to see a LEP in action but the specs are clearly a world apart from any Z1. I love the versatility of my Z1 too. I’m waiting for the new SFT40 LED’s to be released (in another thread) with warmer high CRI versions coming. I’m running an SFT40 and 8A driver.

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Swapping a Yinding 5050 LED on my Z1 was the best thing I’ve done to it. The first specimen was very green but now it’s perfect, perfectly even beam on flood mode and a perfectly circular hotspot when zoomed out, this thing is very nice. This LED should be offered as an option.

Old overexposed pictures:


Definitely a poor mans LEP (that can do flood).

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Yes that’s exactly why I got it. Simon sent me another one, I’m going to try putting an L70 Hi into it. It’s a round emitter like the yingding, but on a 7070 chip. I can’t find any testing or much info on it but it claims an extra 1000 lumens over the yingding at the same current. Currently I have a 2700K 519a DD in it just for fun while I wait for kaidomains very slow shipping. Its very un-LEPy right now lol. But it is pretty.

I’ve got that in an m21b and it’s a great driver+emitter combination

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The L70 eats amps, i swapped one in my copper S2+ and with a R010 sense resistor it pulls 10 amps on a freshly charged Keeppower 18350 and 12 amps on a high discharge 18650 battery (unknown brand and model), and it seems that it can go way beyond that current. My bench power supply only goes up to 10A so i can’t test it for the peak output.



It’s not going to be as intense as the 5050 but it has some potential and it produces a very nice beam.

That spot looks very concentrated, a lot better than my SFT40. How far away is that house?

PS: What LED did you have in it prior- that you’re comparing it to?

Sweet that’s what I’m counting on. Going to try it with convoy’s 12a fet driver first

I think the zooming of the Z1 will make up for the lower intensity and it’ll end up just as intense as the yingding when zoomed in. That’s what I’m hoping for anyways

The house is not very far away, it’s about 70 meters from where i was, and this image was taken using night mode so the hotspot is quite overexposed. It originally came with a SST40.

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The best option for maximum intensity for this LED is FET plus high discharge battery for minimal voltage sag or some 2S buck driver (i don’t know any that can supply the 6-8A that this LED needs for peak maximum intensity).

What do you mean? It’s just 3v isn’t it?

Yes, I’m talking about a driver that can take a 2s input and reduce it to 3V, so you can have a flat, regulated output at peak current. This LED has a high Vf, so it will be hard to get it to run at peak output (~8A) with a linear driver.