newb 1st torch question what are the 3 brightest, 2-3 18650 powered torches for under $45?

newb here,1st time user, buying first torch. ive done a lot of reading on here last 2 days. and switching back and forth between here and comparison videos on youtube, i just cant find comparisons together of what exactly i think i want. ill use the trustfire c8 for reference to start. i only know from pictures and reviews and nothing in person. i know i only want a light that uses 1 18650 battery and i dont want it very much bigger (if any) than the trustfire c8. hopefully less than $24 with shipping. i want the brightest possible for this size light. i know “brightest possible” is a relative term. a lot of throw 75–80, modest to descent spill 20–25. i dont want a pencil beam, just to be able to say my light shines 700m instead of 600m. would like a nice thick beam. closest to a true 1000 lumens brightness i can get. from what i understand, you cant get any brighter than 1000 lumes under these specs. i was leaning toward a few from info on blf. trustfire c8 xml, ultrafire c8 xml u2, m10?, and 2 or 3 others i thought matched these requirements closely. has anyone specifically compared any of these or closely similar lights. am i correct in beleiving these lights are what im wanting? from the 1 review on here it seems that the ultrafire c8 xml u2 is the best of these (closest to what i want)?? if this is correct, is there any better ones i might want to consider? im not really caring about slight differences. i mean if you shined the 2 lights side by side, i would say wow, i wish i had bought that light instead? i would also appreciate info on safe place to buy whatever recomendations u all have, so i know im getting what u reccomend. thanks for any help, ted.

EDITED REQUIREMENTS BELOW IN POST#23

Try this one and see if it fits your needs. http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-c8-cree-xm-l-u3-1800-lumen-5-modes-led-flashlight-1-x-18650

thanks Joe, ill check it out

can anyone tell me the difference, and if its visibly noticeable, between the c8 xml, c8 xml u2, and the c8 xml u3. im assuming newest version. anyone have experience with any of these or possible other lights that u know out perform these?

I would say you can tell the difference between T6 and U3.

But I personally find it hard to tell the difference between the next higher bins. (T6 vs U2, U2 vs U3)

+1 and even t6 to u3, the noticable difference is sketchy, I’d pick a nw t6 over a cw u3 anyway having played about a little more.

What I would suggest is pile in on the zy-t08 group buy thread floating on the recent posts, yes its 2 x 18650, but in parallel, it’ll easily out throw a harder driven c8 and the suggested price was about $18. It has a nice spill, but the throw is much more impressive than an xm-l in a 40mm reflector, I can tell you that.

For your stated price bracket you couldn’t go wrong. The C8 is a great light and maybe better for your ratio’s than my next budget choices 501, 502’s which tend to be a bit wider beam. Easier to carry in the pocket, though.

A few dollars more and you could buy a SolarForce host that you can choose your own emitter from for about the same $25 or so shipped. My choice.

Don’t forget to buy some quality batteries, and a good charger. Both make a substantial difference in brightness, run time, and ultimately safety.

Course this is just the first light on the shelf, many more to hunger after…

thank u all very much, very helpful. i think ill go with the c8 xml u3. a couple of the threads i read earlier stated that some places you ordered from you would receive different(maybe not true) u3’s and lower amps in drivers. i obviously would like the best of both. reccomendations on where to purchase safely to get true u3 and highest amp driver? also your top 3 choices for best battery including approximate true mah and price would be greatly appreciated.

The only u3 c8 i’m aware of is lightmalls, batteries, go panasonic/sanyo/samsung from fasttech with a nitecore i2/i4 from fasttech again. I would still look at the zy-t08 from fasttech at the same time, it’ll impress you more than a c8 I have both, the c8 is used in a strap as a head light. Great light, but not overly impressive.

I am fairly new as well. I bought two different C8 models and both were nice. One was a trade from a member with a T6 and a 2800mah driver with the three modes (high med low) It is noticeably nicer than the other light and it’s because of the driver. However, for not much more you can get another light that I own, it’s this one.

http://www.fasttech.com/products/1601/10002537/1188301-small-sun-zy-t08-cree-xm-l-t6-635lm-5-mode-white-l

This is a small sun Zy-t08 this isn’t much bigger than the C8 but out throws it by a ton. It takes two 18650’s but they are run parallel so they are safe and don’t leave you with a light that is too long.

As for batteries and a charger again I would stick with Fast Tech. They are the best company going right now. I think their discount is still working it’s BLF if it is or not they have the best prices and the fastest shipping around anyway.

This is a cheap charger but it will do the job, just don’t buy cheap batteries to go with it.

http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10000436/1046800-portable-digital-battery-charger-for-18650-recharg

These batteries are about the best you can get.

http://www.fasttech.com/products/1420/10001901/1143804-sanyo-ur18650zt-18650-2800mah-protected-rechargeab

Your total would be $37.83 shipped. If you buy with them now you might be able to beat the Chinese New Year log jam.

I know it seems expensive and you are only getting a T6 but this light really does outshine the C8 by a lot.



I would have to disagree here. The ZY-T08 is a lot bigger than the C8 (longer and diameter). It also weighs more than twice as much 408g vs 191g.

For a charger you can't beat the WP2 II. I have/ gifted more than 10 of these chargers and I love them.

For batteries the 2600mah Sanyos are better than the 2800mah ones in my opinion. For batteries I would get the Sanyo 2600mah or TrustFire 3000mah (which are nice if can you get the good ones).

I have a STL-V6 and a "good" HD2010. I say "good" because the recent one that I bought and the ones that I have seen around aren't nearly same light. My HD2010 produces very similar throw numbers as my STL-V6s. The ZY-T08 is a nice budget thrower but I think it needs the mod to make it a real competitor. I also don't like how uncomfortable the ZY-T08 is. Very hard angles and edges everywhere.

thanks again gords and 18650. thought i was settled on a light, but per your advice i found some info on the zy t08 and in reading that came across the hd2010. now im undecided again between those 3. i know, just buy em all right. wish i could see all 3 together for size relation. will ponder some more for a bit.

As a Noob, I would be tempted to buy this:

http://www.fasttech.com/products/1601/10000947/1079200-trustfire-tr-3t6-cree-xm-l-t6-5-mode-3800lm-memory

You will be an instant flashaholic. Most everyone here has one, and by using the BLF coupon code (which is 5% off) make it a killer first torch. No bigger bang for the dollar.



The TR-3T6 is also a great light and I think that everyone should own at least one of these. (I own 4)

It is one of the flashlights I tell everyone that wants a budget light to get. The TR-3T6 is an amazing light for $30.

18sixfifty suggested the ZY-T08, not the ZY-T06. The T08 is a little bigger diameter, but the length is 2cm longer. the difference in throw and useability is well worth the size increase.

In the end you should buy what you want to buy, what you want to see on your shelf, in your briefcase or bag, in your jacket.

Chances are you are going to be blown away by the performance compared to whatever you were using before…so Solarforce, Trustfire, Small Sun, they are all good (and some are better than the same model on the same day…its what you get w the bottom end of the quality scale)…

And you will be buying many more…so don’t agonize over it. Don’t even agonize over the batteries and chargers. Get the best right now for the amount of money that you can spend. Just assume that you will want to buy some of the better cells, better charger and you will see the differences there to…but that can wait until you are ready to spend more money.

In the meantime, if you are a ‘noodler’ rather than a ‘modder’, assume that you will need to buy a Solarforce host sooner than later and then can endlessly swap and mix and match styles of hosts, colors, emitters, bezels, tail caps, turbo heads, etc…

There are 100 flavors of beer on the wall, take one down, there are 99 left to go…enjoy!

I too found the difference between the T6 and the U3 quite noticeable in brightness terms. In addition to that though was with the T6 I had there was quite a noticeable blue hue.

After changing to the U3 the blue hue was gone and the beam was much more of a brilliant white which was nice.



Yup, just realized I had them mixed up. For some reason I was thinking that but I meant the ZY-T08.

I just can't seem to find a niche where my ZY-T08 fits into though. I have the STL-V6 which has a 1" tube for mounting purposes or I have the HD2010 because it is compact and 26650. I can't remember my readings but I want to say that they both had a 10000lux lead over the ZY-T08.

I would like to see something similar to the ZY-T08 but 3x18650 and a 4.5amp turbo mode. Oh ya and a side switch.

Your budget might fit into the Sup Fire Dino Direct is offering. Just a suggestion.