T5, T6 ????

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Obviously i am new to flashlights and batteries. I am however looking to get a few good lights for the cars, and cottage since we seem to lose power alot. Also for fishing, hiking and camping. My main driver is reliability, and brightness and small enough to put in your pocket. I am sick of buying a flashlight that may sit un-used for a few months and then not work when i need it which has been happening alot or a light that rattles when you shake it (and the light flickers)

okay, enough of that.. while i am looking for flashlights, i keep seeing things like Cree XM-G or Xm-L and things like T3, T4,T5 and T6.. Can someone help me decide what i should be looking at? I like lights that have a combination of spill and throw.. Kind of in between. I just have no idea what each one of these things mean. I have also seen "R2"

so far i picked up a Xeno E03, and Fenix E21 but looking for a few more to stash around and carry while on the boat at night or hiking. Don't like spending more than $25 on a light thou.

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T6, R2, S2, Q2, P4, U2 are binnings. LEDs are tested and based on their output, they will get this binning. The higher, the more light.

Useful link for that:

http://flashlightwiki.com/Brightness_Bins

3C, 1T, 2S etc. on the other hand are color binnings:

XP-G, XP-E, XR-E, XT-E, XM-L.. are different kinds of LEDs. You may want to look out for XML lights nowadays.

Others can help better when it comes to flashlights, but you should also mention your prefered cells. NiMh, Alkaline or LiIon..

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Hi Hunter991,

I'll try to explain:

- Cree is a manufacturer
- XM-L, XP-G, XR-E etc. are emitter models
- T5, T6, R2, R5 etc. are brightness bin

For combination of throw and spill, knowing your other lights, I'd suggest buying some C8 format light, like XinTD C8 v3 (a bit over $25, but well worth it - you can choose the modes and tint) or KD C8 (a bit lower quality, "one size fits all" - no customization). C8 throws quite well, but has also a nice flood (as a XM-L light)

Another good alternative could be UF2100, which is smaller and floodier than C8, but doesn't throw as well. (You may use coupon: "DD10offallru" for 10% off)

Hope this helps!

Edit: NightCrawl won me by some seconds.. :)

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And _the_ added what I forgot + some good lights. :D

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I also forgot to add, i do prefer lights that take just standard AA Alkaline or i have been using more Lithium AA batteries lately. Not sure of the drawbacks, but sometimes, especially camping we won't be able to charge up batteries so i just bring spares.

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(edit was typing this out before you posted your rather AA's but there is one AA sugestion in there)

Hello and welcome

Ive noticed XR-E Q5 and R2 emitters are more of throwers due to the emitters viewing angle of 90 degree's and built in reflectors on the emitters so they put more light forward.

Where XM-L, XP-G emitters have a viewing angle of 125 degree's and put more light out the side then the Q5's and R2's, but because the XM-L, XP-G are usually driven harder then the XR-E Q5 and R2 emitters they put out good flood and throw. The T6 XM-L has to be one of the most popular most used emitter around today.

Just keep in very mind small XML lights like the Xeno E03, UF-2100 will get hot very quickly on lion rechargeable and chew through AA or 14500 batteries quickly, so they might not be able to be used for long times, due to heat and battery life.

Lights i have personal used in your price range that can be put in pockets.

Uniquefire UF-2100 T6 1-Mode Memory LED Flashlight (18650)

Maybe a bit big for the pocket, but a good light.

Trustfire C8 Stainless Steel Head XM-L T6 900-Lumen 5-Mode LED Flashlight (1*18650)

Ive got this light on order for similar reasons to you.

TrustFire R5-A3 3-Mode Memory LED Flashlight (1*AA) will take 14500's

I know the price of this one is high, but if you have not already got a lion battery charger and some batteries this is a good starter kit that comes with flash light, holster, battery and battery charger in a nice gift box and a good looking light.

Trustfire A8 Kit

Once you have a 26650 charger and battery or batteries, cheap lights in your price range that will fit it your pockets like these that can be used with 18650,s or 26650's.

UniqueFire UF-2200 Cree XM-L U2 LED 5-Mode Memory Flashlight - Black (18650/26650)

I hope this helps

7

In that case I would suggest C88 XM-L, reviews of which can be found here and here. BUT it's over $25. :(

Other alternative is to learn the correct usage of Li-Ion batteries. Those have higher energy density, so they are lighter and/or last longer => good for camping. (For some reason I felt funny when I wrote "camping".. I felt like I would like Paisley, or something.. ;))

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Or this one under flood to throw with XML for under $17 and runs on 3 x AAA

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/8204

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I don't like alkalines for flashlights because eventually they will leak. The Energizer lithiums are nice because they have a really long shelf life (8-10 years!) and won't leak. But my first choice is Eneloop rechargeable batteries (or other NiMH low self-discharge batteries), if you want to go that route. They are rechargeable but hold their charge for a year or more; ready when you are.

The Trustfire R5-A3 is an AA light with a Cree XP-G that should be pretty decent at about $15.

I know you said you prefer AA, but you're in for a real treat if you try out a Tank007 E09 on AAA. $13 or so and it is a mighty mite. The small size makes it really impressive for the amount of light it puts out. For more money ($22) the Olight i3 is a little brighter (they also have an AA version called the i2) and is better made. Both of these are twisty and have Low, Medium, and High levels. High is great, but if you want to make the batteries last, use Medium. Low for close up.

Everyone seems to like the Xeno, but I don't have one. I don't think you can go wrong with that one. Fenix makes nice lights as well. You're off to a great start.

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I just ordered a Balder SE1 and a Sipik 68 to try as well. Are these okay? i am going to check out the ones above but they may be a tad smaller that i like.

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The Balder SE-1 is a great light , but it really shines with a 14500 lithium ion battery .

Same with the Sipik .

And welcome to BLF .

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A lot of people have the Sipik. You can't go wrong with a light that cheap. I don't like zoomies, but a lot of people do, so it is definitely worth having.

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+1 on everything JTC said here.

Very good choices, and an easy segue into Lithium-Ion, when you so choose.

The lights mentioned are not only brighter on Li-Ion, but almost startlingly so...

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You probably want a neutral white tint for fishing, hiking and camping as the tint is better suited for outdoors use (I will only buy neutral white models now and have sold most of my cool whites). Or a wam white which looks more like incandescent, but I find that too "yellow" for my tastes. As others explained, I suggest you look for an XM-L emitter light using a T5 for neutral white tint. The XM-L has a fairly floody beam with a large hotspot which is great for seeing outdoors.

You don't mention battery type, but I presume you're using alkalines since you say they sit for months and don't work. I suggest you get into Sanyo Eneloop NiMH "AA" batteries as they are rechargeable, don't have a "memory" effect, and most importantly they have a low self-discharge (LSD) rate so they can be charged up then sit in a light for a year and still maintain 70% or more charge. Also they replace Alkalines which save you money in the long run.

Li-Ion is another rechargeable you can consider but you have to be careful when using them in some lights as the voltage is 3.7v each which may be too high for single AA type lights. The Xeno E03 you have works fine with Li-Ion but the Low setting then becomes too high (about 100 lumens?) for outdoors use.

I really like NiMH batteries as they work well, hold a charge for a long time, and can be found for a good price. You'll need a decent charger that can charge cells individually and has intelligent charging circuits. Look for Eneloop model MQH03 or Panasonic BQ-390 as they are well known and are intelligent chargers at reasonable prices. I use these batteries in all of my devices, including TV remotes, cameras, flashlights, etc. And I always carry spares when I go out so I always have light, and they can be recharged when I get home.

:party: