ToyKeeper's Favorite Lights

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

I have a lot of lights. These are the ones I currently like and use the most.

I’ll try to keep this list up to date when things change.

Current Favorites

General-purpose EDC:

  • Emisar D4K boost w/ Nichia 519A 5700K dedomed, steel bezel and clip: All-around good light. (2023)
  • Custom FW3A modded by thefreeman with his boost driver + RGB aux, 519A 5700K dedomed, purple: The best version of FW3A, too bad it’s not commercially available. (2023)
  • Noctigon KR4 w/ Nichia 219B sw45k: Similar to FW3A but much higher quality… but also bigger and heavier. Mine is titanium, but aluminum would be more practical. Has one of the best clips ever, and a great tail e-switch. (2020)

Compact EDC:

  • Wurkkos TS10 Ti: Everyone’s favorite, now with RGB aux. Great design, but be careful not to use full power much, if at all, since it’s too bright for its own good. (2023)
  • Custom FWAA modded by thefreeman with his boost driver + RGB aux (2023)
  • Olight S-Mini Ti rainbow PVD: Very small, very colorful, 5000K, great clip, good ergonomics, decent UI for a proprietary light. (2016)

Keychain:

  • Cooyoo Quantum SS: 10180 twisty, steel, built-in charger, good quality. (2016)

Headlamp:

  • Emisar D2 w/ Nichia 219B sw45k (frosted) + Osram W1 (clear optic): Awesome flood + throw toggle light, or tint ramping light, or white + UV, or whatever. Pick 2. Would probably choose 519A 5700K dedomed now, but 219B is almost as good. I use an old ZebraLight H5 headband with it. Very, very picky about what batteries it can accept, since the tube is slightly too short. (2023)

Compact thrower:

  • Emisar D1 W1 18350 w/ RGB switch: Smallest, best-performing compact thrower… but I don’t have one. (2022)
  • Noctigon KR1 W1 18350: Almost as good as a D1 W1, so it’s what I use instead. Slightly bigger, and no RGB aux. (2020)
  • Wurkkos TS11 18350: Also pretty decent, built in charger is very convenient, unusually nice beam, but it’s bigger and less throwy. (2022)

Medium to large thrower:

  • Noctigon K1 W1: The most throw I can fit in a coat pocket. (2019)
  • BLF GT: Way too big, but fun sometimes. (2018)

Lantern:

  • Sofirn BLF LT1: The original, and still the best. Designed by BLF’s most dedicated lantern user, for living off-grid. I don’t often need a lantern, but I enjoy having it nearby in candle mode, and it’s great in sunset mode at bed time. (2019)
  • Sofirn LT1S Pro: Smaller, plus red modes… but the button LED and battery LEDs both use way too much power, and it tends to be a bit noisy due to the regulator chip used for the red LEDs. Needs to hang or be placed on something tall, to light an area effectively. Mine is a prototype and the USB port broke after 2 uses, but I hear production lights are better. (2023)

Misc:

  • Outdoor night walks:

    • Emisar D4Sv2 2-channel w/ XP-L HI 1A+8A: A bit too large for EDC, but otherwise fantastic. Awesome beam, performance, ergonomics, features, etc. Mine is 2-channel with far-apart CCTs, which gives it extra low duv which has a nice warm feel and makes every other light look green. (2021?)
    • FW1A XP-L HD 3D: Like a FW3A, but throwy. Only the original batch was good though – in later batches, Lumintop changed the optic to a bad one, and things went downhill from there. I modded mine to use XP-L HD instead of XP-L HI, to make it less throwy. (2019)

  • Photography light:

    • Mateminco MT18S 4000K high-CRI w/ the optic removed, ceiling-bounced: This light has several significant issues, but it works well in short bursts for a “global illumination” effect for taking pictures. (2019)

  • Muggle gift lights:

    • Wurkkos FC13 SFT40 w/ updated, customized firmware, in simple mode. General-purpose EDC style light with battery and charger included, and a relatively throwy beam for indoor+outdoor use.
    • Wurkkos TS11 w/ updated, customized firmware, in simple mode. Compact thrower.
    • Sofirn SP10 Pro: Barebones design, but pretty good with AA cells. Is better with updated firmware.
    • L3 Illuminations L10: Make sure the recipient knows not to twist too hard.

LEDs

My overall current favorite LED is the Nichia 519A 5700K dedomed. Note, it is not 5700K during use. It’s roughly 3900K to 4300K, with a negative duv (not green), and makes a pretty great beam.

I’m also still very fond of the Nichia 219B sw45 and sw45k. It’s an old model, but makes fantastic beams.

Otherwise, I usually prefer LEDs with no dome, because they make a beam with better “color over angle” consistency – i.e. no rainbow beams. These include the Cree “HI” (high intensity) LEDs, Osram W1/W2 projection LEDs, Luminus “SFT” family, aftermarket de-domes, etc.

For CCT, I like LEDs in the range of 3500K to 6500K, but especially 4000K to 5000K.

For tint, I want a negative duv (pink tint) for anything warmer than 5000K. Positive duv on a warm light looks … yuck. “Lemongrass” green. Colder CCTs are typically okay with some green though.

Old Favorites

These were my favorite at some point in the past, but have since been replaced by something newer.

General-purpose EDC:

  • 2019: FW3A XP-L HI 3D: Original batch, back when these were still good. Host design, driver circuit, and firmware all created by BLF. First light to ship in stock form with Anduril. Production quality was a bit sketchy from the beginning though, and went downhill over time.
  • 2017, 2019: Emisar D4 / D4v2 XP-L HI 5000K
  • 2014: Sinner Cypreus Tri-EDC host w/ XP-L HI + custom firmware and driver
  • 2013: CNQG “brass beauty” 18650 w/ custom firmware + driver: One of the smallest 18650 lights ever made.
  • 2013: Convoy S7 polished steel w/ Nichia 219B sw45 + custom firmware + driver + clip: Pretty, sturdy, great beam. Heavy.
  • 2015: Convoy S2+ w/ triple XP-L HI 3D + custom firmware + FET+1 driver
  • 2016: BLF-A6 3D: Practical, cheap, powerful… the first big BLF project with a custom driver and firmware. Sold like hotcakes and made flashlight companies take BLF more seriously.

Compact EDC:

  • 2013: L3 Illuminations L10-219 4-mode: One of the smallest AA lights ever made, with a great beam and simple but good UI and driver. Timeless.
  • 2015: Reylight BLF Ti pre-dawn 18350 w/ 219B sw45 and custom firmware + FET+1 driver: Thick but pretty, and totally custom internals.
  • 2013: Jetbeam RRT01 5000K: I won the tint lottery. Fantastic beam with an analog brightness control ring.
  • 2014: ZebraLight SC52 / SC52w: Small, efficient, great ergonomics, mediocre beam, weird UI.

Keychain:

  • 2016: DQG Fairy: Necklace light. Tiny. Brass. Mule.
  • 2014: DQG Tiny AAA IV: One of the smallest AAA lights ever made. Titanium. Tail-stands even with key ring attached.

Headlamp:

  • 2014…2022: ZebraLight H52Fw: Weird UI, but otherwise pretty great.

Compact thrower:

  • 2017: Emisar D1 XP-L HI 5000K 18350
  • 2016: BLF X5 3D aluminum or copper: Very pretty in copper, but not very practical.

Medium to large thrower:

  • 2017: Emisar D1S XP-L HI 5000K: Ended the reign of the trusty old C8 thrower – better performance and features in a smaller size. Unusual texture.
  • 2016: BLF X6v2 3D aluminum or steel: A really nice reverse-clicky thrower for its time.
  • 2016: Custom Jax Z1 w/ dedomed XP-G2 + custom firmware + driver: Basically a white laser.

Misc:

  • 2018: Fireflies ROT66 219 w/ updated firmware: One of the nicest-looking beams ever, and I still use it today as my reference light for lumen tube calibration.
  • 2014: Custom Blackshadow Terminator w/ wide-spectrum LED mod: Makes vivid colors. Interesting-looking host. Bad driver design. Currently needs repairs.
  • 2013, 2014: Custom Skyray King w/ custom firmware + driver: Pretty host design. Is in the BLF header picture.
  • 2001-ish: EternaLight ErgoXray: Old, bizarre, 3xAAA light with 3 buttons and a ton of modes, looks a bit like a phaser.

Other stuff

Change Log

  • 2023-11-12: Initial version, and added a disclaimer

Disclaimer

There’s nothing really deep or exciting about this thread topic… I’ve just been meaning to write it down for a while, and share it in case it’s interesting to anyone.

Also, if it’s not obvious, my list is heavily biased. Most of my favorites run Anduril or other open firmware I created, so I’m probably the least objective person on the planet for recommending lights.

My general view is that, virtually any time a product category has an open source option, it makes everything else seem pointless. But as a tinkerer who has spent their life doing free software, of course I feel that way.

Your mileage may vary.

36 Thanks
2

Nicely organized and comprehensive list. Thanks for sharing.

1 Thank
3

Good favorite list.

1 Thank
4

ToyKeeper, I wonder what you chose CCT for main LED and AUX LED.

5

There’s nothing really deep or exciting about this thread topic… I’ve just been meaning to write it down for a while, and share it in case it’s interesting to anyone.

Also, if it’s not obvious, my list is heavily biased. Most of my favorites run Anduril or other open firmware I created, so I’m probably the least objective person on the planet when it comes to recommending lights.

My general view is that, virtually any time a product category has an open source option, it makes everything else seem pointless. But as a tinkerer who has spent their life doing free software, of course I feel that way.

Your mileage may vary.

6

The aux LEDs are RGB and I leave it in battery voltage mode.

The main LEDs I have are 6000K, but I’ll try 4000K soon and hopefully it won’t be too green.

What I’d really like is 519A 5700K dedomed, but Wurkkos doesn’t make it that way and the dedoming means it probably won’t happen. Hopefully they can add a 4500K or 5000K version some day.

Would also be super cool if it came with a ZL H52 style clip instead of the SP10 Pro clip.

1 Thank
7

Thank you for reply.
Can I choose RGB AUX or cumtomized by yourself?? No options RGB on aliexpress TS10 deals.

And what about CSP LED 6000K? Is it little greenish or more greenish? I can not choose between 4000K and 6000K for TS10.

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Only the titanium version has RGB aux at the moment. But they are sold out.

2 Thanks
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Sadly the dome of 519a is too big to fit under the optic, even the small dome 219b needs the optic to be modified.

Maybe they’ll find a domeless 3535 emitter that fits stock (Cree XP-P would be nice), and can later be swapped to dedomed 519a.

11

Great writeup

that is now possible

MAO TS10 w sw45k on custom mcpcb by @MasterNate
Imgur
Pictured with an optic with the base openings bored out, but Im now using a stock optic.

a little more info here

and a post w more details

fwiw, there is Blue TiTS10 on Wurkkos site, and also on Aliex, and there is Beadblast and CuTiTS10 on Aliexpress.

3 Thanks
12

It’s interesting and stuff, but what’s the advantage of this mod compared to stock CSP emitters other than tint? It won’t be much brighter or more efficient.

13

I see you only list three lights under General-purpose EDC

I am surprised the TS22 is not even mentioned anywhere as its currently a highly regarded light in BLF.

14

Maybe not with SW45K 219B, but it can have more throw or higher output using different emitters.

The Cree XP-P and Osram CSLNM1 would be good swaps for a throwy-flooder version of it, and using low-cri XP-L HI (or an XP-G variant, maybe XP-G2 or XP-G4) would definitely make it more efficient compared to the R9080 stock emitters

15

Personal Preference.
I just like the beam color of sw45k better:
Imgur
there is no accounting for taste :wink:

2 Thanks
16

I’m mostly not interested in lights with proprietary firmware.

3 Thanks
17

I personally like it a lot more too, can’t wait for the parts to mod my TS10 Ti to dedomed 519a.

Also, I have to wonder if anyone has tried the TS10 using the e17a mule PCB and the domed Cree XQ-E Plus. They’re like miniature XP-Ls, with a tiny flipchip die in the middle, should be pretty bright.

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I hope that once Wurkkos figures out an Anduril buck or boost driver, they’ll add it to older models like the TS22 and the TS32, there’s so many nice hosts limited by the UI.

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that should be good
I really like the Dedomed 519a 4500K (3400K), in my Emisar D2:
Imgur

I look forward to your mod :wink:

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Love the write up, it’s always interesting to see what one of the creators prefers. Thank you for creating Anduril, your tireless efforts are very much appreciated!

1 Thank
21

I think one of the thing Wurkkos needs to do, to support Anduril well, is improve their switch. I just received two TS22 70.3 HI R9050, and the switch is one of the worst I’ve seen in any light, mooshy, unresponsive, and unpredictable during holds. They have been using this switch for a long time, and I have had problems with them since the beginning. On these samples it causes the light to malfunction during long presses (goes into random modes).

I suppose it could also be their firmware is not de-bouncing properly.

This switch + Anduril would be very difficult to use.