$12.50, built like a tank...
I am researching the same Mowgli. We should talk/compare notes. I tend to be pretty anal about researching ALL the options before I buy! At this rate, some very nice new lights should come out before I make a decision....
Thankfully, there are always a lot of good suggestions from our more experienced BLF members and plenty of reviews to read too.
I've had two of the C3's; in stainless, it does not throw much light compared to the lights in the $30-40 range, and mine had blinky modes. Yuck...
Damn, I feel like I just got CPF'd :)
I still stand by my C3 recommendation.
I guess I should be happy with the one that doesn't throw much light, the other does not work at all...
I understand that the C3 comes in several different variations, some are longer then others, and that is also has different internals. So maybe I just picked the wrong ones to buy.
They do need a lot of work to get them working correctly (4 or 5 things you have to tweak on them), but for $12.50 I won't complain.
I almost forgot, but because so many people have the C3 in stainless I used it as the baseline in my Beamshot, Part Deux thread
Mouseover any of the photos after the first one and you will see how the C3 compares to other budget lights. I'll have to update that thread with the Caveman and some other lights I've gotten since then.
My max is about $40 to spend because I still need to buy the eneloops. I like the look of the ss c3 but I don’t want to have to worry about it not working. I already have my monarch that does that
Good call on the SA1. I forgot all about it. The R2 version also throws really well. Not quite as bright as the Xtar on a nimh and its kind of chunky, but its built really well and the functionality is just really cool.
If you haven't bought Eneloops yet, go for 14500 light directly (with NiMh compatibility if possible), unless you pretend to use them (Eneloops) in other things (i.e. walkman, remote control, etc). In case your 14500 are all discharged, use alkies for the light :)
i dont have the eneloops yet but i just dont know much about the 14500 to know what to look for and what charger to use.
im starting to think some of the $20 and lower lights just may not be as durable as i want since i will be using this daily and it will be stored in my back pocket. i do really like the look of some of them but im just to to sure
I would not use a14500 as a daily carry unless you need enormous amounts of light, i.e. the Xeno E03. Every light I've had that takes 14500 gets pretty hot after about 1 continuous minute of being on High
thanks for that info trooplewis.i do have other lights that i can get to fast if i needed. the other think that would worry me about it getting hot is i sometimes hold the light in my mouth working under the truck or just other times when my headlamp isnt near. yes i would like crazy amounts of light but i guess in this case it isnt needed
Isnt that what low mode is for? ;) I agree though a NiMh or primary just seems more practical. I usually carry my fenix ld-10 or TF f25 or f23 or r5-a3 with a lithium primary. As long as your choice of lights has modes, it should be manageable with 14500.
I got one and I am not impressed! I don't see the mode switching method lasting very long, it is just thin springy copper that makes or brakes a connection. It looks very easy to damage. It is really big for just a single cell torch and tailstanding is not sturdy at all. Mode switching is also difficult, the head is very stiff to turn. I also hate the crappy feeling switch. The clip is also useless unless clipping it to a cap for a head lamp but it is big and heavy so that would suck too. I really don't like this torch, it's just cheap and crappy to me!
very good points made, thanks. owners of the DD shipment (P1A) will have to confirm this on their sample.
yep, big it is.
I was starting to lean towards that light but after reading that Iguess my search continues.
LOL, the BA10 is one of my favorites, and one that I would definitely get another of. The Low is a really pleasant, long-runtime low. I use it in my computer room almost every day.
Okay so I've been reading more and I'm leaning towards thiS now unless someone has more info for me.
JetBeam BA10/Klarus P1A
XTAR WK25B
I also looked at the XT1a which is awesome but around $65
You can buy a pair of 14500 for 5 bucks. A good charger for about 15 bucks (Xtar WP2).
HI with NiMh could be as bright as MED with 14500. And of course, HI with 14500 should be much brighter :P
Yes, it will heats up quicker, but it will be much brighter (don't forget to not using it on HI for a long time, just in case)
BTW, with 14500 you may have better runtimes, but it will depend on how good driver is.
If you like those XTARs you mentioned before, remember that WK25B will take NiMh only and WK26 li-ion only.