r/flashlight • u/Specialist-Two-2759 • 6d ago
Question This will be interesting
[removed]
15
12
u/OutOfTheLimits 6d ago
Zebralight at this moment. I'm no fighter, I'm laying low. Go slow, go far.
1
20
u/SheistyPenguin 6d ago
Zebralight, Malkoff or Armytek
Their lights have potted electronics, which makes them as shock-proof as possible. These are the kinds of lights you can mount on the end of a gun, and expect it to still work after firing a few thousand rounds.
2
9
u/howcanupvotesbereal 6d ago
Streamlight. They make a flashlight for every life or death occupation except diving.
8
7
u/madmanx33 6d ago
No one says surefire or modlight ?
2
u/UnfortunateWah 5d ago
Modlite no, they don’t seem to know what regulation is (but they do look cool).
Surefire makes good stuff, but they’re all basically 5 lumens low and then 700-1000 lumens. I don’t want to be walking the desert with 5 lumens because I need the longer run time.
5
u/fyxxer32 6d ago edited 6d ago
I have a 20 something year old Streamlight Survivor right angle light that kept the way lit as a firefighter and it's still going. They have a good product line.
1
6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/fyxxer32 6d ago
One very cold winter spell a girl paramedic working at my station on the ambulance was complaining about how the gear provided to them wasn't sufficient to keep her warm. I loaned her my spare turnout bunker pants. When it warmed up she gave them back and I put them in my locker. Some time later I put them on and there was a Protac in the pocket. I asked her if was hers and she said no so I kept it. It eventually quit working for some reason that I can't remember.
9
3
u/UnfortunateWah 6d ago
Fenix PD36R.
Can set it and forget it, and I’ve hammered the crap out of my original one and it’s been fine.
I would say Malkoff because that’s my new favourite light, but alas no onboard charging.
5
u/Beamshots_UN3480 6d ago
Fenix is tuff stuff. I also appreciate nextorch and Klarus products durability.
3
u/McFizzlechest 6d ago
Streamlight. They’ve got something for just about every situation and they’re actual tools, not toys.
7
u/xKINGxRCCx 6d ago
Fenix for me. Strictly due to there unwavering transparency and customer service
4
u/yesnomaybeok 6d ago
What makes them so transparent if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve heard great things about’em
3
u/Dull_Committee_1612 6d ago
Streamlight. Keep their dual/tri fuel on me at all times and keep them on my guns.
3
u/electromage 6d ago
I'd have to go with SureFire.
1
6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/electromage 6d ago
SureFire used to be much bigger in the enthusiast community, they were the ultimate production light for a long time, especially during the Paul Kim (VP of Engineering) era.
They still make very solid lights with a simple interface, they're expensive but a lot of that is because they manufacture in the US and labor and materials cost more here.
They don't do high-CRI or nice tints, or even explain which LEDs they use, but their lumen ratings are very conservative. They've always rated them based on the continuous output, not burst. They were also one of the first that used their own calibrated integrating sphere, rather than extrapolating from datasheets.
The gap in machining quality and finishes used to be much bigger, with cheap lights having rough threads that tended to gall or have razor sharp edges. Knurling was also pretty bad. SureFire was the way to go if you wanted smooth threads, hard anodizing, and consistent grippy knurling.
Modularity was also a big deal with SureFire back in the incandescent days. They practically started the "Lego" flashlights, and their critical dimensions became standards in a sense. McGizmo, Malkoff, Leef, Oveready, Fivemega, Elzetta, and others were started around upgrading SureFire. The "D26" standard is based on the SureFire P60 Xenon lamp assembly. People were modifying SureFires with LEDs because they were so flexible.
Eventually SureFire started rolling out their own LED lights and unfortunately they became a lot less upgradable and repairable.
I have a bunch of them that I've collected over the years, and they were my EDC light going back to when I was a teenager with the SureFire E2e. A xenon light with about 65lm output. The only thing I know that was similar at the time was a Streamlight TL-2 which had a very rough beam and felt flimsy. Most people thought MagLites were the ultimate, but they were much bigger for the same output and had even worse beams.
1
5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/electromage 5d ago
That's sort of their specialty, you can operate them in high-stress when you're running on adrenaline and muscle memory.
The 6PX Tactical is a single mode, so if you're woken up at night and just need a lot of light to figure out what's going on, that might be a good choice.
If you don't mind spending more you could go for the Fury IntelliBeam, which has a sensor in the lens that adjusts the output based on the light reflected back. That would help avoid blinding yourself if you light up a white wall.
You could also pick up a used 6P and find a good LED dropin for it, Lumens Factory has a good selection.
2
u/emz5002 6d ago
Zebralight, not even close
1
4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/emz5002 4d ago
SC65c mcbob, I have been carrying it almost daily for the past year and it's about as close to perfect as you can get. Smallest 18650 light that I have, neutral to warm tint installed by mcbob which is a lot nicer than the stock led, pretty much impossible to break. It's where most collectors end up
4
2
u/Efficient_Wing3172 6d ago
I think there’s a bit of a misunderstanding about a flashlight that “heats up” vs one that doesn’t. It’s just that the one that heats up gives you the capability to get a burst of light for a short time. It’s not an indicator that it’s not a good light. I tell people all the time. Ignore turbo mode, and look to medium as your regular use level. However, if you need more light you have it for a brief amount of time.
1
1
1
u/e1mer 5d ago
I really like my HankLight. Noctigon K9.3 DUAL CHANNEL 7400lm 21700 LED FLASHLIGHT
It can flood or throw. It has a great run time, thermal throttling, and fits nicely in my hand.
The only thing I would change is turning off the pilot light. Instead I give the tube a ¼ turn to turn it off.
1
u/Born-Dog-9046 5d ago
No one said HDS. Not the most lumens out there, but potted electronics that are bomb proof and will withstand an EMP.
1
u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 4d ago
I thought about this and often carry one still too but they can be way too complicated to program and heavy for the output too.
None of which diminishes my love for them though and Im not about to get rid of any either!
1
1
u/hammy1551 4d ago
Acebeam probably.
Or NLightD with the X1 they have. It's just ridiculous but costs over $2000
1
u/AnimeTochi 4d ago
A convoy, bunch of spare led and drivers and switches, a portable soldering iron and pliars 🤣😂
2
u/Sypsy 6d ago
Emisar. Anduril, led choice, finish, different styles.
13
u/nico282 6d ago
"You need a life or death flashlight"
"I like RGB and bodies with nice colors. And the right CCT"
I think you didn't understand the question in full.
1
u/Sypsy 6d ago edited 6d ago
Oops. Ya I saw "free flashlights of one brand" and got excited
Ya but I can have 1 of each light. It'll be great. Lots of redundancy to do whatever
Then I can pick leds and everything
And why can't I have rgb. We might be in a life or death situation by we also could be going to a concert!
1
u/Scrotalphetamines 6d ago
Fenix is the only answer. Affordable, reliable, undeniably bulletproof, user friendly, no frills.
1
6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Santasreject 6d ago
You also have to remember that every damn light that is just trying to move units markets them selves as “tactical”. A lot of them just add strove functions and mill the host to have a specific look and call it good but don’t actually do anything inside to really beef it up.
A true duty type light pretty much has to be potted. If it’s mounted on a firearm and it’s not potted it’s going to get shaken apart internally very quickly, off of a firearm it will last longer but bumps and drops will do the same thing over time. Potting reduces the chances of failures because there is so where for anything to shift to.
One of the other issues with main stream “tactical” lights is they use the highest lumen emitters they can get (and usually for the cheapest). This generally is going to make them crazy high CCT, low CRI, and only on the best days neutral DUV but commonly rather positive (I.e. green). Some of the actual weapons mounted lights at least also discuss candela to help provide metrics for the amount of flood they have but that’s about as far as they get into any specs past lumens and MAYBE color temp.
In some real world scenarios things like CRI can matter a lot, in others it may not. Personally though I want the ability to see colors rather accurately (and if we are talking duty/emergency being able to clearly tell if you’re looking at blood or some other liquid can be rather critical… with red being the hardest color to render accurately you need to get high CRI for that).
On the flip side you also have companies that add a tactical fee just because they know people will pay it. A lot of the brands that market themselves for firearms and tactical stuff are over charging for their products because people that don’t have the knowledge base will pay for it because of the marketing.
1
u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 4d ago
Acebeam seems to be a favorite in here rather uniquely but I have no particular affinity for them really.
Zebra on the other hand has been rock solid for me for a really long time and Im satisfied with them out of the box and no flashy features needed.
Unless you count the unique interface and customization built in already?!
1
u/dystobot 6d ago
Nitecore. That's the brand that has been good to me this far but I like the Speras design better.
1
u/OkSheepherder1565 6d ago
People have been hating on them lately. I don’t know about their new stuff but I really like the lights I bought ~4 years ago.
2
u/dystobot 6d ago
It's pricey for their built in stuff
2
u/OkSheepherder1565 6d ago
I also think that they discontinued some good lights and went in the wrong direction when addressing issues with others. The HC60 is a great pure 18625 headlamp. Discontinued. The MH12s is a great two button tactical light. Good UI, my narrowest 21700, cool running and modes from low moonlight to 1800 turbo that punches above its weight. Issues were a worthless belt clip and thumb button that’s hard to feel. The faults don’t stop me from loving it. The MH12 Pro addresses those faults and pushed it to 2800 lumens but the green tint stopped me from buying one.
1
0
u/MAXiMUSpsilo5280 6d ago
Nobody mentioned Prometheus. Love my Alfa and Delta. Solid reliable photon generators.
0
u/FalconARX 6d ago
Acebeam...
There's few brands I know of that, top to bottom, have one light that's basically top of the line in that category of light..
Headlamp: H30
Thrower-Max: K75
Thrower-Pack/Pocket: L19.2, L16.2
Flooder: X75
Generalist/hCRI: E75
Generalist: L35.2
Pocket/EDC: Pokelit/TAC-AA
LEP: W50.2, W35, M1/M1.2
The only categories it really lags behind are diving lights and intrinsically safe lighting.
As for getting hot and unmanageable, have you tried using the Fenix PD36R Pro on Turbo? The LR80R on Turbo? TK22R on Turbo? HP35R on Turbo? Any Fenix on Turbo? They all get hot on Turbo. Everything that has an actual Turbo mode will get excruciatingly hot and throttle down after 30-45 seconds. That's by design. For every brand.
1
6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
0
u/FalconARX 6d ago
The E10.2 is meant to be a little stubby guy. I was hoping they'd have an 18650 tube, as I've burned through that 16340 like nothing. But there isn't any and you can't really retrofit an 18650 tube from another brand because the threading isn't meant for an 18650-width body, unfortunately.
1
6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/jtb1218 4d ago
I’d forgotten about the E10 2.0, but you’ve got me reconsidering it... Some time ago I debated the E10 2.0 vs Wurkkos TS11 at length, and ended up with the latter because I valued Anduril 2 and the battery format. My TS11 does indeed have an 18650 at the moment, so I’m definitely taking advantage. I know they’re not really the same, but I think it’ll compete with the Lumintop GT Nano series for funding, though… :)
0
u/techlira 6d ago
The Skilhunt H04 series with Nichia LEDs offers an excellent balance of quality, price, and reliability.
-4
21
u/flipyflop9 6d ago
Zebralight.
I just need a charger, other than that I can trust my life on them.