LED flashlights

LunarMist

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Yes, I got the VTC6s for future proofing, in case I one day end up with a high draw flashlight. Its only a matter of time. I also have some LG HE2s, but the VTC6 is hard to beat for 3000 mAh and high current capability for only a dollar or two more.

As for the MHGT25, it's a pocketable monster. Just staggering how it illuminates the woods and backyard. This will definitely help for my ridesharing at night, if there's a significant crowd of people waiting to be picked up I can park a little before and text/call them to walk to the beam of light going up into the sky. If a rider gets violent a dose of full to the face should dazzle them enough to pull over and get out safely. And it will definitely light up house numbers, I may have to run it in a lower power for that, as its going to crap out my night vision pretty quickly on full. The clicky rear button has a good tactile sensation, can also half press with no click for light on demand. I think only downside which has been mentioned in a few online reviews is that to get to anything other than full power mode you need to loosen the head portion from the tube by unscrewing the head a little bit. Which you will need both hands for. In the special mode you get three lower levels of brighness and then strobe and sos.

I would highy recommend at $53 if you want something relatively small that can certainly reach out to a significant distance, thanks for your recommend Lunar.

Now I find that the light throttles down after 3 minutes. Another 3 minutes is possible by turning the light on and off briefly. I suppose eventually that period is reduced when heat is excessive. Other Nitecore lights reduce output more linearly based on the temperature, not just a timer. :(
 

Stereodude

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That's pretty typical. The highest output mode of most lights step down after a fixed length of time due to thermal concerns.
 

LunarMist

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I have replaced several of the 18650 cells with the new USB rechargeables. I'm not sure if anyone else uses them, but the batteries are longer than normal (nearly 70 mm). It's no problem in the two main Nitecore lights that I use most frequently.
 

Stereodude

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Unsurprisingly your link doesn't work. I don't see the appeal of those batteries myself. I have chargers that I trust way more than a super cheap circuit slapped on a battery.
 

LunarMist

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Unsurprisingly your link doesn't work. I don't see the appeal of those batteries myself. I have chargers that I trust way more than a super cheap circuit slapped on a battery.

:scratch: This thread has major Gremlins.

I have many chargers, but that is extra bulk and weight. I have favored lights with USB charging over the last few years. These batteries essentially make every flashlight into a USB rechargeable light, providing far more options.
Of course I'd rather not rely only on the port for charging, but it is a handy feature. There is a tiny red/green charging status LED.
 

LunarMist

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The tip gets quite hot. Judging by the Ah it is using a resistive method for charging, so the efficiency is not good.
I have doubts how reliable this would be in the Kalahari desert.
 

Stereodude

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The tip gets quite hot. Judging by the Ah it is using a resistive method for charging, so the efficiency is not good.
I have doubts how reliable this would be in the Kalahari desert.
I'm sure it just uses linear regulation using the battery as the heatsink for the extra power to be dissipated in.
 

LunarMist

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I'm sure it just uses linear regulation using the battery as the heatsink for the extra power to be dissipated in.

Yeah, there must be no room for a switching charger. The current stays about 0.75A, which is not great, but faster than some flashlights internal charging.
I suppose there is still nothing better than the MH-20GT for the limited weight travel, so a USB battery won't change my strategy. I'll probably put them in the EC4GT.
 

Stereodude

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Yeah, there must be no room for a switching charger. The current stays about 0.75A, which is not great, but faster than some flashlights internal charging.
I suppose there is still nothing better than the MH-20GT for the limited weight travel, so a USB battery won't change my strategy. I'll probably put them in the EC4GT.
I can think of better lights, but I have no idea what your criteria are, so maybe you're right.
 

LunarMist

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I can think of better lights, but I have no idea what your criteria are, so maybe you're right.

Maximum reach (>30,000 cd) and minimum size and weight for a single 18650 light. The criteria previously included USB rechargeability. I don't see any replacement for the XP-L HI V3 LEDs yet which would probably be the main difference in future lights. I have dropped the EC4GT from the list as it is just too heavy, though the run time is great and the beam is somewhat better. Unfortunately it shuts down without warning as one or the other cell reaches low charge and its protection chip disconnects the cell.
I don't care much about the color as the rods predominate when light is low and center around 500nm. I need to see the animals at a good distance from the tents. I don't want another hippo experience. :eek:
 

Stereodude

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Maximum reach (>30,000 cd) and minimum size and weight for a single 18650 light. The criteria previously included USB rechargeability. I don't see any replacement for the XP-L HI V3 LEDs yet which would probably be the main difference in future lights. I have dropped the EC4GT from the list as it is just too heavy, though the run time is great and the beam is somewhat better. Unfortunately it shuts down without warning as one or the other cell reaches low charge and its protection chip disconnects the cell.
I don't care much about the color as the rods predominate when light is low and center around 500nm. I need to see the animals at a good distance from the tents. I don't want another hippo experience. :eek:
This would be my choice for a compact thrower. It's a little bigger, but much more suited for the task. http://www.thrunite.com/thrunite-catapult-v6-mini-thrower-rechargeable-flashlight/
 

LunarMist

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Stereodude

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That could be very nice for some other purposes, but it is double the weight. The turbo mode is only good for 3 minutes, but even at half power the rest of the time it would be more than decent.
Do you have one of those Catapult v6 lights?
Yes, I have one in neutral white.
 

LunarMist

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Yes, I have one in neutral white.

Are you satisfied with the intensity after it has dropped to high and then drops a bit more after it heats up?
Due to the lithium and my travel schedule I can't get one for a week or four.
 

Stereodude

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Are you satisfied with the intensity after it has dropped to high and then drops a bit more after it heats up?
Due to the lithium and my travel schedule I can't get one for a week or four.
I haven't really seriously tried to use it for anything. I've just played around with it for a few minutes.
 

Tea

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We wound up getting a couple of Zebralamps, selecting therm rather than several others for reasons now forgotten.

Belinda is happy with hers.

Tannin's, however, is useless. It has yet to do any useful work at all. ...... This is because he put it somewhere apparently sensible until needed - that was months ago, just a few days after it arrived - and now he can't find it. Hell - I can't find it, and I'm good at finding stuff. He has spent many hours searching (with a little help from me) but the bloody thing is so small and neat that it's a near-impossible task to find it in a house with as much stuff as our place has. Still, the searching has brought various other missing objects to light, resulted in a whole lot of other stuff being thrown out as no longer needed, and substantially tidied two and a half rooms. (The half room because the search is still ongoing.) Plus forced him to clean every little nook and cranny of the car out in case it was in there somewhere, and seeing it was at that point so tidy - well, why not? - I washed it for him.

So there you have it. Zebralights have remarkable mystic housekeeping powers. Our little purchase has resulted in an enormous amount of useful work being done, doubtless consuming a great deal of energy. Quite astonishing when you remember that the whole thing is powered by a single AA battery.
 

LunarMist

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Tannin's, however, is useless. It has yet to do any useful work at all. ...... This is because he put it somewhere apparently sensible until needed - that was months ago, just a few days after it arrived - and now he can't find it. Hell - I can't find it, and I'm good at finding stuff. He has spent many hours searching (with a little help from me) but the bloody thing is so small and neat that it's a near-impossible task to find it in a house with as much stuff as our place has. Still, the searching has brought various other missing objects to light, resulted in a whole lot of other stuff being thrown out as no longer needed, and substantially tidied two and a half rooms. (The half room because the search is still ongoing.) Plus forced him to clean every little nook and cranny of the car out in case it was in there somewhere, and seeing it was at that point so tidy - well, why not? - I washed it for him.

That is how I feel about mp3 players. Every time I go to the airport they are MIA.
 

Handruin

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Oh come on, everyone knows Sarah.

Who the hell is Sarah and why is she on her fourth mojito?
 

LunarMist

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The battery life sucks, reflector is funky, beam is ugly and asymmetric, controls are poor, and there is no way to disable accidental power on other than battery removal. :(
 

Stereodude

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The battery life sucks, reflector is funky, beam is ugly and asymmetric, controls are poor, and there is no way to disable accidental power on other than battery removal. :(
All but one of those you could have determined before buying one. Mine has a symmetric beam. It's a thrower with a smooth reflector. Of course the beam will be a little ugly when combined with that Cree LED. If you loosen the head by a 1/4 turn you can disable accidental power on.
 

LunarMist

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I didn't know the head was removable. It didn't seem to be.
 

LunarMist

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The head unscrews from the body (main tube). The light has a mechanical lockout if you loosen it slightly to open the circuit.

OMG, it works with massive Torquemada. I think I dislocated the elbow. :(
Now it is looser than the tailcap. Crazy Chinese. :dunno:
 
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