Show us your flashlights.

[Gareth]

I realised I hadn't got any decent shots of my iTP SA2.  I'm really happy with this light, plenty bright enough, mode memory, both pre-set and ramping light levels, optional tail switches, the list goes on.  The only thing that I can see that folks might not like is the separate switches, the tail switch is simply on/off, the head switch sets the mode.

[Sean]

Cool looking light that one.    Has that A2 Aviator look about it.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

A lot of bang for you buck's with that one mate

[nuphoria]

Looking good

I actually don't mind the days being so short at the moment - more fun for a flashaholic

[NutSAK]

Looking good

I actually don't mind the days being so short at the moment - more fun for a flashaholic

I'm not a fan of the short days and cold weather but, I agree, the flashlights make it much more enjoyable.  This time of year sure is hard on my wallet though, because I spend a lot of time on CPF researching all the goodies.

[jekostas]

New, blingin' gold.  I'll have a writeup of this light in a bit, the UI is... insanely complicated to say the least.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Never heard of those before

[Sean]

In the mail today came the E21 and the L2T-V2.  Here is my current crop of Fenix
Lights.

[NutSAK]

In the mail today came the E21 and the L2T-V2.  Here is my current crop of Fenix
Lights.

That's a nice collection.  I still have an L1P, L2P and L2T (Q5) that I might never part with.  I had a few Rebel L2Ts that I probably should have kept...

Do you have a favorite?

[Sean]

Terry,

I've only had a chance to carry around the E20 and the LD25.  I'm really enjoying both
these lights.  I'd never owned a Fenix before the e20 and quite like the simplicity, tint
and throw it has given it's price point.  The LD25 is a very nice light as well, good spill
and I really like the simple interface the Fenix line seems to have.  It's the one small
feature that keeps me from enjoying my 4sevens AA2, having to cycle through those
blasted beacon, and strobe modes, to grab the level of light I need on the fly.

[NutSAK]

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to do a regular Quark either.  You should try a tactical--it's simpler even than the Fenix UI.  I prefer the Quarks to Fenix because they tend to offer a lower low, and work with a wider range of input voltages.

[Medic82]

Posted this in the shutter shop also.

[NutSAK]

Nice macro shots!

[NutSAK]

My current Peak collection:



Left to right (emitter and battery options in parenthesis):

McKinley HP (7 5mm Snow LEDs, 1xCR123, 1xRCR123)
Pacific HP (SSC P4 LED, 1xAA, 1x14500)
Eiger #6, medium optic (XP-G R5 LED, 2xAAA, 1xAAA, 1x10440)
First Responder (3xSSC P4 LEDs, 2xCR123, 2xRCR123, 2xAA, 2x14500, 1x18650, 1x17670)
McKinley (7 5mm white LEDs, 2xAA)
El Capitan #4, medium optic (XP-G R5 LED, 1xAA, 1x14500)
Baltic XLR (Luxeon III LED, 1xAAA, 1x10440)

Eiger AAA/10440 body pictured at front.

[Sean]

Nice collection of executive looking lights for the most part! 

Picked up a TK15 whilst in the city yesterday.  It gobbled up my tenergy
rcr's in about 18 min on high though.  I'm going to have to grab some
decent 18650 cels and charge for this one I think.

[parnass]

My current Peak collection:

(Image removed from quote.)

Impressive.    Those shiny Peak lights are not only good looking, but functional and well constructed in USA.  But, you knew that already.   

[NutSAK]

You bet.

Actually, I was at first amused by Sean's comment about them being "executive", but I certainly can understand that viewpoint.  They're beautiful lights, but you can't realize that they are a "form follows function" type of light until you've held and used one.  They're not really designed as a thing of beauty, but more for durability and simple operation.  It just so happens that the design philosophy translates to a sort of art, especially in stainless and brass.

[NutSAK]

I'm going to have to grab some decent 18650 cels and charge for this one I think.

Uh-oh.  You're gonna open a whole new can o'worms. 

Though I recommend AW brand Li-Ion batteries if you can afford them, these do well in the tests I've seen.

I also highly recommend the Pila IBC charger, but the Ultrafire WF-139 is OK on a budget.  For safety and performance reasons, I suggest you invest in a good charger.

[Sean]

Terry,
Thanks for the info.  I guess investing in a good charger would mean bypassing the
ultrafire and getting the pila?  It looks like I'm going to have to order my batteries
online as the only available ones locally are "Ultrafire" and apparently they are not
all that highly regarded?  If I go with something online I will probably go with pila
and 2900 ma AW's.

[NutSAK]

Terry,
Thanks for the info.  I guess investing in a good charger would mean bypassing the
ultrafire and getting the pila?  It looks like I'm going to have to order my batteries
online as the only available ones locally are "Ultrafire" and apparently they are not
all that highly regarded?  If I go with something online I will probably go with pila
and 2900 ma AW's.

The Ultrafire is an OK choice, but the Pila will take better care of your cells, as it uses the proper charging algorithm for Li-Ion cells.  If you only plan to charge one cell at a time, another excellent choice would be to by a hobby charger.  I use this one exclusively.  The benefit to a hobby charger like this is that it can charge most battery chemistries (Li-Ion, NiMH, NiCD, Pb) and has options such as discharge, storage charge, cell balancing, fast charging, in addition to using the proper algorithms and selectable currents for regular charging.  Keep in mind that most hobby chargers are designed to run off a 12V source, so you will need to purchase a power supply such as this one to run it off AC.  PM me for details if this interests you.

The AWs are the best cells you can get IMO, but, I'm not sure I would pay the extra premium for the 2900's.  I use the 2200's, and they give me plenty of runtime at a more affordable price point.

[Sean]

Terry,  thanks for all the information.  I'll consider the different charging systems for
this type of battery.  What I need in a "battery" is for it to power the 335 Lumen Fenix
for at least an hour.

[NutSAK]

Terry,  thanks for all the information.  I'll consider the different charging systems for
this type of battery.  What I need in a "battery" is for it to power the 335 Lumen Fenix
for at least an hour.

Do you know what cell Fenix bases the 1.9 hour runtime on, and how accurate that runtime is?  If it's based on 2xCR123, you should be good with a 2200mAh 18650 cell.  A 2200mAh 18650 has about 87% of the VA capacity of 2xCR123, so it should give you about 87% (rough estimate) of the runtime.  Even if the runtime is based on a 2900mAh cell, you're still at 75% of that capacity with a 2200mAh cell.

...actually, that's why I wouldn't buy the 2900mAh when I can get 75% of the capacity for 50% of the price in the 2200mAh cell.  The 2900mAh is a fantastic cell though, if it's within your budget, and will definitely give you great runtimes in the TK15.


VA:

2xCR123: 2 x 3.0V x 1550mAh = 9.3VA
18650 (2200mAh): 3.7V X 2200mAh = 8.14VA
18650 (2600mAh): 3.7V x 2600mAh = 9.62VA
18650 (2900mAh): 3.7V x 2900mAh = 10.73VA

[Sean]

Good info, thanks again Terry.  They base their times on primary cr123's.  I was using
rcr123's and of course I always take a hit on runtime with those as with primaries are
around 1300 ma, and the rcr's, around 600 ma or so.
I did line up a WF-139 and two Trustfire batts for $25 so we'll give it a whirl and see
how we do.

[NutSAK]

Good info, thanks again Terry.  They base their times on primary cr123's.  I was using
rcr123's and of course I always take a hit on runtime with those as with primaries are
around 1300 ma, and the rcr's, around 600 ma or so.
I did line up a WF-139 and two Trustfire batts for $25 so we'll give it a whirl and see
how we do.

I stopped using RCR123 some time ago.  They're really disappointing in capacity, even when buying good brands.  I have a pair of AW's that i purchased one year ago that have a tested capacity of about 530mAH each.  2 x 3.7V x 530 = 3.92 VA.  NOT GOOD.

Anyone want a free pair of AW RCR123 cells?

I did line up a WF-139 and two Trustfire batts for $25 so we'll give it a whirl and see
how we do.

Wow.  It's hard to go wrong with that little of an investment! 

[jekostas]

I did line up a WF-139 and two Trustfire batts for $25 so we'll give it a whirl and see
how we do.

Wow.  It's hard to go wrong with that little of an investment! 

Hm... yeah that's pretty expensive.  I swiped a bunch of protected 18650s from an old laptop battery back and got that cheap Shekor charger they were crowing about on CPF.  Only $10 all told.

[David]

Terry thats a nice collection of Peak lights.   

[NutSAK]

I did line up a WF-139 and two Trustfire batts for $25 so we'll give it a whirl and see
how we do.

Wow.  It's hard to go wrong with that little of an investment! 

Hm... yeah that's pretty expensive.  I swiped a bunch of protected 18650s from an old laptop battery back and got that cheap Shekor charger they were crowing about on CPF.  Only $10 all told.

The price of new Li-Ions vs. used is relative, I guess, since they have a shelf life and generally don't live long in hot laptops.  The Shekor charger looks pretty good since it has CC/CV, but how much capacity is left in those 18650s?  Free is free, but If they're down to near 1/2 capacity, they're not worth the bother of scavenging, IMO.

I've pulled plenty of 18650s from laptop packs, but I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone on a forum due to the risks involved.  I would rather suggest they buy some decent $5 protected cells, especially since most laptop cells are unprotected.

[Vladimir]

Picture of my edc collection:

[jekostas]

I've pulled plenty of 18650s from laptop packs, but I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone on a forum due to the risks involved.  I would rather suggest they buy some decent $5 protected cells, especially since most laptop cells are unprotected.

These are protected cells.  I was measuring out the voltage after a week of storage post-charge as 4.1V lowest to 4.13V highest, so capacity isn't bad.  As it is, I have only one (extremely cheap) 18650 so it made little sense to drop a lot on good batteries and a charger.  If I decide it's a route I want to take, I'll invest more in the future.,

[Sean]

Vladimir, nice flashlights.    How do you like them?  Do what you need 'em too?

I just picked up my WF-139 charger and 18650 batteries so anxious to see the
runtime on the TK-15 on high tonight after work.