The Be All And End All of Flashlights

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well that's it, I now have the perfect light, and when I tell you what it is, none of you will need this or any other flashlight forum ever again.  They will all be renamed "The Fenix L1P Appreciation Forum."  There will only be two sub forums, "People who have a Fenix L1P Forum" and "People who have several Fenix L1P Forum."

This little sucker is BRIGHT!  And, it's small- about the size of a pack of breath mints.  Clicky tailswitch.  And the best part- not only is the light cheap ($45 at Lighthound.com) but it also takes AA batteries!  None of those damned CR123's which are painfully expensive if I try to buy them locally.  Radio Shack sells the CR123's for a mere $12 each here.  I buy AA's for $10 for a 48 pack.

This light is sweet, and I think that it's the kind of light anyone can get into.  If you've been debating one of these, stop debating, get off your butt and get one!

Def

[NutSAK]

I have 3.  OK, well, mine are actually L2P heads on L1P single AA bodies.  They're the same brightness, but the L2P head regulates a little better, and doesn't dim as much at the end of its runtime as the L1P.

The L1Ps are great lights!  Simple, great 1 AA form factor, and well-built.  They really are a great EDC light, and will run perfectly fine on any ol' AA you can find.

Now, take the lumens of that light and multiply it by 2.5, and you have the output of the newer Fenix lights with Cree XR-E LEDs, or the Seoul Semiconductor LEDs.  When you get a hankerin' for something brighter, send it down my way and I'll put a Seoul P4 in it for you for free.  That would give you about 50% more brightness and 50% more runtime.  I've upgraded three of my lights in the last week (one was a Fenix L2P), and I plan to do many more.

[damota]

Well that's it, I now have the perfect light, and when I tell you what it is, none of you will need this or any other flashlight forum ever again.  They will all be renamed "The Fenix L1P Appreciation Forum."  There will only be two sub forums, "People who have a Fenix L1P Forum" and "People who have several Fenix L1P Forum."
snip


Def

You should have known better than making a statement like that. 

Dave

[Grant Lamontagne]

Terry- yoodaman!  I'll definately take you up on that offer!

Dave- I know what you mean, and to be honest, I did think that statement over before I posted it.  If I said it about SAKs or multitools or dogs or any one of the hundreds of things I am addicted to then I would be lying, but I am not a flashlight junkie.  I have been looking for a light that fits my needs, which I thought were simple, and this one finally does.

I was looking for a metal bodied LED light with a clickie type tailcap and it needed to run on standard AA or AAA batteries, and not cost a fortune.

This one does all that and quite well.  And it seems like it can be made even better.  Unless it burts into flames in my hands at some point, I think we have a winner!

Def

[NutSAK]

Terry- yoodaman!  I'll definately take you up on that offer!

For sure!  Any time.

I'll be posting some beamshots and brief reviews of the upgrades I've been doing this weekend.  That will give everyone a definite appreciation for these new super-high flux Cree and Seoul LEDs.

[damota]

I know what you meant about AA batteries compared to those CR123 Lithium's. If I buy the CR123 were I live they cost £5 for 2 that have to be got rid of when they are empty, Uni Ross are doing a introductionary offer a pack of 4 rechargeable's for £7 and they should last for 500 charges (900-1000 charges using them with one pair in the torch and the other on standby). The Fenix I bought, the batteries last far longer than the one that uses the CR123 so I am well pleased. Get the Cree upgrade they are really good.

Dave

[665ae]

I just wish it had a pocket clip... 

[Grant Lamontagne]

That shouldn't be too hard to fix...

Def

[Gryffin]

I know what you meant about AA batteries compared to those CR123 Lithium's.

Then there's "the best of both worlds": lights that can handle 14500 cells.

The 14500 is a 3.7V (4.2V fresh off the charger) lithium ion cell that's the size of a standard AA cell (14mm dia x 50mm len). It makes for a brighter light, better regulation (Li-Ion doesn't fade like alkaline), *and* the ability to use regular alkalines as a fall-back when a spare 14500 or charger isn't available.

I have three lights that can use 14500's: Fenix L1T, LiteFlux LF-1, and the JetBeam MkII X that just arrived in the mail today. I've heard that the Fenix L1P CE can handle 'em, too, but the official word from Fenix is "at your own risk". If you think the stock L1P is bright, you oughta see a Cree LED running at 4.2V! 

As you can imagine, popping a 3.7V 14500 into a light designed for standard 1.5V AA batteries is not a good idea. (Very bright... for the few milliseconds before the LED goes POOF!) But 4.2V-capable circuits seem to be becoming a standard feature in even the cheapest of lights from China and elsewhere.

For those who like the smaller, AAA-cell keychain-sized lights, some (like the Fenix L0P) can also use Li-Ion cells; the AAA-size one is the 10440 (10mm dia x 44mm len).

[Grant Lamontagne]

Interesting... I was planning to keep away from expensive batteries though.  I really like the "use em and lose em" batteries that I buy in bulk.  Not that I have a particular interest in them, but at $10 for 48, it's hard to argue.  Especially when you are using them one or two at a time in LED lights, which don't seem to eat them all that fast.  It was a pain when my digital cameras were chewing them up right left and center but I have finally broken down and bought nickel metal rechargeables for those.

The other one I am looking at is the Nuwai TM303 but it uses the "wrong" batteries...

Def

[NutSAK]

I use RCR123 3.7V (4.2V max) Li-Ions in my L2Ps and L2Ts with CR123a body (machined by Nekomane of CPF).  I still prefer to carry a AA flashlight w/NiMH though.  I just feel more comfortable carrying a light with common batteries.

Here is a pic of 3 L2P's.  The top one is fitted with a Nekomane CR123a body and a custom two-stage switch; the center one with an L1P body; and the L2P body is at the bottom:

[Grant Lamontagne]

Very nice...

I also like the standard AA or AAA lights.  I don't know if I need to have a brighter light all the time.  And, with as many years of toting incandescent Mags as I have, any LED light is going to have acceptable battery life.  So, the AA and AAA lights are fine for me.  I don't think I need to have a supernova in my pocket.

Def

[NutSAK]

Yep.  There are many times when my eyes are adjusted to the dark that I don't want a flashlight even as bright as an L1P, and would rather have a dim 5mm LED light like the Gerber Infinity Ultra, or a MiniMag w/NiteIze.  This is why I customized my L2P w/CR123a with a two-level switch.  It has the option of a very low low for those occasions (with accompanying great runtime) and full-blast on the high level.  Most of the BRIGHT new Cree and Seoul lights that you see for sale today have several different level modes to choose from.

[Gryffin]

I was planning to keep away from expensive batteries though.  I really like the "use em and lose em" batteries that I buy in bulk.

Expensive? They're rechargeable, you only hafta buy 'em once.    And like I said, you have the option to use those $10-for-48 batteries, too. But when you need to really "reach out and torch someone", the extra performance of the Li-Ions is worth every penny!

The other one I am looking at is the Nuwai TM303 but it uses the "wrong" batteries...

Had to look that model number up... that's the venerable Q-III, a great light when it was new; but the recent AA lights, like the Fenix L1P we're talking about here, blow it away -- with alkalines, much less lithium.