LED Torch

[TechnicAl]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zoomable...418820&hash=item5d89b44a6d:g:DikAAOSwfglZu7n3

Ive got 3 or 4 of these and all have been spot on and very bright.......they use either one expensive battery or theres a cassette thing that holds 3 AAA batteries, so cheap......I find ordinary duracells last longer than the rechargeable ones

Also got some of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tactical...a=0&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219

 

[Parm]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zoomable...418820&hash=item5d89b44a6d:g:DikAAOSwfglZu7n3

Ive got 3 or 4 of these and all have been spot on and very bright.......they use either one expensive battery or theres a cassette thing that holds 3 AAA batteries, so cheap......I find ordinary duracells last longer than the rechargeable ones

Also got some of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tactical-Outdoor-LED-T6-Lamp-Flashlight-Torch-50000LM-Zoomable-5-Modes-18650/173555276628?_trkparms=aid=333200&algo=COMP.MBE&ao=1&asc=60097&meid=12e975924db147c794f6106a09a08b09&pid=100008&rk=1&rkt=12&sd=401742252653&itm=173555276628&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219

 

[Maker]

Some torches have outputs quoted in LUMENS and some CANDLEPOWER........I read that Lumens divided by 12.57 = candlepower.......so my 12000 lumens torch is about 1000 candlepower, so my 2 million candlepower lamp is 2000 times brighter........I must be missing something as it isnt

Lumen and Chinese lumen aren't the same thing.

 

[northwest]

There are forums with mainly Europeans and Americans, designing new torches on a regular basis and having them built directly by the Chinese manufacturers, they are way ahead of the big brands now with properly designed thermals, complex UI’s and unbelievable power.

I have been a member of the Candlepower forum for years and yes, had a massive influence on the way some torches/flashlights are made. Massive power is now available which was only a pipe dream a couple of years ago, but the batteries needed to keep that zillion lumens alive for anything more than five minutes are not yet readily available cheaply.

These aren’t click on, click off type lights, you will need to learn the UI but trust me it, you will never go back to Fenix/Lenser etc

But are complex user interfaces really necessary? Most people just want the torch to come on then go off. I have a couple of Surefire's which have some pretty trick electronics in them, but all they do is switch on and off. One in particular cost a fair few quid, but only turns on and off.
But these torches will work. As long as there is power in the battery, they are guaranteed to work and that is the issue. When things could get a bit sticky if the torch goes out on you, you need to make absolutely certain it doesn't. This always translates into cost as the thing will be manufactured to a standard.
The very last thing you need to happen when you drop onto the rear deck of a ship from a helicopter in darkness and you flick the switch is for it to go into battery saving mode, or strobe mode or indeed any other mode except ON. In these instances you want the very best and simplest torch. Your mind will not be focused on a UI of any sort. It will be elsewhere.

 

[J1nx]

But are complex user interfaces really necessary? Most people just want the torch to come on then go off....


....The very last thing you need to happen when you drop onto the rear deck of a ship from a helicopter in darkness and you flick the switch is for it to go into battery saving mode, or strobe mode or indeed any other mode except ON. In these instances you want the very best and simplest torch. Your mind will not be focused on a UI of any sort. It will be elsewhere.

No, not necessary. Most people seem to be against well thought out UI (it’s only complex when it’s not familiar) until they actually use it, then almost no-one goes back.


As for reliability then sure, buy a Surefire with US military approval for a huge sum and get an inferior torch and rely on the same batteries.

I use mine to climb the stairs at night without waking everyone with the landing light, using moonlight or firefly. Then switching to sunset so it fades away slowly whilst reading or just nodding off. A quick battery check in the morning indicates if I should charge the thing.

Im afraid I’m at the age where I’m more likely to be getting up for a pee at 3am rather than play Steven segal in under siege. The BLF A6 I will take to work today has been used and abused for years, it looks a mess, it has also been 100% reliable. I’ve heard of no failures of thousands sold, I’m sure a few have but if mine did, I’d buy another one for about £20 on banggood.

The A6 is actually very simple, it was at the start of modern driver designs with better UI’s.

 

[pedrobedro]

Got any links?

Just type cree torch in ebay search it will find loads of LED torches. I got a little one for £3.95 claims to be about 6000 lumens. I can't verify this but it is very bright.

The very last thing you need to happen when you drop onto the rear deck of a ship from a helicopter in darkness and you flick the switch is for it to go into battery saving mode, or strobe mode or indeed any other mode except ON.

All because the lady loves Milk Tray ? Mine goes high to start, then low then strobe and you only need a light press to change mode not off and on again so it's not complicated and doesn't take long or need any amount of effort or thought. Always check your equipment before you go on a mission 007.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I forgot I bought a cyclist's torch to make a close-area work light - three illumination levels and recharged using the USB connector.



Illumination level 1



And 3

 

[Farside]

But are complex user interfaces really necessary? Most people just want the torch to come on then go off. I have a couple of Surefire's which have some pretty trick electronics in them, but all they do is switch on and off. One in particular cost a fair few quid, but only turns on and off.
But these torches will work. As long as there is power in the battery, they are guaranteed to work and that is the issue. When things could get a bit sticky if the torch goes out on you, you need to make absolutely certain it doesn't. This always translates into cost as the thing will be manufactured to a standard.
The very last thing you need to happen when you drop onto the rear deck of a ship from a helicopter in darkness and you flick the switch is for it to go into battery saving mode, or strobe mode or indeed any other mode except ON. In these instances you want the very best and simplest torch. Your mind will not be focused on a UI of any sort. It will be elsewhere.

Ditto on all of that.
I've always sought out the simple, basic controlled torches with a max of low /high / blink and I much prefer ones with just on/off.
If I could be bothered with the fiddliness of it, I could get the control inserts and molish my own, but life's too short for that.

 

[dobbslc]

I have the head torch version and its brill on the pushbike very long range and defined beam

So it's you that's blinding oncoming traffic then?

 

[northwest]

All because the lady loves Milk Tray ? Mine goes high to start, then low then strobe and you only need a light press to change mode not off and on again so it's not complicated and doesn't take long or need any amount of effort or thought. Always check your equipment before you go on a mission 007.

My days of playing Action Man are long, long over. However, I do supply kit to some lads who are "working overseas" and they are very insistent on brand, model, origin, colour and every other specification of whatever it is. I get that. I have one guy who services the mini-guns for one outfit and a nicer chap you couldn't wish to meet, but pedantic? He makes Pedants sound reckless.

Next up we are going to talk about knives. Holy Moly! Now there is a subject with more scope for pedantry than torches.

 

[Munkul]

For the workshop, two magnetic Sealey LED360s and a portable battery floodlight - provides all the worklighting I usually need.

For the car, I have a 3 cell maglite with LED conversion. Awesome torch It had a great UI - single button press for on, press again for off. Exactly what I want in a torch.

 

[dobbslc]

UI !
It's a torch FFS!
On and off is all it needs.
I have a few cheapy LED torches and head lights and they ALL have buttons that once turned on will cycle through 4 other functions before turning off!!!
AAARRRRGGGGHHH

 

[TechnicAl]

Why do they include the flashing mode.........Ive no use for it and cant imagine what use it is.

 

[Climber]

Why do they include the flashing mode.........Ive no use for it and cant imagine what use it is.

Some of mine flash 3 long and 3 short repeatedly, as an SOS signal.

 

[TechnicAl]

Some of mine flash 3 long and 3 short repeatedly, as an SOS signal.

mine just flash very quickly

 

[Climber]

mine just flash very quickly

Some of them are advertised as 'tactical'. I think you are supposed to be able to use the fast flash to disorientate an assailant, or some other such nonsense.

 

[TechnicAl]

Some of them are advertised as 'tactical'. I think you are supposed to be able to use the fast flash to disorientate an assailant, or some other such nonsense.

Oh right.....Id never have thought of that.........think i would use it as a cosh first

 

[Climber]

Oh right.....Id never have thought of that.........think i would use it as a cosh first

The trouble is with stuff like torches, knives and a lot of outdoor kit is that it's marketed to 'preppers' who like to think they are preparing for the end of the world with all their gadgets, which in turn means that a lot of perfectly good gear ends up with stupid features.

 

[J1nx]

That’s the badly designed UI, that’s the point.

New UI’s are friendly to use, you want on and off, that’s fine. You can chose that, you can chose what mode to start in and how to cycle, you can chose ramping or stepping or single brightness, you can have strobes but hide them away if not, you can have heartbeat mimic which grabs attention on a bike setup for example, you can have lightning stobe for fun or candle mode to put in your Halloween pumpkin or old lantern for cool effects. You can set safety parameters like voltage limits or thermal limits, you can also remove them should you really need to start a fire with a torch. Maybe you really don’t need any of that but it’s the way it going and it brings benefits for people who don’t even realise, years ago low voltage protection and reverse polarity became common place and now a load of idiots walk around with working lights they would of destroyed without even realising, with ever higher power Li-ions the safety features built in are at least as important as the ‘toys’ but they come together as that’s what the designers put in when the capabilities of the driver chips are increased.

I bet anybody describing a iPhone in the 90’s would of been laughed at, ‘why on earth would a damn phone need to do more than make a call’, but hey, some people still think that now

 

[Tangledfeet]

Some of them are advertised as 'tactical'. I think you are supposed to be able to use the fast flash to disorientate an assailant, or some other such nonsense.

I read somewhere that the 'tactical' bit refers to the shape of the protruding shell past the lens, and the fact it can be used as a weapon.