Alright so I’m a cop and work nights. I love some good flashlights and believe I should have as many as I can carry. So I’m dispatched to a rollover crash down a country road. I’m the first on scene and see the driver unconscious on the ceiling of this inverted sedan.
Driver is not responding at all so I choose to make entry. Somehow even though the car hit a rock cliff wall and flipped, not a single window broke. Somehow even though I get close to the driver and remember I have this fancy Acebeam L35! And I also remember in the advertisement pictures it had info on those sharp crenellations that can act as a window breaker! So I do so. Clutching the handle with the light pointing down and slamming it into the side window of this car. Nothing. I’m hitting as hard as I possibly can and nothing. Not even a scratch. I do end up bending the metal, idk, frame around one of the crenellations I was using but the window is fully intact. It was then I remember my fancy little glass breaker I keep on my belt. I pop it off, wrap my hand in a glove and click click click, the window pops. I then use my department issued streamlight and clear out the window the rest of the way.

Anyway all this to say that the “glass breaker edge” tactical shit is bologna. Don’t believe it. Get an actual window breaker and also, if you can, practice so you know what you’re doing.

The Acebeam if a fantastic flashlight, terrible glass breaker. Bonus olight clip, love that thing.

Edit: guy was fine btw. Super drunk hence the drove into rock wall.

Full discloser, this is my first duty-style tactical light. I wasn't sure what to expect but after a few weeks of using this, it's now a permanent passenger in my truck. I got the black color version but they have 10 color options. The specs are as follows:

MAX OUTPUT: 2100 lumens

MAX BEAM DISTANCE: 380 meters

MAX BEAM INTENSITY: 36,100 candela

MAX RUNTIME: 85 hours

WATER RESISTANCE: IPX7; 1 meter

IMPACT RESISTANCE: 2 meters

BATTERY: 1 x 18650 USB-C rechargeable (3400mAh)

DIMENSIONS: 156 mm length

WEIGHT: 183 g (without battery)

Build: As others have pointed out, the size and girth would make you think it might accept a larger battery, but it is indeed a dedicated 18650 light. The larger case makes it feel solid in your hand with no battery movement even when shaken thanks to a strong internal spring. The light includes a self branded 3500 mah protected 18650 battery which is what I used for all testing. The onboard usbC charger is hidden behind a collar that can be unscrewed and the head pushed forward. This probably contributes to the ipx7 rating. In front of the dual button are 4 small led indicators to check remaining battery at a glance. It flashes red as battery levels are almost gone. On the front of the bezel are ceramic glass-breaking beads. My wife told me I couldn't test it on her van, so I'll just have to take Nextorch's word for it. The tail cap doesn't have a magnet, which would have been useful, but might be a future option. Nextorch offers both a solid plastic and nylon option holsters on their website but I didn't purchase either.

U.I: Keep it simple. There's only high, medium, low, and strobe. The momentary power button half press makes high mode accessible first, followed by medium and low. Full press locks whichever mode you choose with no memory after powering off. Strobe has its own dedicated smaller switch above the power button, which is accessible from any mode. If you're looking for no frills, this is the light for you.

Lens/reflector and emitter: Using an Osram P9 paired with a deep orange-peel reflector, the beam profile is smooth with a usable hotspot and only a slight ring on the exterior but only noticeable when using indoors. Outdoors the beam is relatively uniform. The lens is PA plastic but durable and slightly recessed behind the protruding strike bezel.

Performance: On high it held full brightness for about 7 min before throttling to about 50% where it ran for another almost 3 hours. On medium I got a solid 4 hours before shutting off. I didn't have time to see low runtimes. You can see some beam profile and shots in the included photos.

All-in-all a sturdy built 18650 sized carry/duty light with simple controls and easy to use with decent run time. If you need instant shortcuts to moon or low, this might not be the best option for you. But for anyone else this is a solid choice for edc.

Link to product:

https://www.amazon.com/NEXTORCH-P80-2100lm-Rechargeable-Flashlight/dp/B0GXDZMHYR?th=1&psc=1

I've been wanting to replace my S6 that I keep in my car with something with more throw. Wonder when simon will release the L21c? Hopefully the new F150r is included as well.

Swapped an SQ5 4000k in the warrior mini 3. Much better tint, smaller more defined hotspot over theSFT40. Swapped a 50/50 SFT-25R 5700k in my Weltool T2 TAC. Again, better tint and more throw.

Impatient? Compare them yourself on my Flashlight Comparator

**Price Range**: Under $100. Batteries are a plus.

**Purpose**: General purpose, lots of times outdoors (camping, running the trash out).

**Battery Type & Quantity**: 18650 seems fine? AAA? AA? Don't care. I'm not a battery snop.

**Size**: Comfortably fits in a pocket. Alternatively, full handheld for the camping light. Recs on both would be good.

**Type**: Handheld.

**Main Use**: Pocket carry. Alternatively, if you're recommending a big camping light, in a pack.

**Switch Type**: No preference, just good ergos.

**Anything Else?**: Durability is really important. Don't need 20k lumens, but at least 1000 would be very nice (even more would be good). Candela is probably more important anyway.

New police officer that’s been on here a little while playing with convoys but now time for a good duty light. I think I’ve narrowed it down to these two. I like Fenix, but they don’t make anything in the 100k+ Candela range so now I’m here.

Any advice regarding UI, durability, or anything else that might be a factor? Would the L16 2.0 have the same UI as my L19 2.0? Thanks in advance!

I'm currently experimenting with building an ultralight headlamp mount. This is the current version, inspired by the Petzl SWIFT LT. I've also prepared a quick adjuster similar to Petzl's, but I haven't tested it yet. It might help reduce the pressure on the back of your head, but for now, I'll stick with the simpler solution and see how it performs.

Once I'm finished, the FreeCAD model will be uploaded to Printables. It's fully parametric and the sizes can be adjusted in the VarSet. I haven't tested which ranges result in a valid body, but I guess it should be fairly robust.

Looking into getting myself a nicer flashlight compared to the relatively cheap ones I’ve always had laying around and am a bit overwhelmed by all the lumen specs, so my question is, how many are actually needed?

As in at what point do you start noticing diminishing returns versus an actual solid difference in functionality? At what point are the added lumens just a “flex” and more for bragging rights or very specific scenarios compared to actual added utility

I don’t need a bat signal, and don’t need one that blinds people, just kind of a general purpose one. Something to light up a dark room or area, to help navigate while walking a bit, read something, maybe help if needing to look at something under the hood of my car at night, etc., - how many lumens is good for that?

I've had a bunch since I got into fancy flashlights.. D4V2, KR4, E07X (and A LOT of other Fireflies).. all great, but this one certainly gets the most use. It's a Reylight Pineapple mini in brass. Since 2022 it's been clipped to my pockets most days. Getting home late at night up my treacherous home stairs, fixing things on my broken old car again, it's always close by. It has been a reliable companion, with the perfect size and enough light for most everyday situations. The grip has also shredded a few cheap phone cases over the years, hehe.

The original battery that came with it died a while ago (10440?), and I couldn't find a replacement in my country, but I am running rechargeable AAAs in it now, which is fine.

So yes, just wanted to give some props to this light. It's a very popular one of course, but I really do think it's pretty awesome.

What is the cheapest copper flashlight available?

I need a decent smd test for emitters. What do you guys recommend .

When maglite lamps were in their golden age and before the invention of LEDs, was their brightness sufficient and usable in practice?

Photos were shot using Honor 90, Pro Mode.

For the shots in alley, ISO3200 1/30s, and for park with trees, ISO 5000 1/8s settings were used.

WB was locked to 5000K.

Also, I ensured what my eyes saw is what in the photos.

IMPORTANT - During all three days I shot, there has been heavy rain in India. This caused mist and some dust, in turn causing the beam line in 2nd and 3rd photo collage to look so strong. The beam line is more translucent than this, and only the end hotspot/corona/spill have the intensity shown in photos.

NOTES

• F45R 3000K impressed me, because it barely had lesser output than 4000K or 5000K, and it looks phenomenal in wet conditions. Words cannot describe it. It is the most underrated emitter this year.
• F45R 4000K continues to be great.
• After having tested F45R 5000K in S21B, I intentionally skipped it. SFT-42R is the supreme 5000K thrower. Neutral, clinical, does not hurt eyes, shows accurate colours.
• A small note, I seemed to have aimed SFT-42R a little farther down the alley, otherwise the intensity is slightly more than F45R 4000K. Apologies for this.
• The vinyl filter is the yellow sheet used on car headlights by people on 6500K+ headlights these days (fuck Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar and anyone who does it). I decided it would be interesting to try it on SFT-42R 5000K and compare to F45R 4000K.
• I like 5000K for the most neutral, balanced colours of objects. Even in wet conditions I prefer it, but others may have different preferences about this, and that is OK. I am strictly utilitarian. However, I cannot deny that I did not like 4000K in wet conditions.
• I tried to ensure collimation of beam and gasket positioning was proper in L21A. It was as good as I could try, but Simon's gaskets for L21A and bigger lights have room for improvement.

Mi primera linterna 18650!!! Una wurkkos fc11c 5000k, estoy muy emocionado por probarla está noche, gracias a todos los que han dejado info sobre ella. Tengo una fénix e05r desde hace 3 años y siempre me complicó el tema de tener tan poca batería, espero que ese problema esté resuelto con mi nueva adquisición. ¿Alguien más tiene una fc11c en su bolsillo estos días?

(Left) L21B SFT42R 5000K (Right) 3X21D SBT90.2 5700K both at 100%
ISO 200, 1 sec shutter speed, 5000k color temp

I mean if you can find a protected tabless two pin top 21700! It pulls about 30amps on turbo which 45amps is about the max for the stock cell it comes with. I'm wondering if it will be better with a higher max amp rated tabless battery it may not be a total improvement but it may fix the red light of death issue.

Ok I have been using a herd of zebralights for 8 years caving and finally messed up one of them (I put a slightly too large battery (Fenix) in and now can’t get it out). I am researching replacements. It is the flood lamp (H600Fc Mk IV). Should I just purchase another zebra or is there something else out there that is a real flood (No harsh spot & spill) that I haven’t considered yet? I prefer 18650 lights just for interoperability (though I have learned that there are some batteries that are too wide for the zebra now 🤦‍♀️). I’ve tried other lights off and on (lol) for the last few years but always get annoyed at the harshness and the central focal spot. TIA!

Just started a year ago. I'm a night shift A&P mechanic so these all get cycled around. Satisfying my nerd brain.

Yesterday, a friend told me he was looking for an LEP flashlight. He mentioned that standard zoomable flashlights cannot produce a tight spot when focused at very long distances. This makes it difficult for hunters to tell whether a distant deer is a viable target.

Is hunting the only use case for LEP flashlights? What other applications do LEP lights have?