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Posted: 11/24/2005 7:41:40 PM EDT
Just to let you know, Im am a total noob to lights I have a brinkman maxfire Lx (wally world light thread) and really liked the light output, I understand it compares to the surefire G2, I really wanted to try a nice bright light, without sinking alot of money into it in the beginning to see if I was really going to be interested in one. Now my delima, I understand that any light can blow at anytime, no matter the shock protection or not, except for the LED type lights. First is that an accurate assesment of the durability of lexon type bulbs? What I would like to know, and I have searced the web, here, and flashlightreviews.com, and still am confused about lumen, candlepower, throw, etc....... I would like to know what LED light is as bright as a surefire g2, Brinkman Maxfire, etc type light. I have been reading about the INOVA 3 watt LED lights, but I would like more comparisons to choose from. Also are the LED lights more expensive than the G2 type light. Any thouhgts, opinions and knowledge is most appreciated. I also want to eventually mount it to my ar's yhm ff tube. Thanks
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The 3w LED's are the way to go, they'll be as bright (& even brighter in certain aspects) as the std. G2 P60 lamp. For a more affordable 3w LED I would highly recommend the Pentagon L2-HA-3W LED. The L2-3w is an excellent value, superb beam performance and the HA finish and the fact it comes std. with a clicker tailcap are added bonuses, not to mention the excellent pricing. And yes, there's no guarantees on an incandascent lamp lifespan, a hard hit or drop when hot can be the sudden end of a lamp. 
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Keep an eye out here www.bugoutgearusa.com/drledmo.html Drop one in your maxfire, you'll be happy. |
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The LED is robust compared to an incandescent bulb because LEDs do not have glass bulbs filled with gas at high pressure containing a filament that when in use is trying hard to vapourise. There are many things that can go wrong. With an LED flashlight there is still the possibility of in-use failures. For example, if we assume that the LED flashlight has been so designed that it doesn't over-heat the LED (quite an assumption in some cases) and thereby dramatically shorten it's lifespan, there is the not so small matter of contacts, connections and electronics components breaking or wearing out. At the other end there could be issues with the construction of the switch. Bottomline, yes LED flashlights tend to be more durable but that doesn't mean you don't have to treat them with care and ensure they are sufficiently looked after. With regards to LED output - yes, a LuxeonIII or LuxeonV LED can output more light than the average 5W incandescent bulb, and more importantly LED flashlights can often maintain that output for a far longer period during the battery runtime through electronic regulation. Al |
Now that is slick. I see one in Quibs future! |
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Pelican sent me out a free one to try of their new M6 LED 3w. They had a regular LED M6 that only had a 41 lumens bulb. The new three watt is 65-70 lumens. It is more than bright enough ofr indors. I like the white light of the LED's more than say the G2's. This model is only available in hard anodized OD. Great flashlight and very durable so far. I would buy this flashlight in a heartbeat. It is new and harder to find than the Pentagon. This is 100% warranted - if it breaks for whatever reason Pelican will replace. That does not help in the middle of a gunfight, but I can thoroughly test and beat it beforehand to see if I can get it to fail. Cannot compare to the Pentagon lights (which I hear nothing but good things). I would like to try the Pentagon - but since I am too cheap to buy one now since I have a perfectly good flashlight - it will have to wait. If you go with the PEnt, go with the green hard anodized - it is more durable, not shiny, and only about $5 more. They even make the pigtail to match. Several good dealers (bright who has chimed in) and also check out Tim at www.tacticalsupplies.us - he has good pricing and deals on the Pentagon lights. These 3w versions also can get up to 4 hours on one set of batteries as opposed to 20mins-1hr with the G2. My G2 has been demoted and is replaced by 3w LED's. Never a fan of the LED's until now. Make sure it the 3w flavor. |
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Another thing to consider - There is very little difference in useable light output between 5w led's and 3w led's, but the 3w led's will give you better runtimes. 1w led's are plenty bright for general use, but are not quite bright enough (IMO) to mount on a weapon. In other words, stick with 3w variants, no matter which brand you get. I also reccomend the Pentagonlight L2. Most other makes of comparible quality will cost $30-$50 more than the L2. |
As far as full strength beam performance, the Gladius, P.L. L2, Pelican M6 3w and SF's new 3w KL3 head are all the cream of the crop. They are virtually identical in range (throw) performance but of the four, the Pelican does have noteably less flood. |
The KL3 has a different optic to the X200A. The KL3's optic is not used by any other bezel. The X200A was the first optic - intense beam with no sidespill. Next came the KL1 with opened out the beam, and then a larger optic for the KL3 with a wider beam still. It's a development process. It's worth pointing out taht the KL3 is not driven as hard as the Gladius so it's output will be less. The KL3 does not have the same type or amount of sidespill as the Gladius or most other lights that use reflector. The KL3 generates an impressively intense beam from relatively low lumen output. This lack of output shows in the lack of a generous sidespill afforded by using a reflector. Whilst the KL3 is a step forward in otpics, I still prefer a reflector-based LED beam compared to an optic-based LED beam from the current crop of released products. Optics have not yet caught up with reflectors in released products. When they do the bezels will be shorter than reflector-based LED lights. I am confident this will happen in 2006. I can understand that some people can't or don't want to wait. It's taking time and whilst I'm along for the ride being interested in flashlights, most people aren't(!) Al |
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