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Posted: 11/9/2008 11:49:28 AM EDT
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Anyone have any AA flashlights probably LED that are worth the money for use with a home defense AR? The whole 123 lithium battery thing sucks to me.
I am thinking about these: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9070http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9070 http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9070http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9070 http://www.cfrlights.com/servlet/the-312/cree,-rebel,-sos,-Auto-dsh-remember,/Detail http://www.cfrlights.com/servlet/the-312/cree,-rebel,-sos,-Auto-dsh-remember,/Detail Any suggestions, comments |
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There is nothing that I know of that I would trust. Just buy 123's from cfrlights and be happy.
Olights are good lights, but they lack battery isolation and springs at both ends so the battery will bounce on and off the contact from recoil. I have a t25-t, and it is nice, but it ain't set up to go on a gun. I have contemplated taking a 3x123 light like a 9p or G3 and, using a piece of tubing as filler, make it a 2xaa light then modding a LED module to run on 2xaa, but I have not gotten around to it yet. |
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Quoted:
There is nothing that I know of that I would trust. Just buy 123's from cfrlights and be happy. Olights are good lights, but they lack battery isolation and springs at both ends so the battery will bounce on and off the contact from recoil. I have a t25-t, and it is nice, but it ain't set up to go on a gun. I have contemplated taking a 3x123 light like a 9p or G3 and, using a piece of tubing as filler, make it a 2xaa light then modding a LED module to run on 2xaa, but I have not gotten around to it yet. I'm hoping for some elaboration regarding the above highlighted comment. Are you saying that any flashlight without springs at the switch and the lamp will suffer from battery bounce? I guess I've been under a false pretense considering all the folks here who rave about the P60-sized LED drop-ins. Most them, including the Malkoff version have no spring on the lamp. Does this to mean that the popular G2 with high-powered LED drop-in is not a good idea for a weapon light? I'm trying to finalize my choice for an M4 weapon light system, but this new detail eliminates a lot of options. What do you think about the Surefire M2 with an LED drop-in? I'm now considering this light due to its claim of a shock-isolation system. Thanks for your time |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
There is nothing that I know of that I would trust. Just buy 123's from cfrlights and be happy. Olights are good lights, but they lack battery isolation and springs at both ends so the battery will bounce on and off the contact from recoil. I have a t25-t, and it is nice, but it ain't set up to go on a gun. I have contemplated taking a 3x123 light like a 9p or G3 and, using a piece of tubing as filler, make it a 2xaa light then modding a LED module to run on 2xaa, but I have not gotten around to it yet. I'm hoping for some elaboration regarding the above highlighted comment. Are you saying that any flashlight without springs at the switch and the lamp will suffer from battery bounce? I guess I've been under a false pretense considering all the folks here who rave about the P60-sized LED drop-ins. Most them, including the Malkoff version have no spring on the lamp. Does this to mean that the popular G2 with high-powered LED drop-in is not a good idea for a weapon light? I'm trying to finalize my choice for an M4 weapon light system, but this new detail eliminates a lot of options. What do you think about the Surefire M2 with an LED drop-in? I'm now considering this light due to its claim of a shock-isolation system. Thanks for your time Surefire makes a special shock absorbing head for thier lights. Malkoff makes a special spring washer that is intended for use when their module is used in these heads. http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_8&products_id=6 The Malkoff also has a small spring where it makes contact with the battery. I have seen people rave about mounting Brinkman maxfires to their guns and say they have not had issues. It does not have a front spring on it either. 123's are more forgiving in this regard because they are lighter and bounce is not as noticeable, but aa's are heavy and all of my aa and 2xaa lights will flicker if dropped on their tail. Would I recommend a Brinkman maxfire? NO. Most of my experience with flashlights involves personal lights and not weapon lights and I know that many of the features found on weapons grade lights are not available in anything that is powered by AA's. I also know that not all Surefires are ready from the box to be mounted on a gun, at least not by their standards, or they would not have made the shock isolation bezel. I carry a Fenix or Olight at work and use them constantly. For what they are they are good lights, but just from walking around they develop smutz on the contacts and on the threads that prevents them from working right and causing flicker. You got to wipe them off from time to time. My Olight T25's barrel is so big that batteries rattle and move more than they should causing smutz to built up fast unless I tape my batteries together. You can stick any light on any gun and make it work for a short while, I remember people mounting mag lites and mini mags to guns. Truthfully, I weapon lights are not my exact forte and if someone can correct me in these observations they are more than welcome to, but I am relatively certain in my assertion that there is nothing in AA that is weapons grade, at least by my criteria. I have 3 nitecores, a bunch of Fenix's, and have been through bunches of other lights. When they make a AA light that is weapons grade I will be on it. That may change though, I am going to find a 3x123 light here soon and mod it. |
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Thanks. Your observations make sense to me. And you are right, I've never seen an LED AA light with any sort of shock isolation system, even if it is just springs at both ends.
BTW; I think your Olight T25 T20 body rattles CR123s because it can also hold a single 18650 rechargeable cell. I have a couple LED lights using this system. The rechargable 18650 is certainly more cost effective! At this point I need to decide if dropping a spring-backed, P60-sized LED into a 2xCR123 body will work as a weapons light. I really don't understand how I'd gain anything with the much more expensive weapons-grade Surefire lights when I have a shock-proof LED lamp with spring-loaded batteries. I always thought Surefire developed the shock isolation system to protect the fragile incandescent bulbs. If anyone can enlighten me on why I need a weapons-grade Surefire with an LED drop-in, please advise. Thanks |
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http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/yekimak/DSC00248.jpg There are other plusses to going Surefire. The chem coat internals, heavy threading, and so on. 10-4 I have CR123s on the brain. |
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Ok if there are no AA optiond then perhaps we can switch to a good weapon light that is rechargeable. I would like to $50 - 100 for both the flashlight and battery pack/charger.
Any good kits/packages out there? What about this? http://www.lighthound.com/XTAR-CREE-LED-18650-Rechargeable-Flashlight_p_6-2381.html or even this seems really good. http://www.lighthound.com/XTAR-SSC-P7-LED-18650-Rechargeable-Flashlight––300-lumens_p_13-2623.html It looks like you can buy rechargeable CR123 batteries. Anyone have any luck with them? Any thoughts about that? |
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You can snag a TLR1 from lapolicegear.com for less that $80 and 20 123a's from cfrlights.com for $20 shipped. there is a free shipping coupon for lapolicegear, it is "tactical". This isn't the ideal set up for hard core gearheads but it will work for HD and is gear meant for use on a firearm. If you want to know about rechargeable batteries goto candlepowerforums.com and check out the electronics section. Most lithium rechargeables run 3.7 volts and can frag a light meant to run on primaries only. |
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