Here's the result of like two afternoons of goofing around with this light.
Turns out there's just enough space to wedge an 18650 cell inside and have it stuck in place pretty tightly, so I printed two orange pieces that I melted braided copper into to produce a solid connection with the battery.

From my estimates the light should only ever be drawing something like 8A so the Vapcell N41 is perfectly sufficient, plus it lets me brag that I doubled the capacity of this flashlight lmao

The wiring actually looks pretty tidy, I routed the two wires that go to the rear of the system differently because they were getting sheared in their previous location. Thus the """"Tacticalness"""" of this light is preserved, and it's still working.

Additionally I swapped the SFT40 EIP 1 main emitter for an SFT42r which should in theory be a pure upgrade.
I'm pretty impressed with this thing, it sits a lot more nicely in the hand than I anticipated, the bulge is very nicely positioned.
There's no clip currently because I don't have screws long enough to go through the whole stack and was too lazy to fiddle with the curved surfaces of the back case more than I already had to, so this is how it'll be for now.
Next up, andúril I guess? shrug

Also, don't buy the OVerpriced light. they're not worth it.

I hope we are getting a metal button with a satisfying click. Just as I thought i was done for awhile.. damn.

White and purple looking sharp for me.

I put an NV1010 in a C8+. No gasket needed since the MPCB is screwed on the integrated pill and the OP reflector has a lip resting on the head compressed by the glass and bezel. Used the 20a buck from simon and even though it was tight with wires, it fit perfectly. There is a faint hotspot but it's really hard to tell, almost all flood. I removed 1mm from the bottom of the reflector but it was shorting with the leads, so cleaned up the solder and took another mil off and now it's perfect. I just used my angle grinder upside down and rubbed the bottom of the reflector, only took a few seconds. Now the emitter dimensions fill the bottom hole as well so looks like 2mil is needed anyway. I'll get some beam shots tonight when it's dark.

Ostensibly this should be an upgrade over ArkPro Ultra, but it’s got a major drawback. Olight has been adding more and more features and cost with every Ark-generation. I think they’ve reached the point of diminishing returns with ArkTac Ultra.

It adds an excellent main tail switch, great proximity sensor, red light, glass breakers, a questionably-useful secondary tail switch, a weird pocket clip, and one major issue: you can’t select between spot/flood manually. ArkTac has spot beam that’s perfect for everything, but forces you to use the way-too-floody beam most of the time. With that issue, the sky-high price tag, and the built-in battery, this one is hard to recommend.

NASA asks us to use our beloved flashlights on November 17th: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1/shine-bright-for-voyagers-light-day/

I got my hands on one of the test models of the arktac and decided to strip it down to see if the battery capacity could be improved.
The battery is glued down with the same permanent sealant adhesive that the lid uses (which they also removed the little opening tab from that the arkpro had) so unless either of those things are subject to change with the actual release model they are NOT fixing these lights when you send one back.

Ridiculously unserviceable, and I've had my fair share of experiences taking apart stuff like surface tablets. This is still one of if not the worst thing I've ever had to take apart.

For anyone who is curious how I did it, solvents and heat did not make any difference because the glue is some kind of rubbery almost foam-like substance. so I ended up using cutting wire carefully slipped under the battery and gently sawed through it. Took an hour, and I am willing to bet the failure rate on damaging the battery is high. Truly horrendous.

Followup with completed mod here!

I wanted a couple of Convoy S2+/S6/S7 compatible 18350 tubes in colours which aren't currently stocked.

I got some cerokote / powder coating quotes from local suppliers which were just plain ridiculous, so I thought I'd give it a go myself using off the shelf rattle cans.

The process:

Filed and sanded down the coating and knurling from black 18350 tubes. Metal file > Nail file > Wire brush > Various sandpaper grades > Scotch-Brite pad.

Painting:

Layer 1-- 2 coats of grey automotive etch primer (onto the bare aluminium)

Layer 2-- 2 coats of grey alkyd primer (a light wet-sanding once fully dry with 800 grit)

Layer 3-- 3 coats of white alkyd (to make the coloured layers pop)

Layer 4-- 3 coats of coloured acrylic

Layer 5-- 3 coats of clear coat acrylic

It was a fair bit of effort for only 2 tubes, but I'm pretty happy with how they turned out and hopefully they should be pretty durable. 🙏

I'm leaving them 72 hours to fully harden before fitting into black S6 bodies as part of a coloured CSLM1 set. I'll add some more pic's once they're all finished.

HDS #63. I did a Cree swap on it back when the XR-E was all the new hotness, added the bezel, and honestly it still makes a great EDC. It was my first real flashlight after Mags, I took a drive to Ft. Worth to pick it up in person.

-wurkkos TS26 519a 5000k
-olight arkfeld pro
-wurkkos FC11C 519a 4000k
-convoy m21h LHP73b 5000k

not pictured olight oclip

looking at maybe the acebeam L35 or EC90. thoughts?

F8B: x8 NBD70
NBD1200: See Goliath Definition
NB1: NBD160 HCRI
3x21D: SBT90.2 Red

Enjoy.

I love my olight i5 and my Maglite Solitaire. Just a simple flashlight with click or twist with 1 or 2 lighting levels and a removable battery.

All newly released flashlights have sidelights, lasers uv light and 6 different levels for the main light. Maybe it's just me but if I'd carry one of those I would need to carry the manual with me too with hundreds of different button combinations you need to press.

Does anyone have some recommendations for simple edc flashlights with maximum of 3 modes and a removable battery? ​

Hi everyone! I need your help with something.

I'm currently undecided between buying two flashlights: the Pioneman K35-C and the Convoy M21B. They seem to be similar in size, but I'm not sure about their build quality.

I'd really appreciate it if you could help me with the following questions:

Which one has a more solid and robust build, and which has a better-quality finish and anodizing?

Which one is more durable?

Which one produces better light output and overall beam quality?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hey everyone

Mini review, looks like it may be the first for this light, which, awesome. Also my first review ever, so enjoy

No rubber cover or anything, USB-C port is right there in the open, which if it’s waterproof, I’m good with it, it’s the rear of the head that sits against the head strap, so hopefully not too much debris ingress

Also, they included a free battery, looked to be either Samsung or molicel, but I didn’t look close enough, more excited to see if the charging worked

See the pictures, it has a standard usb-c on the back of the head beneath the magnets, comparison lights shown in 5th pic, then beans, h600 4k, h600fd 5k, A6, then A6 deuce, bonus sc600 iv plus hi shot included last

I plugged it in, while charging the light would blink 1-4 times every 5 seconds to show battery level, I had it plugged in for almost an hour and already got battery from 2 blinks to 4, didn’t charge it fully, doggie was ready to go for test time

I took the comparison shots with my iPhone, these are my first beams, so ain’t much in the way of a professional review haha, not white balanced and iPhone does auto brightness adjustment

She’s bright ! Decent throw, appears to be same optic as original A6. To the eye, she’s more throwy than my 2019 H600 neutral white. Very similar overall to my 2022 h600FD 5k. On the high end of cool, but not so blue to where I can’t use it (I’m not a huge fan of cool white)

I like how consistently the A6 holds their brightness level

Solid zebralight quality that I’ve relied on heavily doing construction/urbex/dog walks for over 10 years now. Im a fan of their lights, nothing too fancy and they just work.

Hope you enjoyed the review !

NASA is celebrating Voyager being 1 light day away and asking people to join in. This is very r/flashlight coded. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1/shine-bright-for-voyagers-light-day/

Friend also had an HD03 that I gave him as a gift)

I had it repaired but I dropped the sucker from quite high on my ladder onto concrete.

Are there any recommendations for a Zebra or others which make use of the 18650 Flat top batteries that I have? :)

I am in Canada and I feel nekid without my pocket-carry light! hah hah.

In an effort to help with gauging the best (or in this case brightest) bang for the buck, I invested in a light meter to grab lumen and candela values for a handful of popular white lights. To no surprise, manufacturer specs aren’t always the most accurate..

So as to not just have you look at a chart of numbers, I also filmed each light head at night to show the beam from 50-500 yards.

Hope this helps in your gear selection.

I currently own an Olight Oclip Pro.
It performs three functions—flood, spot, and red light—at what I’d consider an average level.
For flood lighting, it lacks sufficient battery capacity and, at times, raw power (or a good balance between output and runtime).
For a spot beam, the beam itself is too narrow, while the surrounding spill (flood) is too wide.
The red light is decent—at least, based on my limited understanding and infrequent use.

Looking to upgrade, I bought two Fenix ​​lights that run on AA batteries (the E12 V3 and HM23 V2).
They perform reasonably well, but there are some drawbacks: runtime issues and a noticeable, gradual drop in brightness.
The E12 has a larger hotspot than the Oclip, but it’s still not quite big enough for walking/hiking; meanwhile, the light itself isn’t powerful enough for long-range illumination.
The HM23 is better, but its hotspot is too small for close-up tasks. While the spot size is actually great for walking, the output drops off too quickly.

As for a handheld flashlight, I’ve taken what I hope is the right step: I ordered a Zebralight SC600w IV Plus HI.

Is this a solid choice for an "end-game" handheld flashlight?

What should I look for to replace my headlamp? Ideally, I want something that can maintain 100–150 lumens for a long time, with a hotspot noticeably larger than the HM23’s, but with a narrower overall flood area than the Olight Oclip Pro. Should I even bother looking for a headlamp with a hotspot, or should I focus on a pure flood beam?

Also, which flashlights should I consider for red-light output? Is there a generally acknowledged "optimum" choice among headlamps that feature a red light mode? Furthermore, is it actually worth looking for a headlamp with this feature, or should one instead opt for a separate, dedicated flashlight for red light?

To put it more concisely: could you help me choose the ideal headlamp—as well as the ideal separate flashlight with a red light mode—to complement my Zebralight SC600w IV Plus HI?

I would appreciate any recommendations or opinions.

Hey guys

Haven't used it in a few weeks. Bought 3ish months ago. Lights works when plugged in, doesnt when not.

Charges and has a red flashing light. Turns green after a while. I'll unplug it but it wont turn on, red light flashes when i try to switch it on. I plug it back in, charges for ages. Rinse repeat.

Anyone able to help diagnose the issue? The batteries hardly gone already?

The UC2A was introduced today. It’s a 14500/AA flashlight with front and side light sources. Thanks to a post with the picture of the user manual on Acebeam’s Discord, we can take a look at the UC2A’s user interface.

What do you think of it?

Hi all, I've never used a head torch before but my new commute involves 20mins of walking along farm tracks in the evening & I'm getting tired of holding my hand torch, so I thought I'd grab something mid-priced & durable that I can maybe also use for hiking in the future.

I've been looking around but all the options are a bit overwhelming. I'm leaning towards the Fenix HM53R which has a max 1200 lumen spotlight.

Does anyone have any opinions on the Fenix? Am I better off looking for something that has both spotlight & floodlight modes? Is the attachment to the headband secure?

I've read that people don't like the cool light from Fenix torches but the reviews of other brands often seem to have the same complaint.

hello everyone,

I had these flashlights for a while, and I wanted a new one.

for those who didn't want to read:

- I search a compact pen flashlight, size of a maglite solitaire more or less.

- more than 20 lumens, with a beam capable of reaching the power of a maglite classic (2300 candelas ?)

- with replaceable battery, preferably AA/AAA format (in case of forgetting or losing the charger).

- with a very low light mode/beacon mode or long-lasting luminova/tritium inserts to find it in the dark.

- budget ~40$.

the blue one, a leclanché from 70-80' is nice; the bulb protrudes slightly from the white phosphorescent diffuser, which creates a sort of focal point. When you turn off the light, or after exposure to light, the phosphorescent diffuser remains luminous for 10–20 minutes, making it easy to locate the lamp. I reused this lamp a few years ago with an E10 LED bulb, but the screw thread on the diffuser that holds everything together broke (old plastic)

the mini maglite (classic), i never really used that one, the head is too big and, above all, the bulb is too fragile. Years ago, I've put a nite ize led kit in it, much better, but not thinnier

I had a classic Maglite Solitaire (which I unfortunately lost): super convenient and perfect size, but it lacked power.

Since I was into a bit of airsoft at the time, I bought a Swiss Arms flashlight with a Picatinny mounting ring; it was rated at 100 lumens, the non-adjustable beam was better than my mini mag (lack of focal length compensated by power) and I quite liked the strobe function.

But for everyday use, it's too thick for my pockets and has a proprietary charger.

Now i have a promotional penlight that doubles as a screwdriver (containing 4 bits) and features a small LED at the opposite end; however, it runs on 3 non-rechargeable LR41 batteries which end up being expensive even in 20s packs, and has no effective range (focus) beyond 5 meters, plus, i rarely use the screwdriver fonction since i always have my SAK with me.

So i found these lights:

-Maglite solitaire LED, AAA battery, 47 lumens and 539 candelas, with a very slight and gradual decrease in power over time, perfect size 12,7x81mm, but no beacon or very low power mode. (Pic.2)

- fenix LD02 V2, AAA battery too, good size 13,5x93mm, 1 lumen for 45<75hrs mode, 25 and 70 lumens levels, and even UV mode, but with a very sharp, then gradual (and probably lack of power at distances) drop in power after 10 minutes. (Pic. 3)

- I've seen the xtar sd1/sd2, with cr123/AA or lithium batteries, but they're thick and don't have much power at distances.

- skilhunt m150 v4, beam intensity, power/lights modes, magnet, IP X8... everything looks good here. But it seems fragile, not really practical with that much modes, praticly 2x the diameter of the fenix (13,5->21mm), and a little bit over my budget (but no big deal if it's really good). (Pic.4)

Do you have any other lights you could recommend to me ? or some that I should be advised against ?

Thanks.

This community put me onto the SK05 Pro II MAO. I love this flashlight. It has every feature I could think of in one package and is a great light.

I purchased it on Amazon and the one I received had an issue where if the batteries had just been charged to 100%, if you used the strobe feature, the light would end up shutting off after a few seconds and would no longer turn on in any mode unless you opened the battery cover. The problem disappeared after the battery percentage dropped.

I contacted loopgear instead of just replacing it through Amazon. After some troubleshooting emails, they sent out a new light to me right away. The new one works perfectly and I noticed the strobe has a higher Hz than the one I originally had issues with.

I had read on a different thread somebody did not have good luck with loopgear customer service. For me, they replied via email within 24 hours every time I contacted them and I found them to be very responsive.

Good day guys and gals!

I'd like to request your recommendations for two (2) different types of flashlights. I'm buying my first proper flashlights since I always walk at night and cellphone flashlights just doesn't illuminate the way properly. I would definitely appreciate the guidance!

1. EDC (currently looking at Wurkkos TD11)

Must be:

- Rugged and can survive an accidental drop

- Waterproof

- Light

- 2k lumens or above

- Easily to find and replace batteries

- Less than $100

2. Home and outdoor

- can do everything the EDC can do (better is always welcome)

- 15k lumens and above

- less than $300

- Not checking anything out yet

I saw some flashlights with a titanium body. But, is it worth the hefty price tag?

I was also told that some flashlights can have their bulbs replaced. Should I prioritize that?

Should I look at specs other than lumens, like CRI?