- Joined
- Mar 27, 2011
- Messages
- 14,125
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So as I'm sure many of you are aware, there was recently a major hurricane up in the North East of the US.
Skip below for the lights overview.
_________________________________________________________________
I was fortunate in that I only lost power for literally a few hours, at night, and not longer. Many of my friends, and relatives were not so lucky with regards to power, and were without lights for well over a week in some cases.
While I have any number of flashlights, I was not equipped to handle a power outage of more than three-four days, had it happened.
As a result of the hurricane, I have been looking at my flashlight collection with a very critical mindset, and now have certain requirements I would like to implement.
1. All new lights I buy MUST tail stand.
Surprising this is very often overlooked by manufacturers, but IMO is a an absolute must. You will find yourself needing to use both hands in the dark, and being able to simply put down the light to shine at the ceiling, providing light for the whole room is extremely useful.
2. Lights must be able to run off of alkalines, nimhs, and lithium batteries. Out of curiosity I called two brick and mortar camping supplies stores... nether one carried rechargeable lithium batteries. One did have surefire primaries in two packs... and at insane prices (more than double the online price).
Of course at the same time, AA, AAA, and 9V batteries are extremely common place, and usually fairly cheap. IMO the ability to swap batteries on the fly is invaluable.
3. Lights must have modes. Fact is, with newer flashlights, they often produce much more light than is actually needed. Most of my handheld flashlight are easily able to match the output of my nightstand light, or average desk lamp. Unfortunately this drains the batteries quickly.
So IMO modes are a must, because sometimes you will not have a spare set of batteries on hand, and will need to stretch out the usefulness of the light as much as possible.
_________________________________________________________________
So far I have tried out two lights, that I thought might fit my criteria. The Balder HD-1 1xAA/14500 CREE XM-L U2, and the Crelant V11A XM-L U2 FLASHLIGHT AA/14500.
The cheapest price I could find for the Balder HD1 was from Lighthound. It is re-branded with the lighthound name, but the light is identical.
The Crelant was from SBflashlights. Not sure if it still works, but using " Crelant " as a coupon code took 15% off, and if you order over $50 shipping is free.
The Balder HD1 is a tiny, TINY light. I will post some pictures later, but it's size is a great plus. There are now issues whatsoever with construction, or coating, although the threading could be better.
Balder Pros;
-Size.
-Output. (Impressive on both AA, and more so on 14500).
-Feel and look. (It's a very cool looking light).
Balder Cons;
-User interface. Despite the fact that it looks like it has a tail clickie, it does not! It has a plunger, with a spring attached. To turn the light on, you press and hold the plunger for about .5-1 second.
-To turn off the light you hold the plunger down for 2-3 seconds! This is the biggest problem I have with this light. That it is difficult to turn off.
-Inconsistency with turning on, off, and switching modes. Sometimes when you tap the plunger, instead of switching to low power, it turns off instead!
-Heat buildup. If you leave this light on high, with a 14500, you're likely to kill it. It gets VERY hot very fast. With a AA not a problem, but definitely an issue with a 14500. I have yet to test it on medium, with a 14500, but I suspect it will end up still overheating.
Overall;
-The Balder HD1 is an interesting little AA light.
-Due to size it is a flooder, and has very little throw.
-Works well with AA, alkalines or nimh batteries.
-IMO, dangerous to use with 14500.
The Crelant V11A is a surprising large light, considering the battery size it is mean for. This is because the top portion of this light is interchangeable with the battery tubes for using two AA batteries, or 1x16340 battery.
Pros;
-Output.
-Construction.
-Flood/throw balance.
Cons;
-Size. For a AA/14500 it is simply too large.
-Mode switching/tail cap switch is very stiff.
-Tail cap protrudes .5mm outside of the surrounding tailcap body... it will tailstand, but not super steady.
-Biggest problem - it runs poorly on AA, alkalines, and especially Nihms.
Overall;
It's a nice enough light, worth a try, if you can get it for under $35. IMO it is the runt of the litter, as Crelant lights go. Not quite up to the standards of their other offerings. (I own four different crelants.)
The Balder HD1 and the Crelant V11A are essentially polar opposites as 14500/AA lights go. One is fantastic with AA's the other is better with 14500's.
_________________________________________________________________
What I would like, is a balance between these two lights. Preferably in the same price range ($25-$35) although I'm willing to go higher if need be.
What lights can you guys recommend that fit these criteria?
Skip below for the lights overview.
_________________________________________________________________
I was fortunate in that I only lost power for literally a few hours, at night, and not longer. Many of my friends, and relatives were not so lucky with regards to power, and were without lights for well over a week in some cases.
While I have any number of flashlights, I was not equipped to handle a power outage of more than three-four days, had it happened.
As a result of the hurricane, I have been looking at my flashlight collection with a very critical mindset, and now have certain requirements I would like to implement.
1. All new lights I buy MUST tail stand.
Surprising this is very often overlooked by manufacturers, but IMO is a an absolute must. You will find yourself needing to use both hands in the dark, and being able to simply put down the light to shine at the ceiling, providing light for the whole room is extremely useful.
2. Lights must be able to run off of alkalines, nimhs, and lithium batteries. Out of curiosity I called two brick and mortar camping supplies stores... nether one carried rechargeable lithium batteries. One did have surefire primaries in two packs... and at insane prices (more than double the online price).
Of course at the same time, AA, AAA, and 9V batteries are extremely common place, and usually fairly cheap. IMO the ability to swap batteries on the fly is invaluable.
3. Lights must have modes. Fact is, with newer flashlights, they often produce much more light than is actually needed. Most of my handheld flashlight are easily able to match the output of my nightstand light, or average desk lamp. Unfortunately this drains the batteries quickly.
So IMO modes are a must, because sometimes you will not have a spare set of batteries on hand, and will need to stretch out the usefulness of the light as much as possible.
_________________________________________________________________
So far I have tried out two lights, that I thought might fit my criteria. The Balder HD-1 1xAA/14500 CREE XM-L U2, and the Crelant V11A XM-L U2 FLASHLIGHT AA/14500.
The cheapest price I could find for the Balder HD1 was from Lighthound. It is re-branded with the lighthound name, but the light is identical.
The Crelant was from SBflashlights. Not sure if it still works, but using " Crelant " as a coupon code took 15% off, and if you order over $50 shipping is free.
The Balder HD1 is a tiny, TINY light. I will post some pictures later, but it's size is a great plus. There are now issues whatsoever with construction, or coating, although the threading could be better.
Balder Pros;
-Size.
-Output. (Impressive on both AA, and more so on 14500).
-Feel and look. (It's a very cool looking light).
Balder Cons;
-User interface. Despite the fact that it looks like it has a tail clickie, it does not! It has a plunger, with a spring attached. To turn the light on, you press and hold the plunger for about .5-1 second.
-To turn off the light you hold the plunger down for 2-3 seconds! This is the biggest problem I have with this light. That it is difficult to turn off.
-Inconsistency with turning on, off, and switching modes. Sometimes when you tap the plunger, instead of switching to low power, it turns off instead!
-Heat buildup. If you leave this light on high, with a 14500, you're likely to kill it. It gets VERY hot very fast. With a AA not a problem, but definitely an issue with a 14500. I have yet to test it on medium, with a 14500, but I suspect it will end up still overheating.
Overall;
-The Balder HD1 is an interesting little AA light.
-Due to size it is a flooder, and has very little throw.
-Works well with AA, alkalines or nimh batteries.
-IMO, dangerous to use with 14500.
The Crelant V11A is a surprising large light, considering the battery size it is mean for. This is because the top portion of this light is interchangeable with the battery tubes for using two AA batteries, or 1x16340 battery.
Pros;
-Output.
-Construction.
-Flood/throw balance.
Cons;
-Size. For a AA/14500 it is simply too large.
-Mode switching/tail cap switch is very stiff.
-Tail cap protrudes .5mm outside of the surrounding tailcap body... it will tailstand, but not super steady.
-Biggest problem - it runs poorly on AA, alkalines, and especially Nihms.
Overall;
It's a nice enough light, worth a try, if you can get it for under $35. IMO it is the runt of the litter, as Crelant lights go. Not quite up to the standards of their other offerings. (I own four different crelants.)
The Balder HD1 and the Crelant V11A are essentially polar opposites as 14500/AA lights go. One is fantastic with AA's the other is better with 14500's.
_________________________________________________________________
What I would like, is a balance between these two lights. Preferably in the same price range ($25-$35) although I'm willing to go higher if need be.
What lights can you guys recommend that fit these criteria?
