Flashlight for Husband

[REBECCA]

Question for you.

I am looking to purchase my husband a good flashlight that has the ability to use recharable batteries (do not necessarily know the difference between RCR123A and 18650 - but wanting something that is rechargable. We have 200 acres in the country and need something to use on the land. He is not a hunter, but I hear a great flashlight is a good gift to get (better then a sweater!!)

Looked at the Olight M30, liked that it came in a cool case, although the review was not that great when on low or medium (something about PWM). I loved the look of it though - small, compact.

Also looked on line at the Fenix TK11 - which had better reviews then the TK10 (stay away from TK12). And I had also looked at the Eagle Tac T20C2 .... but then got all confused. What is the best flashlight - cool for a guy, compact and sleek, well built, easy to use without too much fuss and muss (just the cool fuss and muss that a guy would find cool in the everyday use) A great carrying case, as with all manly tools, would be an added bonus. Price no more then $150, but under a $100 best. Any options that you can suggest would be great ....

EDIT: A very convincing fella recommended this one - EagleTac M2XC4 - 3-R2 LED Cluster .... thoughts?? Rebecca

[Hacken]

you can give him the EagleTac T20C2 and it's under 80bucks! at least that's what I'm planning on getting this weekend

[ergotelis]

Well i think the best solution is the new TK30! All that you need!Check it out ,it is from fenix! I think it is at the moment the best MC-E flashlight taking into account the best balance between throw,output and size .

[Skier88]

Since it's a gift I would guess it isn't needed for work around the house, so I'd recommend getting something that throws a long way - they are much more impressive when you first turn them on

The JETBeam M1X is as bright and focused as a spotlight, in a smaller, tougher, and a very good looking package. My cousin's first reaction: "What is that thing?!" It's also got a nice feature - one mode is programmable, so it can be set to any brightness level or any of several sorts of flashing (you don't have to mess with it if you don't want to). Unfortunately it's at the high end of your price range at $145, but you can pm me for a 10% coupon at BugOutGearUSA.com.

Or you could go for the Fenix TK30, which is brighter overall but not as focused (doesn't throw as far), lacks the programmable mode (but is still adjustable), and I am inclined to think not as high quality, but the difference is probably negligible.

The M30's case is nice compared to other Chinese-made flashlights, which is to say it's really quite cheap relative to what many Americans would expect to find a $150 flashlight in. Your husband may or may not notice the PWM, but the risk in combination with the lack of throw make me recommend against it. Fenix TK11, TK10, EagleTac T20C2, and many similar flashlights are very nice, but not nearly as bright as the lights above. They're also quite a bit smaller, but it doesn't sound like the larger lights above would be inconvenient.

[ergotelis]

Skier, i think tk30 will not outthrow the m1x but will be really close enough in lux readings!

[REBECCA]

A very convincing fella recommended this one - EagleTac M2XC4 - 3-R2 LED Cluster .... thoughts?? Rebecca

[ergotelis]

Well it is nice too,it should have bigger throw but the same total output, but i think is a bit more bulky and heavy than Tk30, so it might be a bit less comfortable to carry around. Tk30 can also run only in one 18650 making it really more comfortable,but with less output. Generally i think tk30 is more versatile light.
Another point, fenix seems to be more efficient in battery drain. And the last point, i would better trust fenix for such a light than eagletac, there has been lately a lot of discussion for eagletac and for the quality of their models.

[DigMe]

Rebecca,

I have 2 Eagletacs and I have found them to not be as durable as some lights. The finish chips off rather easily and they cut some other corners on quality. What they do well is put a whole lot of light out front for not that much money. I think you would find a little better Quality in the Olight brand.

brad

[Skier88]

Assuming the TK30's reflector is the same as the TK40's, an estimate of the throw distance using the inverse square law yields 140m for the TK30, 160m for the M1X, and 170m for the M2XC4. So I guess they aren't too far apart, but it is certainly notable.

The EagleTac M2XC4 is one of the brightest/furthest throwing out there, and also efficient, and has a good UI and convenient size. However, the quality is not up to that of JETBeam or Fenix - the anodizing is weaker, and walls thinner, design less thorough, waterproofing subpar, and the list goes on. I second DigMe's post: EagleTac has some of the best light engines out there, but they cut costs with the body.

As a little bit of a side note, I've bought somewhere near fifty "high quality" flashlights, and there have been only two that made me step back and smile. The M1X is one of them.

[ergotelis]

About efficiency,just check out Mev's data, m2xc4 is not that efficient like fenix , anyway fenix is the king!