LED 18650 Flashlights

[JAS]

I have recently become interested in LED flashlights that use 18650 batteries and have a couple of questions. What flashlight, that runs a single 18650, has the highest number of lumens? Also, I see some LED flashlights running several 18650s. What LED flashlight uses the largest number of 18650s? I have seen some with four. Are there others using more than four?

 

[GordoJones88]

Selfbuilt has reviewed quite a few nice lights.
It's useful to consider the run-time charts as well as initial output.

 

[blackFFM]

Please, please don't choose your flashlight only by max output.

 

[liquidrazer]

good info, might check out that nitecore. i love my nitecore charger!

 

[jimmy5]

which emitter is the best these days? xp-g or xm-l2 or something else?:naughty:

 

[thedoc007]

which emitter is the best these days? xp-g or xm-l2 or something else?:naughty:

There is no one "best" emitter. If you want a smooth, round, beam, with a cool tint and great throw, SBT-70 is great. If you want huge output out of one emitter, MT-G2 is probably the way to go. If you want lots of throw, XP-G2 or XP-E2 are ideal. XM-L2 is probably the most common...it is a compromise, with decent output, and decent throw, but it doesn't really excel in any one particular area. It really just depends on what attributes you are looking for, each type has its pros and cons.

 

[thedoc007]

I have recently become interested in LED flashlights that use 18650 batteries and have a couple of questions. What flashlight, that runs a single 18650, has the highest number of lumens? Also, I see some LED flashlights running several 18650s. What LED flashlight uses the largest number of 18650s? I have seen some with four. Are there others using more than four?

Check out this thread for some high-powered custom lights...they are likely to give you greater output than any stock light. As others have suggested, though, buying a light based only on total output is a sucker's pursuit.

As for using a number of 18650s, the FourSevens XM18 comes to mind. It uses 15 emitters, and 28! 18650s, if you can believe it. It also has a cooling fan, and costs upwards of $2000. In slightly more sane territory, the TM36 runs on eight 18650s, for a mere $400 or so. (Both of these are have proprietary battery packs, though, rather than user-serviceable individual cells.) Then there are many, many lights that run on 4x18650.

 

[jimmy5]

i think atm i just need a regular ~900lm flood(or throw aswell) light... xp-e2 and xm-l2 are good to go then?
i was just asking because couple of years ago, the xml t6 was 'better' that the others?
is there a chart where i could check which emitter gives which lumens on certain amps?

 

[thedoc007]

i think atm i just need a regular ~900lm flood(or throw aswell) light... xp-e2 and xm-l2 are good to go then?
i was just asking because couple of years ago, the xml t6 was 'better' that the others?
is there a chart where i could check which emitter gives which lumens on certain amps?

No, XP-E2 tops out at under 300 lumens...as I said, it is a throw specialist.

I disagree that XM-L was "better" than other LEDs at any point in time. It may have been the most common, or the best choice for one particular light, but there has long been a variety of LEDs for different uses.

Check this page for a list of Cree emitters...I will take you some time to go through them all, but it provides links to the datasheets for each type of LED they offer.

For your purposes, 900 lumens of flood, with some throw, XM-L2 does sound like an appropriate choice.

 

[JAS]

Please, please don't choose your flashlight only by max output.

I was originally looking for a headlamp. At some point I became interested in the Nitecore HC90. I probably will buy one, but I still don't know if I will get the regular one or the VN version that is modified to be brighter. Anyway, that got me to thinking that it might be handy to have both a headlamp, and a flashlight, that run the same battery, specifically an 18650. I figure that way, when I am out horseback riding at night, I can carry a spare 18650 battery, and use it for either the headlamp or flashlight.