Recommend me a LED Torch

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-Rob-

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I would like to buy a pretty good LED torch that is fairly powerful (100 lumens or more) but also a reasonable size so it can fit in a camera bag or glove compartment and cost no more than about £30.

I’ll be using it for the usual kind of things you’d use a torch for…..lighting up dark places, but I will also be using it for a bit of light painting so I was wondering if I need to consider the colour temperature of the torch so I don’t get colour casts.

Has anyone got any good recommendations or advice?
 
I have a LED Lenser P7, which is 115lm, and just about within your budget. The light is very white. I have never noticed a colour cast when light painting (though it tend to use it with Quality Street wrappers anyway :)). And the batteries last for ever.

Be careful where you buy as there a lot of fakes out there.
 
Get a head-torch instead - it's always light where you're looking and you have both hands free. What's not to like?

I have a number of basic Petzl units. Can't fault them.
 
I have a few cree led torches as I have an obsession with torches, I have an led lenser which cost around £30 about 7 years ago and its around 100 lm I also have 2 cree led 275lm each that I use on my bike all these take 3 aaa batteries but none of these comes close to my latest purchase from hong kong (Ultra Fire) and it only cost me £8 but it doesn't come with batteties as it takes a 18650 rechargeable one which u have to buy seperate inc charger, I think I payed £10 for the charger and 3 batteries also from hong kong and the best part is its 1000 lm and boy I have never had or seen a torch so bright, the build quality it's very close to my led lenser which is second to none. Ultra fire
 
lucky_13 said:
I have a few cree led torches as I have an obsession with torches, I have an led lenser which cost around £30 about 7 years ago and its around 100 lm I also have 2 cree led 275lm each that I use on my bike all these take 3 aaa batteries but none of these comes close to my latest purchase from hong kong (Ultra Fire) and it only cost me £8 but it doesn't come with batteties as it takes a 18650 rechargeable one which u have to buy seperate inc charger, I think I payed £10 for the charger and 3 batteries also from hong kong and the best part is its 1000 lm and boy I have never had or seen a torch so bright, the build quality it's very close to my led lenser which is second to none. Ultra fire
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Could you provide a link to this please.Very interested in getting one.:thumbs:
Kev.
 
lucky_13 said:
Just go on ebay and type ultra fire cree led
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I've done that and there are some that take AA batteries and some that take the 18650. Is one better than the other?

Obviously AA batteries would be far more convenient.
 
The P7 is by far the best pocketable LED torch I have owned. It is extremely rugged, has three brightness settings (bright, super bright, and slightly brighter than super bright), and batteries last for ages. Mine has survived a few drops, getting wet and being chewed on by my dog.
 
Orville said:
The P7 is by far the best pocketable LED torch I have owned. It is extremely rugged, has three brightness settings (bright, super bright, and slightly brighter than super bright), and batteries last for ages. Mine has survived a few drops, getting wet and being chewed on by my dog.
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I'll cast my vote for the P7 too. The only thing I dislike about it is that the on/off button is on the base of the tube. Beam is variable from narrow to flood which is handy.

I don't see a head torch being a substitute for a handheld torch or vice versa. They compliment each other.
 
Fenix LD20 - Bulletproof have had mine for 4 years and its still going strong!
 
-Rob- said:
I'll ask again, are the Ultra Fire Cree torches best with the 18650 batteries or AA?
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18650 it's a more powerful battery than aa or aaa which is why all good powerful torches use 18650. My 18650 are 4000mah and 3.7 v although that can be bumped up to 4v if charged over a period of 12 hours with a 30 min brake between charges, this might be a load of bull $#i7 but it's what I was told by an electritian. No idea if it's true tho as I dont have the equipment to test it.
 
Another vote for the P7, also have a P5 which is really good, not as bright but not too far off and smaller. Great torches!
 
Another vote here for Ultra Fire torches sporting the cree LED's.
Running them off an 18650 battery gives them superior power over AA.
18650's are 3.7 volts standard but normally will charge up to 4.2 volts.
The one Ultra Fire torch I tested light up our back garden plus the garden beyond ours and the light was a crisp white with no cast (combined length of about 30 - 50 metres.
 
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I just bought this off of eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280999941769?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648

Of it a fairly cheap Chinese version of a Lenser type torch, but with 2 batteries, home and car charger and zoom function it's perfect for chucking in a camera bag

I also have a smaller (cheaper) version of one of these too and that is still going strong after 3 years, but i wanted a slightly more powerful zoom torch for more accurate light painting
 
My vote goes to Fenix torches. I've bought loads of them - a few for my use and several as presents. They are tough and very well made for the money and they do have voltage control circuitry. I like AA (and AAA for small) torches because of the convenience and cost. I use eneloops and my flashgun and compact camera both take AAs too - makes life simple.

The LD20 is the Fenix 'classic' but at £48 is above the £30 budget - there is the E21 which comes in at £31 and the E25 at £32 - both 2xAA torches with multiple output settings (E21 has high/low, the E25 has high/medium/low). Low settings are really useful for close-up illumination - especially when looking at, for example, paper - the high output from an LED can dazzle when reflected off a book page.
 
After following this thread for since the beginning, I've gone for Fenix LD22 and it's great.

bright, rugged, and well weighted. 4 power settings, with lower medium lasting 15 hours and bright enough to see whole of my back garden. (moderate sized garden) AA battery was my main requirement to make almost everything in my camera bag use the same power.
 
Good choice getting fenix. I use a torch if cycling - use brackets to slot torch in on handle bars and work night shifts some times. Have had a couple of AA fenix for over 2 years and apart from a few scratches and dents here and there they are as good as new. Have had cheaper torches off ebay/DX and they have become unreliable after a few weeks/months. Still have a led lenser but the switch is a bit iffy. Main thing is to get some decent batteries and slowish charger,
 
Ugly looking torch! I would have also recommended the P7, picked my last on up on ebay for £30 although it was stolen a week later after my car was broken into...
 
This seems perfect for you

Im a bit of a kit/gadget/torch geek and i have several thrunite torches.

I even have a Thrunite Ti on my keys lol
 
Following the recommendations for the ebay CREE torch I've found this auction from the same seller which includes two 18650 batteries and charger for £12.41, seems like a good deal to me.

This is another higher power option at 11000lm!! :cuckoo:
 
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lucky_13 said:
I have a few cree led torches as I have an obsession with torches, I have an led lenser which cost around £30 about 7 years ago and its around 100 lm I also have 2 cree led 275lm each that I use on my bike all these take 3 aaa batteries but none of these comes close to my latest purchase from hong kong (Ultra Fire) and it only cost me £8 but it doesn't come with batteties as it takes a 18650 rechargeable one which u have to buy seperate inc charger, I think I payed £10 for the charger and 3 batteries also from hong kong and the best part is its 1000 lm and boy I have never had or seen a torch so bright, the build quality it's very close to my led lenser which is second to none. Ultra fire
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OH picked up a couple of these before Christmas and I have only just got round to buying the batteries and charger for them. The battery is large and is similar to the type used in laptops. I bought a Panasonic battery for it and paid £13 for two of them and I bought a charger for a tenner. Very impressed with the torch, it's output and size.

I also have three old 2xAA Maglites which I bought cree upgrades for. Brilliant light output and increased battery life enormously. Only problem with this is you lose the zoom functionality somewhat because it causes a bit of a "black hole" in the beam. It is a cheap way to revitalise old maglites. I have converted 3 x AA Mags and also a 4 D Mag with a drop in TerraLUX 500 lumen LED conversion.
 
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