pusha

iTrader: (5)

Yes, I am gay.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

My first bad-*** flashlight purchase.
Eagletac D25C.
I also went for the AW RCR123A 3.7V li-ion rechargeables+charger. I don't know enough yet to speak intelligently about what exactly these batteries do, but the term is "direct drive"... I think like overclocking the circuit that control the LED. Anyways... you get 700 lumens from this thing with those batteries (it's a bit bigger than a chapstick). The tradeoff is heat and runtime. Also finally bought a light/mount for my shotgun.

TurboTim

iTrader: (9)

Nice light. If you want me to laser engrave anything around the diameter of that aluminum one lemme know.

pusha

iTrader: (5)

^ can you laser engrave a Glock slide?

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Where and how much?

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

I bought the light through the Eagletac store on Amazon. You can order directly through their website, but I like the Amazon angle.

I got the batteries and charger through Lighthound.com
http://www.lighthound.com/AW-RCR123a...ery_p_114.html
http://www.lighthound.com/Ultrafire-...er_p_2270.html

Light: $55
Batts: $14
Chrgr: $13
With shipping, it came to about $80.

The G25C can be ordered with 3 different leds, depending on whether you want more beam or more throw... also comes in the G25C2 with 2x123 batteries, or the G25C mini.

Believe me that this is just barely scratching the surface of what's out there. There's a guy about to go into production of a micro-light that runs on one standard AA lithium that makes 1000lumens.

The Streamlight and mount were through Lightjunction via Amazon.

Then there's this guy... Malkoff. Sells a drop-in LED upgrades for Maglites and some other stuff... plus has his own small line of lights.
Maglite LED flashlight conversion, Surefire LED flashlight conversion. Super bright LED flashlights

I'm now on the hunt for my Dads Christmas present... nothing this year yet for his birthday or Fathers Day... so his Xmas present will be ****. I'm thinking along the lines of the DarkSucks Alpha-ReadyMade:
Flashlights

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

Sam -- check McGizmo's lights if you haven't yet. They are like pieces of functional art. Incredibly well made. I had one, briefly. It was more money than I wanted tied up in a light, but it was awfully nice.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

^Gotcha... nice stuff, but $400 is a lotta dimp.

Got my Laserlyte sighted in today on the PF9... I didn't realize how tight a sweet-spot they have. I sighted for 10yards, but was 2" low at 15yds. Still, from point-blank to 25yds, it's within an inch laterally and 3" vertically. I've read a bit on laser-tactics... and now I see why people say it's a horrible crutch. I'm hoping the deterrent factor is high. It was cool seeing the entire beam through the haze in the range. I let the 10yr old in the lane next to me put a mag through it... thought it was the coolest thing ever. His dad let me shoot his Ruger Blackhawk... now I know why guys love classic revolvers... make you feel like a ******* total bad-***.

I also put 150rds of various FMJ through the PF9 and it's still flawless... total of about 500rds. Carry ammo is Federal Guard Dog for now.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

Yeah, I can't really recommend buying one -- functionally, there are lights a tenth of the price that do the same thing. But they are very cool if you get the chance to check one out.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

This thing is unreal... literally the size of a Chapstick (pic1), and can still do this to a wall from 15' in a broad-daylight living room (pic2). Last night, with fully adjusted night-vision, I honestly couldn't even really turn it on within the confines of the bedroom and shine it on a wall without squinting, it lit up the whole room like bright daylight. Unbelievable.

I'm working on a full review for candlepower forums and will copy/paste it here along with some comparison photos with a few other lights I've got laying around.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

OK, actual night pics of this thing... I'm simply amazed that the LED and battery technology is capably of doing something like this in such a small package.

For comparison, I've included a same-same shot with my trusty Maglite.

czubaka

iTrader: (3)

Sam, how do the surefire's stack up against these other types of lights your finding? I'm guessing they're way overpriced.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

When considering a weapon-light, there are some requirements (specifically regarding recoil) that matter when comparing against an everyday or emergency light.

Recoil of a firearm slams the battery into the inner parts of the light... including the LED module itself. If the light isn't designed for this, you end up breaking ****... which is why I went for this particular unit. I had found other lights that were double-sprung and had reinforced whatevers for the same price that put out more light, but they were cheap'ish Chinese no-names.

I bought the Surefire based on a few reviews I read and by reputation of their brand-name. It's rated for 130lumens and has just one mode... exactly what I wanted on my shotgun. I'll take a pic later.

The reputation of Surefire being more expensive or overpriced than the smaller production brands most people have never heard of and the myriad of Chinese stuff isn't really fair to the company. They make a great product as far as I can tell, have an extensive product lineup, and have the ultimate "no-questions-asked" type of warranty.

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

How long will the light stay lit at full brilliance?

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

What is the point of having a super-duper bright mini-flashlight? Is it primarily for attempting to blind an intruder in the house or is it more of a "just because it's cool" factor (which is a perfectly legitimate reason, in my opinion)?

From the review and pictures, it almost seems like it would be too bright in some practical applications like looking through an engine bay or behind a wall-mounted TV or something like that. Is that a misunderstanding on my part?

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

Most of these lights have multiple settings. You don't have to use the full bright setting.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

I have a "personal massage device" I'd like for you to laser engrave.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

With the battery I'm running, it's recommended not for more than 5 minutes due to heat. And you need to hold the light (don't set it down) so the heat can dissipate into your hand. About 30-40 minutes of runtime at the rated 700 lumens with my "overclocking" battery... at 5 minute intervals.

With a regular 123A, the HI mode only gets to 400lumens and you don't have the heat dissipation problems and get about an hour. On low mode, I think it's like 5 hours.

You're right all around. I wanted it to be really small, ridicufuckingly bright, and have lotsa "modes" so I could experiement to see what was really useful and what was marketing. It does two different modes of S.O.S. blinking, probably be low on my "must have" features for future lights.

It's actually too small to be a good fighting light. Part of the purpose of a tac-light is that it can be used as a blunt'ish object in addition to blinding an attacker. It's just too small to be a weapon.

And yes, it's just too damned bright to really be used for anything "around the house". It will blind the shiz out of someone at medium distances, but you'd want to drop it before going hands-on if it got to that.

True, it has like 8 different settings, including a "moonlight" mode and several strobe settings. It's "programmable" to some extent as well.

Overall, it's going to be something "cool" as Jack said to carry around for a few months and see where it leads. I'll figure out it's strengths and limitations so I can make a really great second purchase. I'm already seeing that something about 1/3 bigger, with more-beam/less-flood, less modes, less bright, more longevity... is more win.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

10-4 on all counts. Multiple modes and brightness levels makes sense.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

Well, I tried to return my S&W Shield today, they told me that I need to just keep running ammo through the gun, 500-rounds is not enough. They tell me it will cease the FTE and FTL after I break it in. How many hundreds of dollars must I put through this gun before it works right and why didn't I buy a Glock. I was also told to use the slide-release more so it will drop. He told me it was normal that I had to turn the gun sideways to push the lever down rather than pull it down with my thumb. The great news is that I now get to sell someone a gun that doesn't work. I'm pretty ******* furious.