LED Torches ?

coffeehound

Wondering if anyone can recommend a decent LED torch that doesn't break the bank, please. I'm after a reliable one that would be small enough to carry in a rucksack or keep in the car glovebox.

I've bought a few cheapo torches in that past that have suffered with dicky connections and crappy switches so I'm not clear how much you need to pay to get quality. I realise you can spend a metric shedload on an SAS Tactical Survival that looks like a lightsabre but is that money well spent? Thanks for any suggestions and infoz.

John_Gray

There are a whole variety of torches which use the 3W Cree LED (which is quite excellent). [Don't consider those with 7 or a dozen or whatever tiny LEDs.]
How well they are made depends mostly on the usual criterion - you get what you pay for. That said, avoid those like MagLite or LEDLenser which are a rip-off. I've had some very good torches from Lidl and some from Amazon, but the availability changes every time I look.

I_have_spoken

Keep an eye on Amazon's Daily Deals, no need to pay more than £10 for one with a CREE LED and 18650 battery

forgotmyname

Paid £12 for my torch off ebay. Came with 2 dodgy batteries 6800mAh.. No 18650 battery exists with that capacity.

Also came with a mains charger that i took to bits and binned. It was a fire hazard, thin wires that crossed opposite terminals and just waiting to short out in a bad way.

Bought a pile of TP4056 chargers and use USB to charge the cells.

Jackmydad

Nitecore tube.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nitecore-TUBEWHI-Tube-Rechargeable-Keyring-Torch-Clear-45-Lumens-/351984631900?epid=1236757338&hash=item51f3eb405c:g:V8cAAOSwaEhZEvNC
(no affiliation it's where I got mine)

Tiny "keyring" size torch, USB rechargeable, excellent light output, good spread of light and reasonable "reach"
Excellent for walking around with or "doing stuff" that needs a good light. Mine's on a neck lanyard.
It doesn't give a focused "beam" though if that's what you need.

coffeehound

Thanks for the pointers, folks, that's useful info.

ukjoel

LED Lenser for my vote.

You can spend a fortune but £20 will get you a decent one.
Really powerful, small as you want, and last forever.

There are cheap chinese cree ones floating around and have a few of these and they are great until they stop working when you need them.

Lenser has been dropped loads of times and never let me down.
Its like a maglite, with twice the power, a fraction of the weight but just as indestructible.

Have a look at the P7. They are £40 but you often see them in the sale at the £20-£25 mark. You know they are the business when the second question asked on Amazon is 'how well to they attach to body armour)......

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ledlenser-P7-2-Professional-Torch-Black/dp/B00F9ZH4O6

esuhl

Quite a few years back I bought some P5 LED torches direct from China. They are brilliant -- too bright to use on nearby objects. I use them as off-road bike lights.

They were £18 each, while UK-bought P5 bike lights were over £200.

The only minor issues I noticed are that occasionally the brightness of the LED fluctuates slightly. Shaking the torch or swapping battery usually fixes this.

And sometimes the casing can get quite warm if the torch has been left on for a while (not a problem when used as bike lights as the moving air keeps them cool).

You MUST get protected 18650 cells. These come with a tiny integral protection circuit to prevent under- and over-charging.

A._Badger

I can't speak for the LED Lenser P7 but I have a P14 which is absolute rubbish. The on/off switch is unreliable, sometimes working, sometimes not. There is a bad contact somewhere (twisting the end cap will eventually kick the torch into life) but it has been back to the importers and still doesn't function properly.

Given the amazingly high prices LED Lensers sell for, I certainly wouldn't recommend this model.

Believe it or not, there are geeky forums where people discuss nothing else. The OP might find this a useful starting point http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com/

Google will reveal others including review sites.

cajef

ukjoel wrote: »

LED Lenser for my vote

Have a look at the P7.

Another vote for the P7, had one for several years and never had a problem, good bit of kit.

John_Gray

You could get four 'ordinary' LED torches for the price of an LED Lenser P7.
Admittedly the 'ordinary' torches don't have a set of coloured filters available, at £15.