[Update] Thinking of the Olight M20-X XML Warrior - TK41 now delivered!

[Dr Forinor]

I see your point johnknights, that makes sense.

Perhaps I am being picky needlessly as my requirements are not all that strict, I think I am more fussy than anything else.

[johnknights]

From my experience, anything running and XM-l will be impressive I would happily own an Olight with an XM-l cos I know it will impress me, wether I would buy one is a different matter (see last post) the other thing is YOU fancy one, if we talk you into something else you will always wonder if the Olight was better.

[cbr6fs]

Olight makes fantastic torches, absolutely no doubt.

The quality of the torch is really only 1 piece in the puzzle though.
As an example when i bought my Fenix TK70 i looked at the Olight SR90, quality wise the Olight was fantastic, but i wanted a beam with slightly more throw than the SR90, add to this the fact that i wanted to be able to change batteries and it was obvious the SR90 wasn't for me.

You have to make the same sort of decisions on what size you want, what batteries you want and what type of beam you want.

The SC600 is a fantastic light with an extremely useful beam, not too flood and just enough throw for outdoor hiking and MTBing.
If you don't want to mess about with 18650 batteries though it makes no difference how good the torch is.

So my advice is, try to narrow down what it is exactly you want from the torch.
Have a limit size wise, a type of beam you want and the type of cells you want to use.

You've ruled out the Dereelight on 2 x 18650 so your getting there.

[Dr Forinor]

My understanding is that anything that uses 1x 18650, can also use 2x CR123 batteries? If that is the case then I have no issues with it.

Size wise I would prefer something around the size of a Fenix TK10, don't mind something slightly bigger, but should be pocketable.

Beam wise, I quite like the idea of a decent thrower with some flood, a nice balance. Not a dedicated thrower Dereelight style nor a dedicated flood SC600 style.

I don't want/need any strobe or SOS or beacon modes. I would prefer 3 modes of light, with lowest mode being around 10-20(ish) lumens, the lowest mode having a decently long runtime. A mid mode, perhaps around 100ish lumens & then the max.
Don't want or need an ultimately variable lumens mode setting.

I don't really like the ones where you have to twist the head or cap to change to a different mode, so would prefer one that can used single hand.

Would prefer forward click but not completely necessary. Makes no difference to me if the click is on the tail end or the head end.

Batteries that I will use are either AA or CR123s.

Price I would prefer between £50-70, I don't mind paying a little more if it is much better than a torch within the £50-70 bracket.

Does that help any further?

[cbr6fs]

Unfortunately not all 18650 torches are recommended to work with CR123 batteries.

Reason being that 2 x CR123 give out 6v, as opposed to a 18650 which gives out 4.2v max.
Most Fenix lights work on both CR123 and 18650.

Zebralight do not advise running any of their 18650 torches on CR132's though and will not warrant their products if they find they've been used with 2 x CR123.

At a push the SC600 and H600 both work on 2 x CR123, i really wouldn't want to push the regulator though if it's designed for 6v.

So you really need to double check before you hand over your hard earned just to make sure the light you buy is warranted on 2 x CR123.

[Dr Forinor]

Did not know that, learning everyday.

Another thing I am noticing with rechargable 18650s is that some say 2100mAH or 2600mAH etc, what is the difference and which ones are advised to get? Any advantage/disadvantage?

[tx101]

The mAH number gives you the capacity of the battery, so the higher the number the more the capacity

Currently, I believe 3100mAH is the highest on the market.

Beware, some battery manufacturers/sellers are economical with the truth when stating the specs of their batteries.

AW batts are regarded as some of the best on the market while xxxxfire batts are some of the worst.

IMHO if they had a ranking for Chinese made torches, Zebralight and Sunwayman would come somewhere on the top

while Olight somewhere in the middle/top ..... just my opinion

[Dr Forinor]

So the higher the capacity, means the longer it should last?

Thanks for your opinion, it's what I'm after

[tx101]

Yes, thats right

Another thing to bear in mind with higher capacity 18650 batts is whether or not they fit your torch.

A smaller capacity batt, say a 18650 2200mAH will be physically smaller than a 18650 3100mAH both in

diameter and length ..... closer to 70mm rather than 65mm. A 2200mAH will fit any torch designed for

the 18650. Whereas a 3100mAH will require a torch that is slightly oversized to accommodate it.

It really is a matter or either asking the seller or searching for a review of the torch.

To complicate matters even more Is the torch compatible with flat-top batts.

Some of the larger cells, to make them fit in a 18650 tube, have a flat-top positive battery

contact. A "normal" 18650 will have a raised button on the positive end of the batt.

Some torches by design, require a raised button in order to complete the electrical circuit

obviously if you used a flat top batt for such a torch, the circuit will not be complete.



BTW if you ask my opinion just go for the Zebralight SC600. The Olight might throw a little

further due to the slightly larger reflector but there is a reason why ZL cannot make enough

of them to sell. They have even put a number of releases on hold just so that they can keep

up with demand for the SC600

[Dr Forinor]

Hehehe, I like the "BTW" at the end there. From the YouTube vids that I have seen, the SC600 does seem to have a decent amount of throw and by jeebus does it flood the area with light!! I like the brighter effect of the SC600 as opposed to the SC600W, but I do like the more neutral tint of the SC600W.

[cbr6fs]

Bit late the party here but TX101 hit the nail bang on the head, great advise.

If your considering the SC600 the H600 is physically a noggin smaller and lighter, plus with the 90° angled head i find it more useful more of the time compared to my SC600.





Only downside is, it give a more flood beam pattern and when compared like with like the beam does seem to be very slightly dimmer on the H600 (the price to pay for the smaller reflector).
I've also found that if your a lumen animal and you keep resetting the turbo mode (torch automatically switches from turbo (750lm) to high (500lm) after 5 mins) the H600 does get noticeably warmer than the SC600.
Hardly surprising though as it has less material to act as a heat sink.

Size, weight and head angle does make the H600 a better EDC light IMO though.



Cheers
Mark

[Dr Forinor]

Thanks for your input but I don't think headgear would suit my needs as much as something in my hand

[cbr6fs]

The headstrap holder is just a rubber piece so it just pops straight off, i'm carrying the H600 as in the first pic right now.

[Dr Forinor]

Any chance you could post up pics of the beam different between the 2 so I can get a better idea for myself before I decide?

[cbr6fs]

Any chance you could post up pics of the beam different between the 2 so I can get a better idea for myself before I decide?

As you can probably tell i have absolutely no problem snapping pics for you, i have never posted any beam pics before as to be honest they tend to be crap
I'll give it another go though.