"Affordable" Carbine tac light?

another vote for fenix!

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Everyone I know that has been using one says it's fine...I was expecting 300 lumens to be about the maximum tolerable indoor light, but apparently the spill is wide enough that the reflected light even off white walls is not too severe.

I guess it makes sense...if you measure lumens a foot from the lens, you will get a very dense photon distribution regardless of the spill of the beam. From ten feet back, the spill is going to make a huge difference in the measured light level. If you reflect 500 lumens off three square feet, you will get a tremendous amount of light hitting your retina. If it's off 1000 square feet, hardly any light will hit your retina.

At any rate, I know a bunch of guys using x300us for work and they all like them.
 
Regarding 800...at this point I would assume that's too much. However it might depend on the pattern of the throw. There clearly is a cutoff but what it is and what factors affect it...it's clearly more complicated than a single number.

As quoted on another site, "there was a time when Surefire advertised '60 blinding lumens'."
 
albertacoyotecaller said:
Well guess I am old school. Better go update all my lights.

wonder why SF only has a couple 500 plus weapon lights if the new minimum is 500 lumen?
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Because until recently it was not feasible in the size package we are talking about. The reason it is becoming the new go to amount of light is that surfire recently came out with them in the size they did. There have been brighter lights for along time, put not in the x300/6p size of light. I imagine that once they figure out how to get 800 in that size it will become the norm.

Shawn
 
PTODAV said:
This looks like a good option... amazon has PD32 for $70.00.. looks like a pretty darn good light from the reviews.
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"warriors and wonders" in vancouver sells the PD32 cheap cheap cheap... plus they have mounts... i have a few of them and they are awesome for the price...

3 different brightness settings and strobe function as well.
 
shawn said:
Because until recently it was not feasible in the size package we are talking about. The reason it is becoming the new go to amount of light is that surfire recently came out with them in the size they did. There have been brighter lights for along time, put not in the x300/6p size of light. I imagine that once they figure out how to get 800 in that size it will become the norm.

Shawn
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Exactly...this is relatively new technology. Five years ago, they probably only had a couple of lights that would do 150 lumens, and lots were only good for 60. I have some 60 lumen lights left from that time...they suck, even though at the time, they seemed powerful just because they weren't AA maglites, which at one time also seemed great.

There will be a point where the light levels hit their maximum. That might be soon...but it does not seem that it was at the previous level.
 
I'm glad to see the conversation on CGN :wave: , because it was kinda confusing to look all over the web to find opinions.....:stirthepot2:


I'd much rather have my ranting-and-raving folks discuss lights :yingyang: , than other ranters-and-ravers !


Plus I want my AR's light to melt the flesh of the faces of my foes....:evil:
 
Sinasta said:
You have to realize you're on CGN and that maybe 4 people in this thread actually know what they're talking about.

For me, I have a X300 on my pistol and Surefire Fury Defender on my rifle.
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I think in terms of weapon lights Surefire is now trying to show they can make a bright light. The x300U is 500 lumens and they do have a 700 lumen light that they have done a vid on.
Not long ago they would defend their weapons lights output with home defense situations in which 500 lumens would blind you and your adversary, thus the 100 lumen output.
Now they are going against that statment. For what?
Sales.
I guess it depends on what your setup is going to be used for.
 
albertacoyotecaller said:
So a 500 lumen WML is fine in a room on your carbine with red dot? How about 800, more is better?
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Shawn has answered everything. Btw he and Misanthropist are 2 of the 4 people who know what they're talking about. There is a reason why I dont post much anymore since people refuse to listen. But instead have their own "Bro science" to go on.
 
newless said:
I think in terms of weapon lights Surefire is now trying to show they can make a bright light. The x300U is 500 lumens and they do have a 700 lumen light that they have done a vid on.
Not long ago they would defend their weapons lights output with home defense situations in which 500 lumens would blind you and your adversary, thus the 100 lumen output.
Now they are going against that statment. For what?
Sales.
I guess it depends on what your setup is going to be used for.
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Actually yes it is about sales and technology. Do you actually believe the advertisement from the old Surefire ads of blinding power of 60/80 lumens? Why was it that low back then?...technology. Even at 500lumens your eyes wont melt or your #### wont fall off from the reflection off white walls inside a house no matter who tells you.
 
I'd rather just buy lights that work for me.

If you can do what you need to do with fewer lumens I don't think anyone is going to tell you that you have to upgrade. I don't think I personally own anything that puts out more than 150, as I don't really make an effort to buy the latest thing all the time. That said, I'd like to try an x300u just because a lot of people I trust are saying good things about them.
 
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