wanted to get a reliable torch for my travels, one that i could pretty much tuck inside my backpack without taking too much space but provide enough candlepower to light my way when needed... and boy was this thread kinda like opening pandora's box. after sifting through the wealth of information here and information available online, it was a toss between olight's i3e and s1r turbo... the former having the edge in terms of stamina and convenience (pretty easy to pop by any convenient store for a pack of triple a's), whilst the latter had a brighter and rechargeable functionality (since the batteries were not as easily available). yeah, i know... comparing apple and oranges going by the price difference, but to cut a long story short, i ended up getting BOTH. i suppose they both have a role to play with the s1r turbo the gotto choice, and the i3e for when i'm off the grid. but now i'm hooked and thinking of getting the i1r also

This post has been edited by WingNut: Oct 16 2018, 01:55 AM

hahaha... this is turning out to be a dangerous thread to open!

how many torches do you guys carry around??? yes, the nitecore tini was considered but loss out to the i3e on the convenience aspect. easier to have spare batteries than having the powerbank/cable combo, methinks. and at rm48... the i3e made good sense. the nitecore is a worthy contender to my next target, the i1r actually (corrected my earlier post), especially since its stamina is quite astounding. it looks double the width of the i3e but to be fair, i haven't seen it in irl. not that it's that much of a difference. it's amazing how something so small packs such a punch, really. thanks for the recommendation, peeps!

thanks for the feedback about the step down and actual runtime, everdying. hence, why i chose the i3e. problem with ie3 as an edc though is that i could easily forget to check/replace the batteries, and we all know nothing good comes out of that! so whilst it'll make the perfect companion for a travel edc (remove battery upon return), it's not the perfect edc for my day to day. and you're spot on again as to why the i1r made it to my shortlist for a general edc... size. anyway, lemme see how the ie3 holds up as a general edc, but that discounted tini sure looks enticing


wow... my sentiments exactly. hence, the reason why i also have the s1r turbo incoming for those (occasional) night treks/cave exploring etc. the one rule for travel for me personally is to always always have a spare.

the tip has a smaller battery? compared to?

yeah, the size of the tini/tip only differs very slightly, but the battery stamina of the tip really is more headache for me

ah, ok. thot as much. made a similar mistake between the i1r and the s1r earlier myself

paper comparison between the two (tini/tip):

length: 43.3/60.7 (17.4)
width: 25.4/24.38 (-1.02)
thickness: 11.5/13.72 (2.22)
weight: 13.4/23.5 (10.1)

so yeah, boils down to personal preference and whether the extra thickness/length/weight is worth the stamina trade off. correct me if i'm mistaken, but on paper, the dimensions of the tip is no bigger than a regular key fob (and naturally the tini being even smaller). decisions decisions decisions. not in a rush here so we'll see...

on the bright side (no pun intended), gadgetworld2u got my two illuminators to me in double quick time and i must say technology has come a long long way since my days with the incandescent solitaire (yes, a long long time ago also). looking forward to trying them out during this weekend's trip!



This post has been edited by WingNut: Oct 16 2018, 04:00 PM

find myself being drawn to...

... the BRIGHT side

but for the moment i think i'm pretty well covered with the i3e and s1r turbo

this lumens thingy... i think it's going the way of pixel count in photography. the better development, me thinks, is increasing battery stamina rather than brightness. or at least that's how i see my main criteria for next gen of torches. last night hands itchy go field test the s1r turbo and i think 900 lumens is more than sufficient for personal use (tactical, lain cerita). surprisingly even at the low level 12 lumens, the light seems a wee bit bright for tasks such as finding keyhole, glove compartment, backpacks etc and the moonlight function can actually do the job, albeit a wee bit inadequate. the mid level 60 lumens was pretty much the sweet spot for a general urban walkabout with a step up to the 300 for hiking/when further coverage is required. the turbo (600l) and turbo s (900l)... i guess that'll come in handy in caves/wide open trails since subjects within a couple of metres appear blindingly bright, imo. well, perhaps my eyesight is failing me... but tbh, a torch that has a far reaching beam can only do so much if you can't make out what's at the other end. so yeah, whilst i understand how having few k's is halpful for sar ops (and tactical deployment), it's overkill as a personal illuminator.

but then again, i once thought the maglite solitaire handled the job pretty well

nice!

well i reckon if olight upgrades the i1r with 300lm and an hour battery life at 100lm with no change is size, they'll have a winner on their hands coz although the tini and tip ticks all the performance boxes, i'm still very much a traditional barrel guy. instead of the ultra portable performer, my next purchase (not too soon, hopefully), would probably be a toss between the s30r and the s2r. what's the nitecore equivalent, if i may ask (with focus on stamina rather than luminescence)?

the closest comparison would be the p10gt, but i reckon nitecore is more tactical seeing as to how their luminescence settings are on the high side. olight seems to be more practical to me. the 15hr run at 120lm for the s30r seems to put it ahead of the competition in my list (granted, my list may not be comprehensive)... for now.

the srt5 is definitely a keeper! the ring adjustment is, methinks, more practical than the dial currently employed.

see what i mean about this thread being pure unadulterated poison? the past couple of comments made me realise that i have my flashgun powerex 2700mah batteries just sitting around too! not 16... just 4. but still, makes me wanna grab that tn4a... more particularly, the nw version. saw the reviews... the hi is insanely bright. care to share where do you get the nw for rm195?

by a twist of fate, i'm shedding tears instead of my wallet. the tn4a(nw) is already oos at radiant den

the tn4a(nw)???

okay... now this is strange. i ordered the tn4a online from radiant den at around 11.30am, and messaged them about the confirmation email/invoice to pay for the item. got prompt feedback that the tn4a(nw) was possibly oos... and confirmation at 12.30 that indeed, they no longer had stock. so if you actually tested the tn4a at 3pm...

actually i am more of a neutral white flood person so i don't see any added value in having the p30. the p30, as its name suggests, is to me more relevant for hunting where you need the reach to seek out the target at say 500m or so. what i did consider was the olight s30r, but again, it didn't add much value to the s1r turbo that i already have. what piqued my interest was the nitecore lr12 as the in-built diffuser really appeals to me. but since i couldn't find any available here in malaysia (or maybe i wasn't trying hard enough?) and since i don't plan on tackling the great outdoors anytime soon, decided to give it a pass... for now.

however, what i did get was (drumroll)... the manker u12. granted its reach is less than the s30r, i do however find the nw more pleasing to the eye than the cw. it won't make it to me in time for this weekend's trip... but let's see how it stacks up next weekend. fingers crossed, hoping manker sorted out the switch durability issue with the u12.

This post has been edited by WingNut: Oct 19 2018, 06:59 PM

err... nature observers use neutral white so as not to scare animals. hunters... don't think it really matters whether the animals are scared or otherwise.

16 lumens at 75m only paints half the picture. how big is the area of illumination at that distance? it has its uses, no doubt, but i prefer a wider rather than further reach.

but that's all academic really. hence, will be bringing my s1r turbo out this weekend to see how it performs. who knows, i may change my mind and opt for a thrower next.

what's the point of hitting a fix target?

10m out is good enough... but u wanna use a p30 for that?

yes. but again, the beam focus covers a smaller area with brighter intensity. but like i said, it would serve its purpose, but not what fits mine.

lots of variables at play, and with all the models currently available out there, we'll probably find one that hits our sweet spot... or multiple to suit different needs. pretty much a noob learning the ropes here, and yes, lots to learn from the vets.

as for the s1r turbo, i'm glad to report that i am impressed by its performance as a general edc. the 0.5/12/60/300lm modes are useful for searching stuff inside your backpack (0.5) to general trekking (60/300), with the turbo and turbo s modes for that occasional extra illumination, and it works well. for its thumbsize, it's one impressive performer. but i would've preferred a neutral white performer. personal preference though.

... and these two neutrals just landed in my collection

some preliminary thoughts:

t01: the packing seems all too generic with the non-descript cardboard sleeve covering the metal lidded box (i could definitely find a use for that!). the diamond knurling is pretty nicely done and gives this pocket illuminator a nice feel. a wee bit longer than my olight i3e and doesn't appear quite as refine, but the flat tail end is a plus, and it seems to perform reasonably well. again, probably something of a personal preference, the neutral white is more pleasing on the eye so we'll see in time which will eventually be my preferred keychain edc.

u12 kinda utilitarian windowed orange/black box. it has an 'industrial' look about it with the matte black finish, and a nice heft to it too. the side switch has a nice design with the backglow indicator, but tactile-wise, it doesn't feel durable. the same goes with usb-charging cover and wonder how long these will last is anyone's guess. then again, running on the 20700 battery, i don't think torch was meant to last all that long anyway. the "hot" warning sign on the outer rim doesn't give one much comfort either. but looks aside, she has the potential to be a credible campsite performer.

will be bringing these two fellas along this weekend to see how they perform, and to determine which fits what. the s1r turbo seems to be the perfect urban walkabout and i suspect, as was the reason why i got this fella, the u12 would be more suited for the great outdoors.

This post has been edited by WingNut: Oct 22 2018, 03:06 PM