BLF discussion thread

"A Wavien collar is a reflective half-hemisphere placed around an LED emitter that recycles light that would otherwise escape sideways. By redirecting this light toward the lens, it can increase the flashlight’s luminous intensity (candela) and throw distance without increasing electrical power."

After I finished the LOUDENER V1, u/gonebrowsing was kind enough to send me his original **Marinebeam Wavien collar** (from the 2018 BLF groupbuy).

Installed in the M21A/SFT-42R host, focused within the limits of my capability the wavien collar achieved an increase of:

+45.8% intensity.

Upping the candela from 5.49Mcd to 8.00Mcd.

Is it perfectly focused? probably not - but I gave it my best shot.

I installed a drop of hot-glue to pick it up with tweezers, since its hemispherical and fragile

Placing it inside the host by itself did not focus the beam back towards the emitter, but towards the MCPCB.

The height was too low, and this gave a (mirrored) projection of the entire PCB.

So I had to design a "couple" of wavien collar *collars*, to shim the height and center it perfectly.

I had to use grinding/torch glasses to look at the beam, even at 0.1% from the 3V10A convoy driver.

It was too intense too look at with bare eyes.

Since I cant post vids here, there is a low quality GIF that shows the focus shift with very small movements of the collar.

We want to get a small hotspot on the emitter itself (recycling the lost side emission).

The collar was secured in place with a couple of drops of hot-glue, which worked great.

The beam pattern is not perfectly round on a white wall, but it never was too begin with - this isn't due to the collar but due to my imperfect DIY optics.

the hotspot is as round as it gets though. The blue/purple chromatic abberation gives me the best indication the beam is at it's highest intensity.

It's not fully dark yet and rather overcast, so real beamshots will have to wait - but they'll probably look similar to the shots @ the original post.

So, is it worth it? Yes, definitely - if it was publicly available at a certain price, which it is not.

Therefore I refer to it as "Ancient Alien Tech 👽" until the patent runs out.

It's an easy mod after some tinkering.

There aren't that many aspheric/fresnel flashlights being produced in 2026 (and it's a useless mod for anything reflector/tir related).

I do wonder however, what would happen if this was a LEP? Would the phosphor be saturated at that point?

That might be my next experiment, but I have a hard time finding a >3K lumen LEP module at an acceptable price.

Floodier than lhp73b. Posted extra pics below.

No power tonight since the fuze in my apartment is burned, and the electrician won't come until tomorrow. But fortunately I kept my flashlight fully charged...

Really nice beam from this one. Comparison with M21K LHP73B 4000K. Both lights on 20A turbo. Trees in the first beamshots are approximately 190m away. Trees in the second beamshots are approximately 100m away. NV1010 is the first in each set of beams.

This thing is a monster in every sense. See the linked post.

Everything fits together well. When you turn it on its a WTF moment. I literally CAN NOT look at the spot on the wall. Beans in the evening. 😨😨

https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/s/DJj6DWUmhR

Have been a surefire guy for quite some time now but dove into the Malkoff pool with the MDC E2HT V3 EZP.

Pretty impressed so far. Good size. Button is efficient but the break is a little longer than I'd like. Three modes easy to cycle between. Diode and therefore the housing around said diode gets pretty warm on highest setting quickly. Seems well built and perfect size.

I ordered XTAR about a week before the flashlight and it was still two weeks after I got. I bought a NEBO because...well you can't have a new flashlight and not play with it. Now I think I like the NEBO better but haven't even charged the XTAR yet to test it.

My neighbor happened to be burning plastic or some shit but made for a good haze for a photo.

This is my second M21B lhp73b so I had to try it in 5000k. It surly didn't disappoint. I put the metal tail peace on it to try it. I like it but I don't know why it doesn't have memory mode now. The only thing I can say negative about it is that it gets warm pretty fast but it's plenty bright in lower levels so it's still a nice flashlight.

I’m currently using a Skilhunt H150 V3 with a 1.5V lithium-ion battery, and I know H150 V4 has been released.

Are there any other AA/14500 right-angle lights worth considering, with a good driver, good UI, and a good LED, other than the lights shown in the photos (which include various headlamps)?

If I go with a 14500 light, I’d prefer one with built-in USB-C charging.

Any recommendations?

Big fan of these - expensive - but really enjoy the aesthetics. Aluminum DC0 on the left and Titanium DC0 on the right.

I don’t collect torches but appreciate something decent.
I decided to retire my old Ledlenser P14. It’s been a good torch but I’ve recently been thinking that the AA batteries don’t seem to last very long in it and I was also kinda worried they’d leak inside it and ruin it - which is what happened to my previous Ledlenser torch.

I automatically started looking at new Ledlenser torches, aiming for more light output, longer run time and a rechargeable battery. I then made the mistake of googling “are Ledlenser torches still good?” and stumbled across this sub.

After falling down the rabbit hole I spent around 5 hours researching and watching YouTube reviews 😂

I was initially looking at an Olight Warrior X4 but then stumbled across the Fenix range and decided I preferred the look of them.

So I’ve bought a Fenix PD35R ACE and an E06R for on my keys. It’s crazy to think the E06R is only 100 lumens less than my massive old Ledlenser 😂

And the PD35R is more than I’ll ever need.

They arrived today, I’ve charged them both and had a quick play about with them now it’s gotten dark outside and I’m really impressed. Hoping to get many years decent service from them 🤞

The two of them combined cost £140 which I think is reasonable.

I’ve taken the AA batteries out of my old Ledlenser so they don’t leak inside it and stored it away to keep in reserve.

On official website Fenix listed 2 new flashlights

1. TK22R Pro with 3 luminus SFT42R, 4200 lumens and 440m throw
2. HT32R TIR lens with 1 luminus SFT42R, 4 SST20F for flodlight and 6 Osram Ostar for red, green and blue light.

Very interesting choice for TK22R pro with 3 luminus SFT42R led, which is a thrower LED and only 440m throw

I like collecting flashlights and already have a PD40R v3 and the new TK25R and probably I would add at least 1 of the new flashlights above to my collection, maybe both.

What are you thoughts about these 2?

Thanks to u/bob_mcbob for swapping the shit emitter in my baton 4 for a great ntg35 5000k. The light is much better now. Not one mark on the light at all. Fast service too.

Wizard C2 Pro (warm) and D4K, SST-20 4000K. (Also three candles!)

A recent storm blew down one of our trees - right on top of the power line. Because of the number of properties affected and the fact that we're isolated we were one of the last to get the power back on, so three nights without it. The headlamp was invaluable, hands-free lighting makes things so much easier. I would definitely recommend one if you don't have one already. I had two spare batteries for each, but as I was only using just enough light to see what I needed to do they're both still at just over 4 volts. The aux lights on the D4K came in very handy for finding it in the near-total darkness on night 2 when it was cloudy.

I also found the stepped levels comforting, main 1 (42 lumens) on the headlamp claims 43 hours of run-time, although for inside the house firefly 3 (5.6 lumens) was enough and that claims 12 days.

Of course, being a moth, I also had my E75 and SC65 on standby with fully-charged batteries but didn't need to use them. I am glad that I had charged spare batteries even though I didn't need them in the end, the thought of running out of battery power and the spares being sat at 3.6 volts would not have been good.

https://mblwtmw.wordpress.com/2026/10/27/tmobile-lantern-review/

Long time lurker here. I rarely ever post, but I recently made a simple website to share my thoughts on stuff, mainly flashlights.

T-Mobile was giving these away today, and I saw no one talking about them. It’s probably super basic and not really desired, but I want to share it just in case someone was interested.

Thanks again!

No a huge fan of the laser etching on the battery tube of SK06. It just ruins the sleek look - "Don't stare at the beam". Seriously?!? Anyways - faux carbon-fiber vinyl wrap (self-adhesive) took care of it and now IMHO looks better.

Unless I am mistaken, the UV filter patent expired yesterday. US7,781,751 B2. When can we expect the preorders for the arktac pro ultra expert professional 2 to start?

So finally got around to finishing my emitter swap on a SP36 BLF (and replacing the capacitor I borked while trying to open the darn thing). I've been using a 4000k version as my "hotel light" when I travel, because so many hotels have god awful lighting. I like the SP36 because it lets me run fairly bright while plugged in and charging, so it replaces a hotel lamp quite well. But I do prefer warmer light when in the room.

Since they never had the 2700k version in stock, I ordered a 5000k version and figured I'd try swapping to some 519a emitters. Opening it up was a royal pain, mine was glued really well. Got it open but broke a tiny capacitor, and it sat on my bench for months. Finally got around to replacing it, and the rest of the emitter swap went well.

Overall I'm quite satisfied. It's a bit throwier than the LH351Ds, which is most apparent in the side by side moonlight mode shot. I didn't bother with a dedome, since it's mostly going to be pointing at the ceiling of a hotel room and it's already plenty warm. It's not quite as bright as the 4000k, but that might be due to only using 2 batteries instead of all 3. The 519as can't take as much current, so until I can find some max 7A discharge cells I'm playing it safe. Don't want to turbo it and fry the emitters by accident. Still plenty bright for my needs, and lights up a room well.

Hello, I’m definitely a newbie in collecting flashlights of any merit and I’m seeking some guidance and advice, please.

Recently bought the Convoy 3X21C 21700 flashlight LED type SST40 and 3PCS Molicel P50B 5000mAh batteries and I’m disappointed with the LED brightness and throw. I was wondering if it’s possible instead of ordering a whole brand new flashlight with a different LED is it possible to just swap out the LED emitter?

I was looking at the luminous SFT60 high power LED emitter or the LMP space LHP531 light emitting diode and wondered if I could just swap it out for the SST40. If so, do I need a MCPCB? And if so, does anyone know the correct diameter or size? 16 mm, 20 mm 25 mm? Not even sure what I would be measuring to be honest.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Just recently got rid of an X4Q for the X4 stellar. Great light, but carrying it around made me miss the sleekness of the Q. Wanted it in blue, saw it was out of stock, so emailed to ask when it would come back in stock. Fiona replied and said it would not restock because it’s no longer being produced. Asked for clarification, and she confirmed the X4Q was being discontinued.

Hello people. I'm wondering what a good usbc rechargeable cr123A that would be compatible with the olight baton mini. I'd very much appreciate advice. Thank you

Looking for an 18650 flashlight with ~40–45k candela, instant turbo, and a pocket-friendly switch

Hi folks!

I'm looking for recommendations for an 18650 flashlight with around 40–45k candela, instant access to turbo, and preferably a side switch that won't accidentally activate in my pocket.

I currently own several ThruNite TN12 Pros, and I really like the instant turbo access from the tail switch. It's great for quickly checking an area for potential threats, snakes, or anything else that might be lurking in the dark. Unfortunately, I've dropped one of mine, and the tail switch has become unreliable unless I fiddle with it.

There are two things I don't particularly like about the TN12 Pro:

1. Accidental activation: The side switch is too easy to bump while carrying it in my pocket. I've had it turn on unintentionally and heat up my pocket.
2. Driver efficiency: The driver isn't particularly efficient, and the light heats up quickly. Since I primarily use turbo for brief, intermittent searches and scans, this isn't a dealbreaker, but I'd love something with a more efficient buck driver.

Ideally, I'm looking for:

• 18650 battery
• Around 40–45k candela (or more)
• Instant turbo access, preferably via a tail switch
• A recessed or protected side switch that won't accidentally activate in a pocket
• Efficient buck driver, if possible
• Around $50 or less

I'd like to keep the price reasonable because I'm planning to buy several—one for each car and one for each family member to carry.

Bonus points if there's also an 18350 version (or a compatible short tube) for easier purse or pocket carry.

I'm not necessarily looking for maximum sustained turbo output. Quick, reliable access to a powerful beam is my main priority.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

I hope my request isn’t too sacrilegious. But my wife goes for walks at night with this super annoying flashlight that looks like a wall switch. It cost $5 and eats up AAAs. So I want to get her something nice that’s not $50 or she’ll go back to the wall switch just to make a point. She doesn’t like my flashlights because they don’t cover enough of the ground.

Requirements
- 120 degree field of shine
- not a head strap
- under $30
- rechargeable
- nothing complicated or she’ll launch it into the woods.

Preferred
- right angle
- a tail light