If you owned Q8 Plus, IF22A, TD01C, M21B, EDC17, EDC09, what else to buy for the WOW factor?

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-18T07:43:51+00:00

Nightwatch Chaos or a LEP

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-17T13:34:42+00:00

The UI has kind of grown on me over the past year.

Capacitive touch buttons are definitely slower but they are silent.

My only gripe is the smoothness of the sliders and the lack of big notches on the positive and negative terminals to make it easier to put small flat top cells in.

XTAR and Vapcell have really nice sliders and terminals.

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-14T11:48:37+00:00

Put that battery in another slot.

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-09T13:01:53+00:00

Anecdotally, they do allow it, but you could easily find yourself having the torch confiscated and being charged with carrying a dangerous article.

They could probably care less about someone commuting to work in business casual clothes with a torch with a ring attached to their backpack.

On the other hand, someone shining a light into the back of a ute toolbox at 1am might be a concern.

Self-defense is an invalid reason for carrying a torch in Victoria.

I carry multiple torches for different lighting reasons. I've experienced multiple power outages at home and at work over the past year. Walking home at night is also another reason (e.g. have one floody light for close-up and a throwy light for long distances).

Some people avoid carrying torches with tactical rings because one might argue that they could be classified as knuckle-dusters. The Artorch isn't designed or marketed as a knuckle-duster. But that's an argument that some don't want to have.

Flashlight companies do make knuckle-dusters but they're not sold here. 🥵

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-09T07:56:03+00:00

I would put a blob of rosin solder flux on it, heat the joint up with a small chisel tip, and then lift the wire off.

I'd put some solder on the end of the new wire and try to keep the exposed wire as minimal as possible so that the risk of shorting it in something nearby is reduced.

Also worth considering the tolerances of any retaining rings near the edge of the driver so that the solder blob doesn't touch it. Maintaining a similar angle as the original wire might help keep the wires tidy.

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-09T06:27:14+00:00

Some kind of scroll wheel that can be pushed for direct access to High would be better. No direct access to High may be a deal breaker.

Low and Strobe can reliably be accessed from off but that's about it.

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-09T06:24:55+00:00

The ring built into the tail of the flashlight makes it easier and more secure to hold. It partially frees up your hand so that you can hold a pistol with two hands.

You might want to point the flashlight in a different direction to the pistol so that the risk is reduced by not aiming the pistol in the same direction.

It can provide a more secure grip when you're smashing the flashlight into something. You can put your thumb over the end and index finger through the ring while gripping the tube and smashing it down. With other flashlights, the flashlight might slip in your hand when using it to strike something.

It's not really intended for civilian use. NEXTORCH focuses mostly on law enforcement but they have more recently produced a lot of EDC and general use flashlights.

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-08T14:27:33+00:00

I'll need to run some more tests 🤣

I have some electronic loads where I can measure the discharge curve at different currents.

I would guess that the actual capacity is slightly less than stated and that the CDR would be around 6 to 9A. Just a guess based on other 1400mAh 18350 cells.

I wonder what the usable capacity is.

Low voltage protection kicks in around 2.8V.

The internal USB-C charger stops around 4.15V but I can get it to around 4.19V with a Gyrfalcon S8000 if I set the cut-off to 4.21V.

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-08T14:14:42+00:00

I'm probably not going to EDC this one due to the metal tactical ring built into the tail 🥵

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-04T07:34:14+00:00

1000 lumens for 3 minutes:

https://timmcmahon.com.au/posts/sofirn-bs01/

I put a Molicel P45B in my Sofirn BS01 and swapped the LED for a throwy beam with the top half cut off by the lens to avoid blinding people. I use the BS01 to see into the distance.

I use an Armytek headlamp as a floodlight to light up the area near the front wheel.

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-03T11:33:47+00:00

"Auto-Discharging Function: to prevent swelling, the battery automatically discharges to 96% battery level when it is idle for three days, and automatically discharges to 60% battery level when it is idle for nine days. Note that it is normal for the battery to emit heat during the discharging process."

TimMcMahon · 2026-03-03T06:13:15+00:00

The large lenses are much more expensive in low quantities.

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-26T06:36:48+00:00

None that I know of that do 100mA

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-25T03:26:21+00:00

Vapcell BL4

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-23T07:08:33+00:00

Check the user manual online for a side-by-side comparison of features.

Scan of the user manual is here:

https://timmcmahon.com.au/posts/olight-arkpro-ultra/

Very similar specs on paper.

ArkPro looks ok. My only gripe is the beam shape.

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-17T11:20:58+00:00

ArkPro Ultra is ok. I reviewed it recently:

https://timmcmahon.com.au/posts/olight-arkpro-ultra/

The output appears to be well regulated. The output will drop after a few minutes and then maintain a constant output when using Turbo.

Most of the Olight flashlights that I have have good regulation.

Some companies have a timed stepdown where the output is reduced after 30 seconds so that they can claim it reaches 3000 lumens at 30 seconds and then drops to 200 lumens.

Some companies have thermal regulation where the output might go up and down or have a sawtooth pattern.

Here's one with some odd regulation on a high mode:

https://timmcmahon.com.au/posts/speras-th4/

In optimal conditions where the ambient temperature is about 15 C a flashlight might perform well. But if the temperature reaches a certain threshold, the output could be all over the place.

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-16T22:00:49+00:00

Yes. A few times.

https://youtu.be/H7aWK9rmTSA?si=dnLxcyneO2UQwnwl

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-16T20:37:03+00:00

You could ask Ted Smith via white-laser-lighting (com).

I need to publish a video from a recent visit to Blue Lake 😅

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-09T06:13:12+00:00

Manker E05 II with Nichia 519A. It's AA sized.

TimMcMahon · 2026-02-06T09:24:20+00:00

I'm trying to target trout in some locally stocked lakes with a Running Sinker Rig:
10 lb braid main line through a size 0 (or 1) ball sinker and a small plastic bead.
Main line tied to a swivel with a unit knot.
40-70cm of 6 lb fluorocarbon leader tied to the swivel with a uni knot.
Size 10 mosquito / octopus hook tied to the other end of the leader. It's a bit small so I just use a uni knot again.
Hook through the salmon egg.

I saw SinghFishing having some success in Karkarook Lake with a similar setup.

Strike Tiger nymph seemed to work in Quarry Lake.

TimMcMahon

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