Thread: Torches

Looking for recommendations on torches and torch light colours for hunting small game. Have read much about the maxtoch, olight and convoys on these forums but when I tried looking for maxtoch on aliexpress, they cost $340 now?

I currently have a cheapie Vastfire from Aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...6e9918029u0k8G, mounted on barrel, and it's worked great for lighting the way at night, I just wish the beam was more spread out as I can only see in a small area with it while scanning around and it's also really hard to pick out the bunnies from the shadows of the bushes unless I see their eyes. I've heard about de-doming and would like to attempt it just for fun since the torch was so cheap, but the LED is recessed in the torch and I need advise on how I could reach at it.


And here are a few questions too that I hope someone can answer.

If, when I buy a green/red torch does it come with a green/red LED or that it is just a green/red filter? Could I get away with replacing the glass on my Vastfire torch with a green tinted glass? Thinking of pairing that with a good headlamp so I don't have to hold the air rifle up whenever I'm scanning the area.

A mate I know suggested getting a bright spotlight to stun rabbits with, so is a very bright white light a better go-to than a coloured one?

Most modern torches use led that are coloured, as well as a white one, you can get covers that are coloured if you just want change the colour of the light but you will lose a little bit of intensity in theory, plus is a pain when they fall off!

That led looks too deep, you could try with an old sneaker rubber, but might bugger it up.

A good light like anything will cost, there are a few shops online, torch monster and rubber monkey that sell decent torches , there is an olight and a nite core that both come with hunting kits, mounts and corded switches.

Originally Posted by Shelley

Most modern torches use led that are coloured, as well as a white one, you can get covers that are coloured if you just want change the colour of the light but you will lose a little bit of intensity in theory, plus is a pain when they fall off!

That led looks too deep, you could try with an old sneaker rubber, but might bugger it up.

A good light like anything will cost, there are a few shops online, torch monster and rubber monkey that sell decent torches , there is an olight and a nite core that both come with hunting kits, mounts and corded switches.

Will I need some sort of solvent to loosen up the dome?
The threads where I read about maxtoch were several years old and most mentioned they cost around $100-150 haha. Inflation am i right? The convoy S8+ would still be within my budget but I'm wondering if it might end up just performing the same as the cheapie I have right now.

Go here, https://www.piercingthedarkness.co.nz/
Jacobs Convoy hunting torches a bloody excellent at a very good price.

I’ll second piercing the darkness, I wouldn’t bother with Aliexpress looking for torches there.

Another site is rubber monkey where I bought a Fenix head torch, I’ll buy another Fenix

Jacob at piercing the darnkess actually built a custom torch for me - he’s a good guy and couldn’t recommend more.

Thanks for the reccos guys but I still need info on which torch to pick for bunnies in bushes at night:

Red or green light?

White bright light for stunning rabbits?

Contact Jacob and ask him

Originally Posted by DustyKnees

Thanks for the reccos guys but I still need info on which torch to pick for bunnies in bushes at night:

Red or green light?

White bright light for stunning rabbits?

I bought a maxtoch torch off the guys on the forum who were working with maxtoch, it was a great torch, it had been altered so it didn’t have a sharp light in the middle of the beam.

A mate borrowed and lost the torch so I bought another I think through aliexpress but it just wasn’t the same.

I bought a torch off piercing the darkness and it’s great, don’t ask me what model as I forget but it lights up animals 400 mtrs away no problems.

I use it for bunny shooting so with the added rings and rails it clips onto my scope.

I haven’t played with different filters, I just use white light, I’ll scan an area, pick up bunnies and get set up and only turn the light on when I’m about to shoot that way Im saving battery and trying not to educate bunnies on lights.

I bought a torch off piercing the darkness two years after a mate borrowed and lost my maxtoch which had been dedomed by members here, I

I’d be seriously pissed off it someone lost either of my mod’d Maxtochs. Very effective pieces of kit


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Originally Posted by DustyKnees

Thanks for the reccos guys but I still need info on which torch to pick for bunnies in bushes at night:

Red or green light?

White bright light for stunning rabbits?

All of the above during summer. Thermal scope during the winter.
Green, I find great for picking up eye reflection, less contrast to shoot with using a scope though.
Red, If rabbits are getting light shy it's good to use. Limited range compared to white or green though.

Regarding rabbit shooting:
A bit of light discipline will help you. Deliberately scan an area, get an idea of the animals you want to shoot, get set up, light on and shoot.
This can help avoiding educating any you miss/don't shoot at.
If you swing the light wildly all over the place you'll let everything in the area know that danger is on the way.
I've noticed on blocks I shoot regularly they get sensitive to vehicle noise. If you're in the game of shooting the last one you do need to drive sometimes, walk sometimes.
If there is a full moon, I tend to stay home and have a quiet whisky. Everything from rats to rabbits seems to be much more mobile while it's well lit by the moon.

Jacob at Piercing the Darkness is the best person I know to buy a light off. It will cost you more than aliexpress, however, it will be far superior. I've been down that road....

Originally Posted by 6x47

I’d be seriously pissed off it someone lost either of my mod’d Maxtochs. Very effective pieces of kit


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Yeah, I wasn’t happy but he’s a good mate, it wasn’t intentional & sometimes shit happens.

When you loan something you need to factor that the item can get damaged or lost.

He did pay for another torch so it’s not like he shied away from it.

Have a look at thd night hunter elite by nightforce.
I am pretty impressed with mine.
It has 4 colour's including ir and is focusable and dimmable micro USB C rechargeable with a scope mount anx pressure switch.
Good bang for buck as well.


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It went in there, it will come out. You just need to work out how the board is retained in there. There are a couple of ways to dedome - solvent soak, heat, etc etc. A very hot metal nail head placed on the silicon dome briefly and then remove and check, reapply briefly etc until the silicon softens sufficiently for you to flick it off is one possibility if you can't get the board out.

I used the heat method for my Matxtochs, worked. I still have one with the dome, and one without. Very effective bits of kit.

Originally Posted by SpeightsDrinker

Jacob at piercing the darnkess actually built a custom torch for me - he’s a good guy and couldn’t recommend more.

He's the man, nice to have his company name, I was dealing through him on trademe back when he was on it