Posted: 4/16/2010 6:06:10 AM EDT
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I was wondering what to look for besides lumens when picking out a flashlight.
I tend to look at the lumens to get an idea of the output then look for ruggedness, etc. It's something that I don't mind spending some money on, but not so much that if my kids lose it in the woods that I have to beat them.... One thing I've contemplated is getting the Surefire 6P that is at Lowes for $85 which rates at 80 Lumens. Someone bought me the Coast Lenser Tactical that is rated at 200 lumens. Also has a zooming feature to go from flood to spot. It is a BRIGHT bastard! It is $69 I know there are others out there such as Fenix and such, but I don't want to have to order something and I mainly wanted to know what differences there are just between these two. Besides the Lumens of course. |
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A couple things that come to mind is make sure it has good sealing and also runtime, quality of power modulation etc... Bright is good but then there is bright for 3 minutes of runtime and bright for 1hr of runtime etc... Also, multiple modes is very important to me. Power goes out I can flip to low and use it like a candle for a looooooong time or grab it, hit the tailcap and throw some light if I need to quickly. |
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Main things to think about:
LED vs. Incandescent - LEDs are more effiicient (last longer - both battery run time and overall device life time), but incandescents have a better throw (tightly focused beam). Construction - How well it's put together. Includes materials of construction and fit/finish. In this area, SureFire cannot be beat. The anodizing they do for their lights is top notch, and the dimensional tolerances are small for a solid fit. Design - Here's where the other manufacturers start creeping in and closing the distance. SureFire's main thing is still incandescent lights, so most of them are on/off only. Until recently, this applied to their LED lights as well (now there's low/high). Other manufacturers (like NiteCore, Fenix, etc.) have a continuous adjustable output for LED. On my NiteCore, I can select a brightness anywhere from 0.5-145 lumens. What I'd like to see in an EDC light is a mix between the SureFire E1B and the NiteCore D10: - AA powered (D10) - R2 LED (D10) - PD layout (Piston Displacement - All switching is done in the head, not a head + tailcap, which is bulkier - D10) - Twist on/off for always on, with tail switch used for adjusting the output - High/Low momentary tail switch with option of fully pressing in the switch to keep on (E1B) - Pocket clip (E1B) You manufacturers taking notes? |
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i can't find the thread now, but in the survival gear subsection of the outdoor forum, there have been some great, comprehensive threads about flashlights.
if you're buying LED, look for Cree LED. many brands, for example, fenix and coleman, use the Cree in their lights. if you want an inexpensive, but fairly decent light, check out the colemans at wally world. they have the Cree LED and range from 50 to 115 lumens. i think the most expensive light is $30. perfect for the kids. |
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We have developed a series of LED upgrades for existing Surefire hand-held and weapon lights. These are drop-in replacements for the legacy incandescent or LED lamps and heads. While one can talk lumens all day, it tends to turn into a dick-measuring contest. Lumens are important because in 99% of situations, more is better. But, in order to balance the equation, we have taken our own experiences in combat and law enforcement situations into account to develop lights whose high lumen count is offset with practical lumen use. A lot of high lumen lights on the market are very focused, giving you a super fireball in the center and very little spill. But, the spill is where a lot of lumens are needed the most for a man-portable hand held or weapon light. The spill is what lights up a room or area. Because the human eye tends to focus straight ahead and on one thing at a time, the fireball effect of most lights exacerbates the effect. This causes a loss of situational awareness.
We designed our lights with this in mind. So, not only do we have high output lumens, but we use a lot of lumens in the spill to give a noticeably brighter overall image. TNVC Q5 Cree LED Lamp 
TNVC E2 Cree LED Conversion Head 
TNVC TX-4 Cree LED Conversion Head 
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Quoted:
We have developed a series of LED upgrades for existing Surefire hand-held and weapon lights. These are drop-in replacements for the legacy incandescent or LED lamps and heads. I'm interested in converting both my E2D and my M3 into LED. Any chances of a replacement bulb, rather than an entire replacement head? |
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I was given this:
http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-22-80027-Infinity-Ultra-M-Flashlight/dp/B000KCRQRS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1271431627&sr=8-3-spell I carried it throughout my deployment and only changed the battery once. I dropped it, threw it, left it on for 13 hours straight, lost it, found it, and had someone try to steal it. I still have it, on battery #3, and love it to death. Now is it bright like a Surefire? No, but if your eyes are adjusted to the dark then I say it is more than adequate for safe navigation. It is more of a soft light than a harsh one when discussing output, very nice for reading if you are roughing it. The rubber O-ring does an excellent job of protecting the battery compartment from moisture/dust and even with near constant usage it really doesn't consume much power. It is small enough to carry in your pocket comfortably and fits in your hand nicely. My original thoughts of the clip were that it was useless, but I did find a use for it when I wanted to read inside my tent at night. I clipped it onto a piece of 550 cord and it worked great. |
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Quoted: We have developed a series of LED upgrades for existing Surefire hand-held and weapon lights. These are drop-in replacements for the legacy incandescent or LED lamps and heads. While one can talk lumens all day, it tends to turn into a dick-measuring contest. Lumens are important because in 99% of situations, more is better. But, in order to balance the equation, we have taken our own experiences in combat and law enforcement situations into account to develop lights whose high lumen count is offset with practical lumen use. A lot of high lumen lights on the market are very focused, giving you a super fireball in the center and very little spill. But, the spill is where a lot of lumens are needed the most for a man-portable hand held or weapon light. The spill is what lights up a room or area. Because the human eye tends to focus straight ahead and on one thing at a time, the fireball effect of most lights exacerbates the effect. This causes a loss of situational awareness. We designed our lights with this in mind. So, not only do we have high output lumens, but we use a lot of lumens in the spill to give a noticeably brighter overall image. TNVC Q5 Cree LED Lamp http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5LEDLamp.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5_1.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5_5.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5_6.jpg TNVC E2 Cree LED Conversion Head http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX_std.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX_E2D.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX1_6.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX1_8.jpg TNVC TX-4 Cree LED Conversion Head http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TX4/TX4_HA_1-1.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TX4/TX4_2-1.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TX4/TX4_4-1.jpg Crap! I thought I already had a good flashlight. |
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Look at spill and color rendition.
Spill = do you want to flood a room with light, or do you want to light up an object 200 yards away? One is usually a trade off for the other. Color = how natural do you want the light to look? Is a blue cast okay? These will affect the appearance of the colors of the items you're lighting up. |
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I LOVE my G2LED with TNVC drop in Q5 Cree lamp. Quoted: We have developed a series of LED upgrades for existing Surefire hand-held and weapon lights. These are drop-in replacements for the legacy incandescent or LED lamps and heads. While one can talk lumens all day, it tends to turn into a dick-measuring contest. Lumens are important because in 99% of situations, more is better. But, in order to balance the equation, we have taken our own experiences in combat and law enforcement situations into account to develop lights whose high lumen count is offset with practical lumen use. A lot of high lumen lights on the market are very focused, giving you a super fireball in the center and very little spill. But, the spill is where a lot of lumens are needed the most for a man-portable hand held or weapon light. The spill is what lights up a room or area. Because the human eye tends to focus straight ahead and on one thing at a time, the fireball effect of most lights exacerbates the effect. This causes a loss of situational awareness. We designed our lights with this in mind. So, not only do we have high output lumens, but we use a lot of lumens in the spill to give a noticeably brighter overall image. TNVC Q5 Cree LED Lamp http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5LEDLamp.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5_1.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5_5.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/Q5/Q5_6.jpg TNVC E2 Cree LED Conversion Head http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX_std.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX_E2D.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX1_6.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TX_Eseries/TX1_8.jpg TNVC TX-4 Cree LED Conversion Head http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TX4/TX4_HA_1-1.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TX4/TX4_2-1.jpg http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TX4/TX4_4-1.jpg |
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Quoted:
I was wondering what to look for besides lumens when picking out a flashlight. I tend to look at the lumens to get an idea of the output then look for ruggedness, etc. It's something that I don't mind spending some money on, but not so much that if my kids lose it in the woods that I have to beat them.... One thing I've contemplated is getting the Surefire 6P that is at Lowes for $85 which rates at 80 Lumens. Someone bought me the Coast Lenser Tactical that is rated at 200 lumens. Also has a zooming feature to go from flood to spot. It is a BRIGHT bastard! It is $69 I know there are others out there such as Fenix and such, but I don't want to have to order something and I mainly wanted to know what differences there are just between these two. Besides the Lumens of course. Lumens are rated differently by different companies. Surefire rates their lumens in a more conservative way than others, which results in lower lumen numbers. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
We have developed a series of LED upgrades for existing Surefire hand-held and weapon lights. These are drop-in replacements for the legacy incandescent or LED lamps and heads. I'm interested in converting both my E2D and my M3 into LED. Any chances of a replacement bulb, rather than an entire replacement head? These models' lamps are part of the head assembly. Therefore, they require a replacement head. |
| check out dealextreme they have a metric ton of led flash lights and they are all dirt cheap but supposedly really good. Plenty of user reviews on there as well i have 2 lights in coming with recharable batteries, charger, some i phone stuff, a couple upgrades for the flash light all for $50. I might make a thread on them when i get it if their any good. THe light i ordere were 220 and 250 lumens. |
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I have a Fenix that puts out 630 Lumens to 300yds..... it has heat dissipation fins on the bell and is great for foxing and bunny hunting. It doesn't just illuminate them, it burn out their retinas, and then microwaves them on the spot. Pretty heavy on batteries at full illumination, but you can turn it down to lower powers and considerably extend battery life.
I have a few Fenix torches. All the ones I have are weapon mountable and I've never hyad any problems. I have a Surefire as well, and have nothing but praise for it. http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/ |
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Features to look for:
1. SEVERAL BRIGHTNESS SETTINGS. Often, the highest brightness setting is too bright for everyday use - and also depletes the batteries much quicker. For example, a 180 lumen flashlight that also has 25and 90 lumen settings is tremendously versatile - The lowest brightness will make the batteries last for dozens of hours (perfect for emergency lighting during power outages), while the higher settings will cover considerable distance when you need them. 2. REGULATED BRIGHTNESS - Flashlights with this feature have a current regulator circuit that continues to feed the LED maximum current, even as the battery voltage drops. Consequently, the flashlight continues to produce full brightness until right before the batteries die completely. No incandescent flashlight has this feature, and not a lot of LED models do either (including some of the Surefire models). The "buy American" mantra is bullshit. Even the LEDs that Surefire uses are made overseas, and there are a few Chinese flashlight brands that are truly excellent - examples include Fenix and FourSevens. |
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Quoted:
Features to look for: 1. SEVERAL BRIGHTNESS SETTINGS. Often, the highest brightness setting is too bright for everyday use - and also depletes the batteries much quicker. For example, a 180 lumen flashlight that also has 25and 90 lumen settings is tremendously versatile - The lowest brightness will make the batteries last for dozens of hours (perfect for emergency lighting during power outages), while the higher settings will cover considerable distance when you need them. 2. REGULATED BRIGHTNESS - Flashlights with this feature have a current regulator circuit that continues to feed the LED maximum current, even as the battery voltage drops. Consequently, the flashlight continues to produce full brightness until right before the batteries die completely. No incandescent flashlight has this feature, and not a lot of LED models do either (including some of the Surefire models). The "buy American" mantra is bullshit. Even the LEDs that Surefire uses are made overseas, and there are a few Chinese flashlight brands that are truly excellent - examples include Fenix and FourSevens. I have 6 Surefire torches, 2 Fenix and one FourSevens. The Surefires may be built slightly better but the Fenix and Foursevens are close and have more features. |
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Quoted:
I have a Fenix that puts out 630 Lumens to 300yds..... it has heat dissipation fins on the bell and is great for foxing and bunny hunting. It doesn't just illuminate them, it burn out their retinas, and then microwaves them on the spot. Pretty heavy on batteries at full illumination, but you can turn it down to lower powers and considerably extend battery life. I have a few Fenix torches. All the ones I have are weapon mountable and I've never hyad any problems. I have a Surefire as well, and have nothing but praise for it. http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/ That has got to be one of the funniest things I've read lately.... DEATH RAY!!!!!! I just went and bought a Surefire 6P from Lowes and a Nitecore D20 from the boards. I'm going to compare all three tonight in a oh so scientific way.... lol I will try and shine one on the squirrels and see if I can microwave one.... |
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I have seen all those fancy led lights on this forum for years, almost bought one at lowes last week. I just could not justify spending the money on one. But I did buy one of the 115 lumen colemans from Walmart. It has white, red and blue leds in it. It was $29. This is my first LED light and it flat out amazed me how bright it was. I compared it to my 4 D cell mag light and it was just as bright. I like the red led also, it is not very bright and is good to use to avoid loosing night vision. I am going to buy more of these for the house and vehicles. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I have a Fenix that puts out 630 Lumens to 300yds..... it has heat dissipation fins on the bell and is great for foxing and bunny hunting. It doesn't just illuminate them, it burn out their retinas, and then microwaves them on the spot. Pretty heavy on batteries at full illumination, but you can turn it down to lower powers and considerably extend battery life. I have a few Fenix torches. All the ones I have are weapon mountable and I've never hyad any problems. I have a Surefire as well, and have nothing but praise for it. http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/ That has got to be one of the funniest things I've read lately.... DEATH RAY!!!!!! I just went and bought a Surefire 6P from Lowes and a Nitecore D20 from the boards. I'm going to compare all three tonight in a oh so scientific way.... lol I will try and shine one on the squirrels and see if I can microwave one....  
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Well, my "in the garage with the lights out test" resulted in a pretty solid win for the surefire.
Here's my bitch though.... The nitecore appears freakin BROKEN!! It won't hit it's highest setting apparently. The dimming functions are not very responsive. I would say it is putting out half as much of it's potential. I had a fenix LD20 that was bright as hell and this was supposed to be similar. |
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Quoted:
Thanks guys! So as to lumens, is it a true indicator of brightness on a raw level? OR is it just a static reading at the lens or something and say, for example, a lower rated lumens light actually comparing to, beating a higher rated one? note, some manufacturers stretch the lumen truth beyond the breaking point. I suspect the surefire only listed at 60 lumens to give more brightness than the no-name brand $60 200 lumen light |