User Panel
Posted: 12/26/2005 3:23:45 PM EDT
Let's start off by saying that I have alway had an affinity for flashlights.
Recently, at www.candlepowerforums.com I discoved this big bad 35w HID sonofabitch: www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93175 I decided I had to have it for some reason. It's one of those things that gets into your head that you realize is a stupid thing to buy, but the problem is that you obsess over the damn thing and eventually you come to the conclusion that you might well just go buy the damn thing because you are never going to get over it. Well, I powered her up tonight , and swept the beam around. Damn. It lights up my back yard like daylight. It lights up my neighbors yard two doors down like daylight. I can shine it at a house about a half mile away down in a valley and clearly light up the whole house, as well as their front and back yard. As well as the moderately sized hill in back of them in clear detail. I am sure they appreciate this polite gesture from afar. There are powerlines somewhere between 3/4 and a mile away and I can CLEARLY light up the high tension towers. I can sweep it over some other hills a couple miles away and clearly light them up...being able to pick out some details that I know of in daylight. Point it straight up? Major glare off the coulds as well as a sharp beacon all the way up. Practical? No...not yet anyway. Fun? Yes. Loads of fun, for some psychotic reason. I need a life. |
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My only problem with that would be worrying about the bulb. How long will it last? How durable is it (will a simple bump blow it?)? How much does it cost to replace and where could one be bought?
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Now all you need is some sort of throw lever ARMS mount and rail system to attach that MoFo to your favorite evil black rifle.
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... I have one of those!
... I too like all things in the visible and invisible light spectrum. |
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think i saw it used on an eposide of " dog, the bounty hunter"
it as bright.. |
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I mean, DAMN! All I wanna do right now is piss off neighbors 1/2 to one mile a way as I make their yards visible with the naked eye. I suppose it would be really stupid and really illegal to shine it on any aircraft that should happen to fly overhead, hmmmm? |
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I have one of those. I call it the "cook birds in flight" light. works very well in the boat. You can get a replacement bulb for about 5 bucks at any marine supply store. The only problem I see with it is the weight.
I love Harbor Freight. Mine was on sale for 55$ |
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I have one of the same things, but with a halogen bulb (100W) - $29 from Costco.
Now I wonder, can I get the HID bulb and its power supply and convert mine? ... |
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Stupid yea, but interesting. |
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Just don't plug it in on the boat,
On the way back from catfishin one night, I plugged in a 3mil light and blew every fuse in the boat, had to use a gum wrapper on a fuse to make it to the dock. BTW: J/K on the aeroplane thing, do not pass go, do not collect $200 EDT: Must have just been my boat |
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I bought that exact same light for my stepfather's boat. It's pretty cool.
- rem |
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Just remember that there are laws against just spotlighting game animals. Crap do I have to do 30 situps.
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going to harbor freight in the morning and check it out. You gettin' a commission?
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YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!............run the wires to a "back pack" battery...............YEAH!!!!!!! |
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I have one of the 10 Million CP models. Damn that thing is bright. Even has a "low beam". I figure it's just a standard headlight wired to a motorcycle battery. 30 million CP must be damn impressive.
I really wish they would start labeling those things in Lumens as Candlepower is not exactly a "real" measurement. |
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I've used one to clear a large golf course at night from when a pursuit turned into a foot chase.
Buddy had his dog out, I was the light and another had the gun. I am very thankful mine came with a shoulder strap, golf courses are big! |
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I'm thinking... home defense flashlight.
Or duct tape it to the handlebars of a mountain bike for some after hours downhill. |
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You may want to call first. I THINK it is an internet only item...
Excuse me while I go scare my neighbors in the valley some more.
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yeah, I know about the lumens thing. Nifty thing about this one is that it is HID so the light is white, not "yellow" like you might find on most spotlights.
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I have one of these things too ... ... but only use it on special occassions! |
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i need to get one of those...my q beam is a mere pussy 2,000,000 candle power
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BTW...the best I was able to find out on candlepowerforums site is that it is at around 3200 lumens.
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I seem to remember reading that it is good for 45min. to 1 hr. But once it starts to flicker, turn it off quick as it is bad for the bulb.
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It is also not good for the lead acid battery to go into deep discharge. Cool light BTW. Bob
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What type of bulb is it? |
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well its less than 1/10th the price a a maxabeam portable searchlight. and that thing only has 6mill candelpower. so its a deal i guess..
maxabeam.. basic unit only 2895.00 deluxe is 3995.00 maxabeam |
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I have a 15 million candlepower one I got from costco for 29.95$...if that thing is truely twice as bright, Christ almighty. 15 million is awesome enough as is, it still projects a beam on a treeline 600 yards away and lights up everything in between.
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Candlepower is a misleading and often abused metric. It's like looking only at psi when buying compressors, it doesn't tell you anything about your total output. The maxabeams are pricey but pretty nice, used to have one at my old job. |
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i'd love to have one. its what you see in the movies. fire and rescue i guess are only other places that can afford them. 3k for a light is a LOT of money..... several years ago when they first appeared brigade quatermasters (near me) was selling them for around 1600 i think... |
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I think you're looking at AT LEAST $50 for a HID replacement bulb.
I could be wrong.
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Been there done that --2/3 of the way down and yes I did actually fire 30 rounds --does wonders for recoil and muzzle rise . archive.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=14&t=198041&page=2 it is only the 10 million cp version but it is now only like 29.99 and the upgraded 15 mil cp is 49.95. and yes you can illuminate aircraft w/ it. I dont recomend illuminating police helos unless you want to see what they call the "night sun" up close and personal. |
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