What's the point of a bright flashlight that only lasts 5 minutes?

[KeepingItLight]

Couple a small battery with a supercapacitor, and you could power a 10,000 lumen monster for a minute or so, as long as you let the supercap charge up for an hour before using it. Okay, maybe not practical, but it would definitely be impressive. Maybe melt the light after the first use, but still impressive.

I think I need one!

 

[idleprocess]

Not necessarily.

Build a small, very easy to use, max only pocket rocket that burns through an AA in minutes and it would make a serviceable deterrent light for several scenarios where the light being on for as little as a few seconds may decide the outcome.

Options are not always required not desired. A deterrent or "bump in the night" light should be simple, simple, simple. If it's more complicated than a wall light switch, it's too complicated.

I agree there's a demand for that sort of thing, but I believe it to be a small fraction of the demand for a general-purpose multimode light. What you describe is already well-supplied by the weaponlight category given their natural complimentary usage.

 

[CelticCross74]

to me I buy these lights because of the super powerful initial output for quick identification of something/self defense blinding/full power strobes that can go for a couple hours and the good lights in this category step down to very reasonable high modes 5-800 lumens that go for another half hour or so. Step up the light class to 2x18650 power source and you enter into a class of lights capable of either a few more minutes on turbo all the way to say the 2015 TK35 pushing 1000 lumens for a full 39 minutes before timed step down. The new Nitecore EC4 goes full blast till the batteries die which to me means burnt out electronics I just dont have that much faith in Nitecore yet. MH20 is the best Nitecore Ive yet owned it has thermal regulation, has a reasonable step down high level, an awesome switch and is half the size of a P12. I just dont like the lights that go from 1000 lumens for a couple minutes then drop to 2 or 300 all the sudden like the P12.

 

[Ladd]

How long can you run a Corvette wide open throttle?? I still want one!

Nailed it!

Turbo = FUN, whether it's a sports car or flashlight.

 

[windstrings]

How long can you run a Corvette wide open throttle?? I still want one!

Exactly.. Many things would be limited severely if they made them only to be able to run indefinitely.

Even a good rifle can't be fired back to back indefinitely with a few exceptions, and those exceptions are over engineered for cooling so technically they are limited and could run hotter rounds with less time.

No one would want to run turbo all the time anyway as the other bottleneck is battery runtime.

Most led lights can drop back to a continuous level that's really not much less noticeable to the naked eye because the eye protects itself and constricts down.

Even if you had 5 million lumens and could turn night into day, much of that power would not be realized because of this.

Turbo is the extra umph to see just a bit better short term. ☺

 

[KeepingItLight]

I think the question asked by the OP has been pretty well covered. Turbo modes give you options that might be occasionally useful, but more often your flashlight will be used on medium and low modes.

The problem the OP is getting at is one of perception. Somewhat automatically, we think about our flashlights based on their highest output. We only realize how phony that is when we acknowledge the early stepdown most turbo modes require. We would do better to categorize our lights based on the output level they can hold steadily.

Based on its highest output, for instance, my Zebralight SC62w is a "930-lumen" flashlight. But even with its PID temperature control, the SC62w can only hold that level for a few minutes. In tests by CPF member GeoBruin, PID reduced output continuously from the maximum of 930 lumens until it stabilized at 60% of max after only 5 minutes. That's a level that can be maintained steadily. I need to describe my Zebralight, therefore, as being a "560-lumen" flashlight, rather than anything higher.

Once you make that psychological adjustment, there is nothing phony about having a 930-lumen turbo mode available as an option.

 

[jso902]

Well... my custom sounds like this post.
On high, it runs at 5 mins.
I really only need high for the initial scan ; which takes about 30 seconds.
I then step down for everything else.
Is it necessary, no.
The clarity in the extra lumens helps for orientation.

 

[windstrings]

Well... my custom sounds like this post.
On high, it runs at 5 mins.
I really only need high for the initial scan ; which takes about 30 seconds.
I then step down for everything else.
Is it necessary, no.
The clarity in the extra lumens helps for orientation.

I figure from the opposite angle.. When your on a hike, or hunting trip or search you use your light at a reasonable level that doesn't totally blind you as you hit nearby objects on the trail.
Then finally you encounter something that's distant or put of reach with existing settings, you crank it up to identify then drop back down.

A light with a dead battery or one so weak you have to use twilight mode is of little use except to find your way home.... Using it on high all the time is not efficient.

There will be times investigating a noise at night or a short duty job and you can use on high but I can't see the need for long term high even if you have a Vista like I do over a lake...

I've never needed an intensely bright light longer than a few seconds.

I do love the prospect of using turbo as a weapon against an intruder.
Gong from zero to 6500lm will render the assailant totally helpless.

 

[FRITZHID]

I think of this like having N.O.S. On a car....
Are you going to drive around all day pushing an extra 500hp out of your engine? No. And why? Cause it eats fuel and taxes your engine.
BUT you can toodle around at stock ish HP, do what you need to but when you really need that extra HP.... Click the switch and pop the button for that 10 seconds for the win.
Condoms and guns included.
Better to have and not need than need and not have.

 

[Parrot Quack]

The problem the OP is getting at is one of perception. Somewhat automatically, we think about our flashlights based on their highest output. We only realize how phony that is when we acknowledge the early stepdown most turbo modes require. We would do better to categorize our lights based on the output level they can hold steadily.

I'm a bit confused on the above as I purchased the TM16 for it's highest output and quality of construction aside, no other reason. And in truth, that's the only way I think of the TM16; 4000 lm output. So far, when in use, the TM16 has shown that it doesn't have step-down issues.

So far, the TM16 hasn't given me reason to curse it but instead, has given me many reasons to love it.

To back the TM16 up, in my back pocket is a 1000 lm TC4. If and when Nitecore decides to put out a 16000 lm light, if affordable, I'll be happy to be one of the first to purchase the light.

What am I missing?

 

[more_vampires]

Even the big boys like to say "1000 lumens for 1 hour" and innocently leave out the fact that it just plain is not so. Stepdown. (I'm looking at you, Zebralight SC500 series.)

A lot of makers like to use the max/turbo lumens and couple it with the stepdown high mode runtimes. It seems a bit shady and CPF has an excellent track record in revealing the truth.

Doesn't mean that they're bad lights. It's just that the engineers seem at odds with marketing. Unfortunate, really...

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Even the big boys like to say "1000 lumens for 1 hour" and innocently leave out the fact that it just plain is not so. Stepdown. (I'm looking at you, Zebralight SC500 series.)

A lot of makers like to use the max/turbo lumens and couple it with the stepdown high mode runtimes. It seems a bit shady and CPF has an excellent track record in revealing the truth.

Doesn't mean that they're bad lights. It's just that the engineers seem at odds with marketing. Unfortunate, really...

I don't have any issue with step-downs or thermal protection, as long as it's clear before I buy. Most reputable makers clearly state their step-downs on their website (Zebralight included). Others (like M@g), don't disclose it, and clearly try to make it sound like they have both high output and long runtimes. It's extremely deceptive. I consider those lights cheap toys.

 

[windstrings]

Basically, either a light is not running at its full ability or it will have to step down to protect itself given its runtime limitations.

Your TM16 is NOT at its highest output or it wouldn't be able to run sustained uninterrupted.

If it bothers you to have more options with limitations your thinking is old school back when they had to make everything dummy proof and the technology wasn't there to auto protect itself.

All forms of competition have the same issue...

You run differently if you're doing a sprint race vs a marathon or you'll lose.

It's just a mindset and nice to have options.

It seems like you perceive it as dishonest advertising since it can't do it sustained.

My cars top speed can't run sustained either.

 

[Tixx]

I was reading that the Olight MX3-UT will only last 5 minutes on turbo (1,200 lumens) before it steps down.



I can understand having a super bright light, I'm just wondering what the point is in having a light that only lasts for 5 minutes is?






whar are you going to do that is complete in 5 minutes? Obviously longer run time is better and it would be if they could make it longer, but people are obviously willing to buy a light that is super bright but only has a limited run time at that brightness.

How bright do you need and for how long...answer that and then get the respective light to meet your needs.

 

[more_vampires]

I was reading that the Olight MX3-UT will only last 5 minutes on turbo (1,200 lumens) before it steps down.

I can understand having a super bright light, I'm just wondering what the point is in having a light that only lasts for 5 minutes is?

The very definition of turbo... step down in a little bit. Some like turbo, some do not. Difference between a "high mode" and a "turbo boost."

 

[Str8stroke]

How bright do you need and for how long...answer that and then get the respective light to meet your needs.

To add to that just a tad: Get the proper Cells that can handle the load too.

 

[KeepingItLight]

I'm a bit confused on the above as I purchased the TM16 for it's highest output... So far, when in use, the TM16 has shown that it doesn't have step-down issues.

What am I missing?

Nothing, I'm sure! If your light does not step down, then I, too, would use its top output level when I described it.

My way of thinking about flashlight ratings does not change any flashlight. It only changes the way I perceive them. The example I gave was the Zebralight SC62w. Most owners will proudly tell their friends that they have a 930-lumen pocket monster. I tell mine it's an impressive 560-lumen light that can pop 930 lm for a minute or two.

If I need 930 lumens for anything more than a minute, I will go to something else. Remember, the SC62w begins dropping down from 930 lumens immediately upon activation. It does not give you even 60 seconds on max. After 5 minutes of constant reduction, it is down to 60% of max, around 560 lm.

Although I don't have many lights, I have a Nitecore P36 that I can use when I need 930 lumens. On 3400 mAh batteries, it can pump that out steadily for more than 2.5 hours. The manufacturer of the P36 brags that it is a "2000-lumen" torch. In Selfbuilt's testing, however, the P36 dropped into an immediate direct-drive decline when operated on max. It did not give a flat 2000 lumens for even 60 seconds. I find that it is useful to think of the P36 as an "1100-1200 lumen" light that can pop 2000 lumens for a minute or two when necessary.

Of course, this is all psychological. The lights have not changed at all. I feel, however, that my expectations of what a light can do are more accurate when I think about them in this way.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

My way of thinking about flashlight ratings does not change any flashlight. It only changes the way I perceive them. The example I gave was the Zebralight SC62w. Most owners will proudly tell their friends that they have a 930 lm pocket monster. I tell mine it's an impressive 560-lumen light that can pop 930 lm for a minute or two.

If I need 930 lumens for any thing more than a minute, I will go to something else. Remember, the SC62w begins dropping down from 930 lumens immediately upon activation. It does not give you even 60 seconds on max. After 5 minutes of constant reduction, it is down to 60% of max, around 560 lm.

Unless you're using it outside when it's cold, in which case it won't step-down at all. That's what's nice about PID thermal protection. Also, the 60% figure was for tailstanding inside in a warm room. When it was tightly hand-held, it only dropped to 90%. In an outdoor breeze, or in the cold, I'm sure it wouldn't drop much at all.

So it really is a 930 lumen constant-output light... under the right circumstances.

 

[KeepingItLight]

Indeed.

Of course, I live in California, where I took my hour-long, midnight stroll wearing only a single shirt last night. No T-shirt or coat needed. On the coast where I live, the coldest overnight temperatures we get in a year are in the mid-40s (Fahrenheit). It isn't easy for me to get the kind of ambient cooling you Canadians enjoy!

I guess I can look forward to higher output on my next Sierra camping adventure. But I am the sort of wimp who only camps there in summer, so even then the overnight lows are usually in the 40s.

 

[more_vampires]

It isn't easy for me to get the kind of ambient cooling you Canadians enjoy!

Wrap one of those blue ice thingys around it!

Run it inside a jug of chilled baby oil. Possibilities are endless.

How long before we need active liquid cooling systems in a flashlight? Sounds awesome, can't wait!