Good light for a doctor

[thaeffman]

Hi, im trying to buy a present for my moms birthday. Right now she uses a penlight she got from one of her conferences, it works but i want to get her something nicer. Something around the same size as her penlight but a bit more versatile. Nothing super expensive though and it should take batteries you can find in a regular store

 

[valueknifelover]

Might be worth looking at the FourSevens Preon 1 and 2. The 2 is probably more what you were looking for. It's more or less the king of penlights at the moment and with it's multiple modes it makes it ideal for a lot of different uses since some of the other penlights with only one mode might actually be TOO bright for what she might need. This way she will have a low mode and other options. It will definitely blow her current penlight out of the water And you can get it in fun colors.

 

[BVH]

+1. Get the pretty blue one! They are great lights.

4sevens {dot} com/product_info.php?cPath=297_332&products_id=2085

 

[egrep]

Yes, preon is a great choice 1 or 2

But for a doc absolutely get HiCRI it's a must!

 

[someguy4747]

I would say a high CRI Preon 2 as well. They run on 2 aaa batteries. To get the high CRI you will have to get all black or a black body with a titanium head and tail cap but the high CRI will be well worth it especially since she is a doctor. You can always lego the body and tailcap if she really wants colors. The high CRI means the light will render colors more accurately.

Edit: She may like a Preon 1 as well(smaller than the Preon 2, only 1 aaa battery)l. I would think a woman would prefer a smaller light and since I would guess she would mostly use the light on low she would still get good runtimes. She could use it as either a twisty or get the clicky tail cap for it.

 

[Bozzlite]

The Preon sounds like a good bet.

 

[Ilikelite]

The preon 2 high cri is exactly what i was thinking. She will want accurate color rendition when trying to make a diagnosis.

SENT FROM MY HTC THUNDERBOLT USING TAPATALK

 

[BVH]

All this talk about high CRI and accurate color rendering brings up a question. The Color Rendering Index is a term relative to the output spectrum of Incandescent light, isn't it? If so, then if you want accurate color rendering relative to natural light - sunlight, then isn't something in the 5000K more accurate to real world whereas the term "Hi CRI" typically used here on CPF would be referencing accurate color rendering relative to working under incan lighs?

 

[someguy4747]

All this talk about high CRI and accurate color rendering brings up a question. The Color Rendering Index is a term relative to the output spectrum of Incandescent light, isn't it? If so, then if you want accurate color rendering relative to natural light - sunlight, then isn't something in the 5000K more accurate to real world whereas the term "Hi CRI" typically used here on CPF would be referencing accurate color rendering relative to working under incan lighs?

I am in no way an expert so if I messed something up please correct me. I am hoping a veteran will step in and confirm what I am saying(or contradict) but as I understand:

Yes, high CRI would be relative to a black body radiator(incandescent bulb) for light sources below 5000k. Both black body radiators and daylight are considered to have a CRI of 100. The CRI of a light source below 5000k is rated by comparing an ideal light source of equal temperature. The CRI of light sources above 5000k would be compared to daylight. However, light sources at 5000k(the color temperature of the sun) will not necessarily be high CRI or represent colors accurately. CRI and color temperature are separate measurements. CRI is the ability of a light source to render colors accurately compared to an ideal light source(black body radiator) or natural light of the same temperature. So a LED may be 5000k but still render colors inaccurately relative to other colors thus causing familiar settings, like a trail in the woods, to take on a somewhat alien appearance. A warm high CRI light will render colors correctly relative to themselves with all colors appearing equally warmer than the same colors illuminated by a 5000k high CRI light source. Our eyes do a pretty good job of correcting color temperature automatically. If you have ever gone skiing with tinted goggles the color of the snow may initially be red but after a short time the snow becomes white again. A warm light works the same way. So though the light source may be warm, your mind will adjust the colors to be as it remembers and since the colors are accurate relative to each other the rendering of a setting, like a trail in the woods, will appear normal and allow for you to judge colors accurately. A light with a low CRI will render different colors differently relative to each other making it impossible for your eyes to simply adjust to a different color temperature. So though most(i think all) current high CRI LED's have a warm color temperature they are still preferred over cooler temperature LED's for the purposes of color rendering. I hope that was clear.

I am not exactly sure how well the mind would adjust in a situation with multiple light sources like in a doctors office where the majority of lighting(ambient light) is one color and the high CRI flashlight would be another color. I would guess that whatever light is in the majority of your view would appear normal and other light sources like a warm high CRI would appear relatively warm.

For the OP, hope this didn't mess you up to badly. I would guess that the high CRI would still be your best bet as it will still allow for the most accurate colors despite the warmer tint.

 

[notrefined]

speaking as a physician, I've never examined a patient in daylight (aside from delivering first aid at a little league game and the like)- hospitals and clinics have primarily florescent lighting with (mostly) incandescent examination and procedure lamps, and little to no natural lighting. Most of us also used/trained with incandescent penlights until very recently. In comparing a mcgizmo sundrop (true "neutral white" 93cri nichia LED) to a high CRI xp-g light, I *personally* find the lower CCT xp-g more familiar and comfortable to use (and therefore more enjoyable), though to be honest I don't think I ever missed a diagnosis or had difficulty with a procedure when I was using a streamlight stylus (as a result of the lower CRI and much higher CCT) either.
Almost every light I own, including my penlight, are minimum 90 CRI XP-Gs at ~3000-3300k, because that is what I prefer to use. Neither cost nor availability have been limiting factors in that decision.

So I think that the bottom line is that really any light will do, high CRI is nice to have, and FWIW I'll put in one vote for warm white high CRI.

(My penlight is a minimum 90 CRI XP-G peak eiger, #4 output, medium beam profile, 2xAAA, all brass with a momentary switch, and in all likelihood will remain with me for the remainder of my career.)

 

[shelm]

terralux penlights with highcri

 

[127.0.0.1]

CRI index 85 or higher would be good