Low modes are a battery-saving measure are not all that useful

[Lynx_Arc]

I think the Low modes are most useful for lights that cannot sustain a medium mode for very long and the high mode is very short in duration. In lights with 18650 batteries low modes can run for days and often aren't that useful as you get more than enough runtime on medium modes. With car batteries for backup and cheap rechargeable battery prices and charges instead of relying on a low mode in an emergency you can just charge batteries if you ever run low on them.

 

[gurdygurds]

Ahhhhhhh....I love reading Uncle Reppan's responses on low lumens. QUESTIONS!! What is your backup AAA light? AND.....do you think you'd be more of a Zebralight fan if the quoted runtime specs were closer to what you got in real life? I know you got your Quarks lined up in a row and should be good for the rest of your life but just curious.

Thanks Arch and Gurdy.... yup, I'm still very much a low lumen fan. I use four modes 0.4/3/20/200+lms about 50/40/8/2% (respectively) of the time, and recharge a 16340 or 14500 cell after ~60-80 hrs of usage. I generally don't carry spare batts, just a AAA keychain backup light, and my primary EDC will run off literally any battery I can scavenge.I really enjoy using low lows to let my eyes dark adapt and use my night vision - that allows me see quite well outside of the light's beam and I find I enjoy the outdoor experience much more. That's due to a few things: excessive lumens kills my vision outside the cone of my beam and the resulting gigantic blind spot scares me; I find the extreme contrast of bright light against pitch black background to be quite annoying; and there's even something really nice about being a part of the environment vs trying to blasting it way with technology.I'm also an ultra-light camper (and sometimes stealth) that use lights 4hrs straight so the extreme runtime/lack of need for spare batts is appreciated. Most of my the task work while camping is with my hands were 0.4 lms is usually plenty (and perfect for reading in bed) - anything >3 lms used at an arm's length tends to produce annoying glare... for me.But again, I like keeping my eyes relatively well dark adapted, which may not be practical for those folks that use their lights for just brief periods of time. The eye has an incredible dynamic range - 0.5lms can painfully bright when woken from sleep, yet 500lms on the beach can barely be seen. The difference is how long you allow your eyes to adapt..... and about 400 battery changes. "Luke.... use the night vision."

 

[etc]

Malkoff MD-based lights such as M61T, M61HOT and I assume M91T aren't real throwers. They have a pleasant, large hotspot that's not at all like the Maglite laser beam. Even 6-10 feet away the hotspot is kind of large.
OTOH the Hound Dog has such a hot high-lux hotspot that if you attempt to read with it, it might drill a hole in your reading material.

 

[reppans]

Ahhhhhhh....I love reading Uncle Reppan's responses on low lumens. QUESTIONS!! What is your backup AAA light? AND.....do you think you'd be more of a Zebralight fan if the quoted runtime specs were closer to what you got in real life? I know you got your Quarks lined up in a row and should be good for the rest of your life but just curious.

Hey gurdy.... glad to hear you found your Grail light. Preon Revo SS is my AAA back-up - it's got an efficient current regulated 1.2lm low that I like, hidden discos, and is easy to rig any size alkaline.....so good for preparedness.

ZL exaggerates too much for my tastes, but my biggest disappointment with my last ZL was low output exaggeration (or sample variation?) - they had spec'd my ideal ~0.3 and 3 lumen outputs, but my sample tests 0.07 and 1.5 lms in my light box, and the tint is really green, so the light has been shelved. My first ZL is failing after light use (UI or switch, IDK) - only 2.5 modes left. The UI is good/clever, but backwards from what I prefer, and I've just had too many problems with electronic switch lights overall, so I just don't trust them. Overall though, I understand why folks love their lights... they are state of the art and very efficient - just not for me.

 

[euroken]

15 lumens from my e1e is probably most used in all my lights.

 

[eh4]

I don't know, sometimes I leave my 600Fw MK II on low all night, especially if I had been drinking, or have to get up before predawn.
It gets used on high when I'm fully sunlight adjusted and looking into dark spaces, but otherwise it's mostly the low modes and M1 and M2 for tasks.
It's been over a month of daily usage on the battery, say 10 to 20 uses most days.
Light flashes twice on battery check today, so it's between 25-50%, I should swap it out this week, or maybe next week.

 

[defloyd77]

Carrying multiple batteries isn't that useful when you use low modes as a battery saving measure.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Carrying multiple batteries isn't that useful when you use low modes as a battery saving measure.

One can also carry a second smaller flashlight with a smaller battery to give you low modes so you don't have to worry about conserving the battery on your higher output lights.

 

[Lumen83]

Because you are dealing with car stuff, you want max lumens thrown upon something to get the most accurate understanding what has gone wrong. This is the not the time or the place to economize lumens.

Maybe our eyes are completely opposite, but there is no way my eyes can tolerate max lumens at that short of a distance and be able to make out what the heck I'm looking at. I replaced the starter motor and relay on my truck two weeks ago and used the low/medium modes of an old floody zebralight headlamp. Well under 50 lumens and pure flood.

Is that spot rusty or not? Is that wire broken or just seems that way? Is there a leak involved? (or just seems that way) Yeah, throwing 600 lumens upon it is just right.

I can't imagine doing what you are describing and being able to accurately inspect what you are claiming to inspect. You aren't inspecting a broken wire from 20 feet away (even if you were, 20 feet would be way too short for 600 lumens for me) but, In those situations, you need to be close to the object you are inspecting and you are not going to want a throwy 600 lumen beam. More like a floody 25 lumens. To each their own though. Maybe our eyes just respond completely differently to that amount of light.

 

[DayofReckoning]

Kind of funny. Back in the old incandescent days, we all would have given anything and everything to have a low output mode. Now that we have it, people are complaining that a low mode is not useful.

Personally, I have found low output modes, in general, to be more useful than max brightness mode, depending on the task at hand. A lot of times 15 to 60 lumens is enough to get the job done.

 

[TheShadowGuy]

Kind of funny. Back in the old incandescent days, we all would have given anything and everything to have a low output mode. Now that we have it, people are complaining that a low mode is not useful.

I read an interesting article the other day. It was originally theorized that adopting LED tech for street lamps and the like would reduce energy consumption. Instead, energy consumption has remained the same and light pollution has gotten worse, as when LEDs are installed they go for brighter rather than more efficient. Food for thought.

 

[bykfixer]

I read an interesting article the other day. It was originally theorized that adopting LED tech for street lamps and the like would reduce energy consumption. Instead, energy consumption has remained the same and light pollution has gotten worse, as when LEDs are installed they go for brighter rather than more efficient. Food for thought.

I've been thinking that same thing. Take a great 325 lumen light and make it 600+ with same runtime?
Give the people what they want and all that.

Rayovac and Energizer have brought out a bunch of lights with practical lumens and raised runtimes. If battery manufacturers are doing it, why aren't the others?

 

[eh4]

I just keep the H600Fw clipped in my left pocket and a Spyderco Delica clipped in the right, switch to shorts and they go in the waist band instead.
Sharpen, and change batteries periodically.

 

[etc]

light pollution is an interesting way to call lumens.

Give me some light pollution.

Give me lots of it.

Besides, about this unquoted article,

I_don't_believe_it.jpg

I mean, who does so? Everyone? Everywhere? Some? I think it's impossible to describe the entire country as such. And make such a blanket statement.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

http://darksky.org/5-popular-myths-about-led-streetlights/[FONT=&quot]

"Yes, LEDs are more energy-efficient, but that fact can ironically lead to [/FONT]more[FONT=&quot] light as cities spend the money saved on reduced electricity use to buy more lighting. In most cases, especially in the United States, there is a tendency to use more of something, not less, when the price of producing and distributing a product goes down. In economics, it's known as the [/FONT]Jevons Paradox[FONT=&quot]."

This is also happening in developing countries gaining affluence. Smarter lighting means using only what is necessary where it is needed. This is as valid with portable illumination as it is with municipal streetlights.

[/FONT]https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/5-common-myths-about-led-street-lighting

 

[markr6]

there is a tendency to use more of something, not less, when the price of producing and distributing a product goes down. In economics, it's known as the Jevons Paradox."

Thanks for that! I always knew this happened but didn't know there was a name for it. If my electricity cost was suddenly reduced 5 cents/kWh instead of 18, that hoss would be turned down to 66° on days like today!

 

[TheShadowGuy]

light pollution is an interesting way to call lumens.

Give me some light pollution.

Give me lots of it.

Besides, about this unquoted article,

I_don't_believe_it.jpg

I mean, who does so? Everyone? Everywhere? Some? I think it's impossible to describe the entire country as such. And make such a blanket statement.

Sorry, I don't have the exact article saved since I read it over a month ago. Have a different article on the subject:

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/light-pollution-energy-LED-bulbs-spd/

It isn't that "everyone" is doing it, but it is a going theory to explain the data presented. More installations+greater output=accelerated growth of light pollution. Light pollution, especially in the blue wavelengths common among cheap LEDs, is detrimental to the environment and human health.