My edc light has a max output of only 300 lumens

[raggie33]

wow this made me recal when i edc a maglight 2 aa incan and i was prould of it lol.

 

[experimentjon]

There was probably a period of 10 years when I was so happy with the ~100 lumens or so from a McGizmo Haiku AA High CRI and a HDS Clicky. And in that time, I thought that the 200 lumens that came out of my Surefire E2D was extravagant (extra bright because of the TIR). Then I finally got an Overready BOSS and found the world of rechargeable 3.7V batteries...and realized what had happened in the years since I was into flashlights in the early 2010s when I was watching Nutnfancy videos at 420p.

And now, all of my McGizmos are retrofitted with modern drivers that support rechargables...and sadly, I don't think I can ever go back to the lower output lights and AA Eneloops...14500s and the optionality to get a lot of lumens is great.

But then again, I still usually cap out at a relatively low output. My favorite Guppy3Drv setting is 10-5-5 F/1/5/25 D for 100. And I rarely need the double click.

 

[ampdude]

wow this made me recal when i edc a maglight 2 aa incan and i was prould of it lol.

I was lucky to even have a flashlight back then. haha when was that, the 80's? I think the first decent light I ever had was early 90's, but I did have some in the 80's I think. Just can't remember too well.

 

[Bradbn4]

You can get a Convoy S2+ for less than $20 with its standard driver with 3x7135 chips. Each 7135 chip on the driver adds 350 ma.
It would give you three settings about like this:
HIgh 350 lumens
Middle 140 lumens,
Low 18-20 lumens.

They will take protected cells, and with a max of 1050 ma draw, you'd still get hours on high, and the light would never get hot.

So to get the right bottom end I would need another 7135 chip; but that would raise the top end too high. I figure the 35 - 50 lumen for me would be the right power for walking the dog at night.

getting the right configuration is going to be interesting - easy to find Convoy S2+ that I like is configured not to support protected cells. The ones that do; have other odd to me configurations. The one that is about perfect - out of stock.

So this is a mix and match; hunt up for the right combo of parts are parts. Any recommend US of A distributor? or is A express the only way to fly....

The core of the S2+ has many of the options I want, thanks for the post (I think).

 

[Poppy]

So to get the right bottom end I would need another 7135 chip; but that would raise the top end too high. I figure the 35 - 50 lumen for me would be the right power for walking the dog at night.

getting the right configuration is going to be interesting - easy to find Convoy S2+ that I like is configured not to support protected cells. The ones that do; have other odd to me configurations. The one that is about perfect - out of stock.

So this is a mix and match; hunt up for the right combo of parts are parts. Any recommend US of A distributor? or is A express the only way to fly....

The core of the S2+ has many of the options I want, thanks for the post (I think).

OK so your request isn't perfectly met.
You might consider a light that has a ramping anduril ramping ui
Sofirn makes some lights with the anduril ui.

Emisar does too.

 

[Poppy]

OK so your request isn't perfectly met.
You might consider a light that has a ramping anduril ramping ui
Sofirn makes some lights with the anduril ui.

Emisar does too.

The Sofirn D25L headlamp has six output levels with memory.
30LM 80LM 230LM 450LM and 1000LM

It has a micro USB recharging port that is O ring protected under the endcap... brilliant!

 

[Bradbn4]

OK so your request isn't perfectly met.
You might consider a light that has a ramping anduril ramping ui
Sofirn makes some lights with the anduril ui.

Emisar does too.

Well; the price point says I should give it a try - at worse - it might be a bit over / under powered but the middle range value will work out well for many tasks. My budget for said light is a bit more so I had my fingers crossed and all and as they say get both. I figure the right bottom end would be key; and I just don't have to use the higher performance modes. In the past I just use my fingers over the lens to dim the brightness.

Ugg, ok A-Express just got an order - picked 3 different power levels so I can see if it will work for me. I tried finding a US based one to keep shipping time low - but no love for me. And yea, I decided I wanted different colors so I might have picked up a wee bit more than just 2.

 

[vicv]

So to get the right bottom end I would need another 7135 chip; but that would raise the top end too high. I figure the 35 - 50 lumen for me would be the right power for walking the dog at night.

getting the right configuration is going to be interesting - easy to find Convoy S2+ that I like is configured not to support protected cells. The ones that do; have other odd to me configurations. The one that is about perfect - out of stock.

So this is a mix and match; hunt up for the right combo of parts are parts. Any recommend US of A distributor? or is A express the only way to fly....

The core of the S2+ has many of the options I want, thanks for the post (I think).

What do you mean not configured for protected cells? The springs in the head and tail will take up the slight extra length of the protection circuit

 

[Bradbn4]

What do you mean not configured for protected cells? The springs in the head and tail will take up the slight extra length of the protection circuit

When the tech area of the write up for the flashlight says un protected battery only - I will take their word at that point.

 

[vicv]

Fair enough. Just about any light can take either though. Especially a single cell light

 

[Olumin]

My guess is the "unprotected only" warning has to do with a high current draw from the light, which some protected cells might not be able to deliver. If you figure out how many amps the light draws, you can use protected cells rated at continuous discharge equal or above without downside. As long as they physically fit that it.

 

[Kitchen Panda]

Three hundred lumens is a lot of light. Everyone should keep a PR2 incandescent flashlight with two nearly-dead "super heavy duty" D cells in it, and use that to compare to whatever pocket marvel they now have. To think this was the *gold standard* flashlight as recently as 20 years ago - that little puddle of brown light was all you needed! And did you carry it in your pocket? Oh, no, you either kept it on a belt sheath or in a kitchen drawer under the bread bags and spare fuses.

 

[340pd]

Carried a 60 lumen Surefire in the sandbox and it lit up what I needed lit up just fine. Granted, I carry more now. But, my go to light is a 300 lumen HDS executive and that's despite having several putting out much more.
The design, beam pattern and reliability of the light are more important than lumens in most cases. For EDC 300 will cover just about any scenario.

 

[340pd]

Mine is 225 but I usually only use it at 20

 

[wacbzz]

You are already dead. The posthumous OP was by some family member with acces to your account looking for closure.

Oh, if only you'd had 700 lumens...

 

[autumncrown]

I have a Haiku with ~600 lumens max but I pretty much only use up to the 100 lumen mode. I have been considering reprogramming it to have a max of about 300 because it seems more useful than 600 and could help the LED last longer.

I can imagine 500+ lumens being helpful if you want flood or extreme throw. My ZL SC64c with a floody 650 lumens of high CRI light is pleasant to use. It makes things look good. If my eyes are adjusted to daylight and I step into a basement, it doesn't feel excessively bright on high.

But in terms of actual utility, 100-300 lumens, moderately focused, seems like as much or more than what the human eye wants.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

wow this made me recal when i edc a maglight 2 aa incan and i was prould of it lol.

That was the light I just had to replace. It was the one I had available while backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas when a large group of black bears ransacked our church youth group camp at the Kearsarge Lakes at night. With the Minimag, I was only able to see the bears eyes as they circled the camp before sending a scout into camp to look for food. When it was spotted, another bear came in from a different angle. This continued until they found the food. Then all the bears rushed into camp at once. We scared them off temporarily with Funsaver camera flashes (only 24 pictures). I would have loved to have a brighter light with a strobe back then. First flashlight I was actually content with was a 205 lumen Fenix P3D Q5 in 2007. Having 2 10 hour bulbs and a light that lost half it's light in 40 minutes starting at 10-15 lumens was pushing it in the field.

 

[Sabrewulf]

In normal day to day life, that's plenty.

I like really high lumens for spotting coyotes in my yard, and when I go camping.

Most of my 14500 lights are about 1000 lumen and 18650 lights are about 2 to 3k lumens.
The brightest one is about 5k, 26650 battery. Lost my thrower, looking to get a new one, it was about 3k and went very far.
Even my UV light (365nm) takes 3 18650s and is bright as all hell.