What is the use for this Fenix red filter ?

[stowaway89]

Can anyone tell me what is the use of this stuff?

Fenix red filter!!!
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[Boomerang]

Can anyone tell me what is the use of this stuff?

Fenix red filter!!!

Gotta be good for something!

I have a pool in the back 40 with floodlights all around on the fence perimiter to light it up in the night (along with the underwater lamps). The first time we tried it, it lit up the woods and within a minute, millions of carpenter bees came out of nowhere to dive-bomb the pool. It was just so extreme that I never used the pool after dark ever again!

Maybe yellow would also be good?

I dunno.

Andy

[clipse]

Its less harsh on night adapted eyes.

[Daniel_sk]

The main purpose is to preserve the natural night-vision of your eyes. It's also less visible from a distance. It's mainly used by the army or hunters.

[PocketBeam]

As said, a red light is less likely to cause the visual purple in your eyes to be used up, i.e. you can keep your dark adapted eyes and not be night blind as soon as the red light is turned off. But of course a bright red light will still cause you to lose your night adjusted eyes, just red light can be brighter then white or other colors before you loose the night adjustment. And as someone said red is not as easily noticed over distances, especially at lower levels.

Of course I wonder how much red you will get out of different LEDs. Remember, the red filter doesn't change the light, it just lets only the red part of the light to get out. No red in the light, then nothing comes out. Pure white light has all colors, but LEDs are not exactly pure. The "warmer" the tone of the light, the better it should work though.

And one more thought, by filtering the light you are throwing away part of the light generated, which of course is a reduction in efficiency.

[DaddyCool]

PocketBeam is right. For example submarine crews use red lighting additional to regular white illumination of the boat in operations and so on. In WW2 the crews also worn eyeglasses with red filtering for adaption before getting out on the balcony/tower during night operations

[Spin]

Red light can also be used to look for nightcrawlers (worms) for fishing. Won't scare them away as easily as other colors. I use a red led as opposed to a white led with a red filter.

[TITAN1833]

The main purpose is to preserve the natural night-vision of your eyes. It's also less visible from a distance. It's mainly used by the army or hunters.

And maybe thieves of the night!here is one

[NA8]

...Of course I wonder how much red you will get out of different LEDs. ... by filtering the light you are throwing away part of the light generated...

I tried a Maglite red filter over a cheap LED light (9x5mm) and it worked pretty well. Although the output was dimmed, it works well with the desired goal of preserving your night vision. Plenty of light for night adjusted eyes, assuming you're not going out for a run.

[stowaway89]

So, this means that it is not really useful for EDC....i.e. for general use. Sounds for specific task though.

Any other example of using it?

[Sharpy_swe]

One use is for example map reading in the dark or dusk, the main reason as mentioned above is to preserve night vision.

[woodfluter]

A red light is exceptionally useful in my view, but for special purposes only. After your eyes are fully dark-adapted, it preserves night vision and lets you see the surroundings while illuminating the area of most interest - in contrast to a bright white light which can leave you mostly blind to everything outside the area of illumination.

I use red LED lights for running with the dogs in the woods at night. It might be my imagination, but it also seems to heighten the contrast between certain features along a trail, such as damp soil or ponded water vs dry path. Late at night I may use the red light around the house because it *seems* to make me less of an insomniac and lessen the wakening effect of being in lighted surroundings.

A filter is a big waste - you are getting a tiny fraction of the light output - if you want red, get something like the red drop-in TerraLux Luxeon emitters that can be installed in a MiniMag. I have one of those with a glass frosted lens to even out the beam, and it is exceptional.

- Bill

[z96Cobra]

So, this means that it is not really useful for EDC....i.e. for general use. Sounds for specific task though.

Any other example of using it?

I (and many others) use mine when I have the telescope out or when doing long exposures of the night sky with my DSLR camera. I can get my eyes dark adapted, and then use the red light to make adjustments, find something I dropped, etc. without quickly screwing up my night vision.

Roger

[stowaway89]

I got all your points.

hey! z96Cobra, doens't it ruin our eye-sighted if we do that oftenly? We've always been told to have "enough light" while reading or seeing in the dark?

[PocketBeam]

The wives tale of reading with enough light or you will have vision problems is a myth. A better one is to look at far away objects occasionally while you read as this will exercise the eye muscles more then just doing the close focusing on the book.

As for red light, they are primarly used by people who need a light occasionally but the rest of the time they will be in the dark without a light but still need to see, i.e. need night adjusted eyes. Security guards don't need night adjusted eyes msot of the time because if they need to see something they can just shine a light on it. But sometimes a security guard may want to remain concealed and watch the scene so doesn't want to turn on a bright light nor ruin the night adjusted vision. Or cops on stake outs. In other situations cops don't care if you see their flashlight and don't need to watch you in the dark...

[smknman]

Another use:
alligator hunting. If you shine a white light at a gator he dives. Shine a redlight and you see a devilish red glow from his eyes and he stays up so you can approach and snare him, their vision is weak in the longer wavelengths.

[stowaway89]

Thanks guys.
I might try to get on from Fenix then and try it out.

[2ManyLights]

doens't it ruin our eye-sighted if we do that oftenly? We've always been told to have "enough light" while reading or seeing in the dark?

That's because of eye strain, which has to do with the muscles in your eye. Strained eye muscles can give you a heck of a headache.

PS... the "don't sit too close to the TV" was a lie, too.

[Flying Turtle]

When I'm sitting around at night listening to the radio and playing with flashlights I'll often have lights shining through red filters (usually red bottle caps) and red LED lights. Easier on the eyes and gives me an excuse to have a bunch of my flashlights in use.

Geoff

[TITAN1833]

When I'm sitting around at night listening to the radio and playing with flashlights I'll often have lights shining through red filters (usually red bottle caps) and red LED lights. Easier on the eyes and gives me an excuse to have a bunch of my flashlights in use.

Geoff

Phew glad you said that "radio" and not a porn movie.I will sleep better tonight knowing that.

[PocketBeam]

This is sort of related so I will pass it on. I got the Fenix diffuser for my L2D and L1D. The cap is about a couple of inches long, and fits on with simple friction. The harder you press it on the tighter it fits. It doesn't take much to get a nice fit though. The beam quality is nice and only a little brighter in the center where the hotspot would be. Very nice. I only have two concerns, one is after many years of use the friction fit may wear down. But this is minor as you have a 1/4 inch you could press it on further which you can't now as it is too tight. And the second concern is that with this cone shaped cap the light resembles another battery operated product. Over all I am very happy with the diffuser and it will work great for camping.

[swxb12]

I think the filter might be great to keep in the car. I can turn my L2D (nighttime holster carry) into an emergency strobing or stationary flare.