how do you use your Mule?

Somebody posted in the aleph mule sale thread that they may create a blog showing how they use their Mule. Cool idea.
I just wonder what kind of work benefits from a wide angle non focused beam.
MY use for the mule will be strictly bedside table, around the house at night and gen household use where a focused beam is not useful.
At work I always have found that a focused directional beam to be a great deal more useful than a total wide beam. I wonder if this makes any sense.

So what do you do your Mule? Do you EDC a mule?
Lets face it Don came up with a major departure for flashlights in the mule. A flashlight which is Ultra wide beamed? How... why..? OK so the concept has proven itself to be quite successful.
What are these mules doing with themselves?
Yaesumofo

I used mine to look at some infections on my kids skin, look at a burn on the roof of my wife's mouth, as a Heffalump hunter for the 2 year old, and lots of other uses I didn't know I needed one for. I was at first a little put off by the broad flood beam, but it really has grown on me.

Heya Yaesumofo, I'm gonna start my blog tomorrow, lol, crappy cell phone pics but hey, what do you want I'm a busy man.

Anyway, I'm an auto mechanic. I do a lot of close up inspections on the vehicles I service, diagnose and repair. Typically I am between 18 inches and nose touching close to things I want to see. I found that the focused beam of my first few tries at work lights were way too bright, so I then went with a two stage light, and it was still too bright or too dim on low. Then I one day I took the head off my Q3 and found that it's close flood was perfect for what I was doing. Then I saw Don's mule and thought it was a great idea, but too much money for me for a single stage light that was probably going to be too bright. I've always wanted a Gizmo light and last week I saw his latest offerings of the McMules and thought about it for a bit before ordering mine. I spent a lot of time reading about the GDuP that Don mentioned and I had never heard about before because of my infrequent at times visits here at CPF. But after reading about it, both purchases where a no brainer for me.

Sometimes I am under a dash board on my back looking up and too much light/glare makes my eyes hurt, this is where the mule really "shines" for me. That medium setting is just perfect. I've had my Mule/GDuP for only 3 days now and it's literally been in my pocket ever since, coming out frequently for every thing I could think of to use it. Today was the first day at work, and it's been loaned out 2 times, it's rugged build gives me peace of mind knowing it will return to me working, maybe a little uglier from an unintentional fall, but still working. I know it's light will help me to find things I may have missed or taken longer to spot with a different light source.

My mule is used as follows:-
1) edc with PD-S Ha Nat
2) Close up works, Inspection electrical panels, general around the house lighting.
3) Nightlight
3) trim my fingernails with the sharp bevel...

The Mule is the best for reading or other close work.

I did a comparison of several flashlights for illuminating print at close range in Flashlights for Reading on my website.
This is a pretty good measure of floodiness, and a digital camera makes any variation far more noticeable than it would be to the naked eye.

The Mule was the clear winner. Runner up was the original (non-XRE) version of the CR2 Ion.

The only reason for focused flashlights is when you need distant illumination which almost always means outdoors. For indoors, the mule is almost always better except when it's not bright enough. Think of what a non-flashaholic does when they walk into a dark room: they flip on the light switch, that spreads even light through the whole room. The tiny Mule can't put out so many lumens but it's a miniature version of the same thing. Using the mule is like flipping the lights on in the room. It's just perfect.

The short answer would be everywhere that I don't need a spot for some throw. Such as

• Getting the mail after dark
• Moving around the house after dark so that I don't wake up the parrot
• Anytime I need to search for something
• Power outages, though we rarely have them and haven't had one since I got my Mule
• Making coffe without waking the parrot
• Lighting up my back yard without having to carry a light around
• Walking at night (though I also carry a 27Cx2)
• Fill light for taking photos (works great for this!)
• Lighting up my computer's interior

I could list a lot more things...

Basically, my Mule fulfills about 95% of the needs I have in a flashlight.

I use and occasionally carry a Ti Mule............

A true Wall of light with no artifacts.......indoors for moving around the house and checking an area for lost items or on low for reading........no artifacts at all and has become my most used reading light.

Used for checking equipment and panels in facilities I visit.

Used outside for walking and seeing a wider area.

"Candle Mode" for situations that I don't want to turn on an overhead or table lamp, but need illumination.

Used for photography (as has been mentioned, works extremely well)

Rotates with McLux Ti III, Ti Nautilus, Seouled TnC AA (flu-pic) and occasionally, Spy 005 and Surefire Titan. (Ti-PD-S AItin is "on the way"!)
McLux Ti III and a Ti PD-S are my all time favorites for carry.

jeffb

Mule is used inside almost exclusively............TOO many lights, not enough time!

Fun thread yaesumofo! :twothumbs

My Ti Mule is my edc light. I take it everywhere. I find that its broad beam is about ideal for an EDC light. I have many uses for it:

• A great trail light with a useful low-level
• Great for reading maps outdoors
• Wonderful floody beam for illuminating close-range areas, such as the backyard
• Worked wonderfully when I needed to check a car engine at night- perfect illumination
• A great diversion/toy for my kids
• Perfect for taking nighttime strolls on the beach or around the neighborhood

I love it! And so does my wife, who's used it to check for sore throats (kids), loose teeth (son), finding little items that inevitably fall behind furniture, etc.

:naughty:

Great thread:

My uses so far for my mizer mule,

Snapped onto a microphone stand and used to light music for a candlelight service (low worked perfectly).
Used to iluminate a wiring cabinet while I worked (low level excellent).
Use inside computers (usually high).
Searching for stuff around house (high).
Hiking at night (low).
Moving around house at night (low).
Map reading in truck (low).
Assisted motorist with flat tire (high).
Photography light (high).
Evenings working late on computer (low snapped into a desktop mic stand).
Clipped onto my hat brim (low and high headlamp).
Nightstand light (low).
Microscope light (high).

Wonderful little light if you can for go a hotspot for a wide even light.

Ken

My awareness of illumination and considering illumination sources came primarily from photography but I have learned more since I have been messing with LEDs. When we pick up a new light or want to evaluate a light, we want to see the beam and get a feel for what the light does. Ironically when we actually go to use a light, we want to see what the beam is illuminating and awareness of the beam itself is actually a distraction. Typically, a high contrast in light intensity over a field of interest makes it more difficult to view that field. A single point source of light will cast shadow if it doesn't also effectively bounce off objects and provide additional indirect lighting. An even flood of wider angle will by definition increase the field of view with more even intensity of light. Key consideration is whether the intensity is sufficient for the task.

I think it's cool that the mule has been so well received and its strength is in its use in applications where it has enough flux to reach the target area. The LED's are now powerful enough that they can be used effectively without secondary collimating optics in many at hand applications.

To add to the list of others:

I use low for shaving at night at outdoor shower.
I use both low and high for moving about the house and outside after I have turned off the house lights.
I use low for reading menus at restaurants.
I use low or high for finding dropped parts and things in the shop when they go under the benches or tool chests.
A mule is at hand on the nightstand at home or in the hotel room when I am traveling.

As hinted at, here is my blog about my McMule and GDuP. Thanks Wayne and Don!

http://mcmule.blogspot.com/

Nice blog, Ctechlite.

The more I think about it, I think the easiest way to answer this question is to say how I don't use my Mule. If I need to light a distant object, or a close in object that is dark but in a well-lit area, I go to a reflector-based light. Otherwise, my Mule is my go to light for all other portable illumination needs.

AndyTiedye said:

The Mule is the best for reading or other close work.

I did a comparison of several flashlights for illuminating print at close range in Flashlights for Reading on my website.
This is a pretty good measure of floodiness, and a digital camera makes any variation far more noticeable than it would be to the naked eye.

The Mule was the clear winner. Runner up was the original (non-XRE) version of the CR2 Ion.

Click to expand...

Reading I agree is one of the most important uses. If you don't have the Mule but do have the Ti PD-S (which is my situation), you get a very similar effect using the Surefire F04 diffuser, which fits the Ti PD-S.

I just tried it out to check against AndyTiedye's pics and it generates a similar beam to the winners of the reading contest (Mule and CR2 ion).

By varying the distance from the book (or magazine, or...) being read, you can make sure the entire contents are flooded with light with no discernible hot spot.

McGizmo said:

My awareness of illumination and considering illumination sources came primarily from photography

Click to expand...

The Mule makes an excellent light for photography with its nice, even flood.

AndyTiedye said:

The Mule makes an excellent light for photography with its nice, even flood.

Click to expand...

Funny, I find myself using my Mule for a lot of photography, especially close-ups.

Just ordered mine this evening, but purchased for a reason.

This will be the light that will travel on my motorcycle. Floody beam for ease of working on the bike or unpacking, yet bright enough for the campground.

I use mine wherever i would have normally grabbed a droplight. I don't have to worry about blinding myself from a hotspot up close.

One of mine (Ti Mule) is on the bedside. I use it to check on the kids at night and moving around various rooms. Anything I need to light once lights are out and everyone has retired. It has trit in the tail so it is easily seen and grabbed if needed.

My Aleph McClicky Mule sits in my office. I often use it as my main source of light (ceiling bounce) when I'm working late. I have always disliked overhead lights. Sometimes I just like clicking it.

My Mule will replace a SF L2 that I have used in Haiti over the years. Whether it is trying to fix a broken spring on a water truck, trying to meander around in the pitch black of a hut without power, or just trying to entertain some of the kids, I am looking forward to using it.