Spotlight Dummy. Really need a little help....

Alrighty, if anyone can help me out for a second I would really appreciate it. I just found this forum today when looking for a new work light and damn, I did not even know such products such as the Polarion existed.

I am in need of a spotlight and was hoping you gurus could offer a recommendation or two.

I am a explosive engineer (blow up mountains) and use a spotlight all day long when looking down boreholes to see the rock material and such. I have been using the Black and Decker ones from Lowe's (2 million CP) and the Max Million lights from Brinkmann. These light do ok, except I am replacing them monthly because the construction is junk.

So, here is what I am looking for, if such a thing even exist.

1. Weather proof construction
2. Rechargeable. Extra Battery would be a huge plus.
3. Fairly narrow light beam ( used to look down a 9" hole that can be anywhere from 10' to 150' deep)
4. Lamp replaceable
5. Reasonable Price. $200 would be close to my max. But might pay more if it would last for years.
6. Not too bulky or heavy as it is handheld and carried pretty much all day long.

PS It looks like there are some companies on here that make lights. If none exist, a light should be made for the powder monkeys out there, as we buy a lot of cheap *** lights. Im sure almost all of us would buy one or two good ones !!

Thanks a lot,
Jeremy

The one light I can recommend for you, based on the criteria you posted, is the Coleman 530 lumen LED spotlight. I own it, a Brinkmann Max Million II rechargeable, and a Vector/Black&Decker 3 million Power Series, and the Coleman is not far behind them at all in performance. It actually has a nicer and more usable beam IMO as it is perfectly round with bright spill. The Coleman has a rather narrow beam, amazing throw, and can easily light up objects over 300 yards away.

The reasons why I am recommending the Coleman is because it is rechargeable, has a great 2.5 hour runtime on a full charge, and is extremely water resistant to the point that you can use it in pouring rain and let it get soaked and it will be just fine.

It weighs about the same as the Max Million II, and is very durable. Since it is LED there is no bulb to burn out so it should virtually last forever. I have owned mine for several months and use it all the time.

You can buy the Coleman for $60 at Sears or $45 at Walmart.com, but it is currently out of stock on Walmart's website.

Thanks for the reply. I am really looking for something more professional though. I would really like it to me metal and pretty damn weatherproof and preferably in the translational flashlight form as that would make it way easier to carry.

Anyone actually buy from "http://tacticalhid.info/hid-store"?

If so, how is the quality. This seems like what I am looking for, but it has to be weatherproof.

There might not be that many lights in your price range that will work.

You can try the Microfire HIDs but I'm not sure how well they will work for you. Remember that HIDs need a start up time and can't be flicked on and off quickly(needs cool down time) unless it has hot restrike(very few have that). 8% off coupon at 4seven is "CPF8". If you don't like it, you can return it.

Not sure about tacticalhid, the HIDs seem to be the generic ones seen around eBay. Not sure how well they are built since I haven't seen any reviews or handled them.

Maybe a poweful LED light could work, but not sure about 150ft though.

:welcome:

Gunner12 said:

There might not be that many lights in your price range that will work.

You can try the Microfire HIDs but I'm not sure how well they will work for you. Remember that HIDs need a start up time and can't be flicked on and off quickly(needs cool down time) unless it has hot restrike(very few have that). 8% off coupon at 4seven is "CPF8". If you don't like it, you can return it.

Not sure about tacticalhid, the HIDs seem to be the generic ones seen around eBay. Not sure how well they are built since I haven't seen any reviews or handled them.

Maybe a poweful LED light could work, but not sure about 150ft though.

:welcome:

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ohhhh. I did not know that you cant turn them on and off. I just use them for a few seconds to see how the hole looks. No HID for me then. Damn. Guess I just need to find a real bright, well built flashlight.

purezero said:

ohhhh. I did not know that you cant turn them on and off. I just use them for a few seconds to see how the hole looks. No HID for me then. Damn. Guess I just need to find a real bright, well built flashlight.

Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.Why carry around a big bulky spotlight when all you need is small flashlight with lots of throw.I would recommend a Dereelight DBS.It is less than 7 inches long,uses a LED that won't burnout,will throw a beam over 600 ft,and runs on rechargable lithium batteries.Cost about $130 with the R2 emitter(for longest throw).Check it out in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxkA4wXo3_0

If this fella is looking down bore holes (150 feet OR 45 meters deep) to identify rock sedimentary sections... I'd be guessing colour rendition is going to be a primary concern over throw, i suppose there is always the XR-E 5A Q3 upgrade IIRC they're located in the 4300K frequency spectrum :thinking:

Your absolutely right about color rendition;a warmer LED would be better suited to his needs.

Two of the highest performing LED throwers are the Dereelight DBS R2 & the recently released Tiablo A10 R2. both of these lights have a very narrow beam with tight hotspot.

Just out of interest purezero,
If you are working in bright sunlight, have you ever tried a small round mirror of about 4" to 6" & reflecting sunlight down the bore?? My uncle taught me this trick when I was a kid helping him work on a bore pump. I remember being amazed at how bright it shone down the bore!!

Thanks a lot guys. Im gonna order a DBS and see how that works.

and yes, I have used pocket mirrors. Im not a big fan.

I think the DBS will work well, if it doesn't then there's no other LED that will

One thought just occured - make sure you have the lanyard attached, it would be awfull if the DBS slipped from your fingers, it would happen to me for sure:shakehead

As said above, be careful about getting an LED with the proper tint if you need to discern colors accurately.

edit: Here's a list - https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/212642