Compare your oldest light and your newest light

So how about a comparison between your old lights and new ones

My oldest (working) flashlight
Brass Homart 5xD cell "Miner's light" c1937

• $65.00 (adjusted to 2013 dollars)
• 3.5" wide (widest part of head) x 15" long
• 37oz (fully loaded)
• 30-40 lumens (maybe)
• 1hr to 50% light
• Three mode switch (Lock off, Momentary, On)
• Non-sparking/Intrinsically safe (allegedly...I sure wouldn't want to test THAT theory)

My newest light
PowerTac "Warrior" rechargeable kit c2012.

• $150.00
• 1.66" wide (at widest part) x 6" long
• 7oz (fully loaded)
• Multi-Level
  • Mode 1 (20 Lumens)
  • Mode 2 (100 Lumens)
  • Mode 3 (350 Lumens)
  • Mode 4 (650 Lumens)
• Runtime 2 to 60 hours (depending on brightness level)
• 5 mode switch including strobe plus momentary capability
• Waterproof

So 75 years has brought forth(approximately);

• 230% increase in price (though rechargable vs disposable batteries and replacement bulbs might offset that somewhat over time)
• 40% reduction in size
• 18% reduction in weight
• 2,166% increase in brightness capabilites
• 50% to 1,300% increase in runtime

So what do you have?

I can't do what you've done - I haven't kept all my old incans, and I don't know what I paid for them, what they weighed, or how many lumens they produced. But I can tell you that, until quite recently, my flashlights were universally disappointing. High power LEDs have changed all that.

I started collecting torches as a youngster in the 60s, and I've had my fair share of Maglites, Osrams and supermarket specials over the years. The best of a bad bunch was a Osram quartz halogen light, which took four AA batteries and was reasonably bright for a few minutes, until the batteries started to run down. It was dizzyingly expensive. The first LED flashlights I had were LED Lensers, and since then lights from Crelant and Eagletac, with their lithium-ion batteries, have been a revelation. At last, real brightness, that stays bright for hours, from pocket-sized flashlights.

Cycling lights like those from Magicshine now rival the output of a car's headlight. My first bikelight, in the 60s, had two D cells side by side, a frail incan lightbulb and all the power of a glow-worm, when it worked at all. I also had a light with a dynamo that ran off the rear tire, which wasn't much brighter at full speed, and went out entirely every time I stopped.

I reckon quality LED lights are more expensive, even allowing for inflation, than the flashlights of my youth - but they are good for years of use, so they work out much less expensive over time. For me it's been like a coming-of-age. I had to wait until I was 60 to see it, but at last flashlights rule the night.

Nice comparison .

For myself, my first light was a green Maglite 2AA MiniMag which I bought about 15 years ago and compared to my last light, the Thrunite TN12. So regarding brightness and runtime there is no question about it that it is a huge improvement. Just the step from incandescent to LED technology is a big step. I still remember how often I had to change this little bulb .

rayman

My oldest light is one my grandfather had, a 4d table lamp that weighed about a pound. Newest is the Deft-X, light years ahead as far as output about the same weight. My favorite light is the TK41 which is as good for lighting up a room and rechargeable to boot.

rayman said:

I still remember how often I had to change this little bulb .

rayman

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Oh hell yeah. I remember regularly checking that the tailcap spare was there and having one or two more packed someplace on camping trips. I clearly remember the group game of "hey come over here with your light so I can change my bulb".

Or the related game of "damnnit, come help me find that $#%$$## bulb" when you'd try to do it in the dark and wind up dropping the replacement bulb in the grass or leaves.

Devildude said:

Newest is the Deft-X

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Now there is a multi-quantum jump <grin>

My first LED light was an ARC LSH around 2002. 15 lumens on a fresh battery. It's the second from the left in the picture below. It's the one where I prototyped the two stage Kroll switch to provide a high and low level. It was bright enough to see across the garage in the dark. It had the power of a 2 D cell maglite and would fit in my pocket. It was close to $100.




My most recent light is a Feit Electric that uses three C cells and has an aspheric lens that slides in and out. I thought the box said 800 lumens, but it might be only 500. On full flood it will light up my back yard quite well. On full tight focus I can see a car a block down the street. It's really nice when I want to focus the light on a target without being blinded by the spill. $25 for a pack of 2.


Daniel

Interesting mix there. I had looked at the two pack of Feit Electric lights at one point but never picked up a set.

picked up a couple old eveready lights circa 1920 on ebay that still work, 10-15 bucks each, doesn't compare to my eagletac that blasts 800ish lumens out of a single AW 14500, but still kind of fun to show off especially for the price. One of the evereadys is a metal clamshell that seat 2 "C" batteries side by side and has an unprotected bulb out the top. Very unique looking. I have a 1914 silver plated one that is smaller, but it runs on a weird proprietary 4.5 volt battery no longer made. I fashioned a couple rechargeable AAs for that one and it lights, but no joy on getting the switch to cooperate reliably. I also have a 1920ish eveready 2 "D" cell battery with a great big fish-eye lens, looks like an artifact from the discovery of the DEFT, but it lights and again, for posterity is pretty cool to show off. Flashlight museum has all these old lights listed and described and priced so its kind of fun to "go back in time" as far as our hobby can (1890ish I believe). Anyway great thread!

I LOVE the way those old 1920 tube lights with the fish-eye lens look.

Oldest is my 3D maglite incan, a little ratty around the edges but still in active service. Mid to late 90's I'd venture to guess.

Newest is my Zebralight SC52, ten times brighter and a fraction of the size and weight. Then again, it's a fraction of the size and weight...which can come in handy, sometimes.

My oldest light was fire IIRC. I have a DeftX to compare that to. The DeftX is better.

OLD - as in ~20 years


NEW

wjv said:

NEW

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Hey I think you missed one beam "shot" for that last pic!

creyc said:

Hey I think you missed one beam "shot" for that last pic!

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I've seen those Rugers before. They are UBER-bright and will light up a room but the runtime is really REALLY short and the switch is noisy as all get out
.

Duracell Durabeam [/Mallory, circa 1985] vs Zebralight SC600; there is no indication these two objects came from the same planet or species..

creyc said:

Hey I think you missed one beam "shot" for that last pic!

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Too much Pre-Flash!

wjv said:

Too much Pre-Flash!

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Hell of a hotspot too, I bet.

2AA MiniMag: 10-15 lumens, single level light, total runtime 5 hours (about 45 minutes to 50% brightness), 10 hour bulb life (50% decrease in lumen maintenence after 5 hours, per bulb)

2AA Quark QP2A XP-G2: 20-25 lumens on medium, five level light from .2 to 250 lumens, regulated runtime on medium is 24 hours, on low it'll run a month, 50,000 hours to 70% lumen maintenance.

My oldest(that I still have) - CMG Infinity Ultra - 1AA - 5-10 lumens

Newest - Eagletac SX25L3 - 3x18650 - ~2300 lumens.

I seem to recall having had a Mag-lite(2D) back then, but I can't find it anywhere.


drillbit