Is it really necessary to have a big honkin light like that, or is that just what you think you will have to get? Timothybil I assumed, from what I've seen so far, that that is what comes with the territory. As stated in my original post, which sums up my needs based upon my knowledge of the subject, "I am NOT a light tech, I/we simply need a good portable high-powered illumination tool."
Pretty much any handheld light from a major vendor that can put out over 300 out the front lumens will have a throw range of at least 100 yards/meters. One of our members uses a rule of thumb to divide the stated throw by 3 to get a realistic number for actually being able to see and recognize things, and I think most of us agree with him. This is, undoubtedly, a good idea. I have my own rules of thumb I use to judge the realistic capabilities of products I know something about.
I will use the Nitecore EA4 as an example because I have one. It will put out about 500 lumens of light for two hours, with a throw of 300 meters. It uses 4 AA batteries (alkaline, lithium primary, or rechargeable NiMH), and will fit inside a toilet paper tube. Best of all, it sells for around $60 USD. There is actually a group buy being set up right now for the EA41, the new version of the EA4, for $50 USD delivered. Timothybil , this is very interesting to me and I am definitely interested in one. Please keep me informed as to the group purchase of the EA41. If nothing else, it would be much handier to keep in the truck than a bigger unit. I see this as more of a supplement to a bigger, possibly hand's free, light. Does this unit illuminate as big of an area as the larger models? In other words, aside from being only hand-held, is this a direct substitute for a larger model?
There are hundreds of other lights that are just as capable. And here in lies my quandary, capabilities versus quality. While I certainly do not need, nor want, a $500 light, I doubt a $19 one will fill the bill for very long. I'm getting the feeling that the capabilities I desire are nothing spectacular, average even, however, as I said in my original post, "my concerns are quality, reliability, and longevity."
Now, if you want a light that you can set down somewhere so that both hands are free, there are two ways to go: headlight or big honkin' light like your picture. I can't speak to the headlight issue, but there are many members here who can. Hands-free would be a nice option to have and I can see me using it. I'm not, at this stage, interested in a headlamp whatsoever. Therefore, I believe big honkin' is the way to go.
As for the hands-free light, again there are many possible. One that comes to mind is the Streamlight Waypoint. It has a rated throw of about 600 meters, and a rated run-time of 8 hours on 4 C batteries. It also comes in rechargeable. Both versions sell for under $100 USD. This seems great except I have to decide on batteries versus rechargeable. I know the modern rechargeables have come a long way. They most convenient and last, especially if the pack is replaceable.
The first thing to do is to decide exactly what you want - hand-held or hands-free. rechargeable or replaceable cells, spot or flood, etc. That will probably be the hardest part of the process. Then start looking at what is available and what is recommended by the members here. Yes, it is difficult. However, running through the tutorials at the Streamlight website I believe my only issue now if the rechargeable versus battery one as the Waypoint model fills the bill completely and then some.
Once you have some names, look for review and videos. Selfbuilt, a member here, has his own website with a LOT of very good reviews of all kinds of lights, including beam shots. Youtube also has a lot of video reviews and head-to-head comparisons of various lights. Happy hunting. Thank you very much Timothybil, you have no idea of how helpful you have been. I will look into Selfbuilt's reviews and do a bit more homework, nonetheless, it seems that the Streamlight Waypoint will be a tough act to beat and I thank you for that specific recommendation as well. I would like to ask you, if I may, what the purpose of the red and green filters are and are they worth buying?
