Flashlight or Spotlight??

I moved to an area that is pretty sparse, lots of dark farmland in front of my house. Want to buy a new flashlight to light up the area as well as possible when I take the dog out at night. Can someone tell me the difference between those spotlight style lights that have a handle and trigger, vs for example this one on Amazon that everyone seems to love:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RCATDJA/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I don't know a lot about flashlights, they're not a hobby for me, just want to get something that will light up a lot of area when I take the dog out at night because it's super dark in front of the house and trying to decide if I should get the Solaray one on Amazon or the spotlight style. I tried doing a google search but apparently flashlight and spotlight are names of software and they dominate the search results when I type in flashlight or spotlight....

How much area do you want to illuminate (in feet or yards)?
How important is lighting up the area around you, instead of just in front of you?
Do you mainly want to flood the immediate area with light, or do you want to "project light" far ahead to peer into the trees, etc. ?
Everything will come with a tradeoff - spill vs. throw vs. brightness vs. bulk/weight vs cost vs. tint vs. etc.

For the best all-around area illuminator with a really decent amount of throw, consider the EagleTac MX25L4C or MX25L3C. However, these lights come at the expense of using LOTS of CR123 batteries (gets expensive) or using large rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries (possibly dangerous, definitely a time consuming learning curve). $150-$200 plus batteries.

If you are after a USEFUL throw monster with enough side spill to keep you from "tunnel visioning", the ThruNite TN32 and TN35 are great - but have the same problem as the above lights - battery expense/possible danger. I have the TN32 - it's my favorite "thrower". 500 yards and it's just getting started! $150-$175 plus batteries.

If you just want to buy a good all-around bright floody light with reasonable throw that uses common AA batteries, consider the ThruNite TN4A or Sunwayman D40A. I have the D40A, it's a really great walking light. Nice even spill light all around, probably 200 yards of useful throw. $50-$70, and you probably already have the batteries.

Or, you could go to Home Depot and buy whatever cheap, big, underpowered, unreliable rubber-armored "thing" they've got hanging in the tool section that week, and be unhappy with it until it breaks. Or, you could grab some cheap-o Chinese 10,000,000,000 candlepower hunk of junk on amazon that the 14 year olds are raving about in the reviews, because they've never seen anything but the Home Depot stuff. These are both very popular options for many people... so popular that many of them keep doing it over and over again! The fact that you posted here makes me think you might not go that route though, and that you might pry open your wallet and buy something good. Remember - cheap is costly! Buy and cry once, then be happy.


P.S. The SolarRay you posted the link to doesn't look too bad, but keep in mind that "focusable" zoomlights are a compromise, and rarely do anything particularly well. Almost always less reliable and less waterproof too. Also, pretty much anyone here will tell you that the 3xAAA battery carrier arrangement is almost always junk to be avoided.

It's really funny that you mentioned the rubberized home depot light because that's exactly what I did when I moved here and while it seemed like it made a decent amount of light, the thing did self destruct somehow when I went to recharge it. I did get my $25 back from home depot though. I'll look into the lights that you recommended. Although I don't want to spend a lot at this time because money is flowing out the door at a rate I'm not entirely comfortable with after the move. I mainly want to be able to spot the reflective eyes of any kind of animal such as a coyote that might be lurking in the brush that separates my home from the miles of farmland just beyond.
BTW, this is the one I bought from home depot which matched your description perfectly
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-LED-Rechargeable-Work-Spotlight-800-2703-D/204993699

dax702 said:

It's really funny that you mentioned the rubberized home depot light because that's exactly what I did when I moved here and while it seemed like it made a decent amount of light, the thing did self destruct somehow when I went to recharge it. I did get my $25 back from home depot though. I'll look into the lights that you recommended. Although I don't want to spend a lot at this time because money is flowing out the door at a rate I'm not entirely comfortable with after the move. I mainly want to be able to spot the reflective eyes of any kind of animal such as a coyote that might be lurking in the brush that separates my home from the miles of farmland just beyond.

Click to expand...

Understandable. I personally would not go under about $40, though... that seems to be the dividing line between the decent lights and the true garbage.

It sounds to me like the Thrunite TN4A might be the perfect light for your needs, only $49 on amazon.

I see that the TN4A comes in a neutral white or cool white, what would be the difference there, one is just yellower?

dax702 said:

I see that the TN4A comes in a neutral white or cool white, what would be the difference there, one is just yellower?

Click to expand...

Ahh... tint! My favorite flashlight related subject!

Cool White will appear brighter, and whiter. Sounds great, eh? Most flashlight buyers think so, as it is the most available and popular option. However, as many flashlight users move beyond the "brighter is better" mindset and start noticing other aspects of flashlights, mainly the LIGHT itself and what you can SEE in the light, many of them (myself definitely included) notice that Cool White emitters have limitations. They do not generally render colors that well, and make the world look a bit "thin" and "ghostly". Some of us have a harder time perceiving the depth of objects in the sea of bluish white, and many of us notice that things look "glare-ey" and washed out.

Warm tint emitters appear "warmer", more orangish, brownish, or what some people refer to as "**** yellow" (pardon the language). A lot of people vastly prefer this to the ghostly world of Cool White emitters, and find the tint more comforting, like candlelight or a campfire.

Neutral White emitters are in between. They are like the light you get on an overcast day - still white, but with hints of "creaminess" or "gathering cloudy-ness". These are the emitters that I personally prefer - they tend to render colors better and don't appear as "glare-ey" and ghostlike. I personally find that I can actually SEE MORE detail with neutral white emitters, even though they are not as bright as Cool White emitters.

Hope that somewhat explains the difference, it's kind of hard without direct visual show-and-tell!

Take a look at the Streamlight Waypoint series. The new versions have an LI-ION rechargeable model that puts out about 1000 lumens and the updated 4-Cell model puts out 550lumens on Alkalines or you can use rechargeable NIMH C cells plus it runs on a 12volt lighter cord. It's a Spotlight style light but a very compact one.

People take 30 minutes for their eyes to adjust to darkness. Once this change has taken place, your ability to see color goes out the window, so to speak.

A short use of a flashlight with a cool or warm light emitter becomes moot point after 20 minutes or so.

Check out this article http://sciencemags.blogspot.com/2010/07/seeing-in-color-and-at-night.html on night vision as they explain much better than I can on your loss of seeing color at night.

The debate on warm verses cool white light comes more into play when you use a light in an area that has a fare amount of ambient light. After that, the more light on a target wins.

As for an inexpensive light, Battery Junction, Illumination Supply and Midwest Blade have clearance salles on last years lights as well as weekly sales on current models. Register at all of the above and check out the pricing. Now getting one of the non brand name lights, you'll be back to getting it replaced in quick order.

I have two lights that would be good candidates for you. The first is the Nitecore EA41. it is a four AA cell light, with a nice wide range of levels. It will range from a barely on 'night light' level up to a full 1000 lumens good for a couple hundred yards of reaching out and touch someone. I prefer to use NiMH rechargeables rather than alkalines. With a decent charger recharging is a no brainer, and the money saved adds up. About $100 by the time you buy rechargeable cells and a charger. $70 by itself.
My other choice is a Lumens Factory Seraph 6. It is a two CR123a light that can also use a 18650 rechargeable LiIon cell. I have the version that has three output modes of 5%/30%/100% of about 400 lumens. It is available in Neutral White or a slightly warmer 90+ CRI tint. (CRI is a measure of how well a light renders colors - usually the higher the better.) On its own, it sells for about $50, add another $30 for a good cell and charger. I have a Nitecore Intellicharger i4 which I use for both NiMH and LiIon. Works great, and is about the bare minimum one would want in a good charger.
Now, if you really want to light up the neighborhood, there are lights like the Nitecore TM06 or SR Intimidator that are capable of lighting up a football field from one end to the other. And if you REALLY want to reach out and touch someone there is the Nitecore TM36, which will throw a beam 1.1 kilometers. But you are getting into the $300-$600 dollar range there.
And yes, the Waypoints are nice lights. I prefer the non-rechargeable one, and use it with NiMH cells. Regardless of how the numbers appear, they are both about the same brightness, and the 4 C cell version puts up much better run-time numbers and includes the 12v DC cord that the rechargeable one doesn't. The thing to remember with lights is that it take four times as much light to see twice as far. Since it is an expotential expression, I would guess that 1000 lumens would let one see maybe one third farther than 500 lumens.

One final word. Now that you are thoroughly confused, with even more questions, I want to add this. We have several 'mavens' when it comes to evaluating lights here. Selfbuilt, Subwoofer, and HKJ come to mind immediately. They all have a hobby/obsession with evaluating lights, and provide the rest of us with very capable reviews of lights, chargers, and cells on a regular basis.

Good hunting, and if no one else has said it, "Welcome to CPF!"

dax702 said:

I see that the TN4A comes in a neutral white or cool white, what would be the difference there, one is just yellower?

Click to expand...

I think the Thrunite TN4A in Neutral White is one heck of a nice "general purpose" flashlight at a great price. To me, the Neutral White light is much more pleasant and natural-looking; not harsh like the cooler tints, and worth the tiny bit of brightness you give up by choosing it.

Take it easy,
Bob

My advise would be to pick up the following:

2 X LG ICR18650E1 batteries

1 X XTAR SP1 Battery Charger

1 X Convoy C8 Flashlight, configured with the default 7135*8 driver, XML2 T6-4C emitter and 2 mode (10% / 100%) driver option.

Should be ~$50.

I think opinions will vary, but if you're in a very dark area, with no street lights, etc, you don't have to get anything blindingly bright. The darker it is, the more efficient your flashlight becomes. If that Home Depot light was good for what you needed, then I'd be willing to bet it was a couple of hundred lumens at best. I personally don't go past 1000 lumens for my needs. I do have a couple that are over 2000, but it's only if I expect to be looking at really long distances. I find that I am constantly dialing down my lights, because anything fairly close is blown out by the light. Don't forget, you can blind yourself with these things at times... Lol

Any of the lights suggested here will meet your needs. However, it does sound like you are not into flashlights as much as you just want a good quality flashlight, and not break the bank. I agree with Amelia, you don't want to go under $40. I have noticed that that is sort of the line between a "decent" flashlight and crap, excluding some of the smaller lights of course. Also, getting into lithium-ion batteries and smart chargers, etc is probably not the way to go either. For that reason, a good multi-AA light may do the trick. I bought the Nitecore EA41 for my mother. Works great, and can be very bright if she needs it. The UI is as simple as can be. It has a power switch and a separate mode switch where you can easily cycle through the levels of light. I feel it's a great light for someone who might not be into flashlights, but wants something far better than what you find on store shelves. I think if you search around you can find it for around $50.

One final comment regarding AA batteries. Whichever light you do end up going with, do yourself a favor, don't go cheap on the batteries. Regular alkaline batteries have been known to destroy many a good flashlight. I'm sure you have had those moments where you check your flashlight, and the batteries have leaked inside. If you go the rechargeable route, just get Eneloops, and if you don't want that, go with the Energizer Lithiums. They cost more, but they last longer and they will help to protect your investment.






Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums

dax702 said:

I moved to an area that is pretty sparse, lots of dark farmland in front of my house. Want to buy a new flashlight to light up the area as well as possible when I take the dog out at night. Can someone tell me the difference between those spotlight style lights that have a handle and trigger, vs for example this one on Amazon that everyone seems to love:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RCATDJA/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I don't know a lot about flashlights, they're not a hobby for me, just want to get something that will light up a lot of area when I take the dog out at night because it's super dark in front of the house and trying to decide if I should get the Solaray one on Amazon or the spotlight style. I tried doing a google search but apparently flashlight and spotlight are names of software and they dominate the search results when I type in flashlight or spotlight....

Click to expand...

I see a lot of varied recommendations, but for some reason, no one asked how far away you need to see what at, and, as you're dog walking, how many minutes or hours the dog walk might take, so the light can produce that light long enough to work for you.....which is what you would need to know, to know if a particular could DO that.



Generally, those pistol grip spot light are only good for about 10 - 20 minutes or so, and tend to be large/heavy for the performance.....and, for the same sized light, it can typically be brightest/run the longest, on lithium ion rechargeable cells.

Cost/durability and performance would be a personal choice, but, it would help to know what, at least ideally, you'd want to have as far as range, say in meters, and what sort of thing(s) at that range you might want to be able to see, and, for how long...as a starting point.

Berneck1 said:

...Also, getting into lithium-ion batteries and smart chargers, etc is probably not the way to go either. For that reason, a good multi-AA light may do the trick. I bought the Nitecore EA41 for my mother. Works great, and can be very bright if she needs it. The UI is as simple as can be. It has a power switch and a separate mode switch where you can easily cycle through the levels of light. I feel it's a great light for someone who might not be into flashlights, but wants something far better than what you find on store shelves. I think if you search around you can find it for around $50.

One final comment regarding AA batteries. Whichever light you do end up going with, do yourself a favor, don't go cheap on the batteries. Regular alkaline batteries have been known to destroy many a good flashlight. I'm sure you have had those moments where you check your flashlight, and the batteries have leaked inside. If you go the rechargeable route, just get Eneloops, ...

Click to expand...

A few years ago, when decent 18650 cells were ~$20+ each, and a trustworthy charger would set you back $40-50, I would agree that an eneloop powered flashlight made more sense for someone looking to get in on the fringe of the "goods" without getting into a specialized segment of technology and start a new hobby.

In the last few years, the price to implement a li-ion "equivalent" in terms of performance and stored energy in a safe, reliable manner has dropped to a point where it is not only competitive with good NIMH AA cells, it may even be cheaper, and certainly affords smaller, lighter flashlights, which can also potentially be less costly due to reduced complexity (single cell vs multi-cell-abreast designs).

Panasonic NCR18650B's, NCR18650BD's, and LG ICR18650E1's pack roughly the same stored energy and performance capability as 4 X 2000-2400mAH LSD NIMH cells, into a package costing as low as half as much ($5-10 per cell), and being about half the size/weight. Protected versions of some of these cells (and/or similar high quality cells) are available for those flashlights which need them for $10-15 each, which puts them at the same price as a 4 pack of eneloops. There are several decent/safe "loose cell" li-ion chargers available now starting ~$15-30, (and arguably, some costing even less, like the Xtar MC1, which are close enough to ideal not to be a concern). This is right in the same ballpark for pricing that a 4-bay NIMH charger of decent quality will set you back, (heck, we can even get a combination charger that will do both for less than the cost of buying decent options separately).

Aside from the safety concerns added by using li-ion, which, for a single cell flashlight, is lower when used with quality cells and proper functioning chargers than the risk associated with any 2 X CR123 powered flashlight (which are hugely popular), I don't see much reason to go NIMH for a decent flashlight these days.

Until we know how far is far enough, and how long is long enough, etc, we are just guessing in the dark, and, mostly recommending whatever we happen to use...instead of waiting to see what the OP might NEED.

Wow thanks for all the replies, maybe these images will help more, see below. I take the dog across that small street and she goes to the bathroom on either side of that walking path. There's some brush just beyond that, and then it's all farmland. So when I take her out at night, I want to be able to shine a light out there to see if there's any animals like coyote, etc in the brush or beyond.

Looks to me, you would need throw but still with enough spill. Which price range are you looking at? What for batteries you want to use? (AA, CR123, 18650, battery-pack)

I don't know, $50 or $60 I guess.. Batteries, I'm not sure, I have a AA charger from a number of years ago, I guess it still works so maybe rechargeable AA batteries, or just regular AA batteries I suppose?

Prices on flashlights can increase fast, depending on the features it has. Based on the given price range and the use of AA batteries (I always recommend rechargeable, specially Eneloops)
I would recommend; Nitecore EA4/EA41, Fenix E41/LD41 or Sunwayman D40A. If you could stretch your max price range you can also take a look at the Fenix TK41.

But.. with these you're looking at a max of about 200 meters. If you need more throw, the budget has to increase.

Hi dax702,

To see "eyeshine" you don't need much light at all; a 2xAA flashlight putting out 50 lumens would let you see an animal looking back at you. To get the best results when looking for eyeshine you want to hold the light up about level with your own eyes, as if the the light was attached to the side of your head like a Borg laser sight, ha ha. You can see eyeshine without holding the light up like that, too, and you'll see some with any amount of directed light, but holding your flashlight as described above with it on a low setting is what I understand to work best.

Thank you for the pictures - they help a great deal in (literally) seeing what your situation is.

My recommendation is that you do not get into lithium-ion batteries unless they and/or flashlights are going to be a hobby. Four Eneloop AAs with a charger and a decent 4xAA flashlight will serve you well with minimal investment of time and energy. I am certain that the Fenix 4xAA flashlights, with which I am familiar, would be plenty for you, and maybe you'll end up a flashaholic after all! (Truly, I think a 2xAA Fenix would be enough, too, but they won't provide the option to blast an animal with a wall of light like the 1000-lumen burst mode of the E41)