Looking for a compact light with good throw

Hello,

So a little about what I am looking for. I am an inspector that inspects multiple homes daily. This includes the interior, exterior, attic and the crawl space. I currently use a Fenix PD35 for underneath the homes and it does an amazing job. I am looking for a light that is relatively compact (can attach to my belt) and has a great amount of throw so that I can reach those cracks and crevices that are in high places and are often in direct sunlight. My company has given me a Maglite but it rarely provides enough light to reach those spots. I will still be using the Fenix for underneath so this would just be for the exterior. If I can find something that runs on an 18650 like the Fenix, that would be ideal because I have a lot of the batteries as well as a charger already.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

Armytek Viking V3 (pro or non-pro depending on your regulation preferences in max mode). At 120g empty its probably the lightest, and likely one of the smallest mini-turbo-head 1X18650 powered "throw" class flashlight on the market. The only thing close (more throw, similar weight, same body) would be the predator V3, but that IMO would likely prove to be too oriented towards throw, producing such a small bright spot with weak spill that it would not be as useful as the Viking, though I could be wrong.

Either way, direct sunlight is over 100,000 lux. Most compact "throwers" are only ~20-30K lux at 1 meter, so by the time you are out a few meters, the beam intensity is a drop in the bucket compared to the sun, so that's pointless.

If you are having a hard time seeing something in detail in direct sunlight, then what you probably need is vision correction or magnification, not more light.

mdocod said:

Either way, direct sunlight is over 100,000 lux. Most compact "throwers" are only ~20-30K lux at 1 meter, so by the time you are out a few meters, the beam intensity is a drop in the bucket compared to the sun, so that's pointless.

If you are having a hard time seeing something in detail in direct sunlight, then what you probably need is vision correction or magnification, not more light.

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I presume he's trying to illuminate spots that are in shade, against a backdrop of other areas that are lit by full sun. It's tough to light those areas bright enough, because your eyes are adapted to full sun. I don't think any compact light is going to do that, except at very close range. A HID spot light might do it, but they're big and clunky.

It is tough to picture any standard light making a dent in outside direct sunlight to me no matter what else?

Maybe one of the lights that can use cordless power tool batteries as they tend to run on higher voltage and are just bigger all around too but again if you need better view outside in daylight maybe a ladder is the best answer?

i got an f30vn from vinh (vinh nguyen aka v54) which is exactly what i use it for. I usually do my animal hunting during the day when my responsibilities are away at school. if i need to see down a hole or in a hollowed out tree, or have a need for fill lighting, it does a perfect job. i've been carrying my tx25c2vn and my new p200lc2 from eagletac all perform very well for this.

I'll be a little more specific and see if that sheds a little more light. I am on the ground level using the light to shine up at attic vents and things of that sort on the second floor or higher. Using the light, I am hoping to see if the vents are sealed or not.

Olight m2x or if you dont want a 1x18650 with a giant head id get a pd35vn pdtc. I work construction and i carry that one every day. Since it's a dedomed it reaches out a lot farther than a factory pd35

AVService said:

It is tough to picture any standard light making a dent in outside direct sunlight to me no matter what else?

Maybe one of the lights that can use cordless power tool batteries as they tend to run on higher voltage and are just bigger all around too but again if you need better view outside in daylight maybe a ladder is the best answer?

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Or binoculars. That is what I took with me at my inspections. A note pad/pen, binoculars and my flashlight.

Maybe an acebeam ec32vn(same size as a pd35 which is quite a bit thinner than a predator.

De-dome option will increase throw,well priced,not quite build of fenix,but other than that very similar
ec32vn in middle


Mine is a neutral xpg2 de-dome of around 40kcd which is similar to the predator v3 but without the large head.
other options.......
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?399972-EC32vn-Slim-Tactical-Thrower-(Must-Have)

Other option could be send the pd35 off to vinh or buy another(works out cheaper and keep the standard as i have for general uses) ,bump to 1400lm and de-dome for throw
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?384781-WTS-PD35vn

Good grief, three years ago on this forum people would say that the sun measured 6,000cd. 100,000 lumens I would buy, but it's not THAT intense. A Fenix TK32 will do you more than fine. Single 18650, same brand you know, 40k CD. Its around $95 on Amazon. Should do you just fine as I use my Eagletac GX25L2 for that kind of stuff all the time and it's less focused than the TK32.

If for some reason that doesn't work out for you, send it off you Vihn to dedome it and boost it a bit.

If you want a slightly more powerful option, get the new Olight Javelot at 55k CD.

Binoculars are going to do far more than a flashlight for inspecting eves in broad daylight.


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SimulatedZero,

You have your lux and lumens all mixed up. Go do a search for "sunlight lux" or something.

A flashlight that delivers 40,000lux@1M is only going to deliver 400lux at 10 meters, so reaching out and trying to improve visual acuity by adding 400 lux to an object already being illuminated to ~100,000 lux by the sun is a complete waste of effort. Less than 1% increase in illumination intensity is not even detectable by the human eye, and certainly isn't even useful on an object that is likely already leaning TOO bright in the first place. What is needed outside, is not a flashlight, but magnification.

Which maglite did they give you? Most mags have great throw

Am Eagletac P200LC2 just entered my collection. I was looking for a compact carry 18650 with no blinky modes. It has very good throw for a 1" head diameter with a deep smooth reflector. 3 easily selectable brightness modes, I don't mind that there isn't a moonlight mode. Great light for under $100.

So I tried the Nitecore SRT7 just for the heck of it. I took it out yesterday and realized immediately that, although it is bright, it does not have a focused enough beam. I then bought a Fenix TK32. I haven't had an opportunity to use it in the field yet, but it looks i little more promising. I'm hoping for the best.

I am going to see if I have a pair of compact binoculars laying around somewhere and see how that works too. I had never thought of that.

I'll let you know how the TK32 works when I get a chance to use it on Monday.

Dedoming the LED will bring the most throw. Look at the Olight M20SX Javelot for a stock compact thrower. This light is smaller and throwier than the SRT7, and throws the same while being smaller than the TK32.

Another option to the binoculars would be a compact camera with a decent zoom. Results could be viewed on the display or later on a computer.

Hmm, the new JetBeam C8 came to my mind. With a holster or some kind of belt-clip may work...

What do you think about the Armytek Dobermann? It's smaller than the Viking and Predator.