Soraa Vivid 3 MR16 GU5.3 Hiking Light: 25 Degree or 36 Degree Beam Spread?

I am debating between two Soraa Vivid 3 MR16 GU5.3 modules.

One is termed "flood" and is 36 degrees while the other is termed "narrow flood" and is 25 degrees.

Which one would you choose for hiking in the woods, and why?

I like a nice combination of flood and throw, but I prefer being able to see my feet in front of me than have a narrow profile spot.

I am concerned the 36 degree beam will be too floody but the 25 degree beam will be too narrow.

I might otherwise buy both and sell the one I don't like (or stick it in a different light) but they are pricey.

Specifically, I am looking at the 7.5 watt Soraa Vivid 3 95-CRI module, rated in the neighborhood of 400 lumens.

There is also a 6.0 watt model at "only" 300 lumens which would provide killer runtime.

You can view the spec sheet for the 7.5 watt model here:

Link

Thanks, guys!

The 36° beam is already reasonably narrow. The specs you link show that at ~12' in front of you (and a few feet down, so 15' in the chart) the beam width is only 8-10'.

You might want to read http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...s-H600F-(Floody)-vs-H602-(no-reflector)-beams which even has a great GIF showing various patterns.

Thanks for the reply.

1000bulbs has this part in stock:

Soraa 00947 - 7.5 Watt - LED - MR16 - 50 Watt Equal
1130 Candlepower - CRI 95 - 3000 Kelvin - 95% Color Rendering - 36 Deg. Flood

I didn't realize 36 degrees was quite that narrow.

I think I will go with that one.

Anybody else have thoughts to share?

I would only offer that "CRI" is a light source measurement, not a measure of what you are actually going to see necessarily. Ever notice that when you are in a room lit with low CCT lighting, then a high CCT light is turn on, say 5700K, that it looks really blue. On the other hand, if you are in a room lit with 5700K, that that 5700K source will look nicely white, with no blue tinge. Same light, it did not change, your eyes changed.

When you are in a predominantly dark environment, with every changing background, your eyes are also changing in sensitivity. CRI becomes almost meaningless as everything is relatively.

What are you trying to accomplish? Pleasant lighting? Accuracy? .... you may have the former, but the latter is purely perception.

I could argue that gamut is far more important than CRI if you have a relatively smooth spectrum. 3000K makes many greens look much browner than sunlight? Do you regularly view trees and dirt under 3000K halogen or sunlight? Me ... sunlight, so why would I want to recreate the look under 3000K which is completely unnatural?

I can see you not wanting High CCT at low light levels. It's not the most pleasant. I actually like low CCT street lights. Not 2200K, low CRI perhaps, but having seen 3000K in demonstration, I find it less harsh at typical street lighting levels.

For hiking ... all depends what you are trying to achieve, so if you could communicate that, then it will be easier to provide feedback. Personally I like 4000K with a good CRI for general hiking as it provides a good balance. I also prefer more throw than a 35 degree beam. Having too much light up close impacts your low light vision, so you will see what is right around you and not much more.

1) I like the look of a slightly over-driven incandescent.
2) I like the rock-solid reliability of LEDs.
3) I like the coolness factor of stuffing an MR16 inside a Maglite host.
4) I like the long runtimes of LEDs.

I am trying to accomplish:

—something slightly cooler than 2700K house lighting
—something slightly warmer than 4000K tints I am accustomed to
—something which will give that gentle "romantic" look incandescents can provide
—something which will use three 26650 cells in series in my vintage 4C Maglite host
—something which uses the MR16 form factor
—something with six hours+ runtime

So far, this seems closest to my goals.

I would try the violet pumped soraa outdoors in the dark before assuming it will be great based purely on CCT. I don't have a good feel for it.

Since you insist on MR16 there are few options and all could be considered hobbled to some degree.