How many levels of light do you actually use?

Poor idea

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Lunal_Tic

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Just wondering, for people that have multi level lights, how many levels do you actually use? For example if you have a U2 do you ever use setting 5 or 4 or do you just go full left/somewhere in the middle/full right with it?

-LT
 

VidPro

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on the n-flex i USE about 2-3, but i PLAY with all of them.
if a light has choices, i say full-range as long as it does not mess with its normal easy operation why not have a full range dimming, instead of steps?
 

Anglepoise

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I very rarely use more than two levels, but agree 100% with VidPro. If extra levels are 'thrown in' and the UI remains easy to use, then why not.
 

KevinL

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I would rather have the extra levels since they are readily accessible (U2) and they provide options in case I need to use those options. I typically use the two highest and two lowest - 5/6, 1/2 depending on my exact requirements.

3-4 is taken care of by my KL1, no doubt if I did not have the KL1 then I would be relying on the U2 to cover those levels. Again that thing about "multiple lights" comes into play.

I use all 4 levels on my HDS - I love a high beam blast and since I'm using rechargeables it's guilt free to light it up. But I use primary too. Secondary and lowest are used when I am doing low light work and don't need to blind myself by accident. Lowest is good when you are messing with a camera in the dark.
 

jtice

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I EDC the U2, and I must admit, for the most part I use levels 1 and 6.

I wish it went dimmer actually, it can still be blinding at night.

but I still like having the extra levels /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I have had a couple times where it was nice to dial in just the right amount of light
did that the other day taking some photos /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

zespectre

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I'd have to say I use four levels (though not on the same light.
-Glow mode on my PAL light (so I can find it in the dark)
-Low mode on my PAL (for moving around the house at night)
-Low on my L2 for walking around outdoors
-High on my L2 in short bursts for "what was that over there" situations.
 

beezaur

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I took some liberty with my answer. I EDC a McLuxIII-PD, with 2 levels, but I generally use 3 levels one way or another.

I like
1) a dim level for reading,
2) a medium level for walking around indoors or close work, and
3) a bright level for throw.

Dim level can be obtained either by using a filter on the PD or with a keychain light.

I think, as lights start to go over 100 lumens, having 3 levels becomes more important.

Scott
 

JasonC8301

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I use three levels on my U2. At night I set it at Level 1 (lowest.) Then if I need more light in terms of finding something at night then I go to Level 3. Then I am always like WOW, when I put it at Level 6 (when I'm practicing room clearing with a pistol.)

I barely see the other 3 levels in use but I do like to have those levels though just in case I need them. "Better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it." ~ Alien vs. Predator quote I liked.

EDIT; I'm with jtice on this, the U2 low setting is still too bright for night adjusted eyes.
 

Kiessling

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Two or three depending on the power of the light. Everything under 50-60lm won't need more than 2 levels, and I do not like the lots of klicking that moves me through the Eternalight brightness menu. For the U2 however, a third level is much appreciated, and I agree with jtice about the low level being still too bright.
bernie
 

xochi

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I have the HDS and use all four.

Lowest-movie theaters when I drop something or am looking for something in my girlfriends purse (really when SHE is looking through purse). Also used when I get up in the middle of the night. Before bed I set it so that it comes on at the lowest level.

I'm not sure how bright I have the next setting at but I use it the most. It's not that bright, bright enought to clearly see at the hotspot at about 10 ft.

3rd setting I use is about 4 clicks from max. I use it when walking the dog a little but mainly use the setting below this.

The max setting I use whe I want all it has to offer, looking up in trees or lighting a room by bounce off the ceiling , not used that much. It's too bright for most of what I use a light for but is nice to have. I could do without the max setting but I think that even though I find the next setting down MORE useful I would WANT the brightest setting if I had to confine it to 3.

I find that if I had it to choose I would want and use 5 levels. Absolute lowest, Absolute highest, a low setting that isn't blinding but good for looking around in a car at night without blinding the driver or attracting alot of attention , a moderate setting that I use 70% of the time because it provides enough light but extends battery life and a bright setting that is too bright for most stuff but good for outdoors yet is still conserving battery life (i.e. lighting time).

Any light that offers levels HAS to have lowest and highest. These may not be the settings a user finds the most useful but who is going to buy a light without lowest and highest. So really ,highest doesn't really count since noone is going to adjust it down, it has to be there. Some may adjust lowest up but that is unlikely too. A 4 or a 5 setting light where 2 or 3 are adjustable within the range becomes the most useful. High and low have to be there, the 2 or 3 that the user sets up exactly the way they like them will be used the most. Even though someone says they only use 2 or 3 settings on a 4 or 5 setting light they really use all of them since they aren't required to use absolute highest and absolute lowest, they have the freedom to use the best level without sacrificing HI/Lo.
 

McGizmo

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As the intensity difference between two levels drops below about 10:1, I find that I don't need the difference and if I have to work around an intermittant level, I would rather not have it. As others have stated with the U2, the dial is easy enough so no harm and no foul but I also add my vote to a lower level than currently available. If time is available for adjustment and the illumination task will be of any significant duration, then having more levels and dialing the level into the specific needs of the situation at hand is certainly a plus and worth the effort probably. Heck, even in my house where we have simple rotary dimmers on the wall, I usually either just crank the light on in its lowest setting or crank it on to high. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

With a portable and "temporary use" flashlight, the returns of value, certainly beyond 3 levels and likely beyond two levels do not justify any significant increase in cost or access to these levels, IMHO. I think beyond a few levels of output, any complexity or cost inherrent in the light should be directed towards variation in the directivity of the light produced; that is the shape of the beam and distribution of the light. As the flux of the newer LED's increases, I too see merit in going from two to 3 levels of output but unless the distribution of the light itself becomes variable, the potential of these higher output lights will not be fully realized!

If you have 100 lumens of light for instance, I would go for a light that has 1, 10 and 100 lumens of output. However 1 lumen of output is not nearly as useful in a thrower as it would be in a flood beam. By the same token, 100 lumens is not as useful in a flood beam as it would be in a thrower, in most cases.

My comments are based on the assumption that the light is actually going to be used for some reason and not just turned on for the sake of wow or isn't that amazing. For the latter, I think 256,000 levels would be cool and perhaps a woofer tuned to the PWM duty cycle might please the ears as well as the eyes getting a treat!
 

xochi

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[ QUOTE ]
xochi said:

Any light that offers levels HAS to have lowest and highest. These may not be the settings a user finds the most useful but who is going to buy a light without lowest and highest. So really ,highest doesn't really count since noone is going to adjust it down, it has to be there. Some may adjust lowest up but that is unlikely too. A 4 or a 5 setting light where 2 or 3 are adjustable within the range becomes the most useful. High and low have to be there, the 2 or 3 that the user sets up exactly the way they like them will be used the most. Even though someone says they only use 2 or 3 settings on a 4 or 5 setting light they really use all of them since they aren't required to use absolute highest and absolute lowest, they have the freedom to use the best level without sacrificing HI/Lo.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry to quote myself but I think it might have not made it's point. The point is that it totally agrees that the optimum number of levels is 2 or 3 but it is better to have 2 or 3 levels that a user sets up acording to there use pattern and people will only set those levels up if they DON'T have to sacrifice HI and LO thus the optimum number of levels is 4 or 5 with hi and lo fixed and 2 or 3 user defineable levels that are slightly easier to get to than HI/LO.
 

attowatt

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I have a Q-III with a two position switch (on1>> on2>> off) I cannibalized from another flashlight, and on the low setting ((dimmer than my photon II)very very dim) I used a 22ohm resistor. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

It's perfect for when you need to get up in the middle of the night.

The battery runtime is forever on low/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif

Jim
 

MaxaBaker

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The levels I use:

1. High

2. Higher

3. Highest

4. Whatever gets brighter and puts out more lumens than the previous 3 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



But, seriously, I usually only use 2-3 levels.
 

Lunal_Tic

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[ QUOTE ]
MaxaBaker said:
The levels I use:

1. High

2. Higher

3. Highest

4. Whatever gets brighter and puts out more lumens than the previous 3 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif Yeah Baker that sounds just like you. I'd imagine that you'd read at night in bed by MaxaBeam if you could.

-LT
 

SilverFox

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I have 5 multi level lights...

U2 - start on low and dial my way up to the level I need. I end up using all the levels, and also wish level 1 was lower.

LionHeart - I use both set ups and prefer UI1. I start on low and work my way up to the level needed. My forced setting is level 3 and I use that a lot during conditions of higher ambient light levels, but in the dark I end up using all 5 levels. The 32 level set up is fun to play with, but I find the 5 level setting more practical.

Aleph 3 - I always start on low and go to high as needed. I should also say that my low setting is higher than most people have. I believe I am using 10 ohm resistor.

L4/Mc2Es - Once again I start on low and go to high as needed. This tail cap also has the 10 ohm resistor.

EternaLight - This series starts off bright and dims from there. There are 12 levels available and I use 4 of them. Bright, 3 LED's, 2 LED's and 1 LED.

I also have some multi level head lamps. They are 3 level and I find myself using all 3 levels.

The Aleph 3 is my throw king and I use it all the time while trying to illuminate shadows in higher levels of ambient light.

The LionHeart is my choice when the ambient light levels go down. I can pretty much dial in the level needed with this light as long as the ambient light levels are low.

Tom
 

wwglen

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While I don't have a light like this I would want 4 levels.

1. 2-3 Lums -- 20+ hours run time
2. 10 Lumins -- 10 hours
3. 25-30 Lumins -- 3 hours run time
4. 80-100 Lumins -- 1 hour run time.

wwglen
 

KevinL

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Fully agreed on the U2's low not being 'low enough' for certain situations.

I was doing some low-light photography, specifically, trying to get a picture of the moon with my 300mm superzoom (effective 480mm). Of course this demands being out in the dark with tripod and camera, the HDS was very useful on its lowest level when I needed to make aperture and shutter speed adjustments. Anything higher would have blinded me at short range reflecting off the camera into my eyes.

And to think that earlier in the day I was considering the L4 LumaMax for that mission.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif I may not have gotten any moon, but I would have certainly seen stars! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/huh.gif
 
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