Best Bang for the Buck Help
- Thread starter Simon
- Start date
Hi Simon, welcome to CPF /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif
I used to be a newbie like you, we all gotta start somewhere, so it is kind of difficult to understand the definition used. Do stay with us a while and you will pick up all the jargons and acronyms. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
First, you ask for very bright flashlights. What is your definition of very bright? I have seen people who are easily contented with what moderate output they have, and on the other side of the ring we have folks who felt that the brightest flashlights are still not enough.
Secondly, when you say bright, do you honestly mean throw factor or flood factor? Throw and flood has a very reciprocal relationship. A 120 lumens lamp is considered very bright but it is the reflector built-in that counts. If all the lights are concentrated into a spot then you get a good throw light, if you opt for a light that gives you more flood then you wouldn't see the throw factor but you get a very nice wall of light for general illumination.
Thirdly, do you prefer LEDs or incandescents? Though incandescent lights are still king when it comes to throw factor and brightness, the technological advancement in LEDs like the Luxeon version by Lumileds are hard to beat.
I am a fan of Surefire but I hate to impose on you to buy Surefire. Let others give you more opinions and you weigh the pros & cons before making the decision. Surefire lights are to me considered very bright but because of the fact that the R&D in Surefire decided to manufacture lights that provides a smooth round beam the reflectors are thus pre-focused in production to provide an average of throw and flood. Not a very good throw light but good enough for my usage.
Don't be anxious. Stay around and you will know better before throwing in your money.
I used to be a newbie like you, we all gotta start somewhere, so it is kind of difficult to understand the definition used. Do stay with us a while and you will pick up all the jargons and acronyms. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
First, you ask for very bright flashlights. What is your definition of very bright? I have seen people who are easily contented with what moderate output they have, and on the other side of the ring we have folks who felt that the brightest flashlights are still not enough.
Secondly, when you say bright, do you honestly mean throw factor or flood factor? Throw and flood has a very reciprocal relationship. A 120 lumens lamp is considered very bright but it is the reflector built-in that counts. If all the lights are concentrated into a spot then you get a good throw light, if you opt for a light that gives you more flood then you wouldn't see the throw factor but you get a very nice wall of light for general illumination.
Thirdly, do you prefer LEDs or incandescents? Though incandescent lights are still king when it comes to throw factor and brightness, the technological advancement in LEDs like the Luxeon version by Lumileds are hard to beat.
I am a fan of Surefire but I hate to impose on you to buy Surefire. Let others give you more opinions and you weigh the pros & cons before making the decision. Surefire lights are to me considered very bright but because of the fact that the R&D in Surefire decided to manufacture lights that provides a smooth round beam the reflectors are thus pre-focused in production to provide an average of throw and flood. Not a very good throw light but good enough for my usage.
Don't be anxious. Stay around and you will know better before throwing in your money.
I can get a SureFire Ultrastinger w/ the car and home charger for 105, is that worth it and is it a "very bright" light? 75,000 candle power. I don't know the lumens/cp and the other stuff, is there a way you can give me a chart? like how many cp-lumens and other measurements?
Simon welcome to the group. Stingray has some good suggestions for you. However your question was only half of the whole question you should have asked. For instance Stingray's of the G2 with P61 lamp and 6P with the extender and P91 lamp only told you half the story. The runtime on these lights is only about 20 minutes on a set of lithium batteries costing $2-$14 depending on where you buy the batteries. Do the math that is $6 - $42 in batteries for an hours worth of light!
Is that what you are prepared to spend?
I answered a question from a newbie a few days ago to help him get started and give him a little more info. I'm going to repost it here for you cause I have a feeling it may help you also;
These generalizations are true in the vast majority of circumstances (but there are exception to each one of these)
1) Brighter the light, the shorter the runtime!
2) LED's come in two types, smaller 3 or 5 mm diameter with outputs of 1-3 lumens each OR Luxeon Star LEDS made by Lumaleds with outputs around 17-30 lumens each.
3) Incandescent lamps (regular light bulbs) still kick LED's butt if you want to throw a beam of light beyond about 30 feet.
4) Surefire Lights are Tactical lights, not general purpose lights for the homeowner. As such they are usually purchased (except for CPF members) by taxpayers for issue to special people who do tactical things.
5) Textured reflectors produce a smoother beam that smoothly polished reflectors.
6) Adjustable focus is a lie. There is only one focal point, you are de-focusing a light. Marketing people love this bullsxxx. Some people find the feature helpful anyway, when they need a less intense light. Me I set the focus to the least annoying beam shape and then never fiddle with it again.
7) Flood v Spot. 90% of people should buy a flood beam that throws no more than the length of their backyard. Questions like "Hi I'm new here and I want a flashlight with a tight spot that lights up a tree 300 yards away to impress my friends, what do you recommend" makes me roll my eyes and say to myself here we go again.
8) Lithiums are really not that more expensive and kick alkalines butt for several reasons, however they are harder to find. Buy from Surefire or other vendors here on CPF ($1-$2 each)
Good luck and welcome,
GregR
Well looks like I have to add something already. There is no easy chart or conversion formula between Candlepower and Lumens. Lumens is the total amount of light produced, whereas Candlepower as typically advertized is the brightest part of the beam. So while they are related Candlepower is often misleading and can be used by market departments to hype their products. That is why some manufactures say Lumen is a more honest means of measure light produced. To give you an example of how Candlepower can be manipulated, take a laser pointer for example. I would imagine even a cheap one is probibly a million candle power yet it makes a horrible flashlight, because the amount of light (lumens) is really small.
Is that what you are prepared to spend?
I answered a question from a newbie a few days ago to help him get started and give him a little more info. I'm going to repost it here for you cause I have a feeling it may help you also;
These generalizations are true in the vast majority of circumstances (but there are exception to each one of these)
1) Brighter the light, the shorter the runtime!
2) LED's come in two types, smaller 3 or 5 mm diameter with outputs of 1-3 lumens each OR Luxeon Star LEDS made by Lumaleds with outputs around 17-30 lumens each.
3) Incandescent lamps (regular light bulbs) still kick LED's butt if you want to throw a beam of light beyond about 30 feet.
4) Surefire Lights are Tactical lights, not general purpose lights for the homeowner. As such they are usually purchased (except for CPF members) by taxpayers for issue to special people who do tactical things.
5) Textured reflectors produce a smoother beam that smoothly polished reflectors.
6) Adjustable focus is a lie. There is only one focal point, you are de-focusing a light. Marketing people love this bullsxxx. Some people find the feature helpful anyway, when they need a less intense light. Me I set the focus to the least annoying beam shape and then never fiddle with it again.
7) Flood v Spot. 90% of people should buy a flood beam that throws no more than the length of their backyard. Questions like "Hi I'm new here and I want a flashlight with a tight spot that lights up a tree 300 yards away to impress my friends, what do you recommend" makes me roll my eyes and say to myself here we go again.
8) Lithiums are really not that more expensive and kick alkalines butt for several reasons, however they are harder to find. Buy from Surefire or other vendors here on CPF ($1-$2 each)
Good luck and welcome,
GregR
Well looks like I have to add something already. There is no easy chart or conversion formula between Candlepower and Lumens. Lumens is the total amount of light produced, whereas Candlepower as typically advertized is the brightest part of the beam. So while they are related Candlepower is often misleading and can be used by market departments to hype their products. That is why some manufactures say Lumen is a more honest means of measure light produced. To give you an example of how Candlepower can be manipulated, take a laser pointer for example. I would imagine even a cheap one is probibly a million candle power yet it makes a horrible flashlight, because the amount of light (lumens) is really small.
Simon,
Welcome to CPF!
Quickbeam's site has a lot of information.
Some other sites are:
Sean's Flashlight site
Craig's LED Museum
Spend some time reading before you spend your money.
Welcome to CPF!
Quickbeam's site has a lot of information.
Some other sites are:
Sean's Flashlight site
Craig's LED Museum
Spend some time reading before you spend your money.
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Simon said:
I can get a SureFire Ultrastinger w/ the car and home charger for 105, is that worth it and is it a "very bright" light? 75,000 candle power. I don't know the lumens/cp and the other stuff, is there a way you can give me a chart? like how many cp-lumens and other measurements?
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Surefire doesn't manufacture the Ultrastinger. Streamlight does. If you are looking at rechargeables I would suggest you also look at Streamlight Strion. It is the newest flashlight to be launched by Streamlight, is smaller than the Stinger and as bright as the stinger. I know you are looking at the Ultrastinger but do you really need such a big package? At 12,000 candlepower (approx 80 lumens), the Strion is about all you may need for general illumination.
Simon said:
I can get a SureFire Ultrastinger w/ the car and home charger for 105, is that worth it and is it a "very bright" light? 75,000 candle power. I don't know the lumens/cp and the other stuff, is there a way you can give me a chart? like how many cp-lumens and other measurements?
[/ QUOTE ]
Surefire doesn't manufacture the Ultrastinger. Streamlight does. If you are looking at rechargeables I would suggest you also look at Streamlight Strion. It is the newest flashlight to be launched by Streamlight, is smaller than the Stinger and as bright as the stinger. I know you are looking at the Ultrastinger but do you really need such a big package? At 12,000 candlepower (approx 80 lumens), the Strion is about all you may need for general illumination.
wtn
Newly Enlightened
The ElektroLumen Blaster JR. is a very bright light. It's
a direct drive lux III (3AA to single D cell converter) that
Wayne drives at 1.5amps At $59 it is a great buy - very well
made. At my bay house in Galveston, I can stand on my porch
and light up the downstairs of my neighbor's house without
any problem. I actually measured the distance - 150'. He also
makes the TriStar which is 3 lux III's direct drive also. 4C
It's insane - probably have to get one of those.
a direct drive lux III (3AA to single D cell converter) that
Wayne drives at 1.5amps At $59 it is a great buy - very well
made. At my bay house in Galveston, I can stand on my porch
and light up the downstairs of my neighbor's house without
any problem. I actually measured the distance - 150'. He also
makes the TriStar which is 3 lux III's direct drive also. 4C
It's insane - probably have to get one of those.
PlayboyJoeShmoe
Flashaholic
A nice cheap light to start with is a Princeton Tech TEC 40. It is a 4AA light that ain't a bit shabby as it comes.
Put 4 NimH AA in it with a KPR103 and it's even better!
Another neat trick is to use 1" PVC pipe as a spacer and put 4C in a 3D M*g and than use some Writeright PDA Film (for the Palm Zire B&W pda) on the lense.
I have a 3D setup with 4 NimH C and an Acrylite lense. It's my go to bigger light, cause it's pretty bright, and FREE to run!
Elektrolumens LED lights are VERY NICE!
Put 4 NimH AA in it with a KPR103 and it's even better!
Another neat trick is to use 1" PVC pipe as a spacer and put 4C in a 3D M*g and than use some Writeright PDA Film (for the Palm Zire B&W pda) on the lense.
I have a 3D setup with 4 NimH C and an Acrylite lense. It's my go to bigger light, cause it's pretty bright, and FREE to run!
Elektrolumens LED lights are VERY NICE!
Great post, I'm new and I already agree with everything you said. I do have a question regarding what I pasted below. What defines the output range of lumens? For example, you stated Lumadeds have outputs between 17-30 lumens. How are the ranges determined?
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Double_A said:2) LED's come in two types, smaller 3 or 5 mm diameter with outputs of 1-3 lumens each OR Luxeon Star LEDS made by Lumaleds with outputs around 17-30 lumens each.
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Double_A said:2) LED's come in two types, smaller 3 or 5 mm diameter with outputs of 1-3 lumens each OR Luxeon Star LEDS made by Lumaleds with outputs around 17-30 lumens each.
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TrueBlue
Flashlight Enthusiast
Lumens is a measurement of how much (quantity) of light comes out and a lux measurement is how concentrated the quantity is.
An analogy might be the water hose. If you use a fireman's hose you can have a great quantity of water with little pressure. A fireman's hose running full volume will give a great quantity of water but will shoot about 10 feet. If you restrict the open flow of water you get more pressure and a more directional concentration of water to, say, 80 feet.
Lumens would be the quantity of water and a lux reading would be the concentration of water.
Now if you could get the fireman's hose full quantity and the same pressure as a restricted flow you could break a hole in a wall and you'd sure run out of water really quick.
An analogy might be the water hose. If you use a fireman's hose you can have a great quantity of water with little pressure. A fireman's hose running full volume will give a great quantity of water but will shoot about 10 feet. If you restrict the open flow of water you get more pressure and a more directional concentration of water to, say, 80 feet.
Lumens would be the quantity of water and a lux reading would be the concentration of water.
Now if you could get the fireman's hose full quantity and the same pressure as a restricted flow you could break a hole in a wall and you'd sure run out of water really quick.
JerryM
Flashlight Enthusiast
For the prices, the Pelican M6 lights are hard to beat. I have both the incan and the LED models. The LED is surprisingly bright and has a decent throw.
I find that if the beam is too tight all I can see is the spot and a little area around it. A wider beam, such as the LED model, reveals much more area. In the area of personal security that is an advantage. It's too bad that you don't have access to such lights.
If you want to knock 'possums out of trees, then the incandescent is the way to go, but unless the longest throw is what you want the LED versions are more useful in my opinion. Battery life is much better also.
There are many here with much more knowledge and experience that I have, so read what they say and try to filter it to get what you need.
Good to have you here.
Jerry
I find that if the beam is too tight all I can see is the spot and a little area around it. A wider beam, such as the LED model, reveals much more area. In the area of personal security that is an advantage. It's too bad that you don't have access to such lights.
If you want to knock 'possums out of trees, then the incandescent is the way to go, but unless the longest throw is what you want the LED versions are more useful in my opinion. Battery life is much better also.
There are many here with much more knowledge and experience that I have, so read what they say and try to filter it to get what you need.
Good to have you here.
Jerry
TrueBlue
Flashlight Enthusiast
I didn't answer your question. I'm sorry about that.
In my collection of lights the best bank for the buck is the 3x3 watt (3-watt Luxeon emitters in optics times three) Tri-Star Phaser, sold by Elektro Lumens. It is a firehose flood of light running 4 common C cells.
Tri-Star Phaser
In my collection of lights the best bank for the buck is the 3x3 watt (3-watt Luxeon emitters in optics times three) Tri-Star Phaser, sold by Elektro Lumens. It is a firehose flood of light running 4 common C cells.
Tri-Star Phaser
