Best light for Real Estate Broker?

[Sinjz]

I agree with those that say a L4 simply isn't bright enough to light up a decent sized room. It's great if the prospective buyer wants to light up one wall with a good amount of light, but trying to light up a whole room with it won't work. The room will be dim. The Mag85 would be enough light, but it's in a Maglite body and runtime is really short. A 35 watt HID light would be my suggestion, however it's more than your proposed budget. If you can skip the 'Brooks Brother' requirement, I say just grab a couple of handheld spotlights and keep them charged in your car. Maybe some one can stipple the reflector for you so the beam is smoother. You'd just want it for the light output and not the throw.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[BlackDecker]

My suggestion of the SL ProPoly 4AA was it is cheap enough, you could buy several, then hand one out to the prospective customer so he could go check out the property on his own. At $30/pop, not a big loss should the light not be returned or turn up 'lost'.

 

[joema]

I basically agree about incandescents having a more pleasing tone, esp for showing a darkened room.

The Streamlight TL-3 is one of the most powerful stock flashlights you can get, plus is somewhat compact (relative to a D cell Mag).

However not sure the SF L4 is that deficient (in output, not the beam tint issue). The L4 overall output is equal or greater than 2x CR123A incandescents like the SL Scorpion or SF G2.

The L2 has more overall output than many incandescent lights, including the G2/M2 with high output lamp.

 

[Geologist]

The L2 on high is 100 lumens. P61 in a G2 is 120. Again 100 lumens does not a room light make - if that were the case, why not light your living room on a daily basis with a 100 lumens of light. A 60 watt bulb puts out over 800 lumens!

 

[joema]

What counts isn't the spec but the real world results from independent tests.

Flashlightreviews.com overall output for the P61 in a G2 is 70 overall output units. The L2 produced 89 output units.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/features/chart_overall.htm

The issue isn't how to permanently light the room at a lux level competitive with residential fixtures. Rather, of generally available compact flashlights, which one's output, tint and beam pattern is most useful for a realtor doing a brief walk through presentation.

He currently has a G2 which is already pretty good, but wants something better, yet which is still somewhat compact and is belt carryable.

Given those criteria, I personally I think the best reasonable priced bet is a TL-3. It has about 2x the overall output of his G2. However the overall output of the L2 doesn't totally exclude it since it's a significant increase over the G2.

I agree while the L4 beam pattern is a good fit, the overall output isn't sufficient -- it's about equal to the G2 he already has, plus you lose something using the LED tint vs incandescent.

 

[BIGIRON]

A thought for real world real estate applications --

You don't want the client focusing (pun intended) on and talking about your whizbang flashlights -- you want their attention on the property.

The time for relationship building is over coffee or lunch.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

I just tried all my brightest incandescent lights with only my monitor giving light in a roughly 10x12 room. Ceiling bounce.

M*g85 rocks, wa01185 with 9AA. Not sure exactly which bulb (perhaps wa01111?) driven by 6 C NimHs in an older Excalibre 5D light is next. Getting all the AAs topped off to test MC bulb on 6AA. My 123s are all getting old, don't have 3 new ones to really test 3x123 and 5 Cell Krypton. 1274 with 8AA isn't really in the hunt, but I may need to charge them up too.

I have a rather big and clunky rechargable spot light that would do it fer sure!

I just ain't sure any small handheld is gonna do it!

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Just tried all my handheld brighter lights including G2 and PM6. They will let you navigate fine, but don't light up the room like M*g85!

 

[CroMAGnet]

Pila GL3 is a perfect light for what you need but it is small and heavy. Makes a good blackjack weapon.

I would vote for the L4 or the A-19 5W which are very similar. (JimH and I compared our a few nights ago) Though it is a lot of light it might not be good to light up a WHOLE large room too well.

I took a client out to inspect a few houses once or twice (for my realtor clients) and I had my trusty Tigerlight FBOP, Tiger74 AND Tiger11 in my car. The Tiger11 was perfect but suffered from low runtime and the Tiger74 was very acceptable putting out about 300+ LUMENS!!! But these are expensive lights. The stock Tigerlight FBOP would do a fine at just under 300 LUMENS with 1-hour runtime but it's 8" long and over 1" thick but it is rechargable from the car and you always have your car when showing houses. You can get this light at tigerlight.net and a few other places for a little over $100. You can also mod it over time to about 800 LUMENS!!! That's like a mag 85 but it's a smaller light and charges in the car (slowly charges though)

Another good choice is a garden variety Mag 2C running three CR123 lithium batteries which are available for $1 ea. No worries there. Just get some PVC tubing ot Vinyl Hose cut to the length of the mag's battery tube and plot those little sucker down there. Then buy a few $8.00 CL-1499 PR bulbs from Carley or GR24 bulbs from from reflectalite.com and you're set. Here is a link to a thread I'm working on regarding this EASY mod. And the total expense is under $30 but you get a lot of light, similar to a Tiger74 and Tigerlight FBOP.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/94740


So if the L4 or A-19 from the sandwich shop with a 5W doesn't do it for you (Very sweet lights) then what you want is lots of LUMENS and I recommend the Tigerlight or MagMods like large D mag with a WA1111 or Mag85, Maybe even a Mag Charger. It's only money

 

[NotASolder]

I carry E2E in briefcase and Mag C 3x123 with sputtered reflector in car. For all the foregoing reasons.

I use MM w/Terralux for most preshowing visits (I want to know all I can about the property, including mold, bugs, odors, etc) before I take clients in. Works well -- bright enough for good insection and not too bright for checking under counters, etc. Easy in the pocket and lots of battery life. And is less "threatening" to the seller, if thay happen to be present, than something like a Mag 6D.

I don't show property at night or rain, etc.

Hmm...

 

[NotASolder]

You're letting a couple hundred dollar light stand between you and the money you'd make on the sale of a house? The cost of this light is amortized over the rest of your career. This is not a per sale cost.

Get a light that you works well and have a CPF member strip and re-anodize it in a color that's more compatible with your profession.

LED's colors suck. I'm thinking of a pila powered 150 lumen light. Anodized in RED! Doesn't the SF 9p HOLA run off 2 pila cells?

Guess you put the broke in broker !!

BIGIRON,

Thanks, I know. I just have been in new home sales too long. Nice 'scene' setup, light, color and furniture arranged for maximum effect. Guess I have come to rely on that for too long.

Thanks to the other contributors. Just for show, light up one of your rooms with your torch, call your significant other in and ask how well the room looks.

Creepy, harsh, dark, cavern-like are bad. Warm, soft, comforting are good.

That will tell you a lot about my problem.



.

 

[Lunal_Tic]

Actually just thought of another light. A Mag Charger with a Welch Allen 1160 bulb might work. You just have to "cure" the bulb pedestal or get a mica shield to avoid the smoking during long runs.

-LT

 

[ob1]

I agree with weaponlight

You definately need an L4 and also an incad light light the A2 or E2e.

 

[Geologist]

Just for show, light up one of your rooms with your torch, call your significant other in and ask how well the room looks.

Creepy, harsh, dark, cavern-like are bad. Warm, soft, comforting are good.

That will tell you a lot about my problem.



.

Thanks for repeating that statement. That is why a few of us are reccomending lights that in the plus 500 lumen range. Again a 60 watt light bulb puts out about 800 lumens. The Mag85 will easily match it, it is rechargable, no bigger than a 3D Mag (sometimes smaller), and is affordable!

 

[dtrego]

Going against the flow here, but for what I'd imagine the commission would be on that property I'd just pay to have the power turned back on in my own name if I thought the house would sell at anywhere near what the seller will accept and to increase my chances of being the selling realtor. I'd rather pay for the electricity than let it go unsold and have the seller switch realtors when the listing contract is up. If I were a buyer, seeing the house lit up would make it more attractive than seeing it by flashlight/torch. A few floor lamps would provide a nice warm-tinted light for the rooms don't have built in ceiling lights.

Also, wouldn't the pool have a filter that needs to be running to keep the water from getting stagnant (whether it's chlorinated or not)?

And then I'd take my commission and buy several of the lights suggested in this thread!

- Dwayne