Best value in a 20+ million candlepower spot?

[DavidC]

I'm looking for the best value in a spotlight that has 20 million candlepower or higher. More candlepower is better. The ability to adjust the beam from spot to flood would be a plus. Another plus would be an adjustable undercarriage to support the light for camp tasks.

Any recommendations really appreciated.....

 

[Gunner12]

The candlepower rating is false. A true 20 mill candlepower light would be able to throw for miles.

How much are you willing to spend?

 

[DavidC]

The candlepower rating is false. A true 20 mill candlepower light would be able to throw for miles.

How much are you willing to spend?

Up to $150 +/-. This is typical of the things I'm seeing:

http://www.rewci.com/20micaposp.html


Is candlepower a bad method of measuring output? I notice Lumens seems to be popular......

 

[mtbkndad]

Up to $150 +/-. This is typical of the things I'm seeing:

http://www.rewci.com/20micaposp.html


Is candlepower a bad method of measuring output? I notice Lumens seems to be popular......

Gunner12 is correct in terms of manufacturer claims that are arbitrary and only designated for selling purposes. True candlepower is a good measurement for seeing how powerful beams are but, as a general rule it takes twice the candlepower to illuminate objects 50% farther away equally well.

In other words, if you have a spotlight that can illuminate objects to a certain level of brightness 200 yards away it will take a light with twice the candlepower to illuminate an object 300 yards away as well as the first light is illuminating the object 200 yards away.

Now candlepower only measures how intense the brightest portion of the hotspot is for a given light. This measurement does not take into account the lumens that a light produces. Lumens measure the total light output.
A combination of actual candlepower and lumens measurements would be ideal for all spotlights, but you will never get manufacturers to do that when they can just put arbitrary numbers on boxes and get people to buy their lights.

For under $150 I would recommend the Amondotech N30 that Batteryjunction sells. It is small, bright, and light weight.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

 

[Gunner12]

Link

Or if you have a Sams Club around, see if they still have some HIDs left(Vector Power on board 35 watt 6000K HID). If not, eBay might also have some.

 

[mdocod]

A typical off the shelf spotlight rated at 10-20 million candlepower has around 200 - 500 thousand actual candle power. The number on the box should be ignored. More is not necessarily better, Keep in mind that higher wattage bulbs result in shorter runtime and most of the halogen spotlights like this are already pretty bad in the runtime department (around 15 minutes).

To get a true "multi-million candle-power" light you'll need to spend a few thousand on a Maxabeam. Which isn't all that much brighter lumens wise than typical spotlights, but it has a much better focus due to it's short arc HID bulb setup.

I agree with what others are saying here, just go get yourself a 35W HID light from Sams, or batteryJunction, or Harbor Freight. You will be impressed, and don't worry about those big numbers on the box, they are simply there to make you look like a fool on a flashlight forum. (sorry jk)

 

[Hallis]

+1 for the Sams HID. Or if you can land a Costco HID on ebay anywhere those are REAL nice too.

Shane