Brooklyn Bridge working nights

[Ironworker]

I'm an ironworker working nights on the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm looking for a very bright flashlight for work. The work area is lit but I sometimes need to illuminate dark areas of the bridge. Down tunnels and inside beams. I need to be able to look at rivets 50-60 feed down a dark tunnel. Maybe you guys could help point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance for your advice.

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
__X__This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).

2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :-)
_X___Up to $100.

3) Format:
_X___I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).

4) Size:
__X__SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).

5) Emitter/Light source:
__X__I don't know.

6) Manufacturer:
__X__I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.

7) What power source do you want to use?
____ Doesn't really matter

7a) If you have selected a rechargeable option
____I want a light that plugs directly into the wall (literally with prongs built into the light)

8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need?
____I want to illuminate dark areas of the bridge. Tunnels, inside beams (800+ lumens).

__X__SPECIAL NOTE: Burst/Turbo mode Category - There are several lights that will run at a super bright maximum for a very limited period (usually 5-10 minutes) and then will "step-down" to a lower level for thermal control. Check here if this is acceptable.

9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.
Not Sure. Our work area is illuminated. I need to shine a light down a long dark tunnel to see things that are further away.
__X__Narrow Throw: I want a beam with a very tight "hot center" and minimal "side-spill". Good for distance viewing, fog, and looking through dense undergrowth.
__X__Turbohead: I want a far-distance projector with a sharply focused spot of light and minimal or zero side-spill. Good for extreme distance and impressing your friends.

9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
__X__30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).
I work an 8 hour shift but the light would only be on for 5 minutes at a time. Maybe 30 minutes in total per night.
__X__30 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)

11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights.
I don't want a piece of junk.
__X__Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).

12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
__X__I don't care.

13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
__X__A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
_X___I don’t care.

14)Material/Finish/Coating
__X__I don’t care.

15) Water resistance
__X__None needed

16) Storage conditions
__X__ Work / home

17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.

None

 

[braddy]

I think you should look at the Fenix PD35.

 

[carrot]

I'm thinking that the Foursevens Maelstrom MM-X would work well for you.

 

[Ironworker]

The Fenix PD35 has 850 lumen and cost $75 on amazon.
The Foursevens Maelstrom MM-X only has 480 lumen and cost $100 on amazon.

Is the higher lumen better or is there some other factor to consider? Before I found this website I was just looking up 900 lumen flashlights on amazon. You can get many of them for under $50. What else should I be looking at when buying a flashlight? I want to get a good one but why spend the extra $. What is better about the more expensive ones?

 

[carrot]

Is the higher lumen better or is there some other factor to consider? [...] What else should I be looking at when buying a flashlight? I want to get a good one but why spend the extra $. What is better about the more expensive ones?

Some seriously loaded questions my friend.

Lumens is not the only thing to consider. If you are concerned with a high amount of throw you need to look at the ratio of reflector size to the emitter (LED) size. The larger (and sometimes, deeper) the reflector in comparison to emitter size, the greater the throw. Hence, a 200 lumen flashlight could easily out-throw a 1000 lumen flashlight with the optimal reflector or optic design. We measure throw in lux, which is the luminous intensity at a given point and distance, although these measurements are rarely supplied by manufacturer.

Another good consideration is that lights that use total internal reflection (TIR) optics instead of metallicized reflectors can offer more throw in a more compact package. A good example of this is the Surefire EB2 ($185), albeit a bit outside your price range, which throws like a much larger light. This use of TIR is fairly rare amongst many manufacturers for reasons I've never looked into.

Lumens ratings are not always the same across manufacturers, and among less reputable ones can refer simply to the maximum potential output of the LED and not necessarily the real life performance once the LED is packaged up with the optics and electronics. I bought a "900 lumen" light from an unbranded manufacturer and found its performance to be much closer to the 300-400 range.

I don't really have time right now to get into the details and nitty gritty beyond that, but I think I should still have some references in my signature line that are worth looking over if you want to dive deep into the techy bits. I hope you find what you are after!

Edit: One more thing: For flashlights, we prefer to buy from dedicated flashlight retailers. They often do price in line with Amazon.com but are much better equipped to suit our needs as aficionados and can provide better warranty service and can ensure you get the very latest models with the newest LEDs as opposed to whatever's sitting in the warehouse at Amazon.

Check out "CPF Specials" in my signature, which will take you to a separate forum related to CPF that you will need to register for separately.

 

[braddy]

The Fenix PD35 has 850 lumen and cost $75 on amazon.
The Foursevens Maelstrom MM-X only has 480 lumen and cost $100 on amazon.

Is the higher lumen better or is there some other factor to consider? Before I found this website I was just looking up 900 lumen flashlights on amazon. You can get many of them for under $50. What else should I be looking at when buying a flashlight? I want to get a good one but why spend the extra $. What is better about the more expensive ones?

The PD35 has good spacing for what you describe, with three of them being 45L, 170L, and 450L without getting into the low and turbo, and it has good runtimes at those settings, it has good flood and it is a slender, uniform flashlight without the bulbous head that can be awkward and not conducive to carrying on your belt at work.

At 30 minutes a day you can use the 450 lumens for a week at a time between charges, the 170 lumens that you might actually be using instead will give you almost 8 hours of runtime.

The PD35 is slender enough to wear on a lanyard around your neck for the times that you find that useful. The Fenix is durable and tough, like a regular tool for work and EDC, not a flashlight that is better suited for the home and yard.

The Panasonic protected 3400 battery fits it and you can buy two of those for $17.00.

Here is a review with lots of photos, you can see why the shape is good for a light that you will wear on your belt and not want to drop when using it.

Review Fenix PD35.

 

[Ironworker]

I don't really have time right now to get into the details and nitty gritty beyond that, but I think I should still have some references in my signature line that are worth looking over if you want to dive deep into the techy bits. I hope you find what you are after!

I've been reading the link in your signature. I am definitely out of my depth. This is my first good flashlight so I am just beginning to learn what constitutes a good light. It looks like I've found the right place to learn. Thank you for your help.

Here is a review with lots of photos, you can see why the shape is good for a light that you will wear on your belt and not want to drop when using it.
Review Fenix PD35.

That is the best review of a product I've ever seen. Your photography is great also.

I'm sold. I'm going to get the Fenix PD35. I'm so glad to have found this place. Thanks.

 

[reppans]

I'm sold. I'm going to get the Fenix PD35. I'm so glad to have found this place. Thanks.

That light looks terrible for your intended purposes - a large XML emitter in a small-headed light - what am a I missing?? You'll be so blinded by the foreground glare off the tunnel walls, I doubt you be able see anything at the end of them. (Nothing against the Fenix, looks like a great EDC though.)

I'm with Carrot, get high lux thrower, read TEEJ's thread in the general section on lux vs lumens. The new Maelstrom MMX Burst mode light is putting 900 lumens and 47s is one of the most conservative spec marketers. Price difference? Just consider your warranty terms and where it needs to mailed, and how long you'll be out a light if (when?) it fails.

 

[braddy]

Here is the Maelstrom, you must use the 60 second limit of the 900 lumens before you see the 450 lumen setting, which sure doesn't appeal to me and I don't get the importance of 900 lumen for 60 seconds versus 850 lumen that the Fenix does for 5 minutes for one thing (850 versus 900?), I think the 450 lumens is the high setting that would become favored anyway for looking at items at a distance, the Maelstrom run times seem a little soft as well, the Fenix will get through a work week of 30 minutes a day at 450 lumens.

Moonlight: 0.5 lumens, 25 days
Low: 32 lumens, 21 hrs
Medium: 250 lumens, 3.7 hrs
High: Burst at 900 lumens, 1 minute
then 450 lumens, 1.5 hrs

Here is the Fenix PD35

Turbo - 850 Lumens - 1 hr. 15 min.
High - 450 Lumens - 2 hr. 30 min.
Mid - 170 Lumens - 7 hr. 45 min.
Low - 45 Lumens - 29 hr.
Eco - 10 lumens - 140 hr.

As a service plumber/contractor seeking to look at 60 feet distances under houses to try to assess a problem without crawling to it, plus needing to look into water heater closets, garages and into attics, the PD35 and it's shape works for me.

For me, I have a limit to the size of a light that I will carry everyday at work.

I had an Olight i6 that was a great light for looking under houses, but the shape was too similar to the Maelstrom and I just couldn't bring myself to carry it daily, there is just no way that I can carry one of those bulbous lights as a part of my EDC. The Maelstrom actually has a (barely) fatter head than the Olight i6.

 

[carrot]

I don't care what light OP buys. There's nothing personal at stake here. I just want to provide OP with information to make a useful judgement on what s/he needs.

I'm simply unconvinced that the PD35 offers the kind of throw that OP is looking for. I've never seen the PD35 in real life but from looking at that small shallow reflector I doubt it could out-throw a similar-performing turbohead-style light.

I provided a reasonable alternative choice in line with my thinking.

I'm not really interested with specs on paper either. There's more to reality than we can objectify into numbers on a page.

Runtimes are just as easily skewed as lumens ratings, particularly since some measure runtime as time to 50% of total output and others measure it as time to 1% of total output. I do not know what is at play here nor how Fenix and Foursevens measure up in this respect.

 

[braddy]

That is the best review of a product I've ever seen. Your photography is great also.

That incredible PD35 review and the photography at the link was done by CPF member FlashLion, not me, I look forward to seeing more of his reviews.

 

[reppans]

I used to believe Fenix was one of the most conservative specification marketers in the industry, along with Foursevens and Eagletac, but I was highly skeptical of their 300 lumen-hrs efficiency claims for their LD12 across most modes - something I only see Zebralight claiming with the SC52, and roughly DOUBLE the lumen-hrs efficiency claimed by Fourseven and Eagletac for their competing products (eg, QAAX, D25A). I've personally own and have tested (with a light meter and stopwatch) 3 of these 4 lights, and now with Selfbuilt's review of the LD12 out, find more gaming of the numbers than anything else, rendering a comparison of different manufacturers spec sheets to be a real joke.

If you want to compare lights on specs, the only two ways fair ways I know of are to use Selfbuilt's reviews (with a difficult/inaccurate interpolation if he hasn't reviewed the exact models - usually the case) and just getting a light meter and testing them yourself. I strongly believe the lights from the top reputable manufacturers (Fenix and Foursevens included) are far more similar in performance than a comparison of the spec sheets might suggest. Sure one may be a few lumens brighter, but at a cost of a few minutes runtime; one may not step-down out of max, but at cost of overheating and service life, etc, etc.

BTW, there's tons of good throwers out there (we're just suggesting that the PD35 is not one of them simply by seeing the emitter/reflector size ratio).... a few other ways to do it if you don't like big heads is an aspherical lens or a smaller emitter.

 

[Tac Gunner]

A simple thing to remember is that the lumens rating is the shear amount of light that a light is putting out while the candela is the rating of how wel the light throws. A light with high lumens but low candela will be floody where if it was high lumens and high candela it would be a throw light. There are many of good lights in your price range and meets your specs. Look at eagletac and explore what they have as well as fenix, foursevens, nitecore, etc. Check out goinggear.com and use their product selector to help narrow down choices