Confused Newbie needs some advice on the N30/L35/LiteBox

[SwatDude]

After tooling around this forum for some time I had pretty much made up my mind on the L35. And then I happened upon these beamshots and the N30 looks incredibly weak compared to the Streamlight LiteBox. What gives??

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=188858

I'd prefer to have a spot light that will illuminate objects at a great distance.away. I assume a tight beam will concentrate the brightness at longer distances, even though it won't illuminate a large area. I want to lean more on the laser spot side than the flood side. Is the L35 not the correct light for this application??

 

[PhantomPhoton]

The Litebox is a beastly, heavy light. It puts out a bit more lumens than the N30 and definitely focuses it tighter for better throw.
All depends on if you need the portability that the N30/L35 offer. The N30 throws decently well so don't believe it's a slouch when comparing beamshot pictures to those other monsters. As for the L35, we'll have to wait and see if there are any changes to the focus and reflector.
Incredibly weak it is not. But if you want laser/ pencil beam than no the N30 isn't for you. If you want a true "laser" you'll need to buy a Maxabeam short arc HID. Nothing else comes close. Hope you have $2k sitting around.
Less expensive throwers would be a Power on Board HID from Sam's Club or the Mega Illuminator that sits next to the N30 at batteryjunction. And, yes, the Litebox.
The N30 is an incredible value for what it is. Tons of lumens with a very useful beam.

 

[Patriot]

That particular shootout occurred at a location which made it very challenging for any light that wasn't an ultra-thrower. If you study the lower pictures you'll notice that the lower 40% of the frame is all close range and a shallow angle to the crest of the road. The upper 50% of the frame is black sky to infinity except for the hill on the left. That leaves about 10% if the vertical frame where the target building is. If the light didn't focus most of its beam within that few degrees of angle between the road crest and the sky, the light seemed "weak" as you stated.

The N30 and the Lightbox are actually within 200 or 300 lumens of each other with regards to overall light output. The Lightbox is rated at 3350 iirc, and the N30 is rated at 3200. How the reflectors distribute that light and what the light is aimed at has a huge bearing on the lights percieved output. Actual output is what's most important, coupled with your personal preference for what you'd like in a spotlight beam.

The utmost throwers like the Costo/Harbor Freight (now updated and called the Titanium Mega) and Lightbox have large reflectors and heavy SLA batteries. Even if one was to mod the light to use Li-ion batteries for the sake of lightening it, there is still the exterior dimensions of the light to deal with. If you don't mind big bulky lights and you love pure throw above ergonomics then the Ti Mega or Lightbox might just be for you.

You stated that you would like to illuminate objects a great distance away but I'm not sure how for that is for you. If 500 yards far is a great distance the N30 will reach about that far or more depending on what you're trying to see and it's all wrapped up into a neat little package with a better battery. The L35 will have a better li-po battery with an updated reflector which makes it even more attractive.

 

[SwatDude]

Okay, I am back to contently waiting for the L35.

The pictures posted in the N30 thread show it being incredibly bright in the forest. I guess you have to determine how they are photographed before making a judgement.