Dual purpose light

[prof student]

The only production regulated incandescent light is the A2. Since there are no other regulated incans, there are no AA-based incans that are regulated. You should definitely stick to CR123 in this application. Even the better Xenon-based incans (as compared to Krypton Maglites) as offered by Pelican and UK cannot offer better runtime since the output is directly related to the discharge curve of the battery. CR123's have a discharge curve that is very close to being flat, so they are perfect here.

So would Energizer Lithium AA provide that as well as the CR123's?

 

[prof student]

I can also highly recommend the E1E. Although not regulated, the problems you encounter with the mini mag are due to alkaline batteries when you use these. Lithium-based batteries have a much steadier output, and will go on till the last mAh of capacity is used, then suddenly the light will die completely within a very short time.

You can also try to use the mini Mag on NiMH batteries. These also have a much steadier voltage than alkaline batteries. Just try it, and you'll see!!

Timmo.

So you think if I run AA lithium in the mini mag, it won't decrease as quickly & evident compared when running it with alkalines? Any idea how much of a difference?

 

[prof student]

I don't have any wisdom on what color light would help you see your steak color the best... I too am wondering in addition to CRI and color temp what would be a good number of lumens to come on at to be sufficient without blinding the customer. (The surefire "powerful enough to temporarily blind and disorient a tipping customer" slogan need not apply here).

Exactly what I am trying to avoid, though I do love my SL Strion, lol

Style wise though, I think in your application I would be going for a (2) tripple A, reverse clicky that came on with the first click in the correct mode. I imagining a sliver or black colored 2 battery preon with a warm led, set to come on at ?12 lumens but with knurling. (Knurling as I wouldn't want to ever drop in on a customers plate ). For your application I think the long, thin "pen shape" light would be elegant ... easy to pull it out of a breast pocket (I'm visualizing trying to pull a 2X CR123 light with tactical bezel thats fallen sidewise in your pocket out. You're holding a steak next to a frumpy, wealthy British customer and saying just a moment please. Meanwhile the tacticle bezel has "grabbed" the inside of your pocket and doesn't want to slide out. You set the plate down because you need 2 hands. Now it just looks like your struggling with a severe case of jock itch and your sophisticated British customer is thinking no on the steak!)

I would probably end up buying a holster for it. We can put stuff on our belts because we don't use aprons. Everyone there uses a mini mag, with the holster that comes with it, with another holster that holds their wine key. So holster is ok. Does anyone know where you can buy a range of holsters? I would probably buy one that you can clip on to your belt, and NOT one that you have to thread your belt through it.

 

[photonstorm]

I would look into the Preon 2 in either warm white or the neutral white.

It has the form factor to put in a shirt pocket with the one handed operation along with the warm tint of the incan and the efficiency of an LED.
You can also change the colour by getting a different body. The head will be black though.

 

[prof student]

Obsessing over tint or CRI for this application is just nuts.

That's my opinion anyway - I literally could not begin to count how many light sources I've used over the years to gauge how my meat is cooked.

Maybe I'm just that good with meat though...

Not really. When you are paying $30-60 for a steak, you want it to be cooked to YOUR liking.

It doesn't matter how good you cook the meat. YOUR definition of a temp may be way off of the guest's definition. Hence, why they flash the light on the steak as they cut into it to make sure it is cooked to THEIR liking & preference, and NOT the chef's. If so, we wouldn't be taking temp orders, and we'd be sending it out as is.

Haven't you ever cooked something spot on, but the guest didn't think so?

 

[papajoe]

Very interesting thread. I can't really help, except to offer the fact that you may want to consider two flashlights, since one has such special requirements.

I, too, have a unique special need flashlight (looking under homes from the outside in daylight ambient light. . . . think about it) so I have two lights, each with different performance.

Hope this helps.

I lied. I have several flashlights. :shakehead

 

[jkilo]

You know, thinking about this one more, as classy as a warm/neutral preon would be, that goofy click then bump you have to do to get to level 2 (the useful level) is just distracting for his application. God forbid you accidentally sent it into strobe or beacon mode. (not likely, but who knows?)

I've got a new recommendation: Sunlite slim 2 warm white. The color rendering looks fantastic (they have their own proprietary LEDs), it's in the penlight form-factor, and it's got my favorite level... ON.

Heres a great review of several lights in the aaa category, it's the gold one. Why didn't this guy get more love?

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/255710

 

[carrot]

So you think if I run AA lithium in the mini mag, it won't decrease as quickly & evident compared when running it with alkalines? Any idea how much of a difference?

That should be the case, however Energizer Lithium AAs are higher voltage than regular alkalines or NiMH so they may actually blow the bulb instead. Give it a shot if you like.

 

[Chauncey Gardner]

Here I go again. Check out the LiteFlux LF2XT. Program it to exactly the levels needed. Easy magnetic clickie switch. Pocket clip. And a bunch of other features. It's been my EDC for about a year.

Geoff

Same here. The warm tint LF2XT would be perfect for this.

Good color rendition (best of all my "neutral" lights), discrete size & soft beam when set low make it just about perfect for something like illuminating a steak.

I'd guess your tips would go up just having that little cuttie hanging around your neck & you'd get more comments about the little light than the steaks.

edit:

Not really. When you are paying $30-60 for a steak, you want it to be cooked to YOUR liking.

It doesn't matter how good you cook the meat. YOUR definition of a temp may be way off of the guest's definition. Hence, why they flash the light on the steak as they cut into it to make sure it is cooked to THEIR liking & preference, and NOT the chef's. If so, we wouldn't be taking temp orders, and we'd be sending it out as is.

Haven't you ever cooked something spot on, but the guest didn't think so?

Good post.

At first I thought it sounded like an odd thread topic, but I'd be happy to have you as a waiter at House of Prime Rib or Morton's.

Cooking (& eating) is one of my hobbies / passions & hearing something like this tells me you know what's up.

You sound like an LF2XT man to me .

 

[Brigadier]

Another vote for the black E1E. And you won't need a holster cluttering up your belt.

 

[afraidofdark]

I started using neutral tint LEDs (Cree Q3-5A) in lights when I was barbecuing and needed to see the color of the meat when I cut it to check done-ness. This neutral tint emitter works great for that, much better than cooler tint LEDs. The light I use for this most often is a neutral tint Quark CR123, which has modes low enough for your dinner-inspection task.

The Surefire E1e is a fantastic little light that would probably work well, but still might be a tad bright to your customers. YMMV

The suggestion of running your incan minimag on lithium AA cells is a good one. They have 4-5 times the capacity of alkaline cells so you would get a lot more runtime out of your minimag. I don't think voltage would be a problem, both alkaline (Duracell) and lithium (Energizer) AA cells have a nominal voltage of 1.5V. Get a NiteIze or Terralux clicky tailswitch for your minimag, so you can operate it one-handed :twothumbs

 

[carrot]

Nominal voltage of lithium A's may be 1.5V but fresh batteries may be as high as 1.83V.

http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/lithiuml91l92_appman.pdf

You will overdrive the bulb, but you may or may not blow it.

 

[JCD]

Ah ha. So, warm does not = high CRI?

Correct

Is the Q5 a high CRI?

Thanks.

After manufacture, Cree LEDs are "graded" by Cree. One of the criteria that Cree measures is efficiency, specifically the brightness (more precisely, the luminous flux) at 350 mA of current. Q5 is the group code for the efficiency bin of Cree LED models XR-E, XR-C, XP-C, XP-E, and XP-G that produce between 107 and 114 lumens at 350 mA.

The LEDs are also graded according to their white chromaticity region, aka their color temperature.

As far as I know, Cree does not grade those LED models according the the CRI value. I don't know what kind of range their CRI values fall into. The XR-E and MC-E model Cree emitters I have, ranging from neutral to cool do not render colors very well compared to my incan lights.

* * * * *

One possibility that hasn't been mentioned (or maybe I just missed it) is a AA MagLite or a MagLite Solitaire using Eneloops rechargeable cells. If I understand correctly, the NiMH cells quickly drop to 1.2-1.3 V, but then remain at that voltage for most of the remaining duration of their discharge. That might be a suitable substitution for a regulated light, while offering the possibility of an inexpensive, low output light with an incandescent lamp. A fresh charge before each shift should be more than enough to get through a shift.

Lithium primary cells, e.g., Energizer Ultimate Lithium, also have a flat discharge curve compared to alkaline primary cells, but as has been mentioned already, their higher voltage might blow the lamp.

 

[ypsifly]

Obsessing over tint or CRI for this application is just nuts.

That's my opinion anyway - I literally could not begin to count how many light sources I've used over the years to gauge how my meat is cooked.

Maybe I'm just that good with meat though...

When I'm grilling in the backyard after dark I'll use whatever light I have. To be honest I know what temp a steak is by touch...but that's another matter. A cheap shower head with angry blue Nichias is fine for me, but in a restaurant its a different story. Presentation is a big part of the experience and I would want my guests to see their food in the most accurate light possible.

 

[mbw_151]

I didn't see a response on the OP's diffuser question, so here's my recommendation, Surefire F04. It's $14 list and fits all the Surefire E-series lights, the Ra lights and any other light with a 1" bezel. I highly recommend this for close in work like your application.

As for the light, the Ra is the best LED solution. The E1e incan might be a little better for color, but if the output is too bright or dim there's no easy correction. With the Ra a few button clicks can adjust the output up or down in small increments.

 

[prof student]

Very interesting thread. I can't really help, except to offer the fact that you may want to consider two flashlights, since one has such special requirements.

Well, that is what I am trying to avoid. It would be nice to have it serve 2 purposes, hence the title of my thread, lol.

 

[prof student]

That should be the case, however Energizer Lithium AAs are higher voltage than regular alkalines or NiMH so they may actually blow the bulb instead. Give it a shot if you like.

Does a bulb exist that could handle the Energizer Lithiums better than the stock bulb that comes with the min-mag? If so, do you know how much they run, brightness level, duration, and most importantly where to get them?

Thanks.

 

[prof student]

Another vote for the black E1E. And you won't need a holster cluttering up your belt.

Well, I would probably get one though it has the clip. Just to protect it from any major scratches & such.

I am drawing a blank on where to get flashlight holster that clip over the belt, without having to draw the belt through the holder. A specific name/website has been mentioned on here quite a bit before. Anyone know?

 

[prof student]

I started using neutral tint LEDs (Cree Q3-5A) in lights when I was barbecuing and needed to see the color of the meat when I cut it to check done-ness. This neutral tint emitter works great for that, much better than cooler tint LEDs. The light I use for this most often is a neutral tint Quark CR123, which has modes low enough for your dinner-inspection task.

The Surefire E1e is a fantastic little light that would probably work well, but still might be a tad bright to your customers. YMMV

The suggestion of running your incan minimag on lithium AA cells is a good one. They have 4-5 times the capacity of alkaline cells so you would get a lot more runtime out of your minimag. I don't think voltage would be a problem, both alkaline (Duracell) and lithium (Energizer) AA cells have a nominal voltage of 1.5V. Get a NiteIze or Terralux clicky tailswitch for your minimag, so you can operate it one-handed :twothumbs

Does anyone know how much brighter the E1e is compared to the mini mag?

 

[prof student]

I didn't see a response on the OP's diffuser question, so here's my recommendation, Surefire F04. It's $14 list and fits all the Surefire E-series lights, the Ra lights and any other light with a 1" bezel. I highly recommend this for close in work like your application.

As for the light, the Ra is the best LED solution. The E1e incan might be a little better for color, but if the output is too bright or dim there's no easy correction. With the Ra a few button clicks can adjust the output up or down in small increments.

2 questions: Do you think a diffuser on a SL Strion would bring it down quite a bit to be used for such applications?

Do you know where to get a cheap diffuser that stays on either the E1e or the SL Strion?

Thanks.