Educate me on throwers

[LED-holic]

Hi All, I admit I know nothing about torches that throw.

Please educate me on why I need throwers, what situations they are most useful in, and what you recommend in terms of top throwers for the money (best value, etc).

Most of the stuff I do is close up - yard work, walking at night, etc etc. Just curious as to what I'm missing out on by not knowning or owning a thrower.

 

[Crenshaw]

you know that feeling of satisfaction when your lights hits something really far away, and you go, wow i cant believe it can hit that..

that

Crenshaw

 

[LED-holic]

LOL Crenshaw. But I don't want to be arrested for lighting up neighbor's homes or airplanes in the sky LOL.

Seriously, what practical situations is it best for?

 

[sORe-EyEz]

checking out an occasional disturbance at night in the backyard, being an occasional hero when building lights are out, using it in place of a vehicle's headlamp when situation arises.

 

[2xTrinity]

Here's a few:

Spotting tiny shards of broken glass scattered across a floor, by holding the throwy light close to ground level, and sweeping it back and forth. The brighter the beam, the more obvious the glint off the glass.

Directing friends on which campsite you are located at by pointing the light straight up in the air "Luxor" style -- I actually used that method with an Amondotech HID N30 :devil:

 

[allburger]

I like a good throwing flashlight because I hunt alot. When I walk out of the woods its usually pitch black.

I was walking through a clearing to get back to my truck and I was carrying my Fenix P3D CE, and the throw on that is not all that great. I would have really liked to have a good LED thrower that would have let me know how far I had left to go, or if there were any animals out there that I would rather stay away from. (Considering that ive actually had an up close encounter with a bear.)

 

[houtex]

I took my Tiablo out to the ranch in south Tx. Boy did it shine,pun intended, all lights look better in darker enviroments but throwers show their true power. I guess you could consider a thrower a rifle while a edc flashlight a pistol?

 

[Buckeye]

I live in an unevenly lit neighborhood. I use my Tiablo to check out sounds down the street and between houses. There are occasional loose dogs/cats/opossums in the area. If only people would keep their opossums on a leash.

 

[Midnightrun]

They are great for finding your kids or dog at night time especially while camping in a very dark area. I dont have to run all over the place or yell.

 

[AvPD]

The primary use of my torch is to allow me to walk along paths at night, and I find that flood is the best for this, as a small hotspot doesn't cover a whole path.
However recently I bought an Eastward YJ 18WD which has a hotspot around the same size as a Romisen RC-G2 (i.e. it's quite small) but the brightness more than makes up for this. As a thrower, I've found it's excellent for exploring new places as a floody torch can't penetrate very far beyond the immediate surroundings.
It's bright enough to rely on the spill to illuminate the path but if it were dimmer and I had to navigate with the hotspot I wouldn't like it. My basic conclusion is that a thrower is only good if it's bright, otherwise it may sit on your shelf if you walk along paths at night.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

agreed, a thrower without spill alone gets little use. that's the reason most would have a wide dim spill.

 

[AyeMayanor]

To me this is the same as asking "What is the purpose of a coat in cold weather?"

Nothing is more frustrating or disconcerting than being outside at night and unable to see more than a few feet in front of you.

I know from experience: Took a hike at dusk and turned home when it got dark. Had with me a P1D and L4 but neglected to check the P1D's battery beforehand. It was dead! I was in the woods, at night, and 45 minutes from home. UGH! The L4 was fully charged, however, and though it is known for its floody wall of light, in the pitch black it was like a car's high beams.

 

[Midnightrun]

To me this is the same as asking "What is the purpose of a coat in cold weather?"

actually, I think it is a legitimate question. If I did not have kids or a dog, I would probably have no use for a thrower.

 

[bashk]

Good point

I basically keep two different types of lights on me when I walk my dog on the golf course at night. A floody run-time light for seeing directly in front of me, and a thrower to see if there are any critters far ahead of us.

Bash

 

[LED-holic]

Re: Good point

Thanks for the info guys. I could be wrong but it seems my L2D Q5 throws a fair distance - maybe 4-5 houses... But I'm sure that doesn't compete with a real thrower.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Re: Good point

This thing throws a lot!!

Not feeling old-fashioned, try the modern version:

 

[LED-holic]

Re: Good point

Very nice, does it take Eneloops or CR123s? :nana:

 

[Alan]

This is my question too. I think thrower mean narrow beam. I could not see very well 200 yards away with bright tiny spot. I could not find a good path in a wood on a tiny hot spot without knowing its surrounding. If I want to see long distance away, I need a bright flood light like M6 or Storm, or a 35W HID like X990 but not a AA thrower, not even 2 x CR123A.

It's fun to throw a beam into the night with DBS. Practically, I use flood light 98% of the time. It means I spend 98% of my flashlight money on flood light and 2% on thrower.

Alan

 

[Citivolus]

I live in a relatively new residential development, on the edge of the houses that are actually lived in. Throw means a lot to me, because it gives me the ability to check out houses a few blocks away that are still empty but have people wandering around them at 2:00am, without putting myself in any danger. It is great for intimidation value too. It is a good way of saying "Yes, I'm looking at YOU!"

Regards,
Eric

 

[WadeF]

Well, at around 120 feet:

Fenix P3D Rebel100 Turbo:


Dereelight DBS v1 3SD Q5:


DBS lighting up trees at around 800-1,000 feet:



I use my DBS all the time. If you want to light something up at say 300+ feet, it's just going to put more light on what you are trying to see than a light with similar lumens that isn't set up for throw. I often use it to spot deer at 300-500 feet in fields, see hundreds of feet down a walking path, see what kind of wildlife is lurking around the pond across from my parent's place, etc.

It's like having a power spot light in your pocket, just that the area it lights up is smaller than a large and powerful spot light.