First post, asking for help!

[jdhermit]

Howdy,
First post, already asking for help b/c i'm overwhelmed! :duh2: Hope that's ok...
Hoping to get a recommendation on my situation. I've got mostly Mag's, a 4D, a 2AA LED, and other crap lights.
If I layout my uses, hoping ya'll can recommend me some choices.
Uses (in descending priority): 1) general daily use 2) house clearing 3) shocking brightness in outdoor personal encounters 4) projecting out to most corners of my 1/2 acre little lot.
Now, to clarify: house clearing means bumps in the night. Small house (2k sq ft), so no huge hallways, etc. #3 just means when I'm taking kids out at halloween and a drunk jerk appears, I can give him pause.
Plan: I had sort of planned on spending about $50ish on a handheld smaller light for 1, 2, 3, and possibly using my 4D Mag and dropping in a Mak-whatever or one of those drop ins. If I would be better served by spending $100ish for all 4, kindly advise, I'm not set on anything yet.
Preferences: -Click end cap, -prefer a light that has at least two outputs, one BLINDING and another very low (i like the really low setting on some of these I'm seeing for checking on kids at night, etc.), -*prefer* standard batt's, but could be talked into CR's if its *much* better, - like what i've seen of olights, fenix, quarks, streamlight?
Not sure of: -What kind of beam do I need for house clearing? Spot or flood? -Which drop in would be best for searching in outdoors. Battery life is less a concern on this, as I don't need #4 use very often. -Would I be better off getting one of those huge "3M candlepower" things for #4? They look cheesy, but maybe that's better than a flashlight?
Do I need to up my budget(s)???

Phew, sorry, but i wanted to clarify as much as possible at start. I really do appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks!
JD

 

[Derek Dean]

Howdy JD and welcome to CPF,
First, try to not be in a hurry. There are LOTS of lights for you to consider, and most folks tend to change their minds quite a few times over the first few weeks of browsing around CPF, so it's best not to jump into anything right off the bat.

I'll give you one light to look at that I like to recommend for new CPF members because it uses four common AA batteries, is easy to hold in the hand, and has 4 well spaced light levels from very bright to dim. It's the Jetbeam PA40:
http://www.flashlightreviews.ca/PA40.htm

At around $70 it's a bit over your initial budget, but it should work for all 4 items you listed. It's also available with either a cool white LED, or the "neutral" LED. The cool white version will be a bit brighter, while the neutral version will have a slightly warmer tint to the light, but also be slightly less bright. Many folks feel the warmer version is more pleasing for outdoor use.

The PA40 will have a medium floody beam, ideal for close up and medium distances, but should still be bright enough to reach out 100-200 feet when needed.

It should run fine with regular alkaline AA batteries, but here at CPF we are big fans of rechargeable AA batteries, with Sanyo Eneloops being the ones most folks will recommend. You can find a Sanyo Eneloop charger combo (includes a 4 pack of AA rechargeable batteries) for under $20. Pick up an extra 4 pack of rechargeable batteries and you can have a fresh set in the light while the used ones are charging.

Here are some fine flashlight review sites for you to check out:
http://www.light-reviews.com/reviews.html
http://www.flashlightreviews.ca
http://www.lygte-info.dk/review/Reviews UK.html

And here is a great place to learn about rechargeable batteries:
Battery University:
http://batteryuniversity.com/

While you are looking at lights, "lumens" refers to the total light output of the light, but doesn't tell you anything about the shape of the beam, while "lux" is a measurement of the brightest part of the beam, which will allow you to compare how well a light "throws", or reaches out at a distance.

For spotting things at a distance you will want a light with a high lux rating (spot), while up close (in a room), most folks find a somewhat floody (or wide) beam shape to be more helpful, so often what we look for in a general purpose light is one that is a good combination of both (the PA 40).

There are many lights that use the "RCR" type rechargeable batteries, but I usually recommend that new members stick with AA lights to get started, as the more exotic battery chemistries tend to need more care in handling and use.

I'm other folks will chime with recommendations. Good luck.

 

[Gorram]

Hey JDH, you only need to question your sanity if you are not overwhelmed by this site! Who knew!

I'm a Newb myself, but I'm going to recommend the Sunwayman T40CS that I use. A great throw for the money, and to my mind, just the right amount of spill so you can see the area.

 

[jdhermit]

Derek, thanks for the reply! I'll check out those reviews, likely help to straighten a few things out in my head. So basically throwy/spot is good for outdoors, and more spread/flood is good for indoors?
Which creates the more "holy crap that is bright" comments?
(Not above saying that's important to me, honestly...) :whistle:

Gorram, Thanks! Good to know I'm not alone in being overwhelmed. I'll check out the TC40 as well!

JD

 

[Derek Dean]

Hey JD, EVERYBODY who finds CPF is initially overwhelmed, AND they typically want a "holy crap that is bright" light.

That's one of the reasons I recommend taking it slow at first and NOT just jumping right in and ordering something. I've seen it over and over where a new member starts buying lights and with-in a month or two has 10 lights (or more), with none of them really giving them what they were looking for.

Luckily it's not to hard to sell lights on the CPF Marketplace, but it's better still to simply take your time and learn about the various types of lights and why one light might be better for you than another.

For instance, the only thing I don't like about the Jetbeam PA40 is that it can't tailstand. This is where you stand the light on end and point it at the ceiling to bounce the light evenly around the room, a VERY handy feature to have during a power outage and you're using your light to illuminate a room in your house for general use (the kitchen possibly).

One of the most important features that we spend time discussing on this forum is the UI (user interface). The type of switch (mechanical or electronic) and it's placement (side or on the tail) can make a huge difference in how easy a light is to use, and everybody likes a different setup.

Also, how many levels and how they are spaced is becoming increasingly important with the new higher powered lights we are seeing. My new favorite light (the Zebralight SC600) has 8 available levels, from .1 lumen (very dim) to 750 lumens (very bright) and everywhere in between, which makes it very flexible and suitable for many different uses, from walking the dog at night, where I might want it very bright to see something in the distance, or for those late night trips to the bathroom when I want only the tiniest amount of light to see with.

As far as which type of beam is most impressive, the spot beam tends to concentrate all available light into a small area, making that one area VERY BRIGHT, so many new members go for that type of "gee whiz" type of light....... however...... it's tends to be a one-trick-pony, and after the initial WOW factor has worn off, those lights often end up not being used much. Still, it can be fun, and some folks really do need to see stuff far way, so they'll carry both a throwy light AND a floody light.

One way to get that type of the thrill, inexpensively, is to look into buying an aspheric lens. I've got one that fits in my Maglite (take out the reflector and pop in the lens). It cost me $12 and throws the beam forever. Very cool, and I enjoy playing with it occasionally, but the lights I use everyday have much more practical beams, generally a good combination of throw and spill.

Anyway, learn how to use the Google Search box located in the top left corner of most CPF pages. Leave it checkmarked for "CPF Only" and it will limit it's search to relevant CPF threads. Very handy for finding recent threads about a light that you're interested in.