Flashlight for Dyson Stick Vacuum "Headlight"

[johnmeyer]

I gave my wife a Dyson "stick vacuum" for Christmas. Great vacuum, but it does not have a headlight, something that has been on push vacuums since the 1950s Hoover uprights.

I am going to use my 3D printer to print a bracket that I've designed to hold a flashlight that will sit just above the rotating attachment.

I am looking for a recommendation for a single 18650 flashlight with a very broad throw, because I want at least a two foot wide path illuminated only 2-5 feet in front of the vacuum.

I have been testing with my Zebralight H600F MKIII which has 1100 lumen output and a 90 degree floody throw. It is pretty close to what I want, but I need a flashlight (i.e., the light going out the front of the tube, not the side), and I would like to have something with a little more light, if possible, although 1100 lumens would be sufficient.

Finally, I'd like to get a full hour at that light output, without having it run out of battery, and without over-heating. I can compromise a little on running time, but I must have at least the 1100 lumen output, and must have a wide throw.

Any recommendations?

Here's a picture of the vacuum.

 

[johnmeyer]

I've continued to research this, and am still overwhelmed by all the choices. I did find one design, the FW3A, which has options for different optics. The 10510 optics provides an elliptical throw that would be ideal for this application. However, I don't know where or how to buy this item.

I'll keep looking.

 

[Thetasigma]

To achieve that output, continuously without a thermal step-down, for an hour, you're going to want probably a very chunky 26650 light to have both the requisite thermal mass and surface area, and battery capacity to pull it off.

 

[johnmeyer]

To achieve that output, continuously without a thermal step-down, for an hour, you're going to want probably a very chunky 26650 light to have both the requisite thermal mass and surface area, and battery capacity to pull it off.

Thanks for that help.

I've looked at over 50 lights, and something like the ZL SC600F claims a 1+ hour runtime at 1,800 lumens. However, what they won't tell me, and I don't know how to find out, is whether it will only run a few minutes at a time at that level. The next discrete level down is 800 lumens, which would still probably be sufficient light. Also, I have several other ZL lights and I can program levels in between each main level, so I expect I can do that with this one as well and try to find the highest sustainable brightness possible. Since the vacuum stick will be moving backwards and forwards the whole time it is on, there will be quite a bit more cooling available than when you are just holding it in your hand.

This SC600F light has a 90 degree beam spread, which would be ideal. The "floodier" the better. It is on sale now for $20 off, so I'm tempted to go with this just to get the project going.

Still, I'm hoping I'll get a couple of other ideas from other people here.

 

[bykfixer]

Any light can be a flooder by placing a diffuser over the lens. We used to use that thin white foam that comes in some packages as diffusers on camera flashes. Or you can find all kinds of materials to use. Heck, you might be able to 3d print your own little honeycomb lens to place over the light.

 

[johnmeyer]

I ended up getting a Zebralight SC600Fc IV Plus. I designed and 3D printed a clip to attach it to the main Dyson V11 accessory. The light is capable of 1,800 lumens, but I use it in the 1,000 lumen mode. This provides plenty of light, and gives excellent run time (it lasts longer than charge duration of the Dyson battery).

There is no issue with overheating or thermal shutoff.

In short, it works perfectly!

It is absolutely amazing how much dirt you can see on a hardwood floor that is totally invisible until you shine a bright light at a low angle.

Here's what it looks like when vacuuming. I got the "floodiest" light I could find (90 degree spread). I really enjoy the quality of light this flashlight produces.

 

[Tomblue817]

Wow, its amazing and imagine how much better results you can get, while cleaning your floor and having this much clear visibility. I'm myself trying to get a vacuum for my hardwood floors, I have looked and am overwhelmed by the number of choices that are available in the market.
I can't understand which one is to buy. I have found this list of the best wet dry vacuum for hardwood floors, which is very comprehensive but can anyone of you tell me which one should I finalize now? Or should I go for any of these quietest shop vacs, I'll be very grateful.