Flashlight for late night bat watching and creature hunting.

[user843]

I've been lurking on this forum for about a month and created an account to ask a few questions and get your opinion.
I've been using my dads Thor-X Flood Light he bought from Wal-Mart on camping trips to the lake to light up bats while they are eating during the evenings and also to creature hunt at night while canoeing. The Thor-X is unmanageable large while out on the water. I’m looking for something with similar throw but I can hold comfortably in one hand. According to the marketing BS on the floodlight it has 10 million candle power, I don't know how to convert that to lumen output but it seems like anything over 800 lumen will be fine.


My research so far has me leaning towards a Thrunite TN31, this review seemed impressive.


Please let me know what you think would best fit my needs, and thanks in advance!

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1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?​

____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.​

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2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! ​

____Less than $200.​

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3) Format: ​

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____I want a flashlight.​

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4) Flashlight-specific format/size:​

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____Holster carry.​

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5) Emitter/Light source:​

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____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)​

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6) Manufacturer:​

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____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.​

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7) What battery type do you want to use?​

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____I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)​

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8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible). ​

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____I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).​

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9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.​

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____150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)​

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10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).​

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____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)​

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11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights. ​

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____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).​

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12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply): ​

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____I don't care.​

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14)Material/Finish/Coating​

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____I don’t know.​

 

[StarHalo]

The Thrunite is a fine choice, anything XM-L that's 500-1,000 lumens and not overly throwy will be ideal.

Avoid using large spotlights as these can blind animals, which causes all kinds of problems when they're in-flight.

 

[Dubois]

+1 Most bats do not appreciate bright lights - better to get a bat detector and learn to identify the species from the ultrasonic waves they give off. Good fun too, and it can lead to a lot more gadgets (recorders, sound analysis software).

 

[lightcycle1]

I observed 4 Gray aliens and a Chupacabra in my backyard last night with my new MD2.

One of the aliens approached and wanted to trade me his particle beam weapon for my Malkoff but I said no thanks. He got pissed and left.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

 

[user843]

The Thrunite is a fine choice, anything XM-L that's 500-1,000 lumens and not overly throwy will be ideal.

Avoid using large spotlights as these can blind animals, which causes all kinds of problems when they're in-flight.

Ah that's good to know, thanks for the advice.