Flood is overrated.

[Mark_Larson]

So i've been using my CNC-123 for a day now, with the McFlood reflector instead of the NX-05 i had on there earlier.

I'm disappointed! True, i get a very smooth beam, with no visible hotspot, but the combo just isn't bright enough to justify the "flood" designation. Maybe with a more powerful light, like a 5W or an incandescent, but certainly not with an anemic 1W at 400mA.

Thus, i think that Flood is overrated, at least in flashlights. Maybe, as Double_A's signature puts it, i'd be better served by a lantern when i need flood, but a flashlight just isn't bright enough - in most cases - to justify a flood beam.

You might counter that what i have is a small light, and it is only useful for close-up work. However, i say that the optic gives it a useful hotspot that can actually illuminate something at the far end of the room, and not everything i need to see in the dark is within 5'.

With my thoughts, i'd probably also be disappointed with an L4, but i can't say till i've seen one. Maybe it is bright enough to still be useful.

Flood is best left to powerful lights - spot is better for small lights that don't have a lot of photons to spare.

Your views are appreciated.

PS: CNC-123 with McFlood, BadBoy400 w/ Q2, fresh SF123.

 

[kakster]

I take the opposite view. Floods are best left for low powered lights for close up work, tight piercing beams best left to lights with a high lumen output. I guess its just down to what you need for the task at hand.
"spot is better for small lights that don't have a lot of photons to spare" - Try an Inova X1, it might change your mind on that one.

 

[V8TOYTRUCK]

I also feel the opposite way. A small spot light like the X1 IMHO is useless. I won't be looking 20' away with a single led spot light. There is only so much light that is produced, and I think that spot beam from a single 5mm led is worthless.

You will not be disappoited by the L4, while it produces a wide flood, it also throws serious light well over 50'. While the intensity at 50' is not anywhere near a SNII, I can read newsprint over 75' away from the light emitted from a L4 ( did I just find a new way to measure light intensity on CPF? ) I think it has one of the most useful beam patterns in any light I own. ( Sorry Brightnorm, heard about your loss! )

 

[Darell]

Hey, we all have different needs and desires. I'm with kak and V8, however. My up-close work is done completely with low-powered floods. I carry a high-powered flood (L4) just about everywhere. When I want a piercing light, I want it as high-powered an long-throwing as possible. So my needs are different from yours, for sure. I love flood lights, and really don't have many (any?) "pencil beam" lights.

I LOVE my floods.

 

[paulr]

I'm with Darrell, I like low-powered floods for close-up, and thin, powerful, piercing beams for distance. That makes me ask why I'd want an L4 (wide flood, too bright for close-up, not narrow enough for distance). I'm leaning towards a PM6 as my next bright light, or an L5 if I hit the lottery.

 

[Mark_Larson]

I forgot to include the X1 in my post. That is, IMHO, one of the most useless lights on the market.

What i mean when i say spot is the light emitted by, say, a HD and NX-05. There's a fair amount of light at the hotspot, but also a useable corona. Compare this to, say, a McFlood, and while the beam becomes much more uniform, the intensity falls dramatically.

 

[Saaby]

I find that 95% of what I light up is close enough that flood from a medium-powered light (McLux 1W) is PERFECT! Smooth, bright, white beam. Beautiful.

That other 5% of the time? I'm usually at home and can just grab a light with better throw, or I've planned ahead and have a light with throw on my person.

 

[pahl]

I'm with Mark on this one.
I was also disappointed with the McFlood.

 

[McGizmo]

Seems to me that ideal illumination occurs when the target is properly saturated with an even distribution of light; under or over saturation make it more difficult for the eye to pick up the details and process the information. Unless you want to highlight the target for tactical or other reasons, I think a flood is always preferred IF it is up to the task. More often than not, at some distance to target, the flood fails to saturate the target and the available light must be concentrated in a tighter beam to be effective. Simply put, the task at hand dictates the tools required. For many of us, the typical illumination task that comes up is that of illumination of a relative large viewing angle, relatively close at hand. The flood is effective and desirable and capable of this task.

I think the subject title might be more to the point if it were changed to "Flood is underpowered". When a single light source with single output level and single beam configuration is carried as a "multi" tool for various potential illumination needs, one does need to consider what the likely illumination needs might be and which single tool is most adapt at serving the various demands placed upon it. For many, such a light will have a good spill of wide angle flood as well as a focused and concentrated, narrower on-axis, beam with extended reach capability. If my needs from a light are different than yours, my choice of a light should likely be different as well.

While on the subject of overrated, a friend in college once stated that there is nothing more overrated than mediocre sex and less underrated than a good bowel movement (different term actually used). Sitting now at my terminal with the mornings coffee working its magic as I type this, in anticipation, this pearl of wisdom comes to mind and soon to play. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Mark_Larson]

Don, you're right. Proper illumination is when the light is distributed evenly over the target.

However, we must be on different planes because i can think of no case where i would need such a bright flood for close-in work. The Luxeon is decently bright, but IMHO too bright for flood and too weak for throw with a McFlood or the like. Its pretty good with the NX01 i'm using, which has a big hotspot that rapidly widens - its a small hotspot at close distance, but transitions to more of a flood/big hotspot at distance. I tried it with the NX05, but i got a dimmer hotspot and more (useless) corona. Of course, i would be happier if i had a HD and NX05, but c'est la vie.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Don,

As long as we are discussing definitions...

I under stand "a good bowel movement," but "mediocre sex" maybe misunderstood.

Were you referring to the tightly focused type, or were you speaking in broad general terms.

Tom

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Mark,

I have two favorite lights, the TigerLight, and the ARC LSH-P. Both have similar beam patterns. A medium sized hot spot surrounded by a lot of spill. I find this beam pattern works best for me.

My preference is for a light to have a combination of spot and flood. Although, on a cloudy day, the lack of spot is not a great concern. However, as you have pointed out, the sun may be considered as a most powerful light.

Tom

 

[McGizmo]

Mark,

Perhaps it's a case of different levels of ambient light. I have found that luxeon is great as a flood and not too bright in many instances. Certainly in the absence of any other light, the McFlood may be too powerful for reading a map at 18" but then in the absense of any other light, the McFlood will light up an entire room with levels sufficient for object identification and to allow for safe ingress and egress.

I don't know about different planes. If the McFlood or any type of flood beam from a Luxeon doesn't work for you, don't use it! I do think that for many others, a Luxeon in flood form is a viable and useful tool.

SilverFox,

In the original statement, different words were used for both activities and likely provided a more graphic and specific image. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Consider the level to be rather shallow. I think this is far enough OT. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Bullzeyebill]

If you want serious flood from a 1 watt luxeon put the McFlood in a mini mag with a MM+WOR2H. Now that is usuable flood even over some distnce.

Bill

 

[BigHonu]

[ QUOTE ]
McGizmo said:
Seems to me that ideal illumination occurs when the target is properly saturated with an even distribution of light; under or over saturation make it more difficult for the eye to pick up the details and process the information. Unless you want to highlight the target for tactical or other reasons, I think a flood is always preferred IF it is up to the task. More often than not, at some distance to target, the flood fails to saturate the target and the available light must be concentrated in a tighter beam to be effective. Simply put, the task at hand dictates the tools required. For many of us, the typical illumination task that comes up is that of illumination of a relative large viewing angle, relatively close at hand. The flood is effective and desirable and capable of this task.

I think the subject title might be more to the point if it were changed to "Flood is underpowered". When a single light source with single output level and single beam configuration is carried as a "multi" tool for various potential illumination needs, one does need to consider what the likely illumination needs might be and which single tool is most adapt at serving the various demands placed upon it. For many, such a light will have a good spill of wide angle flood as well as a focused and concentrated, narrower on-axis, beam with extended reach capability. If my needs from a light are different than yours, my choice of a light should likely be different as well.

While on the subject of overrated, a friend in college once stated that there is nothing more overrated than mediocre sex and less underrated than a good bowel movement (different term actually used). Sitting now at my terminal with the mornings coffee working its magic as I type this, in anticipation, this pearl of wisdom comes to mind and soon to play. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Don,
I agree with your view of choosing your light on a task specific basis. I would also like to add that ones experience with lights can alter the definition of "ideal illumination". I grew up using dive lights for primary illumination and am used to a light with an intense, long throwing spot, and actually prefer a "spot" to a "flood" if that is the only light on me. So, I can see how one may be under-whelmed by a 1W flood only because it is different from the status quo. I EDC a "spot" (LSHF-P) only because it is the light I have on me all of the time, am comfortable with the beam characteristics, and can manipulate the light for most lighting needs I encounter. Still, I am not such an "old dog" that I cannot learn any "new tricks" and now, I prefer a flood light for navigating unfamiliar/uneven terrain. You actually spurred that change with your previous discussions on floods. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Aloha

 

[Kiessling]

IMHO a medium flood is ideal for close-up tasks and mid-field illumination. often a very intense hotspot kills the spill light because your eyes have to adapt, take an MR-X for example: it has a wonderful even flood but it is killed by the bright-like-hell hotspot and renders the light useless for closer or mid-field tasks where a McLux-PR 5W is the ideal candidate here ... you can actually use the flood beam and it is still bright like hell. in utter darkness a dimmer light would be overly sufficient, e.g. the above mentioned and beaten McLux-TK unit. in a dark room nothing beats this fellow, you can do everything with it from reading to walking to working to scanning a whole room with one look without an annoying hotspot destroying your vision.
bernhard

 

[tkl]

[ QUOTE ]
Darell said:
Hey, we all have different needs and desires. I'm with kak and V8, however. My up-close work is done completely with low-powered floods. I carry a high-powered flood (L4) just about everywhere. When I want a piercing light, I want it as high-powered an long-throwing as possible. So my needs are different from yours, for sure. I love flood lights, and really don't have many (any?) "pencil beam" lights.

I LOVE my floods.

[/ QUOTE ] Ditto.

 

[Beretta1526]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

I won't touch this with a 10 meter cattle prod.

 

[BlindedByTheLite]

flood is just misunderstood!

 

[Dukester]

I'll let you know if I agree or not on Saturday. My SL-35x is due in tomorrow according to the UPS Tracker. I have to charge it up for at least 12 hours so this Saturday Evening will be the night I try it out for the first time. From what I have read and from what people have posted is the SL-35x has one helluva useable flood /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif