HID searchlight (compact and rechargeable)

[Stephan_L]

Hi everybody,

I am new to the HID - area on this board. Until now I just joined the general- and the LED-Forum.

Close before my accident (injured at the ankle - on duty) we had some searching missions at night for people who wanted to commit suicide. On one of those missions, it was my task to search the railways. There I could see the limits of my handheld flashlights.

After that, I now think about a new light to add it to my collection:
If I got it right, HID searchlights are what I am looking for. But I need something compact, to carry it in my patrolbag. And I would like to have it rechargeable (for the best, in the car!).

I found the POLARION lights, but they are way to expensive. I am thinking about maximum 100 US-$.

Is there anything available?

Thank you!

Stephan

 

[DaFABRICATA]

Maybe a Sams club HID.

HID's are expensive.
Raise your spending to $250-350.00 and I'm sure you will find something.

 

[Flashanator]

Yea, your budget is way too low.

Not shore how big your patrolbag is?

 

[Stephan_L]

UH ... that is far more than I wanted to spend!

My patrolbag is 66x22x33 cm

I thought about something in the size of the MagLite, this way I could carry it along with my every night!

But I see, this is going to be very expencive!!!

Thank you!

Stephan

 

[Tessaiga]

Budget is too low... there's a Msc mini mini HID on the custom BST going for $250...

or you could try a N30 for slightly less than $200... but they are about the volume of maybe 2.5 - 3 Mags..

 

[Flashanator]

Hi, yes they can be hard on ur wallet, but are far superior to any LED or Incan(Halogen) light.

That patrolbag looks big enough to house lotsa HID lights.

heres some I suggest.

If you want a very powerful small Mag High powered light. Borealis (instant on, prcatical) 1200 bulb lumens.

Or a the N30 would also do, ~3000lumens. cheaper, but bigger then the borealis

EDIT: the HID mags are the equivalent of the Borealis.

 

[DArklite]

Grab an N30 and spare battery:
http://www.batteryjunction.com/n30-3161.html

 

[CM]

Don't rule out LED's yet. I did a light for a fellow CPF'er using P7's and his light was 1.5x brighter than a Niterider bicycle HID light. The Niterider uses the Welch Allyn Solarc HID so it is a high quality unit. The P7 I built used 2/3 the power of the Solarc but put out 50% more light. Granted it's a custom solution but it was compact (2C Mag host) and used 2 AW C Li-Ions. Very efficient driver leads to close to two hours runtime.

 

[Flashanator]

yes, sorry

I just meant a 35w HID was superior in lumens & is easy on your wallet.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Your only hope for semi-compact and low price is an N30. You're not going to find a compact HID for under $100. Most bulbs for compact HIDs cost upwards of $70.

 

[cmacclel]

Don't rule out LED's yet. I did a light for a fellow CPF'er using P7's and his light was 1.5x brighter than a Niterider bicycle HID light. The Niterider uses the Welch Allyn Solarc HID so it is a high quality unit. The P7 I built used 2/3 the power of the Solarc but put out 50% more light. Granted it's a custom solution but it was compact (2C Mag host) and used 2 AW C Li-Ions. Very efficient driver leads to close to two hours runtime.

2/3rd the power P7 and 1.5x brighter? The Solarc's run around 1 amp @ 11.1v with 600+ lumens with the old style ballast and around 1.2 amp at 1000 lumens with the new 14watt ballasts.

A 2/3rd powered P7 would be what 466 lumens at around 2 amps.

I don't see how you figured that one out

Mac

 

[shuter]

POB (Power on Board) HID lights can sometimes be found new on this forum for $50 to $60 but they are heavy,bulky and probably not of the quality you need. The N30 DArklite recommends is an excellent choice for a HID light. It is smaller, lighter and from what I read of good quality.

You may find that a 4D cell MagLight with a Malkoff drop-in will fit your needs for under $100. Much more compact, reliable, durable and can be used as a club when necessary. See them at malkoffdevices com ( replace the space with a dot)

 

[Patriot]

At that budget you almost rule out even some of the better LED throw lights.

The POB is probably too large and heavy and the N30 suggested above is probably too expensive also. If you can bump the budget up to something more realistic and appropriate for the type of work your doing, then the N30 is an awesome value at $140 + shipping. Aside from that the Streamlight SuperTac has good throw and nice color. It's also compact. http://www.brightguy.com/products/Streamlight_Super_Tac_88700.php

 

[BlueBeam22]

The only light I can recommend close to your price range is the AmondoTech N30. I have both it and the Power On Board HID.

The N30 lights up objects over 1/2 a mile away, is brighter than the Power On Board HID, and lasts well over 1 hour on a full charge. It is miniature, only about the size of a 6 Volt floating lantern flashlight, and very lightweight. It also has an added LED light in the handle for area illumination when you don't want to run down the battery.

It is the brightest, most well built, and best light I own, so I highly recommend it. It puts out over 3000 lumens and can light up a 500 yard field like daylight.