I need a little bit of help please. I think I have went in the wrong direction...

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purezero

Newly Enlightened
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Jan 11, 2009
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First a little background on why I need what I need and why I bought what I bought.....

Ok. I am a explosive engineer and use a light every day to look down boreholes. They are 9 inches in Diameter and range from 5ft to 150ft deep. I need a light to see if there are any mud seams or rock changes in the hole and load it accordingly.

I had been using Max Million series spotlights from walmart. However, I got tired of buying a new one every few weeks cause they are not weatherproof at all and im in the worst of weather.

After finding this place I was steered down the LED road. I ended up buying a Deerelight DBS R2. Now, this is a nice light. However, it just isnt bright enough.

I need help in finding or building a light to fit my needs. I am going to go the incan route this time. I am no idiot, however, I do not know much about flashlights. Until a few weeks ago, I though maglight was the top of the flashlight world.

Here is what I need.
- Decent size. (6-12 inches long) would like to be able to holster it on my side.

- Tailcap switch as i can only use one hand with the light.(other hand is occupied)

- Rechargeable batteries. This is a must

- Fairly tight beam. Good throw with decent spill to see the bottom and side of hole at once.

- Weatherproof (Rain, Mud, Snow, Etc..)

- Freakin BRIGHT!!

- Runtime really is not a concern. The light is used 10-20 sec's max on each hole so heat is not a concern either. I would say 20-30 min runtime would be fine and i could thow a new set of batteries in.

- Regulation would be sweet so its always bright. Not required though.


Windy I know. Anyone have any ideas?
 
Well, I thought about this. Im just not sure LED is best for me anymore.

There is usually some "fog" i guess you could call it in the hole. a haze of not so clear air. LED seems to just reflect back off this where Incan seems to penetrate it better.

Also read a lot of reviews that say the MCE really isnt any better than the R2 in the DBS. Just seems to make a wall of light and thats really no use to me.

Still a option if all else fails though. I just have major problems with Dereelight's lens though. And no one makes a UCL for them.
 
DBS R2 not enough light?!
i think you might need to start hitting the HID section. No, Seriously..

incans only get so bright....easier mods round here will get up to 700 - 1000 lumens at most.

the 4100 lumens mag623 is not exactly an easy build.
and upward, it just gets harder.

what kind of problems are you having with the DBS Window?

and are you sure your DBS is working properly? you should be able to hit buildings a few blocks away....

Crenshaw
 
a Surefire M3T should work out well.. http://www.surefire.com/M3-Turbo-CombatLight
That will throw a nice incan beam hundreds of feet. at $329 it's a little pricey.. you could lego together basically the same thing for alot less..


Surefire KT2 Turbohead conversion - $116 (or cheaper used)
Fivemega Body (3x CR123 or 2x 18500 rechargeable) - there is one for $39 in this thread or check www.lighthound.com (site is down right now)
Surefire Z59 Clicky - $42 or ~$30ish on Ebay
2 18500 rechargeable batteries: ~ $10
Good Lithium Battery charger, ~$15

I can light up houses over 1/4 mile away with the KT2 and MN15 lamp. I'd suggest an open top holster for it, i'll post a pic of the one i use if you need it.
 
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You may be able to find a used Surefire M6 FS, in the Marketplace or you could post a "buy" thread. ( I have sold several in the $250-$275 range)

Surefire M6 has different bulb options and also a few rechargeable options and there are many threads regarding same (holsters, too).

For the money you will get the most powerful incandescent with many potential options.

Since this is a work related light, you may be able to write off the cost of the tool.

If your need repair, Surefire offers "lifetime warranty" and resale value will always be good.

Good Luck in you search.

jeffb
 
Athough I don't have one yet, the common thread to many of these answers includes a 2.5" turbohead, which focuses the beam very well so you get a lot more throw for your lumens. You get one on the SF M6 and can get one for the M3 & M4. You can purchase the SF KT-1 turbohead for the SF 6P-sized bodies or the SF KT-2 for the 9P/C3-sized bodies (6 volts vs 9 volts). Don't let the fair-to-middlin posted lumen figures fool you, these will be some very good options with the high-output SureFire lamp assemblies.

Regarding rechargeable options, you really want to read mdocod's thread on rechargeable battery configurations for incans:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=161536
The short answer might be that _two_ 3.7v LithiumIon rechargeables (you can get them in different lengths and diameters) in a 'three cell' 9P-type or even a 'four cell' FiveMega host with the SureFire KT-2 turbohead with a 9v lamp (which actually gets ~7.5v under voltage sag for 3 lithium primaries). From there you can look at higher lamp options (bi-pin, Lumens Factory, etc) if you so desire.

If you can be patient in waiting for the AW Li-Ion 'C' cells to become available again, you can piece together a very nice system with the FM 2xC cell 'c' body host with a SF KT-2 turbohead. This will be a relatively economical, high-performance, good-quality rechargeable setup. This will be somewhat easier than converting the M6 to rechargeables, although the M6 is the gold standard of production incan throw, from what a lot of folks here say. I sure know that I'd like to have one.:crazy:

Edit: The previous post points you in some very good directions.

Hope this helps,
K
 
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Wow. An excuse to own an M6 . . . I wish I had one (the excuse, that is. I already had an M6 !!).

I'm just wondering though . . . if you had trouble seeing 150 feet with a DBS, I'm not sure a high spill incan will help. The spill shooting down a small hole like that will be so bright it may hinder you seeing all the way down the hole. Add in that fog or mist you were concerned with and I'm not sure . . . I've never tried anything like that, I'm just picturing it. Had you come here first and asked what light to use I bet 90% of the folks here would have recommended the DBS or the Tiablo A8 thru A10. I'm surprised that's not working.

A little old Surefire G2 or 6P could easily reach 150 feet and you won't have a massive spill reflecting back in your face. I would try that before going to a higher power incan.

There might be other options . . . can someone recommend the OP a high powered incan with a very NARROW beam with little to no spill? Maybe one of those aspherical lenses (did I spell that right?).
 
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Seems to me that you need a light that would 'cut' through that slight haze or mist that you find in the borehole. If a DBS V2 R2 isnt doing it for you, you may want to consider doing a 2C or 2D ROP and get an aspheric lens that will focus the light into one hot spot.
 
If you decide on an expensive configuration here, PLEASE make sure to get a good lanyard attachment.... Man it would be sad to drop a light that you drop a couple hundred dollars on down one of those holes!

I agree with Kestrel, in that you will likely find your incandescent bliss in a 2x18650 li-ion powered package with a 2.5" turbohead. This can be achieved in several different ways. You can go with a FM 2x18650 body and KT2 kit, or a Leef 2x18650 C-M body, and use a KT4 kit. The KT4 gives you shock isolation of the lamp assembly to improve lamp reliability in rugged situations.

I suggest using a pair of IMR18650s from AW, and an IMR-M3T. An extra set of cells would also not be a bad plan.

Alternatively, for even more compactness and slightly brighter, but much less runtime, you could just buy an M3T in stock form, pick up 3 IMR16340s for it, and run a IMR-M6 bulb, or possibly a FM MN>bi-pin adapter and a WA1185... Runtime in this configuration is less than 10 minutes, (more like 8 minutes, give or take), but if you're only using it in short blasts it may be more than sufficient. Most of those spotlights you are used to are only good for about 15 minutes runtime anyways.

Either of these setups will probably compete handily with most of the smaller pistol grip 6 and 12V SLA powered spotlights.

Eric
 
I know this is the incan forum, and you've expressed your desire for an Incan, but I really think this very specific need to look down long, narrow holes is the perfect application for an Aspheric Maglite. It would need to be done by a competant builder to make the lens to bezel surface waterproof, and sleeved to run on rechargeable batteries, but I think it would do what you want.
 
How about something like the Pelican SabreLite? It's incan, 3C cell, and has a really tight beam. It's not terribly expensive and, at 33 lumens, not terribly bright but it should be able to cut through light fog nicely due to its tight beam. It even comes with a pocket clip and lanyard!
 
I would try EXACTLY the setup Flashkat suggests. The EO-13 lamp assembly can be bought directly from Lumens Factory too. This will result in a blinding-bright 700 Lumen light!

BUT make sure to have spare lamps at hand, after all, these incans do live only about 20 hours or so, and you'll switch them on and off very often, which isn't good at all for the life of any tungsten lamp. So you'll likely see it :poof: before those 20 hours have passed :oops:


Timmo.
 
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