im a backwards tint snob
- Thread starter raggie33
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bigburly912
Flashlight Enthusiast
Nope. My wife likes the whites that are almost blue as well. Thinks anything else is a waste of a flashlight.
Nope. You are not alone. Many prefer cool white.
Blue? Eh, you might be alone there.
I did not like the 219 at first but can live with the 219c. The 219b was too "red" to my liking.
Blue? Eh, you might be alone there.
I did not like the 219 at first but can live with the 219c. The 219b was too "red" to my liking.
idleprocess
Flashaholic
I too don't care for tints that do their damnedest to emulate incandescent. But 6500K isn't my thing either. When it comes to flashlights, I'm generally OK with anything that's 3500K - 5000K.
Used to have a 3500K circline floro fixture in my dining room that I found to be about ideal. But it was proprietary, bulbs were only available from the manufacturer, and after several years the ballast seemingly died.
Now the market seems to have settled on two - sometimes three - tint choices for LED light bulbs: 2700K, 3000K (rarely), and 5000K. 4000K was a thing for a while there but it seems to have all but disappeared. 3000K is also difficult to find outside of specialty formfactors and generally from brands I don't recognize.
Used to have a 3500K circline floro fixture in my dining room that I found to be about ideal. But it was proprietary, bulbs were only available from the manufacturer, and after several years the ballast seemingly died.
Now the market seems to have settled on two - sometimes three - tint choices for LED light bulbs: 2700K, 3000K (rarely), and 5000K. 4000K was a thing for a while there but it seems to have all but disappeared. 3000K is also difficult to find outside of specialty formfactors and generally from brands I don't recognize.
chillinn
Flashlight Enthusiast
Not at all a problem, raggie33! As bykfixer says, many prefer the cool white, and let me add in my anecdotal observation, generally, the older the eyes, the more they prefer cool white to the neutral or warm.
Let's say if the voltage and amps are identical, the cool white will be noticeably brighter in comparison. Cool white makes it appear that more can be seen. But it is an illusion. Even with dimmer but higher CRI, more can be seen than with an actually brighter cool white. But whatever the user wants, that is fine by me. Let no preference be ignored. Let everyone be happy with their installed lighting and especially their flashlights!
Let's say if the voltage and amps are identical, the cool white will be noticeably brighter in comparison. Cool white makes it appear that more can be seen. But it is an illusion. Even with dimmer but higher CRI, more can be seen than with an actually brighter cool white. But whatever the user wants, that is fine by me. Let no preference be ignored. Let everyone be happy with their installed lighting and especially their flashlights!
Katherine Alicia
Enlightened
It totally depends on the job, for some things only an Incan will do, for LED things sometimes blue/white 7000k is fine, I`m ok with 5000k for daytime use, but I find 4000k to be a nice all-rounder esp if it`s high CRI, but sometimes a 2700k is just perfect, especially in winter when you want it cozy.
So I like all of them really, but if I had to choose just One in LED tint, it would be 4000k.
So I like all of them really, but if I had to choose just One in LED tint, it would be 4000k.
richbuff
Flashlight Enthusiast
If the tint of a flashlight is within the normal, customary and routine range, then it is the last thing that I consider when I am deciding on what flashlight to choose.
Derek Dean
Flashlight Enthusiast
raggie33, just to clarify, you are a straight forward tint snob 
, you simply prefer a different tint. Many folks prefer their tint on the cooler side of white, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Personally, I prefer my lights to have a slightly rosy tint, along with as high a CRI as possible, and I'm more than happy trade a little brightness for those qualities, but that's me. It's wonderful to have so many choices these days.
, you simply prefer a different tint. Many folks prefer their tint on the cooler side of white, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Personally, I prefer my lights to have a slightly rosy tint, along with as high a CRI as possible, and I'm more than happy trade a little brightness for those qualities, but that's me. It's wonderful to have so many choices these days.twistedraven
Flashlight Enthusiast
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I don't think the classic SW45k is very sun-like. It's around 4500cct and a very negative duv. Midday sunlight (mixture of direct sunlight and diffused skylight) is around 5700k and a slightly positive duv. The sun only gets down the 4000s for a small portion of the morning and evening, and it's still a positive duv.
That doesn't make the SW45k a bad tint though, as it is very pleasing to look at. I actually prefer SST20 FD2 binned+ Lee804. It's even warmer at 4000k (to me easier on the eyes at night), and has a duv that's closer to neutral than the pinkish SW45k.
I'm okay with some of the vibrant cool white tints flashlights produce, especially for throwers.
That doesn't make the SW45k a bad tint though, as it is very pleasing to look at. I actually prefer SST20 FD2 binned+ Lee804. It's even warmer at 4000k (to me easier on the eyes at night), and has a duv that's closer to neutral than the pinkish SW45k.
I'm okay with some of the vibrant cool white tints flashlights produce, especially for throwers.
chillinn
Flashlight Enthusiast
I am a little confused. I thought the tint snobs (that I call the Tint Mafia) picked out the sickly yellow or greenish hues in neutral lights for us. How hard is to get cool white wrong? It's always bluish.
TIP AND RING
Enlightened
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My preference is still a premium white WC-tint Cree Q5 emitter. I'll use anything and get by very well. But my eye still really likes the XRE-Q5.
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chillinn
Flashlight Enthusiast
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My wife is the same! Likes "clean pure light"
I also find the "k" 219bs far too magenta for my liking. Though color photo darkrooms kinda made me hate any bit of green and/or magenta. Though it's preferable in warmer Ks, I'll admit!
thermal guy
Flashaholic
Ya I'm not into tint on a whole. Most of my lights I put into use either at work home or in the woods so it's CW for me in general. Brighter at least to my eyes and lets me see what I'm looking for in the woods. Not really concerned if it's a brown or black bear. Being able to See it is the most important thing😁😁😁
Swedpat
Flashlight Enthusiast
I don't think I am a tintsnob.Tint has a certain importance but is not the most important. I prefer a nice neutral tint and sometimes a nice warm tint. But I don't like bluish or **** yellow. Some cool tints are nice(if it's not cooler than ~5500K) though. And I really like the earlier version of Nichia 219 with its slight rose.
You are talking about the common emitters used ~10 years ago, right? If I think about the same as you I really agree. For example Fenix TK10 and TK30 had(or have) a much better cool tint than newer models, not at all bluish but a creamy white.
You are talking about the common emitters used ~10 years ago, right? If I think about the same as you I really agree. For example Fenix TK10 and TK30 had(or have) a much better cool tint than newer models, not at all bluish but a creamy white.
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I have learned to coexist with a couple of 219b clad lights. When I got my first E light I put a Tana singLED with a 219b in it after being sent one to test for a few days. Then I bought another one. At some point one of my E lights got a 219c and I do like that better.
But a good ole CREE is my favorite. It just helps me ID friend or foe faster. Maybe for the same reason I prefer a volume knob on the radio in my car over a +/- bar, because that's what I'm used to.
The only tint I really never liked much in a flashlight was an awful purple number that came out of an LED Lenser tri-max that boasted "12 lumens" from a point in time that minimags were brighter than LED lights of same size. It's not that the beam was purple, it was that it made the world a shade of purple when darkness was lit by it. It used 3 N sized cells. I remember back when it was new using a BiC lighter when given the choice between it and that flashlight. But you know what? I still have it. It sets in my vintage LED light museum (ie shelf in my den). And today I discovered it runs just fine off a AA battery.
The light in minty new condition
(from lack of use lol)
That is some pretty bad CRI there folks.
My first Streamlight Stylus ran off 4a batteries and bragged about its "ice blue beam". lol.
That one made the world a nice baby blue when used to light darkness.
So nearly all LED flashlights being made these days have beams that look great to my aging eyeballs. Push button, out comes light. Good enough. 'Cause even bad flashlights aint bad these day.
But a good ole CREE is my favorite. It just helps me ID friend or foe faster. Maybe for the same reason I prefer a volume knob on the radio in my car over a +/- bar, because that's what I'm used to.
The only tint I really never liked much in a flashlight was an awful purple number that came out of an LED Lenser tri-max that boasted "12 lumens" from a point in time that minimags were brighter than LED lights of same size. It's not that the beam was purple, it was that it made the world a shade of purple when darkness was lit by it. It used 3 N sized cells. I remember back when it was new using a BiC lighter when given the choice between it and that flashlight. But you know what? I still have it. It sets in my vintage LED light museum (ie shelf in my den). And today I discovered it runs just fine off a AA battery.
The light in minty new condition
(from lack of use lol)
That is some pretty bad CRI there folks.
My first Streamlight Stylus ran off 4a batteries and bragged about its "ice blue beam". lol.
That one made the world a nice baby blue when used to light darkness.
So nearly all LED flashlights being made these days have beams that look great to my aging eyeballs. Push button, out comes light. Good enough. 'Cause even bad flashlights aint bad these day.
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