Is the current economy in 2013 hurting LED flashlight buying just a little or a lot?

[scout24]

+1 to most of the points made. SOYCD echoed my thoughts: There isn't much out there I haven't tried... Calipsoii- Awesome thinking with the incan resurgence! I think as batteries advance there is a better chance of that happening. As the days get shorter here, I find I need a light for dog walking in the evenings, and weekend mornings. A mini- resurgence, as the E2e gets pressed back into actual use and not just carry time!

 

[Oztorchfreak]

Great posts guys.

All of the posts so far have provided me with a really good insight into where things are at nowadays.

It is interesting that there is some sentiment for the older lights and the simpler interfaces they mostly had.

The bad economy must be putting many people off buying heaps of lights and now I reckon flashaholics concentrate more on what they are purchasing rather than just buying it because it looks good, is shiny and it is a new addition to the collecion just like collecting stamps etc.

Incandescent lights are sentimental favourites from days gone by for a lot of us older collectors as I used old lanterns, 4D Maglites and Mini Maglites etc for many years in my job as an Electrician in the entertaiment industry where smaller EDC lights were needed all the time in darkened backstage areas.

When working on live switchboards I used to hold a small Maglite in between my teeth to see things.

Main problem then was apart from only providing enough light as a candle would I had to contend with saliva dribbling out of my mouth and onto my shirt from my partially open mouth holding the Maglite in place!

I changed over to an Aurora headlight using three bluish LEDs when they were first on the market and us sparkies (electricians) all thought they were just fantastic to work with, no more dribble and plenty of light.

As far as flashlights go, I think I was like a drug addict whilst the economy was good grabbing anything new that looked solid like a solid performer and now I make do with getting my fixes from playing with my vast collection and actually using them all more often.

I have lately turned to taking comparison beamshots of exactly what they can deliver and that is quite satisfying.

The lights below are the same as the ones I used for the beamshots sitting on the table in my backyard.

The light order is as below from left to right.

OSTS (Onestopthrowshop) TN31mb, first generation OSTS modded TN31, original Thrunite TN31, a Fenix TK75 to show something a bit more floody for comparison and the Dereelight Xsearcher with the thin pencil beam at the far end.

A close-up of the lights is below.

The shot below is taken from the opposite direction.

I always leave the outside lights on when I know someone is coming to my house at night.

Visitors have no problem finding my house when they get near my street. :laughing:

Below is my OSTS TN31mb flashlight aimed at the moon. ISO 400 F3.2 15 second shutter setting.

These camera settings work well for most of the shots in this set.

Sometimes I use an 8 seconds shutter shutter time if there is a bit too much brightness in the shot.

Just experiment, it's amazing how much satisfaction comes from capturing these beams for use on the forums, Facebook or emailing to friends etc.

OSTS TN31mb, first generation OSTS modded TN31, original Thrunite TN31, Dereelight Xsearcher and a Fenix TK75 to show something a bit more floody for comparison.

Lately when I have a job to do and need a light I find myself grabbing different ones instead of using my usual favourite lights.

It is funny how I have to stop and think how to turn each light on and then adjust the levels when I have not used them for quite a while!

I wonder if the big flashlight companies are feeling the pinch?

Taking photos of beams like this is quite easy and a lot of fun on a nice clear night using lights that you already have laying around.

You don't necessarily have to buy any new lights to create this extension of your flashaholic hobby.

Taking photos of what they can do is a help to many of us on this forum.

When I see good beamshots of lights in the wild they always give me a better idea of what to buy especially when compared to other well known flashlights.

The bad economy has pushed me back into the photography hobby that I have not been into in the last few years.

When I get my DEFT-X delivery this week I will do some comparison shots of it as well.

A tripod is a MUST to mount the camera on!!

Try it guys!!!!




CHEERS

 

[Oztorchfreak]

+1 to most of the points made. SOYCD echoed my thoughts: There isn't much out there I haven't tried... Calipsoii- Awesome thinking with the incan resurgence! I think as batteries advance there is a better chance of that happening. As the days get shorter here, I find I need a light for dog walking in the evenings, and weekend mornings. A mini- resurgence, as the E2e gets pressed back into actual use and not just carry time!

Most of my friends now own a few lights each that I set them up with to do what most of us need on a regular basis that covers the smaller keychain light up to a thrower or big flooder.

Three lights are enough for most people in this economy and my family and friends always ask me to recommend the current best lights that will do the tasks that they regularly need a flashlight to do.

I recommend that they buy three lighting lights to cover most of the tasks the average person would be likely to need and use regularly.

Olight I3S for a keychain light.

Klarus TN11 for medium range work that can fit in the back pocket.

Thrunite TN31 or Fenix TK75 depending on their need for throw etc.

Even before the economy went sour most of my friends and family went for the Skyray King as it is a well designed, powerful tried and tested light at a really low price.

The current economy is also the main reason for them steering towards the Skyray King.

I really can't see myself going back to actually using incandescent lighting of any sort after using LED technology now for many years.

I think if I bought any it would be a collecting thing rather than using them for real world purposes.

To me it is similar to those that like steam trains even though there are trains now that do around 400 kilometres per hour all around the world.

Nostalgia is always going to have a place in this modern technological world.

Would you really want to travel on a steam train from England to France?

The efficiency of LEDs makes it almost impossible for the vast majority to want an incandescent light of any kind except for maybe the fact that it looks charming and old fashioned looking.

I have not bothered looking at any type of incandescent light now for many years as I remember just how hard they made doing my work compared to nowadays.

How much power and bulky equipment would it take in the old days to get any sort of light to reach where the DEFT-X can now reach?

And now it can be put in your pocket.

LED lights make my job and fun so much easier and better!!!




CHEERS

 

[scout24]

Oztorchfreak- I love those lightsaber shots of yours... My TN31MB at 400kcd is my current "big throwy light", I didn't need the narrow focus that the deft x excells at. Too much for my needs. Glad I got to take one for a test drive, though. Incans may be nostalgic, but my M6 still makes me smile when I fire it up...

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Part of the issue is that we have reached so many milestones that the next steps are not going to be as exciting.

Such as:
- A single AA light can produce over 200 lumens of light was reasonable runtime for that level.
- 100 lumens is nearly achievable in a AAA light.
- Pocket size 18350 lights can pump out 800+ lumens
- Lights the size of the M6 can no pump out close to 3,000 lumens without sweating.

Just 4 years ago when I joined these feats were unachievable. I embraced incandescent technology because that's where the lumens were if you wanted over 1000. I still love incan lights but I don't own any at this time. And when I've put an incan up against a LED the power difference was readily apparent.

There is another thread running in parallel with this that mentions looking for something "remarkable" with lights. The lights I have that I would call remarkable are (in approx order of release date):
- McGizmo LS20
- Mac Mini-HID
- Surefire T1A (if you've ever opened one up the complexity is amazing)
- LF2XT
- V10R Ti
- Spy Tri-V/Tri-V2
i've had others that are all variations on a theme of the above lights. I am on the constant hunt for someone to develop something as unique and innovative as the above list.

 

[Oztorchfreak]

Oztorchfreak- I love those lightsaber shots of yours... My TN31MB at 400kcd is my current "big throwy light", I didn't need the narrow focus that the deft x excells at. Too much for my needs. Glad I got to take one for a test drive, though. Incans may be nostalgic, but my M6 still makes me smile when I fire it up...

I can now add what will probably be the last high priced light to my collection in the forseeable future given the current economy.

The DEFT-X has arrived at my place.


The Kangaroo Postman has delivered my DEFT-X!

It is rated at 930kcd.

The beamshots can begin soon.

Michael (Saabluster or Frankenstein) has let his monster loose in Australia.

"IT IS ALIVE".



STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DETAILS AS THEY COME TO HAND.

Expect beamshots of the DEFT-X compared to lights like the ones I have compared above.



CHEERS

 

[ledmitter_nli]

It's far too early to say that LED flashlights have plateau'd. It only seems that way because of the furious rate of development in LED technology over the last decade. Now the tech is more refined and so without any huge leaps, all the manufacturers are catching up to each other and things feel stagnant.

In my opinion they're far from that. You just need to look at a more mature hobby market, like knives or watches. The basic automatic watch mechanism hasn't changed much in the last couple hundred years but there are no shortage of companies turning them out and no shortage of forums full of people buying them.

Problem is, in our world there are only three major players creating the LED analogy of the automatic movement. CREE, Nichia and Luminus. Sure flashlights aren't going anywhere, but they all look like clones and hybrids of each other with the same emitters, especially CREE.

None of them have their own proprietary inhouse "automatic movements". CREE essentially *owns* Fenix, Nitecore, Armytek et. al and their cookie cutter creations....

Whenever I see a *NEW* post in the LED Flashlights forum and notice XP-G2 or XM-L2 in the title, I can't help but to just roll my eyes.

 

[Jonnor]

I agree to most of the comments this far, but I have one more reason why i believe the market i slowing down, and that is that the people in here are getting older while the recruitment is low.

Young people today really don't see the need for a "fancy" flashlight, they have their mobile phones with a more than good enough LED for mosts tasks. My guess is that in some time the watch will be our only "wearable", being our wallet, phone, computer, camera and FLASHLIGHT in one piece, driven by sunlight only.

Some people will off course see the need for a special purpose light with better performance, but most of them will find a cheap model in the nearest shop. Only a few will look for the best flashlights available is my guess.

This has happened with cameras where sales are decreasing fast. Another example is STAMPS - who collects them anymore? I have a friend who does and he says that now is the time to sell your most valuable stamps because the biggest collectors are in their 50's and 60's with grown up kids and money in their hands, while the recruitment is almost none so he is afraid that the stamps will start to loose their money quite soon.

Watches have a wider recruitment because "everyone" needs a timekeeper, and today this is one of the ways people can show their personality. In my country no one wears flashlight on a daily basis, and it is illegal to carry knifes. But all wear watches!

My guess is that in some time a lot af the flashlight makers will be gone, but a few custom makers will be selling to the real flashaholics. Everyone else gets more than good enough lights in their supermarket (by that I mean lights who are waterproof, puts out a zillion lumens, great UI, can take a beating and has built in wifi). Allready today you find extremely good lights almost free on e..y and such places not much behid in quality from Surefire, Fenix etc. But you don't find McGizmo or other custom lights.

Just my oppinion.

 

[ledmitter_nli]

^^^ ... just think, it's only a matter of time before iPhones and Galaxys are fitted with 300 lumen camera lights or their own.

 

[Jakeyb]

I have found myself buying lights that aren't that bright compared to some others I have simply because of build and ui. Even if led tech slows down it doesn't mean there won't be awesome lights being produced still. (Things like USB programmable and blue tooth enabled lights). Besides even with the same led, manufactures can run the led different ways and more efficiently to get more runtime or more lumens. Led tech is however not slowing down. It is just taking longer to make things better than what we already have. I can assure you guys there are some pretty cool prototypes out there for 2014. Just hang in there and when you are about to give up that's when a new led will come out.lol