LED Vs. Incan

[InspectorJon]

Well you guys seem to collect flashlights and I seem to loose them. I am a building inspector and spend a lot of time in dark places like under houses and in attics. I have had lots of lights over the years. The ones that have served me best are the Mag rechargeable (heavy but a work horse), PolyStinger (not as bright but easy to carry) and the UltraStinger (bright but does not burn as long as Mag). I need a bright light that lasts at least 1 hour and has recharge capability so I don't have to buy batteries on a daily basis. I was wondering if any of the new generation of bright LED lights fill this need? I am not one to spend $100 just to see if it works out. I have been looking at lights with the new Cree XR-E LED. Any advise?

 

[SunnyQueensland]

I can fully recommend the Hyperion CR123 based flashlight. :twothumbs

You could easily pickup some rechargeable cells and suitable charger to use with it, and you get it all for under $50

Read the review here and the discussion there.

Hope that helps.

 

[Marduke]

Rather than limit yourself to a rechargeable flashlight, I would recommend using rechargeable batteries in more conventional flashlight.

 

[bendlite]

I srongly agree with marduke.

A very inexpensive light that uses all forms of AA batts, incl. lithium and rechargeable NiMh is the Streamlight PolyPro 4AA Luxeon, approx $35 US. Very powerful and reliable; it runs for almost 4 hrs continuously on one set of batts. I've used it in many demanding environments all over the globe, and it just keeps on working!!

Also, if you are not familiar with it, look at Flashlightreviews.com. This is the most comprehensive and objective site for flashlight comparative info that I know of.

John

 

[LED_Thrift]

Welcome to CPF, Inspector.

I too agree with marduke - get some good NiMH AA batteries and get a Streamlight ProPoly 4AA Luxeon or a Fenix L2d-CE [2 AA batteries].

I'd advise staying away from the highest rated NiMH AA batteries - those rated above 2700 mAH [milli Amp Hours], some of them seem to have durability issues. Good batteries go on sale periodically at RiteAid, Target, Wally World etc. There is a lot of info on the Batteries forum here.

Right now the big thing in NiMH batteries are low self-discharge batteries such as Sanyo Eneloops or RayoVac Hybrids - these don't loose power just sitting there. However since you will be using and rechaging often, these would be unnecessary - just more money and slightly lower capacity.

 

[mdocod]

if you are used to the power of a magcharger, then a Streamlight Polypro luxeon (the one that bendlight is recommending) is going to seem truly pathetic in the output department.

Whether or not to go LED is a tough call, you can get pretty bright (up to around 150-200 lumen) and durable from a ~$100 cree based light. Problem is, making it rechargeable will up the price a bit...

I'll make a few cree recommendations, these all have the option of running on an 18650 sized rechargable li-ion cell. Which is a great power source.
LumaPower M1
LumaPower MRV
Wolf-Eyes 6A or 6AX (with cree module)
Wolf-Eyes 6MA or 6MAX (with cree module)
HuntLight FT-01x w/cree

they all have slightly different designs, some are more throwy (like the MRV), they are all around $100, but will require additional money to buy a good charger and some 18650 sized li-ion cells. (plan on $45 for a Pila IBC charger and about $10 per cell from AW (maybe grab 2)... ) the IBC is the most trouble-free set-and-forget charger... though you can get by with a DSD or ultrafire wf-139 for $5-20 depending on source, they work but require more user responsibility.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

if you are used to the power of a magcharger, then a Streamlight Polypro luxeon (the one that bendlight is recommending) is going to seem truly pathetic in the output department.

Whether or not to go LED is a tough call, you can get pretty bright (up to around 150-200 lumen) and durable from a ~$100 cree based light. Problem is, making it rechargeable will up the price a bit...

I'll make a few cree recommendations, these all have the option of running on an 18650 sized rechargable li-ion cell. Which is a great power source.
LumaPower M1
LumaPower MRV
Wolf-Eyes 6A or 6AX (with cree module)
Wolf-Eyes 6MA or 6MAX (with cree module)
HuntLight FT-01x w/cree

they all have slightly different designs, some are more throwy (like the MRV), they are all around $100, but will require additional money to buy a good charger and some 18650 sized li-ion cells. (plan on $45 for a Pila IBC charger and about $10 per cell from AW (maybe grab 2)... ) the IBC is the most trouble-free set-and-forget charger... though you can get by with a DSD or ultrafire wf-139 for $5-20 depending on source, they work but require more user responsibility.

+1

But don't forget the Tiablo A8...

 

[InspectorJon]

Thanks for the responses. I had been making a list of lights I was interested in and MDOCOD named 3 out of 5, the LumaPowers and the Huntlight. The Tiablo A8 also looks nice. Other lights I was looking at are the Fenix P3D-CE and Olight T20. I am used to the bright output of the UltraStinger and am concerned that I will be disappointed with the output of one of these LED products. I do not need a light to just find my way around in a dark environment, rather I need to be able to see detail from 10 to 15 yards.

These all use the new Cree emitter but have varing outputs from 140 to 210 lumins. How does that work? Different electronics porviding different voltage to the emitter?

 

[meuge]

The output figures vary with:

1. The binning of the LED (some are brighter)
2. The efficiency of the electronics
3. The enthusiasm of the marketing department

I have not had experience with many of the lights suggested here, but if you expect to use the light frequently, I'd stay away from the Fenix P3D, simply because feeding it would become expensive due to battery costs.

Instead, I'd recommend getting a 2xAA light and using the Sanyo Eneloop NiMH rechargeable batteries (you can get 4 batteries + charger for <$20).

 

[LukeA]

These all use the new Cree emitter but have varing outputs from 140 to 210 lumins. How does that work? Different electronics porviding different voltage to the emitter?

The amount of current is the important variable, but yes varying the amount of power to the emitter doews change the brightness.

I'm going to recommend the Pelican 7060. It's very bright, rechargeable, and runs for 90 minutes at 170 lumens.

 

[Gunner12]

When I first read the thread, I though, "Not another LED VS Incan thread" But this seems to be a very different comparison.

Being able to see form 10-15 yards...

Hummm, I think even a bare(No reflector or optic) Cree(P4-Q5 bin) can let you see from 10-15 yards in a dark room (just not very clearly, that's what the reflector is for).

Dealextreme is a good place to start looking at Cree lights, relatively low price and pretty good performance for most of their Cree/Seoul/Rebel lights. Though there area few that you should avoid (look at the ratings and reviews).

I think any of the lights you named, Fenix, Oglight T20, A8, Lumapower, Huntlight, might be good contenders. They might seem a little dim when compared to the Ultrastinger(about 160 lumen, the LED light you named top out at about 150 lumen for the P3D Rebel 100 version, and about 130-140 lumen tops for the best performing Dealextreme light, and color rendering is not as good as a incandescent, though that is more important with far distances).

Welcome to CPF!

 

[InspectorJon]

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. This stuff IS addicting. I spent most of the day reading different posts. It seems that if I want something to light up a crawl space of a typical home and see clearly what is 30 or 40 feet away I want a light with a reflector that casts a wider beam and not necessarily one with a really long throw. The orange peel reflectors look like a good idea for my application. I will not be inspecting the flocks or herds from the porch at night but I do want a nice little key chain light now and I never gave that much thought before.

 

[Gunner12]

Keychain lights?

The Fenix L0D-CE and Liteflux LF2(Seoul P4 version) are two of the most recommended AAA key-chain lights. The LF2 has 2 programmable light modes and the L0D-CE has 5 modes. Both twisties. Both can be quite bright (especially the L0D-CE with a Lithium Ion 10440 3.7v rechargeable battery, 100+ lumen from something the size of your pinkly)

For something really nice, how about the Ti Draco. It's only $275 :naughty:

 

[Any Cal.]

John, I have used some of the lights mentioned in a similiar application.

The Fenix lights will do just fine. The L2D takes 2 AA batts, so these could be rechargeable. It is also long enough to hold on to. The P3D also takes rechargeable lithium batteries. I own one of these, and it makes a LOT of light.

I also have a Cree drop in for a Surefire light that works well. I run it w/ a rechargeable battery that is the same size as both of the original camera batts. That light is a very hard working light, as I can just leave it on like a lamp when I need to, and do not worry about buying batteries.

Many of the Cree lights mentioned will light up most everything up to about 100' away, even outside. Anything in a crawlspace will be childsplay. Have fun deciding what to get.

 

[jumpstat]

Hello inspector, welcome to CPF,

With your description in post#1, it seems that for inspection works, what you really need is a white, even flood pattern. As it also involves with your works then a rechargeable option is necessary in the long run. Having said that, what comes to mind is something like the SF L4. Its a very bright flood light, a wall of light if you like. Great for wide illumination. They can also be used with protected 17670 rechargeables. A bit pricey but worth it IMHO. The L5 has a slightly smaller spill than L4 but its advantage is the ability to throw further than the L4, also a bit more money but also worth it IMHO, can be used with rechargeables ....

 

[mdocod]

You have expressed concern about whether or not even these LEDs are going to be "bright enough" for your task.... and to be honest... Even I am having my doubts for your application... and my reasoning is not really because it might not be enough lumens, but more than LED light is much more apt to get "washed out" in situations where it is in competition with ambient light sources. If you are poking around in rooms with sunlight poking through some windows (so your eyes are adjusted for the bright sunlight) but maybe trying to illuminate the interior of a wall or some hidden electrical work, an LED *might* not be sufficient, even though they are 150+ lumens these days, the light spectrum really gets absorbed by earthy colors, which may apply to partially incomplete structures with the natural browns of insulation backing and exposed wood, or especially poking around in crawl spaces and basements with dirt floors etc... LED works really well in "completed" interior situations, (white walls!!), but something tells me a lot of your work would involve incomplete buildings....

I'm leaning towards recommending another incan, but in the end, I, like any good CPFer, will recommend that you own BOTH! Or... you might consider an electrolumens multi-emitter LED light, (I think they are taking orders on a "quad-star" Soul P4 job that runs 3 C size cells, you could use NIMH cells and get around 2 hours runtime. I'm not sure what's going on with them lately they used to have a lot more various lights available on their site and now I only see a few... They used to have some "D" size lights that would really be great performers in the runtime and brightness department.

 

[joema]

....I am a building inspector and spend a lot of time in dark places like under houses and in attics. I have had lots of lights over the years....need a bright light that lasts at least 1 hour and has recharge capability so I don't have to buy batteries on a daily basis. I was wondering if any of the new generation of bright LED lights fill this need?...

While the Strealight Propoly Lux 4AA is a tough, good light: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_propolyluxeon.htm, I'd no longer recommend it due to the more powerful newer choices.

The Fenix L2D and P3D are good choices, much brighter, compact and sufficient run time with rechargeable cells for your need.

The L2D uses 2 AA cells (either lithium, alkaline or rechargeable NiMH). On the highest output mode it's about 4x the output of a 3D incan. Maglite, yet runs for about 1 hr 40 min on NiMH batteries.

The L2D also has several output levels. Cutting brightness just one level (down to HIGH from TURBO) extends run time to nearly 5 hours using rechargeable NiMH batteries: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_l1dce-l2dce.htm

 

[L.E.D.]

Incans still have higher max outputs for ONE bulb (HID), incans will inherently throw farther for less overall output due to the amount of light exitting the bulb at angles more obtuse than 180 degrees (more light going out towards the back of the bulb into the reflector). LED's could easily match that throw performance with more advanced side emitters or even a convex - concave hybrid system, and we all know about the many more advantages of LED over incandescent. I'll have to recommend these lights:

Streamlight 4AA or 3C ProPolymer Luxeon
Fenix L2D or P3D
Lumapower M3 Transformer

 

[Russianesq]

InspectorJon, overall opinion = make ur life easier and invest a few more dollars in a quality light.

difference between quality and junk is $100 dollars. if u need a light every day then it something to save up to or ask at christmas time.:duh2:

 

[techwg]

i really think using rechargables are limiting, some lights cant fit them or handle them. Way i look at it like is this, theres no such thing as rechargable bullets . . So batteries are the amunition for my flashlight ! i dont expect to use them again, but in that regard, i stand my Fenix P3D CE.