light for burningman.

[BillSJCA]

Looking for a spot light for burning man.
want max throw. 1,500-2,000yards I have a ryobi HID, it is a floody beam not enough range. a POBHID might work but can't seem to find them any more.

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

____I would like to purchase the light from a brick and mortar store. I am located in _San Jose CA_.
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :-)

____Less than $25.
____Less than $50.
____Less than $100.
__x__Less than $150.
____Less than $300.
____I have no limit.
____I’m flexible, tell me what you gotJ.
____Other, please specify ________


3) Format:

____I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
____I want a dive light.
___x_I want a portable spotlight.


4) Flashlight-specific format/size:

____Keychain size.
____Every day carry small (2-4 inches).
____Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
____Holster carry.
____Big enough to need its own travel caseJ.
__X__I don’t care.
____I don’t know.
____N/A


5) Emitter/Light source:

__X__LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
____Incandescent (known for superior color rendition)
__X__HID (known for max output, but often at the expense of size)
____I don't know.


6) Manufacturer:

____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a “host” or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a “drop-in” emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.


7) What battery type do you want to use?

____I intend to use alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C, D) (disclaimer, while it does not preclude all choices, these are not recommended for many of today’s most powerful lights)
____I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn)
____I intend to use lithium primary batteries (CR123, CR2, Energizer Advanced/Ultimate Lithium AA/AAA)
____I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)
__XI want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights)


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

____I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (0-10 lumens).
____I want to walk around an unlit rural area (50-150 lumens).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
___X_I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.

____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
__X__150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)


10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).

____Up to 30 minutes (I want the brightest [and potentially smallest] light for brief periods)
____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
__X__90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights.

____Not Important (A “night-stand” light).
__X__Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).
____I don't care.
____I don’t know.


12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):

____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only).
____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today’s high end lights).
__X__I don't care.
____I don’t know.
____Other, please specify____________________.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
___X_I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
____I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
____I want a programmable light.
____I want a selector ring.
____I want a strobe mode. (Blinks to show location.)
____I want SOS mode.
____I want a beacon mode.
____I don’t care.
____I don’t know.


14)Material/Finish/Coating

____Plastic/composite body (this may limit your choices significantly).
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today’s flashlights).
____Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)
____Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).
___X_I don’t care.
____I don’t know.
____Other, please specify____________.


15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.

____Red filter (for preserving night vision).
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________).
____Dedicated R/G/B secondary LEDs.
____“Hybrid” light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Pocket/belt clip
____Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Crenulated bezel
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments
LOOKING FOR MAX DISTANCE THROW. will have power so a plug in the wall will work. suspect HID is only option but prefer LED. the stanley HID might work.
but what else should I look at? .a tight sst-90 might work. if driven hard enough. but just looking for max distance and modest price.
Last edited by

 

[jh333233]

The budget is very limiting your choice, or even no choice
The cheapest thing i can ever get with such throw is a chinese plastic crap 50W HID which costed $70, ABS body, built in SLA battery
Even it out throws my SR95S-UT with a low hand of 4000K CCT but with such price, you can imagine the quality
I have no idea with Stanley HID since i never owned one
No waterproofness, no rugged body, basically an ABS case wrapping the guts, a simple drop would :poof: it
BTW i dont think theres any SST90 which match your budget, at least not the renowned manufacturer, high power LED has a higher requirement of body design for thermal management thus increasing the cost even more
For example Olight's epic thrower SR series, all of em are over $400 (except SR5X), they hosts SST-90, SBT-90, SBT-70
Even a titanium innovation(Which is a good build reviewed by selfbuilt) costs $285

 

[DTF]

You don't specify a manufactured spotlight so you might be interested in this DIY thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?353341-DIY-Flooder-10000LM&p=4118877

 

[BillSJCA]

MEGA ILLUMINATOR at battery junction looks like it will work. not sure the difference between the MEGA ILLUMINATOR and the illuminator mega is 9" vs 7" I guess thats it. I have a potential host that uses a H4 bulb. I might try moding to a 35 or 50 w HID

 

[buds224]

Crelant 7G5CS with a collimator head. Waiting for mine to come in, reviews look great.

 

[DTF]

The MEGA ILLUMINATOR is a HID with a big reflector and will create huge amounts of spill, and, on the other hand, the Crelant 7G5CS with a collimator head is an aspheric lens with LED emitter and almost zero spill. Since you indicate maximum throw, the Crelant aspheric is certainly worth a look. I have a Dereelight Night Master which is another aspheric lens flashlight just a bit more expensive than the Crelant. I went with the Dereelight since it is possible to get red and green LED emitter pills for it. Having the possibility of the colors might be something to think about for Burning Man.

Here's a review covering the Crelant and a couple of aspheric flashlights with beam shots to see what this is all about. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...EO-BEAMSHOTS&p=3963931&viewfull=1#post3963931

 

[TEEJ]

If you need 2,000 yard range, adding a filter will cut that range down to relatively nothing...maybe to 1/4 of what a given light could do unfiltered. (The filter removes some of the light, leaving only the light in the desired wavelength...which is a fraction of the original total amount of light)

For your budget, there's nothing that can throw enough light to be useful that far...unless a used military style HID, etc, pops up. (Tank or helicopter targeting light, etc)

What/Who at Burningman is 2,000 yards away that you need to see, that will not object to a search light shined at them?

Did you want that range to be able to just look around at night in the desert?

Consider adding a UV light, as the scorpions glow really nicely in UV light.

:D

 

[BillSJCA]

2000 YD not needed just a number. wanted to use a light as a becon to locate&help locate camp at night every year we try to spot light the man from camp. just another light out there will not be noticed. so wanted to push the envelope. past few years did early arrival. arrived in dark with no markers. was like a huge parking lot with lights every where spent two hours trying to find campmates. even with radio contact. the right Light will help and be a toy. 35w HID will be enough. ryobi hid was nice last year but has more of a big spot patternwith a smo reflectorMIGHT be perfect. . the mega ti illuminator might reach the man. used gps to locate camp last yearbut still need to find it first. a 100lm head light is all the light I need, but wanted to bring a real wow light this year. for burning man a head light is the best personal light. also carry a 501 with p-60 dropin, as a edc for when the generator fails or general use light. setting a modest budget and $150 is about right for a light thatprobablly will not get much use. most of the camp thinks I'm a bit of a nut with the lights , except they have come in handy many times. just looking for the wow light one that make me go WOW.:).

 

[DTF]

The Dereelight aspherical or any high power aspherical has a lot of wow factor to it. It's the closest thing to a light saber, short of a laser, that you can get.

Just went outside, there is a heavy mist at the moment, and the red emitter Night Master looks amazing. A long thin shaft of blazing red. I would think that either a green or red high power aspherical lens flashlight would be one of the most vivid means available to use as a location beacon.