Long runtime on turbo mode?

[richbuff]

If you want long runtime on turbo mode, then a light with low max lumens to fuel capacity ratio is what to look for.

 

[lumen aeternum]

"Turbo" is a meaningless marketing word.

Seems like the highest hand held power is about 8W due to heat control issues?
Unless you bulk it up into a lantern with fins & maybe fans.

 

[InvisibleFrodo]

I always think of "turbo" as a setting that is too high to sustain for any extended period of time. Either due to heat issues or batteries being unable to produce the power needed continuously. In battery ratings there's a continuous discharge as well as "burst" ratings. I think of "turbo" and "burst" as sort of two names for the same thing. Short lived, high intensity. Like sprinting.

 

[CigarPundit]

The Olight X7R is a great light and will maintain a high output for a long time. I haven't done any empirical testing but it's high (not turbo) output is rated at 3000 lumens for 2 hours 10 minutes. Maybe it won't actually do this, but I've had it on high for a while and I've never seen it step down. Turbo steps down after 12 minutes, but that's crazy output (7000 lumens). Turbo S steps down after 3 minutes, but that even crazier (12000 lumens). If you want an extended run time high output light, you should consider it. Its medium output is 1000 lumens for 6 hours. It's also very floody, and the memory defaults to the previous setting, or medium after 10 minutes off (1000 lumens). Compared to my 1000 lumen surefire, which has a more focused beam, I believe it. Not quite as bright in the hot spot as the surefire, but very bright and floody.

 

[mikekoz]

You may want to take a look at the Rofis MR70. It advertises run times of 1 minute at 3500 lumens, 10 minutes at 1500, and 190 minutes at 1000 lumens. It uses a 26650 cell, has the best anodized finish I have seen on a light, comes with a holster and lanyard, a high capacity battery, all for under $55.00 on Amazon. It has a very large floody hotspot. I am really impressed with mine!

 

[kinzli]

Thanks all for the ideas. Keep em coming! Yes, I suppose "turbo" is a misnomer, just trying to convey high output for long(er) duration.

 

[richbuff]

Thanks all for the ideas. Keep em coming! Yes, I suppose "turbo" is a misnomer, just trying to convey high output for long(er) duration.

Pick a light with large battery capacity. The triangle: Size, Power, Runtime. You want both high output and high runtime, then you will need large size fuel capacity. 8 x 18650 or 8 x 21700 will give you plenty of runtime. Then select a power mode that meets your runtime needs. Then decide on throw or flood or combination throw and flood, and select your emitter/reflector configuration and head diameter accordingly.

Less than eight cells will yield less runtime for your selected power level.

The Imalent R90TS supplies lots of throw and plenty of power and plenty of runtime at mid-power mode selection, but it can not be a small or medium size light that can do this.

 

[kinzli]

So far I've accumulated a Thrunite TN20 NW and a Streamlight HL 5X. Both are ~3000-3500 lumen lights on high power and I'll be doing some testing to see where the stepdowns occur.

In a real basic test side by side, the Streamlight (powered by 2x18650) is WAY brighter than the TN20, but the tint is also significantly whiter. Beams are somewhat similar with a bit of artifact on the Streamlight due to the lensing.

Next light will be a Malkoff Wildcat V6. Its much lower (1600 lumens) output, but should be able to maintain that output longer (2x18650). I'm not sure what's more important at this point - higher initial light output or longer duration of a medium level of output.

If anyone cares I'll report back after comparing the Malkoff.

 

[Fireclaw18]

I'm not sure what's more important at this point - higher initial light output or longer duration of a medium level of output.

A really well designed light should be able to do both.
There's no reason a light with a very high (but short duration) turbo can't be run at a lower power setting to get extended runtime.

This is why I'm not a fan of low-output lights that are incapable of high output. They lack flexibility. Sometimes brief very high output is really handy.

 

[finn]

This request feels like a bit of an oxymoron. Seems like you actually want a light WITHOUT a turbo mode. It's going to be harder to find these because thermal stepdowns are cheap and easy, and being able to plaster the turbo mode numbers all over the specs are a marketing department's dream.

 

[Fireclaw18]

This request feels like a bit of an oxymoron. Seems like you actually want a light WITHOUT a turbo mode. It's going to be harder to find these because thermal stepdowns are cheap and easy, and being able to plaster the turbo mode numbers all over the specs are a marketing department's dream.

Agreed.

Also, many people find having an unsustainable but very high output turbo mode can be quite useful. I certainly feel that way.

 

[kinzli]

Ya, I probably shouldn't have used the word "Turbo" in my first post, I just meant "high output" for a sustained period. My thought being that if a light could do, say 4000 lumens on turbo, then its "high" mode (sustained) should be 2000 or so for like 30 min. So essentially I'm looking for long run time at high output.

My initial testing with the Streamlight HL5X seems to be good - however I do notice there are certain conditions where the light will shut down - and it does not seem to be heat related. Maybe its a battery or mechanical issue - seems flexing the light some allows it to come back on again. This doesn't bode well for the use case of the light (which is a defensive situation) but I'm reserving judgement til I can do more tests and determine what's going on.

 

[Keitho]

FWIW, I'm after a similar performance out of lights for cycling--sustained brightness for my whole ride. I have the advantage of fast-moving air to cool low-mass lights, even in summer. In terms of what lights are most efficient at getting the most high-brightness runtime out of limited W-h in each cell, I haven't found anything better than Zebralight. But, my answer might be different if I couldn't rely on moving air to cool lights. The best lights for sustained output in someone's hand or sitting on a table are likely going to be higher-mass lights with good thermal pathways to large-cooling-surface-area bodies. As the search continues for the "perfect" light, it may be important to discover each light's limitations--is it being limited by the cell (get a bigger/better/higher-current cell, or multi-cell light), or by a "turbo timer" (get a light that has a thermal sensor rather than just a time-based step-down), or the temp of the LED/driver (get a light with more mass, more surface area, better thermal pathways, a cooling fan, etc.)

 

[kinzli]

FWIW, I'm after a similar performance out of lights for cycling--sustained brightness for my whole ride. I have the advantage of fast-moving air to cool low-mass lights, even in summer. In terms of what lights are most efficient at getting the most high-brightness runtime out of limited W-h in each cell, I haven't found anything better than Zebralight. But, my answer might be different if I couldn't rely on moving air to cool lights. The best lights for sustained output in someone's hand or sitting on a table are likely going to be higher-mass lights with good thermal pathways to large-cooling-surface-area bodies. As the search continues for the "perfect" light, it may be important to discover each light's limitations--is it being limited by the cell (get a bigger/better/higher-current cell, or multi-cell light), or by a "turbo timer" (get a light that has a thermal sensor rather than just a time-based step-down), or the temp of the LED/driver (get a light with more mass, more surface area, better thermal pathways, a cooling fan, etc.)

Seems like we're in a similar search. As I said before, the Streamlight HL5X seems pretty good so far and does not seem to have a stepdown that I can see (yet). 3500 lumens high, 1000 lumens low. It puts out a TON of light and has a lot of mass and doesn't heat up very quickly...if you're putting it on your handlebars perhaps the size/weight isn't an issue (its not that big actually). So far its pretty amazing to me...