Need help selecting HID light for gift

[FlashlightN00b]

Let me start off by saying that I know nothing about flashlights in terms of Brand, Models, or reputable "flashaholic" friendly stores. I do however have a good understanding of HID's and how they work in relation to cars, trucks, and motorcycles. That said, I'm looking for some help and I figured I was in the right place here at CPF amongst all you light hungry members. :wave: I'm looking to pickup a flashlight as a Christmas gift and I'm not sure where to start. I guess, What HID would you buy if you had $450 to spend?

My Search Criteria of what I'm looking for -

• Could be flashlight or searchlight (no real initial preference)
• I'm looking to spend $450 or less. ($300 being optimal but I don't mind paying a little extra if the items right)
• Looking for lower temperature bulb (prefer 4200K-5500K range if possible)
• Good track record (I don't want one where the ballast or bulb burns out after 2 months)
• Needs to get it by Christmas
• Sexy and Bright as hell (lol...:laughing

That about sums it up. Any idea what temperature bulb is in the Streamlight Lightbox HID light? Is that one any good? Seems they are going for $399. Would that be a fair price?

I GREATLY appreciate any suggestions or a point in the right direction as I'm not sure where to begin.

Thanks!

 

[dudemar]

Hi FlashlightN00b,

Welcome to CPF!:wave: I personally don't have a lot of experience with HID's, but the one light I do own is the AELight Xenide 20W. It shoots 1200 lumens for 90 minutes, rechargeable Li-ion, compact (shorter than a 3D Maglite), weighs 1.9 lbs and you can go to war with it and rely on it.:devil: The 20W and 25W version is available for $399 and $439 at www.pts-flashlights.com, and with a CPF member discount you'll get a great price.

Don't know if this tickles your fancy, but I think it's a great light. I realize I'm being biased, but oh well.:naughty:

Have fun,

Dudemar

 

[MikeLip]

Of the lights I am familiar with, I think the Acro 990D would do the job. I love the beam color. It's much warmer than my two Wolf Eyes HIDs. And it puts out a buttload of light. It's a GREAT general purpose light. Lots of throw, lots of spill, good runtime. Comes with two battery packs.

I want one really bad Thinking of selling my two Wolf Eyes HIDs (Shark and Boxer) to get one!

Speaking of Wolf Eyes, the Shark is very cool. Two HID levels - 10W and 24W. Plus an LED array ring on the tailcap that serves as a low output light (Compared to the HID stage anyway) that runs pretty much forever, a battery state indicator, and a beacon. Beam is on the cool side, but man, it puts out the light!

 

[FlashlightN00b]

Thank you for the input so far. I'll look into those. Does anyone else have any other suggestions? Are my choices really that limited?

 

[FlashlightN00b]

Of the lights I am familiar with, I think the Acro 990D would do the job. I love the beam color. It's much warmer than my two Wolf Eyes HIDs. And it puts out a buttload of light. It's a GREAT general purpose light. Lots of throw, lots of spill, good runtime. Comes with two battery packs.

Is this the light you're refering to? Acro 990X
https://www.magnalight.com/pc-97-44...hid-rechargeable-flashlight-click-to-buy.aspx

I can't find any acro 990D.?

 

[MikeLip]

Is this the light you're refering to? Acro 990X
https://www.magnalight.com/pc-97-44...hid-rechargeable-flashlight-click-to-buy.aspx

I can't find any acro 990D.?

Who put the D and the X so close together? Yep, that's it! Sorry!

 

[Patriot]

Although I really like the X900 a bunch, I'd have to pass on it as my only HID light. It's just too massive for most purposes and the ni-cad batteries are annoying. The older they get, the faster they lose their charge. I think mine are on their last leg.

I'd say that the Xenide 25 would probably be the most quality and performance for the buck. It's very user friendly, runs for a long time, and uses a wonderful li-ion battery. One of my best ever HID purchases.

 

[fire-stick]

Streamlight Litebox
--
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...70401&cm_ite=0048599517825a&_requestid=214664

 

[dudemar]

Thank you for the input so far. I'll look into those. Does anyone else have any other suggestions? Are my choices really that limited?

No, you have a bazillion choices; just explore the review section (or HID section) and there are tons of options. The only problem with HIDs is they tend to be very expensive, so I pointed out the Xenide because IMHO you'll get the most bang for your buck.

I'd say that the Xenide 25 would probably be the most quality and performance for the buck. It's very user friendly, runs for a long time, and uses a wonderful li-ion battery. One of my best ever HID purchases.

I would have to wholeheartedly agree.:naughty:

Dudemar

 

[FlashlightN00b]

The 6500K kelvin rating on the Xenide 25 is kind of shall I say "turning me off". Should it? Why in the world would anyone want more than 5500K in a flashlight? I apologize for my lack of understanding on this.

Does anyone know the rating on the StreamLight ?

Thanks for the help so far guys, I appreciate it.

 

[dudemar]

The 6500K kelvin rating on the Xenide 25 is kind of shall I say "turning me off". Should it? Why in the world would anyone want more than 5500K in a flashlight? I apologize for my lack of understanding on this.

I would say no, it shouldn't turn you off; but it also boils down to personal taste.

If you're shining your light at a white wall, then the bluish color is definitely noticeable. However in real world applications, you'd probably be so impressed with the powerful throw and brightness that the last thing on your mind would be color temperature.

I don't know if this helps, but here's a few specs from my AE Xenide User's Manual:

AEX20- 7000K plus or minus 500K

AEX25- 6000K plus or minus 500K

So it looks like it fluctuates; I noticed my 20W Xenide fluctuates between a bluish hue to a very light pink hue, but again it's only noticeable when I'm "white wall hunting". In the real world it was one, solid, beautiful color. I suppose that's just how HID's behave. Keep in mind numbers and pictures can only tell so much, and until you actually have the light in your hands it's really hard to tell/describe a flashlight's beam qualities.

A few other things you want to consider are size, weight, power source and build material of a flashlight. The Lightbox does in fact push out 3350 lumens up to 1.75 hours (meaning the light will fade as the light loses its charge), but you'd also be lugging a bulky light that weighs 10 pounds. It has a plastic housing and utilizes a Lead-acid battery (toxic and not the most reliable). The Xenide 25W pushes 1500 lumens for 2 hours (sometimes slightly longer), weighs 2 pounds, is 13.5" long (slightly longer than a 3D Maglite) has regulated output (meaning it will retain its full brightness the entire time, and will not dim during a single charge) and has a very durable aluminum body. It utilizes a Lithium-ion battery that is lightweight, retains a charge for a very long time and is environmentally friendly to boot.


Dudemar

 

[FlashlightN00b]

I would say no, it shouldn't turn you off; but it also boils down to personal taste.

If you're shining your light at a white wall, then the bluish color is definitely noticeable. However in real world applications, you'd probably be so impressed with the powerful throw and brightness that the last thing on your mind would be color temperature.

I don't know if this helps, but here's a few specs from my AE Xenide User's Manual:

AEX20- 7000K plus or minus 500K

AEX25- 6000K plus or minus 500K

So it looks like it fluctuates; I noticed my 20W Xenide fluctuates between a bluish hue to a very light pink hue, but again it's only noticeable when I'm "white wall hunting". In the real world it was one, solid, beautiful color. I suppose that's just how HID's behave. Keep in mind numbers and pictures can only tell so much, and until you actually have the light in your hands it's really hard to tell/describe a flashlight's beam qualities.

A few other things you want to consider are size, weight, power source and build material of a flashlight. The Lightbox does in fact push out 3350 lumens up to 1.75 hours (meaning the light will fade as the light loses its charge), but you'd also be lugging a bulky light that weighs 10 pounds. It has a plastic housing and utilizes a Lead-acid battery (toxic and not the most reliable). The Xenide 25W pushes 1500 lumens for 2 hours (sometimes slightly longer), weighs 2 pounds, is 13.5" long (slightly longer than a 3D Maglite) has regulated output (meaning it will retain its full brightness the entire time, and will not dim during a single charge) and has a very durable aluminum body. It utilizes a Lithium-ion battery that is lightweight, retains a charge for a very long time and is environmentally friendly to boot.


Dudemar

Thank you for typing all that out. It does seem the Xenide has alot going for it. Would you recommend any good vendor that has a good price in particular ?

My main problem with the Kelvin rating isn't really the "color", it's the diminished light quality with the higher Kelvin rating. It's always been my understanding that the brightest light from a H.I.D. will come from the 3500-5000 range. It was also my understanding that this is why BMW and Mercedes use 4100K.

With that as my understanding, why would flashlight manufactures use higher rating bulbs? (I apologize if I'm showing ignorance here):thinking:

 

[dudemar]

Thank you for typing all that out. It does seem the Xenide has alot going for it. Would you recommend any good vendor that has a good price in particular ?

Where are you from? If you're lucky you might live next to a dealer and you can buy it in person. If not, my first post on this thread makes note of a great dealer (his prices are the cheapest).

My main problem with the Kelvin rating isn't really the "color", it's the diminished light quality with the higher Kelvin rating.

To be honest I'm not too sure. I assume the lower color temperature HID lamps consume more power, therefore you need a bigger battery. This would make sense for the BMW's and Mercedes because they use a car battery. Again this is mostly my assumptions, so you might want to ask a more seasoned CPFer about this one.:shrug:

It's always been my understanding that the brightest light from a H.I.D. will come from the 3500-5000 range. It was also my understanding that this is why BMW and Mercedes use 4100K.

With that as my understanding, why would flashlight manufactures use higher rating bulbs? (I apologize if I'm showing ignorance here):thinking:

While you're right about some of the brightest lights being in the 3500-5000 range, you'll just have to shell out that much more cash:

http://www.polarion-store.com/pd_polarion_ps_pf40.cfm

You'd easily spend 5-6 times more for the Helios, but you'd still get astounding build and beam quality out of the Xenide series.

Dudemar