Need some help with a light for a medical student(examinations).

[Lobo]

Been a long time since I've been on this forum so I'm kind of out the loop. A friend who is studying medicine asked me for help to get a light for checking patients since he knew I used to be a flashlight nut.
The last time I was around, the advice I heard was that you shouldn't use LED lights cause of the bad colour rendition when you checked skin etc(think even some hospitals forbid LED-lights to be used for examinations). Is that still the rule?
I think he asked me cause he wanted to buy a nice light he could use for other stuff(EDC) and not just the regular 10 dollar penlight usually used for this kind of stuff. So does anybody have any recommendation for a nicer light(say 50dollars), or should I just recommend him to get a D10 or whatever is the best bang for the buck quality light atm? Or should I just tell him to get a cheap incandescent penlight?
While were at it, which is the most interesting AA-light atm for around 50-60 dollars? Last time I was around it was the D10, but seems like it's been discontinued and replaced with the D10SP(which seems like a setback to me since it has set levels).
Appreciate any input.
Cheers!

 

[daloosh]

I think your question is independent of your friend's vocation.

But in that vein, I recommend cheap penlights, or a AAAA Stylus from Streamlight for the exam, that's all you need. Also, it's a light that will likely get lent, or be left in the white jacket after hours hanging somewhere, or otherwise pilfered. Since many use those freebie penlights, people don't think much of taking it with them, like a pen or pencil. Your friend probably doesn't want to lose a fitty-dollar torch.

A very recent thread on a similar subject is here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=262604

And here's a penlight discussion from a few months ago:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=255369

daloosh

 

[Lobo]

I think the main reason he asked me was that he could kill two birds with one stone and buy a cool(not cool as in cool, but you know... eh, neat) light that he could as well use for medical examination. The lights main use will be for just that, checking skin, eyes, mouth etc. But since I don't think it's appropriate to use a LED for that(IIRC) and you guys agree with me, buying a D10 etc for that purpose goes out the window then?
I'll just tell him to buy a cheap penlight.
Thanks for the fast reply!

 

[pfccypret]

A $50 EDC light pumping out 65 incan lumens probably isn't going to help your friend in his profession. Then again, I might be wrong. A doctor's use for a flashlight is totally different from my experience, so I honestly can not answer this question. Maybe something brighter will be a fine light and most doctors only use penlights because that is how it has always been. Perhaps this is probably a better question for people in the profession.

 

[Chrontius]

I'd recommend a Surefire E2, with an E1 bulb. Feed it two Ni-MH cells for "exam penlight" duty with optional diffuser, and great runtime. He can carry a spares carrier with a HOLA and lithium primaries for EDC duty. If you shop smart and buy used, you can get an E2 for around $50-60, and spares carriers for $10-15.

Not sure about the charger and ni-mh batteries; I've seen them, but forgotten where.

Aha, bingo! http://www.batterystation.com/nicads.htm

You'll need a spacer of some kind to charge it in a common AA-style charger. Those can be made, hacked, bought, etc. in an uncountable number of ways.

 

[hyperloop]

Surefire E1E Executive Elite? Incand so color rendition should be better.

 

[YayILikePie]

Don't necessarily know about the whole ban on LEDs, but if it's simply a warm light he needs, there are neutral white LEDs like the Q3-5A and whatnot. How about the 4Sevens MiNi AA with a Q3-5A? I don't believe 4Sevens is carrying them at the moment, but there are a few going around. I would have suggested a Preon 2, since it has a slimmer profile but greater length, but I don't believe they have a neutral white version.

 

[computernut]

How about the Surefire E2E w/MN02 & F04 for something not too bright but gives great skin colour rendition. If you get the HA-BK version it won't look too "military". I think doctors usually use pen lights so they fit in the pockets of their lab coats so it's easy to get too and fits in well with their pens. I don't think I'd want my doctor using something that's been in mixing with his pocket lint

 

[Flying Turtle]

I'll suggest checking out the LiteFlux LF2XT. 1AAA, pocket clip, and easy clickie switch. Program it to the levels you want. The Q4 neutral tint gives better color rendition, too. Not the best if the light will need regular sterilizing.

Geoff