Nighttime, home indoor light?

[bugbear]

My house gets VERY dark at night, and my partner sometimes wants to go to "the bathroom". To navigate around the bed, out the door, down the hall, she'd like a light.

Since she will be fully night adapted, and I'll be asleep, the lumen requirment is VERY low. For convenience a long battery life will be required. Duration of use will be brief, so daily power consumption should be low.

I have so far checked out the oLight i1r (USB chargeable, 5 lumen mode), and the oLight i5t (AA battery, I'd use NiMh) and 15 lumen mode.

So - any good options? I'm expecting compromise, since I suspect my use case is unusual.

OOPS; EDITED to add "form" questions:

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
Online, I'm in the UK

2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
£20-40 (I'm in the UK)


3) Format:
I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).


4) Size:
EDC-Small


5) Emitter/Light source:
LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)


6) Manufacturer:
_I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.


7) What power source do you want to use?
* I intend to use Rechargeable cells (NiMH or NiCD) based on the usual AA sized cells common to most stores.
My charger is AA only

* I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery pack.
7a) If you have selected a rechargeable option
USB please!

8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need?
____I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (1-10 lumens).
____I want an indoor "blackout" light (15-50 lumens)


9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.
I have no throw requirment.

9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check 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)


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

5 minutes.


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
Should be fine, usage will be super gentle, but rechargeble battery may impose a life-limit.


12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
Any size switch will do.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.

(I'll likely need a mode select, to put torch into low mode)

14)Material/Finish/Coating
____I don't care. (gentle use, physical durability shouldn't be required)

15) Water resistance
____None needed

16) Storage conditions
____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment)

17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.
- none.


BugBear

 

[Scotty321]

The only USB charging for NiMH AA's I know of are AA/AAA NiMH battery banks with integrated lights, but they are usually brighter than the flashlight on your phone.

If you don't mind taking the battery out to charge, Zebralight and Armytek have a number of flashlights and headlamps that have moonlight modes accessible from off.

Another option would be to get a headlamp with integrated battery that can start in moonlight mode and has a USB charging port. There should be a lot of options at your local hiking/camping store. You can just take the headstrap off and use it as a flashlight.

Personally, the times I need very dim light, I just turn my phone on and use the main screen as a sort of moonlight mode flashlight... no app required, just turn the phone on and shine it at whatever you want. I've used the color screen apps in the past but having to navigate to turn it on was less simple and often brighter than just using my lock screen or home screen on my phone for low level illumination. On Android, you can swipe to a secondary home screen and put a whitish colored widget or 4 to modify the brightness.

 

[bugbear]

The only USB charging for NiMH AA's I know of are AA/AAA NiMH battery banks with integrated lights, but they are usually brighter than the flashlight on your phone.

If you don't mind taking the battery out to charge, Zebralight and Armytek have a number of flashlights and headlamps that have moonlight modes accessible from off.

Another option would be to get a headlamp with integrated battery that can start in moonlight mode and has a USB charging port. There should be a lot of options at your local hiking/camping store. You can just take the headstrap off and use it as a flashlight.

Personally, the times I need very dim light, I just turn my phone on and use the main screen as a sort of moonlight mode flashlight... no app required, just turn the phone on and shine it at whatever you want. I've used the color screen apps in the past but having to navigate to turn it on was less simple and often brighter than just using my lock screen or home screen on my phone for low level illumination. On Android, you can swipe to a secondary home screen and put a whitish colored widget or 4 to modify the brightness.

Sorry - I created confusion in my answers to the form; I am happy with EITHER

A torch with built in (fixed) battery and external USB recharge

OR

A torch that uses AA NiMh batteries, of which I have several, and a charger.

I hadn't heard the term "moonlight mode", which sounds like a helpful search term.

And thanks for the Zebralight and Armytek recommendations.

BugBear

 

[caelyx]

It's outside the target price, but the Malkoff MDC 1AA in neutral white is otherwise ideal for your specifications. Comes on at 0.3 lumens, which is bright enough to navigate with when fully dark adapted, and doesn't seem to affect my night vision. On Eneloops it is rated for ~200 hours on lowest mode, and an hour on the 90 lumen high mode.

 

[Olumin]

Really, just get yourself a xenon Mini maglite and run it on two eneloops (NiMH). Sub 10 lumens and you can get it in red or silver for better visibility in the dark. The runtime is not crazy, but since its only gonna be used sparingly it will run for weeks or even months before recharging so no problem.

The Maglite Solitaire (1AAA) in xenon is even dimmer (2 lumens), and runs longer then the mini. Also can be run on NiMH and also available in red or silver.

Both are less than 20 dollars. I wouldn't make a science of this.

 

[caelyx]

Really, just get yourself a xenon Mini maglite and run it on two eneloops (NiMH).

This is great advice. The incandescent mini Maglites are a great light level (particularly if you ceiling/floor bounce them when you're night-adapted), inexpensive, and run really well on Eneloops.

 

[JonM]

I use Xenon Maglites as my dark adapted lights and they are great for this purpose. I especially like the two AAA version because it has about the same output as the two AA version but is much smaller and lighter. Eneloops make the light dimmer and more yellow because of the lower voltage, which is a good for night adapted eyes in my experience. A Maglite Solitaire with an Eneloop is almost too dim for navigating the house at least for my eyes, but is great close up.

I really enjoy incandescents for lower lumen applications in general. Especially indoors late at night. There is something comforting about the dim yellow glow.

Really, just get yourself a xenon Mini maglite and run it on two eneloops (NiMH). Sub 10 lumens and you can get it in red or silver for better visibility in the dark. The runtime is not crazy, but since its only gonna be used sparingly it will run for weeks or even months before recharging so no problem.

The Maglite Solitaire (1AAA) in xenon is even dimmer (2 lumens), and runs longer then the mini. Also can be run on NiMH and also available in red or silver.

Both are less than 20 dollars. I wouldn't make a science of this.

 

[CanAm]

Yeah, I second the mini-mag/solitaire xenon suggestions.

Dim enough, very simple operation, not too expensive, with eneloops you don't have to worry about leaky batteries...

No need to get something high-zoot for this kind of use.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Probably not the solution you are looking for but a long time ago I picked up some LED night light bulbs to replace the 7W incan screw in bulbs in night lights and I had fashioned several cords and put them in strategic places in the house so I can walk to most areas without a flashlight or turning on a light at all. I estimated it cost me less than about 75 cents each to run the 3 lights and I can walk all the way to the kitchen without turning on a light.

 

[Poppy]

Probably not the solution you are looking for but a long time ago I picked up some LED night light bulbs to replace the 7W incan screw in bulbs in night lights and I had fashioned several cords and put them in strategic places in the house so I can walk to most areas without a flashlight or turning on a light at all. I estimated it cost me less than about 75 cents each to run the 3 lights and I can walk all the way to the kitchen without turning on a light.

lol... interesting that you mentioned this because my reply is along similar lines.

I often recommend that each floor of the house, and the garage have a centrally located - plug into the wall - auto on power failure light.
This style in particular has an electric eye so that it is lit only when dark, can be used as a flashlight, and turns on automatically if the power goes out.