Please help choosing a spotlight

[pietruck]

If this is the wong forum please move this for me.

I have a Dorcy 41-1087 3 Million CP Spotlight. Its a great design, rechargable and a handy spotlight to have on 40 acres. I like the 90 degree swivel head and fluoro task light. When you point the head straight up and turn the fluoro on in illuminates a fair amount or ground directly ahead of you as you walk with your arm hanging down. I tought this to be a very practical feature.


The only issue I have with it is that it runs out of juice fairly quickly. I imagine it has a lot of power draw to drive 3 million cp but I have been a bit disappointed none the less.

Is there a way to increase the run time? Swap batteries or something?

I am unfimiliar with spotlights and am wondering a couple things. We go to a deer camp up north and its fun to drive around looking for animals out of their season. I would like something brighter. Preferably it would be battery operated but would run off of a cigarette lighter cord when plugged in. Any suggestions on this? Are there any spots that will also function as a lantern?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Pietruck

 

[pietruck]

OK, So I posted this in incan and they graciously moved it here.

Don't know how I missed this forum and after reading a bit it looks like I want a searchlight.

I will now do some more reading on just which one.

Thanks

 

[MBeam]

Pietruck, I'm new to the forum, but I just picked up a Cyclops Thor Plat which is 15 million candlepower from Costco, price is good around $29- has a alot of light with hi and low beams.

 

[NAW]

You can look into HID (High Intensity Discharge).

HID lights are extremeley powerful and have very good runtime. For ex, My AE 24W Powerlight is 1300 lumens and runs for 2 hours. My Rayzorlite is 3000+ lumens and can last more than 3 hours. The good thing about HID is that they don't lose brightness like cheap spotlights. They stay at the same brightness until the very end.

You should have a look over here at some HID lights.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kenshiro2/http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q38/100-Watts/IMGP0072.jpg

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

Sams club has a nice looking 20 million CP spotlight with a 3led light in the front of the handle for long runtime option. It uses a 130 watt bulb.

 

[MBeam]

You can look into HID (High Intensity Discharge).

HID lights are extremeley powerful and have very good runtime. For ex, My AE 24W Powerlight is 1300 lumens and runs for 2 hours. My Rayzorlite is 3000+ lumens and can last more than 3 hours. The good thing about HID is that they don't lose brightness like cheap spotlights. They stay at the same brightness until the very end.

You should have a look over here at some HID lights.
http://home.earthlink.net/~kenshiro2/http://home.earthlink.net/~kenshiro2/http://home.earthlink.net/~kenshiro2/

Those are indeed some great lights but what do they cost. From what I've seen the Cyclops Thor is a very bright light whose beam lights up the house a block down the street from me.

 

[NAW]

HID lights are very expensive. A powerful one would cost you about a thousand dollars. The Cyclops Thor is a very good spotlight (for the price).

 

[Sway]

Pietruck,

If you can use the light from a running vehicle with a cigarette lighter cord get a LightForce SL240 Blitz, it will Kick *** and Take Names It's a thrower and you can focus the beam into a flood it you need it.

$125.00 here http://www.central4wd.com/inventorydetail.aspx?page=id|10172;folder|5463

Later
Kelly

 

[BVH]

Look into the Amondotech illuminator. Its a 35 Watt HID searchlight in a relatively small (physically smaller than the Thor 15, maybe about the same size as the Thor 10) package. hands down brighter and better throw than Thors 10 & 15. About $140.00

http://www.amondotech.com/

Do a search on CPF for tons of info, especially from Mtbkndad threads.

 

[frogs3]

Dear pietruck and Fellow Flashaholics,

You specifically mentioned that you wanted to use your light for some "in the wilderness" uses. Having to keep it attached to a car battery gives lots of power at low cost (Lightforce Blitz), but if you want to wander, you can start with older technology, heavy but inexpensive batteries such as are used in the Amondotech or Thor.

As you go up the price ladder, which you will do (we all know this truism here), you move into the lighter HID units such as the ACRO 35 watt X990 (6.5 lbs approx. and comes with two batteries, NiMH), AE 24 watt and Rayzorlights, after which the sky is literally the limit. Take a look at the "footers" for some of the posters in this and nearby similar threads, where they list a few of their more interesting lights: don't be fooled, if you try to save $$ now you will only end up spending more later to get the runtime, weight and output that suits your needs/wants. Spend your valuable time reading the comparisons available on this Forum and determine just how far you want to put down a beam, and for how long, then you can choose based on data, rather than trying to spend the least bucks to get started -- because once you are in, well, you'll see.

One suggestion, if you are wandering into the REALLY dark woods, like we have in upstate Pennsylvania, take a backup unit which doesn't have to be as potent, because the way home is better recalled than the way out. Advertised runtimes may not be what your unit delivers, and you don't want to be caught in the pitch dark in the middle of a forest cursing the manufacturer.

Welcome to Flashaholics Anonymous; meetings held right here every day!

-Harvey K.