Seek advice on a "red flood"

[woodfluter]

Happy holidays, feliz navidad, froeliche Weinachten etc to all!

Maybe some of you fine folks could help me find something I'm looking for. I often walk dogs in the woods after the sun is down. I have quite good night vision, and most of the time I am much better off without any added light beyond the sky glow or moonlight or what filters through the trees from nearby houses. Same is often true when backpacking. So don't want steady light most of the time, just the occasional flash to briefly but fully illuminate questionable places. But one quick shot from even a fairly dim white light and my vision is totally shot for the next 30 seconds. Not ideal.

Specifications:
- Red LED (filters dim too much and are inefficient).
- Moderately broad flood beam with brighter center.
- Fairly bright red illumination; feeble red LED's need not apply.

I haven't done an exhaustive search, but it seems that there have been few third-party or owner reviews of high-output red lights. I like the beam pattern and brightness from my Inova X5 (which I suspect is now equipped with much brighter LED's than before) but their red version uses only one 123 battery - leading me to suspect it is designed to be a map reading light!

Any thoughts folks?

 

[luigi]

Eternalight is doing a CPF version of the Eternlight elite with sockets for LEDs and you can order it with red/white leds. I'm sure it's a lot more than what you need but it is certainly a flood light and you can use it beyong your original plan.

On the very cheap side I'm sure you have considered a Photonlight

 

[WildRice]

I made one awhile ago built around a 2C plastic light. I used about 24 red/orange spider LED running at 75mA ea. and having a 70deg 1/2 angle. It was INSANELY bright and a flat flood.

Jeff

 

[IsaacHayes]

A red-orange luxeon would be best. Either 1w (~60lumens) or LuxeonIII (~190lumens).

Pure red would be very hard to see, the red orange picks up browns/etc a little better and is more efficient (bright).

I have a 1w in a mag reflector and it doesn't disturb wildlife but throws far with a faint red cast to what I'm lighting up ahead. and the side spill is good enough for aroudn your feet.

 

[Ty_Bower]

I bought an "old style" Surefire L1 with a red Luxeon in it. I absolutely love it. Just be sure you get an old style one, as the new style is too tightly focused for what you want.

Here's the thread discussing my search for a red floodlight.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97807

 

[cratz2]

I have a Lux III Red/Orange in a Sam's Club Element... it should certainly be bright enough but on NiMH cells, I don't even get an hour runtime out of it. But it is intensely bright. I'd like to do a Lux I R/O in an Element as well.

If you don't need much throw, I would probably try to either build or buy a light with 5-10 bright red or red/orange 5mm LEDs in whatever form factor you prefer.

 

[Flashdark]

"Ty Bower" hit the nail right on the head. Voice of experience. I frequently cover 5-10 miles cross-country in brush country at night and the "old" Surefire L1 (1W) is the answer. Since I wear a decibel-rejection/hearing-augmentation headset, the L1 clips right on the headband. I run in "low" all the time with 50 hrs. of runtime. A simple twist turns it off, or press the tailcap for "momentary high", or twist the tailcap for "constant high". The "high" position is so bright to night-adapted eyes that it will flat stand you up straight and back you up a step or two. Just by itself, the "old" L1 has the beam characteristics you seek, but I additionally soften the central hotspot a little more and add a better peripheral spill with an F-04 beamshaper on the front. Personal preference. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE OLD L1, NOT, REPEAT NOT, THE NEW ONE WITH THE LUXEON III PENCIL BEAM. If you have trouble, try contacting "oldgrandpajack" on the B/S/T forum. He has a great reputation (no personal experience) and apparently access to a lot of inventory.

Hope this helps.

 

[leukos]

I don't see how the newer KL1 is any less useful for navigation if you use the F04. The beamshaper speads the beam a considerable distance. Here's a source for the red KL1 if needed. http://store.kbcamera.com/kl1.html

 

[Kenski]

Eternalight is doing a CPF version of the Eternlight elite with sockets for LEDs and you can order it with red/white leds.

Hmm... I'd like one of those... where can I get ordering information?

Thanks,

Kenski

 

[Flashdark]

Leukos,

The NEW KL-1/RED is bright only, with no dim option that an L1-RD (1st gen.) would give you. And, bright only is just plain TOO bright for night-adapted eyes IMHO. Also, the spill angle is much less with the new KL-1/RED than with the old one, even with the F04 filter. HOWEVER, it IS adequate in spill with the F04 attached, and slightly brighter than the old KL-1/RED or L1-RD. I think enough of the new Luxeon III that I'm investigating a changeover to the new L1-WH (2nd gen.) with an F04 attached for my low-power utility light. It IS brighter, the spill IS adequate, and I like the addition of a distance/pencil-beam option for utility purposes. The trouble is that "Big Al" (size15s) does not recommend it. As a result, so far, I'm holding off.

Hope this helps.

 

[Radio]

one vote for the red KL3 head, I have one and it is very nice, not as tight a beam as the new KL1, a lot more spill and a lot more throw, guess you could add a diffuser if needed.

 

[NotRegulated]

If you have a Mini-Mag flashlight I recommend you try the new Nite-Ize 3 LED RED. It has a nice smooth flood beam that is slightly hotter in the center. The white one has an 11 hour runtime to 50%.

I just got one from Lighthound for $10. It is pretty bright in areas with no illumination such as outdoors. For the price, it is worth checking out.

http://www.lighthound.com/sales/nite-ize_accessories_for_maglight_flashlights.htm

 

[CM]

Modify a Fenix L1P with a RED lux III. The beam can be adjusted for a more floodlike by adjusting LED relationship to reflector focal point. And here's a shameless plug--I made a few with a dual stage tailcap mod and selling them here:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/118773

 

[Solstice]

Try a Gerber Trio with red LEDs. It puts out a surprisingly useful flood of rich red light on 2 AAs and will only set you back around $20.