What are the reasons for carrying low-lumen lights?

[vph0107]

Sometimes, you just need enough to see. Not to stand out. For use, I value lower lumens more for runtime and discretion.

For fun, higher lumens to make daylight will certainly put a smile on your face.

It's worth noting that many lights that advertise high lumens cannot hang onto them. I often carry a 4000 lumen pocket rocket not because it is so bright (that's for fun) but because it can get so dim. But at 4000 lumens, it'll only do that for a few seconds before it throttles down to a more reasonable 300-400.

I think I use under 1 lumens the most. Next, under 30 lumens.

My bike light is the one place where I want the most lumens for the longest amount of time.

If you are using truly dark-adapted night vision, one lumen can seem incredibly bright (really)

You may want to search CPF for "sublumen" threads, as moonlight and even firefly modes used to be pretty popular around here.

A significant part of the reason HDS and ZL have been so popular are their sublumen modes. Some even use outputs less than one-tenth of a lumen fairly regularly.

I'm guesstimating that about half of the total HDS Rotary settings are about a lumen or less.

Thanks for the heads up! I'll give it a look when I have some extra time this weekend. I'm currently being enticed by the thread on custom Haiku builds by Tana.

 

[LeanBurn]

All of my lights (except 1) are 200L or below...for all the reasons already specified.

 

[greenpondmike]

.....

 

[chillinn]

I don't want to be annoying, but night vision is a contraption that lets you see in the dark in either UV or IR. What you all are really referring to is dark adapted vision, and that is my reason for keeping light levels between 0.01Lm and about 18Lm on the top end. Once you lose dark adapted vision, it might take a week to get it back. And if you're always using 600Lm, you never had it.

What CPF has taught me is that brightness doesn't necessarily let you see more. I'll take the Pepsi challenge, and I am sure other low lumeners will join me, seeing more with low lumens and dark adapted vision than no dark adapted vision and 5000Lm. What are we looking at? Something in front of us? Something at the end of the driveway? Something across the field? As others have said, it is application that matters, and what can be seen, not brightness.

But I do support the lumen junkies! I get wowed by bright too, and it is a rush, but low lumens serve my purposes more ideally. High lumens are absolutely necessary during the day, or lighting up wide or far areas at night. What concerns me is right in front of me, 1ft.-8ft. generally, and rarely as far as 30ft-50ft, which you'd be surprised how much there can be seen with carefully kept dark adapted vision and only 18Lm... or no artificial light whatsoever.

 

[5S8Zh5]

During my daily before sunrise walk at the park, high lumen lights are annoying and unnecessary. Malkoff's LLLL is the ticket.

 

[chillinn]

During my daily before sunrise walk at the park, high lumen lights are annoying and unnecessary. Malkoff's LLLL is the ticket.

I have tried to understand what the Malkoff LLLL is, read that group buy thread... and I failed to understand. It's a drop in, right? What are the modes & lumen levels for the LLLL?

 

[Poppy]

Yeah I've got an Emisar D4, at first because I was younger and loved the idea of a pocket rocket, but now I have it because of how intuitive its UI is, where I just hold down the button to get my desired brightness. Maybe I haven't experienced true under 1 lumen brightness yet, but it feels to me like it might be a waste, and you may as well just rely on your night vision? Please let me know the error of my ways, because I know tons of people swear by the super low moonlight modes.

Covid-19 and bored eh?

You know the difference between lumens and lux, own a D4 and Haiku, don't want a pocket rocket and have questions about a general desire for less than 600 lumen lights?

Please explain.

 

[5S8Zh5]

I have tried to understand what the Malkoff LLLL is, read that group buy thread... and I failed to understand. It's a drop in, right? What are the modes & lumen levels for the LLLL?

It is a drop in with one mode. Average around 15 lumens so far.

 

[archimedes]

I don't want to be annoying, but night vision is a contraption that lets you see in the dark in either UV or IR. What you all are really referring to is dark adapted vision....

Yes, (artificial) "night vision" is generally accomplished via ...

• image intensification, with or without
• active (IR) illumination, or
• thermal imaging.

But the term is often also loosely used to refer to dark adapted vision, as you rightly note.

 

[bykfixer]

I have tried to understand what the Malkoff LLLL is, read that group buy thread... and I failed to understand. It's a drop in, right? What are the modes & lumen levels for the LLLL?

It's a one level Malkoff drop in called 4L's and puts out around 24 lumens. Hours and hours of runtime while providing the output of about the same as a 3D Maglite did back in the day. The first group buy had two choices of tint. One a little cooler than a M61N (which iirc is 4400 kelvin) at 5000 kelvin using an XPG and the other a 4000 kelvin using an SST LED.
The second group buy was a 4000 kelvin using the SST.

Oh, I think there was an even warmer 4L group buy before those. But I may be wrong there.

Basically it's a lot of light when you don't need a bunch of lumens and the SST makes it throw like an old E1 used to.

 

[chillinn]

thanks guys, I really felt too bashful to ask in the group buy thread, as there is an explanation there, which I found wanting. "LLLL" gave me the impression it was modded and the modes were like 0.01Lm, 0.30Lm, 0.60Lm and 1Lm. I don't mind being stupid. It is being perceived as stupid that scares me.

 

[peter yetman]

Ah, but when they think you're a fool and you're not, then you have the upper hamd. Been doing it all my life.
P

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Ah, but when they think you're a fool and you're not, then you have the upper hamd. Been doing it all my life.
P

Hand or ham?

 

[peter yetman]

I'd never want to have the upper ham, that way madness lies.
P

 

[chillinn]

LOL!!

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I'd never want to have the upper ham, that way madness lies.
P

OK, then. Thought it might have been an English saying. ...... Or at least, something a restauranteur might say.

 

[orbital]

+

Rotary lights solves the dilemma

 

[vph0107]

Covid-19 and bored eh?

You know the difference between lumens and lux, own a D4 and Haiku, don't want a pocket rocket and have questions about a general desire for less than 600 lumen lights?

Please explain.

No sir, anything but bored. In fact super busy. Gonna be honest, the haiku was an impulse buy and it was second hand. Additionally, that light has an impeccably constructed body, which is a major plus for me. I'm not particularly hard on my gear, at least I try not to be, but the material and built quality give me comfort. The D4 was from when I really was about pocket rockets, but I'm not really about that anymore. I guess after reading the numerous replies to this thread it seems like I've just never given myself the time to fully embrace low light levels.

 

[richardparker]

I would turn the question around and ask why do you need 500 or 600 lumens for EDC? I carry 37 lumen a LED solitaire on my keys for EDC and I don't feel the need for more lumens for reading something or looking at something up close, finding something that fell under the desk or in the back of a closet, for lighting up a key hole or walking down a dark path or set of steps. There are times where I would want a bit more throw, but throw is NOT lumens. I prefer to use as few lumens as possible to get the beam pattern and beam distance that I want, in a EDC flashlight more lumens represents more glare (try reading something with a 500 lumen flashlight), loss of natural night vision, shorter battery life, more heat generated and more unwanted attention.

Fair question. I would say I want the option for more light because my need for a flashlight isnt predictable. If Im walking my dog and hear a noise or when there's animals in the trees in the yard I want to spot, that sort of thing. But all these respeonses do make me consider that one light isnt going to do everything well, and agree that most needs for edc lights will use light at a closer range.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

...fully embrace low light levels.

Consider relaxing in the (total) dark for 45 minutes or so, then ever so gently use the magic of low light to quietly awaken your eyes. Possibly start on your lowest setting with it shining on the ground behind your back. A soft touch and a thoughtful mind will let you see like never before. This time of year is excellent for this.