What flashlight in the rainforest?

[Walterk]

What cells do you want to use? Recheargeble or not?
How much time do you have the light on at night at average?

If you feel fine with 18650, then the 3T6 together with a reliable headlamp with low and medium modes will be good.
Anyways and obvious, your cells are important resources, don't use more light then you need in a situation.

I like the beam of the Fenix TK40 for on the water, spill but reflections from the spill of the water doesn't blind you.

 

[Adriano]

What cells do you want to use? Recheargeble or not?

I'd to use the cells giving the best run time.

How much time do you have the light on at night at average?

Two hours every night for 0ne week but I cannot recharge batteries. I have take with me some batteries.

If you feel fine with 18650, then the 3T6 together with a reliable headlamp with low and medium modes will be good.
Anyways and obvious, your cells are important resources, don't use more light then you need in a situation.

I'm sorry but I don't like a headlamp.[/QUOTE] I like a very flashlight with two functions: with a very strong throw but with floody too (switch Mode).

 

[Walterk]

The biggest light with the most cells in it, will give the longest runtime.
Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rechargeable_battery, to find out what chemistry has the highest 'energy density'.
There is no cell that gives the best runtime. There are cells with the highest energy density, the longest runtime for the weight.
I would choose Lithium-Ion, like the 18650.
Considering the given 'energy density', each cell holds a certain amount of ampere hour' . When you have chosen a light, use it, so you can estimate in advance how many spare cells you have to carry in your backpack when you are in the woods for a week.

Then don't take a headlamp. But do take another flashlight so you don't have to replace batteries without eyes.

Very strong throw and floody....that means a 'zoom'-light or flood-to-throw.
There are very little zoom-lights with high output. From technical point they are hard to make, making them expensive.
Search for Ledlenser. Remember, you need a big diameter to have throw. A Trustfire or Romisen with a 30mm lens doesn't cut it. Think of 50mm.
I have about six zoom lights, and none of the budgetlights is waterproof, not even the Ledlenser. There are no waterproof zoomlights.

However, there are lights that are throwy, but also have spill in an amount that is usefull.
Several Fenix lights have good beams for you with throw and enough flood. The Fenix TK40 is much favoured for it.
Do a search on 'beamshots', 'review' or 'comparison' to see the differences in the beams of flashlights available.
I would choose the Fenix TK35, reviewed here Link1 and Link2. Compact and more then sufficient.

From reviews I know that there are four reasons why I choose Fenix over Trustfire:
- They have better heatsinking, meaning u use less batteries in a week.
- The driver is 'potted', sealed in epoxy. Humidity, water, rain, will not harm the vital parts. The led and reflector are sealed also by O-rings and epoxy.
- They are not much more expensive then budgetlights.

Of course, as I haven't been in the rainforrest, and you go there all the time, you can tell me better if it is imortant to have a light that is moist proof.

 

[elugelab]

How bout Fenix LD40?

It has a neutral white led, so it gives a good color rendition, which is very useful in a rainforest.
It uses 4xAA NiMH or alkaline batteries (wouldn't recommend on using alkalines though), so you'll get very good runtimes.
It has 4 brightness modes: Turbo (248 lumens, 3 hours 13 minutes)->High (110 lumens, 9 hours 42 minutes)->Mid (43 lumens, 27 hours)->Low (4 lumens, 245 hours)
It has a smooth reflector, so it's probably quite throwy.
It has waterproof to IPX-8 standard.
It's good quality, unlike those Trustfire lights (you wouldn't want the light to fail you in a rainforest).

 

[Adriano]

Of course, as I haven't been in the rainforrest, and you go there all the time, you can tell me better if it is imortant to have a light that is moist proof.

Very interesting news yours. By the links you have given me I have noticed Fenix TK35 and Fenix TK40 are wonderful lights. Do you know if there is a review about Fenix TK40? I will take them into consideration. I tell you for one week is it not important to get a prof for the moist.
Thanks for your news.

PS. Why Fenix TK35 has 820 lumens and Fenix TK40 630 lumens and you tell me Fenix TK40 has more throws and more wide?

 

[Walterk]

http://www.google.com/search?q=review+tk40&sitesearch=www.candlepowerforums.com

Happy to obligue. Let us know what you've purchased in the end ok?

 

[labrat]

You are going into a real life rain forest?
LED's is not what works well in there, HID's or incans is the only thing that will let you see all the tiny details, especially in the low light or complete darkness.
Using LED's will be like looking through poor quality sunglasses: Everything will blend into what is next to it!

 

[Adriano]

[
Happy to obligue. Let us know what you've purchased in the end ok?

I'm noticing fenix TK60 is the best. What is your opinion about it?

 

[Adriano]

You are going into a real life rain forest?
LED's is not what works well in there, HID's or incans is the only thing that will let you see all the tiny details, especially in the low light or complete darkness.
Using LED's will be like looking through poor quality sunglasses: Everything will blend into what is next to it!

May be you are right but I think HID's are much more expensive than Led flashlights and they suck much more batteries.

 

[Walterk]

Judging and choosing is up to you. I know nothing about the light but what I've read here.
But I don't like what I see. Not the white-wall picture nor how they mounted the led.

186500 is wise. Better dont go to C or D cells.

Judge lights at pictures of their beams, beamshots, not by advertised specifications. Lumen in the advertisement mean NOTHINIG. Ever.
Really, there is always something bigger, better, more expensive, but something like TK35 is really sensible.

 

[selfbuilt]

You are going into a real life rain forest?
LED's is not what works well in there, HID's or incans is the only thing that will let you see all the tiny details, especially in the low light or complete darkness. Using LED's will be like looking through poor quality sunglasses: Everything will blend into what is next to it!

As someone who has been in a real rainforest for several weeks (without access to an electrical grid beyond diesel-powered generators), I can tell you I heard the same thing from other travellers and locals about the "benefits" of incans.

But that's because their experience of LEDs were limited to cheap, low-power, 5mm bluish-tint ones. My tiny little first-gen D-mini (~50 lumens, and 5650 lux @1m, or 150m beam distance) blew away EVERYONE's 2D or 3D stock incan mags. They all wanted to buy it off me.

Oh, and as for HIDs, I vividly recall the nature guide ranting about a previous traveller who brought one along. The bloody thing blinded everyone, and was useless for actually spoting anything. The reason (aside from blinding blow-back) is that most animal blend into their environment very well in a rainforest. To spot them, what you actually need is a a low-power light with decent throw, held at the level of your eyes, looking for eyeshine. I actually used that D-mini on Lo most of the time, as it was BETTER to see things that way.

Again, take it for it is worth, but less is more in this setting. If you really feel compelled to take something with multiple 18650s and high-powered, at least the TK35 has plenty of low modes.

 

[Adriano]

Why is it so difficult to find a Xtar S1 seller? Does anyone know a web site with a good price and free shipping? THanks

 

[Walterk]

It throws.... and you are back at 3 x XM-L again.

 

[jorn]

Again, take it for it is worth, but less is more in this setting. If you really feel compelled to take something with multiple 18650s and high-powered, at least the TK35 has plenty of low modes.

Agree. Superbright light are fun around the house (lots of ambient light), and for showing off. But when im spending a night outside, the most used lights are pretty dim ones with great runtimes. The second you turn on even 200 lumens, you will ruin the nightvision for all folks around you for the next 30 min or so. (Most of my friends got crappy lights and depends mostly on their nightvision). A 1000 lumen light impressed the heck out of them at fist, but they dident like it when i turned it off.
Funny thing about lumens is that 2000 lumens wont be twice as bright as 1000. It sounds like a huge jump in output, but our eyes wont see it as anywhere near twice as bright. For a light to appear twice as bright, you need ~ 4x the output in lumens. 3x xm-l's will not look tree times as bright as a light with a single xm-l, but it will have 1/3 of the runtime.

 

[labrat]

Both HID's and incans suck more batteries.
Incans not necessarily that much more expensive, if you have time to look around.
But not that easily available, I agree on that!
But being in a dark rainforest, with green all around you!
Colors is mostly in the dark shades of green, grey and brown.
Except if you are really lucky and meet some small creatures with bright colors to warn you off!
LED's is for helping you maneuver and see mostly what is in front of you.
Or in technical environments, where they do great.
But outside, like where you are going, they "suck" !
Only not batteries!

 

[selfbuilt]

But being in a dark rainforest, with green all around you!
Colors is mostly in the dark shades of green, grey and brown.
Except if you are really lucky and meet some small creatures with bright colors to warn you off!
LED's is for helping you maneuver and see mostly what is in front of you.
Or in technical environments, where they do great.
But outside, like where you are going, they "suck" !

This is a commonly held view here (and elsewhere in the real world), and I don't expect to be able to dis-abuse anyone of it.

But I have slept in the green-gray-brown rainforest environment for weeks, and any of the fellow travellers I came across with an incan would gladly have traded it for any of my LED lights (and they weren't even aware of how they sip battery power in comparison). The slightly better color rendition index of incans is STILL not enough to help you spot well-camouflaged animals that aren't moving. It may seem counter-intuitive, but slightly more accurate color rendition is of little help in that environment (think of the effect of a bucket in the ocean, for a rough metaphor). Neutral/warmer tints may be preferred for relative perception, but proper technique for low-level light use for animal spotting is what's required.

It's much the same in photography. Many of the those I came across readily admitted that my LEDs were far superior for night-time viewing than their lights, because they could see it immediately (note, most of them didn't believe they were LEDs). But when I started taking pictures, they all again said that LEDs just aren't appropriate for photography. Below are some pics from my nightime excursions on that trip, all illuminated solely by the spill of one of my LEDs (i.e., no camera flash), with a basic point-and-shoot digital camera:

Again, they were surprised when looking at my pics on the camera the next day, as they didn't think LEDs could render green-browns. :shrug:

And as for the issue of size, I would not lug a Xtar S1 down there personally. The TK35 is again probably the max I would consider.

 

[Walterk]

Enlight me, what is 'lightwise' typical for rainforrest ?

Overhead ceiling of tree tops completely blocking moon and starlight?
Little light reflected back from the environment?
Everything green and brown wherever you look?

 

[BenChiew]

You should try to check out the Malkoff M61LLL 219 Nichia. 4500k about 40 lumens. On 2 cr123, you get full power runtime of 15 hours and then a very long taper afterwards. No need for loads of primaries. Best color rendition, almost like sunlight.

I use Surefire 6p as the host. I use it to light up the campsite in dense tropical rainforest of Malaysia.
You can also get a fair bit of throw and good spill with the M61LL 219.

 

[Adriano]

I have almost decided my purchase. I will buy a Fenix TK35 because it has a very good throw and there are also a few modes of output. But ... what a pity! .... Fenix TK35 light has a greenish light and I cannot take good pictures with it. Fenix P1D-CE has a betterl white light. When I will buy the Fenix TK35 I will need also the battery charger. I have found JETBeam Intellicharger i4 Battery Charger. Is it a good charger? Some info please?
Thanks

PS. Good the Malkoff M61LLL 219 Nichia too.

 

[selfbuilt]

Enlight me, what is 'lightwise' typical for rainforrest ?
Overhead ceiling of tree tops completely blocking moon and starlight?
Little light reflected back from the environment?
Everything green and brown wherever you look?

For primary rainforest, yes, that's pretty much it exactly. Canopy virtually completely blocks out the sky, making it fairly dim even during the day. Oh, and 100% humidity, so I strongly recommend packing light with performance gear - little cotton if you can help it.

Secondary ranforest (i.e., one recovering from deforestation or some other major disturbance), or areas nearer settlements can be more like "typical" forests, depending on the state of degradation/recovery.

I have almost decided my purchase. I will buy a Fenix TK35 because it has a very good throw and there are also a few modes of output. But ... what a pity! .... Fenix TK35 light has a greenish light and I cannot take good pictures with it. Fenix P1D-CE has a betterl white light. When I will buy the Fenix TK35 I will need also the battery charger. I have found JETBeam Intellicharger i4 Battery Charger. Is it a good charger? Some info please?

Don't worry about the TK35 ... if you are basing that "green" comment on my review, that was just one sample from early in the production run. And besides, it was only "relatively' green for a cool white emitter. IIRC, my D-mini (which was used for most of the those pics) also had a noticeable green cast too. It doesn't particularly matter - the camera's auto white balance should do fine.

And the i4 charger should do fine. It's actually a good choice, as it can handle all battery types, including NiMH AA/AAA.