What is flashlight spec "range"

[JimH]

Repeating the title of this thread, What, exactly, is meant by the "range" specification for flashlights.

Almost all flashlights list a specification called "range" or "Max beam length" (100M, 300M, etc). What exactly is "range"?

Does it mean that you can see a street reflector at the specified range ? - probably.

I personally, would prefer some definition that would at least allow a person with 20/20 vision, or maybe low power binoculars, to be able to distinguish, at a minimum, a fox from an old english sheepdog, or maybe a coyote from a child on hands and knees, when illuminated at the specified "range".

I have a Fenix TK30, which, by the way, I love. It lists "Max beam length" as 300M. I can, indeed, see reflective surfaces out to about 300M. However, I would say that the usable range. based on my coyote definition, is more likely to be around 100M, probably less.

Does anyone have any thoughts on which brands give the most/least realistic values for usable range?

 

[StarHalo]

There is no realistic range value, it's a completely imprecise and misleading way to sell a light source (including lasers). And the bigger the light, the worse an idea it is; the range at which I can see an object lit/reflecting with my Stanley HID on a clear night varies by about an eighth of a mile depending on moisture and particle content of the air.

 

[FlashCrazy]

As StarHalo said, there's no set standard. You can hand the same flashlight to two different people out in a field and have them give you a range estimate after using the light. One may say "Well, I can faintly see the flashlight's beam on that tree line that is 300 yards away... I'd say the range is 300 yards." The other may say "I can hardly make out the style of wheels on that car that's about 250 feet away... the range is clearly 250 feet or less." Everyone will have a differing opinion... plus things such as ambient light, moisture in the air (as StarHalo said), the color of the target object/s, etc... all of these will affect the effective range.

Some manufacturers do have a standard of sorts that they use, such as distance to where there is still a certain lux or lux per meter squared measured on the target object... but most range numbers are just guesstimates, or flat-out hype.

 

[Dude Dudeson]

Then there's the amount of ambient light - my 6P/M60 is far more impressive on a moonless night than in a full moon.

 

[jhc37013]

This has always been something I have thought about also so awhile back I started a thread and got some useful info.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=232945

 

[kramer5150]

Its nothing more than an attempt to illustrate superiority by publishing un-substantiated performance specifications. Like published lumen specifications, it should be ignored.

 

[Yoda4561]

Man. specs are usually some cobbled together bs number. Other's, like the ones on the Malkoff website, are an estimation of how far a person with average vision can see at night and tell the difference between say, a chicken and a white 5 gallon bucket.

 

[leukos]

This has always been something I have thought about also so awhile back I started a thread and got some useful info.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=232945

Interesting responses. With so many different opinions on what constitutes throw, no wonder manufacturers can make whatever claims they want and we will still buy it.

I think I am with you JimH, if a manufacturer wants to put a "range" on throw, then it can't be lighting up a reflective object or even a white object. Probably "range" should be grounded in something useful for law enforcement and military such as usable "range" for identifying a target. In my opinion, that would mean enough light down range to determine what those glowing eyes belong to....deer, coyote, cat, enemy combatant, etc. This would mean enough light to light up the color of fur, feathers, or fatigues at that given "range" with the naked eye.

 

[Saint_Dogbert]

I would be seriously worried if any humanoid combatants had glowing eyes.

 

[Magic Matt]

The reflectivity of an object is very subjective. If they say the beam reaches 300m, then it probably can illuminate something 300m with a high reflectivity index (like a road sign). It's ability to illuminate a tree against a dark background, which will have an incredibly low reflectivity index, is far less useful.

 

[Magic Matt]

I would be seriously worried if any humanoid combatants had glowing eyes.

My eyes glow.

My contact lenses have some sort of pigment in them that glows under UV light - great fun if I walk under a blacklight. LOL!