what is the best flash light for shooting long distances?

[snapper]

I am looking for a flash light that will shine a good ways.. like when i am tring to locate somethin in the yard or up in a tree.. i love leds but they aint got no throw. So what would be your reccomendations? and also decent battery life.. Please try to keep your prices as low as possible..

Later, snapper

 

[Rothrandir]

i have an streamlight ultrastinger and it throws far! it has a 1hr battery life and really easy to charge! you can get it w/ fast ac/dc 2.5 hour charger for about $120 at www.brightguy.com . he is great to deal with, and he sells the half dimpled-half smooth reflector for great throw and quality.

i think the flashlight that throws the farthest is the streamlight sl-35, but the ultrastinger is close, and is brighter in overal brightness. i don't know about batt life as i don't have one.

tigerlight is also a great light from what i have heard. it is said to ge brighter than an us, m6 and even 10x (not as many lumens but is brighter) it might not throw as far as the us, but then again it might...no one can seem to give a definitive answer.

 

[SuRgE]

Snapper,

Whats your price range? If money is not an issue then I 2nd Rothrandir.

 

[bucken]

Think about PT Surge... $25.95 + shipping at Bright Guy.
Surge

 

[Josh]

I would go for the US.

 

[txwest]

[No message]

 

[txwest]

If I weren't going to have to carry it (like just use it around the yard), I pick one of the many rechargables spotlights available for around $15. Only 20 min run time, but on a light you're just going to use to check something out, that's about 15 min more than you need. I have 2 of them & they're both very good lights. If you're going to be carrying it, I'ld choose the Ultra Stinger. If price is a factor, then the Surge. TX

 

[SuRgE]

Txwest hit it right on the button!

 

[ikendu]

I agree...it depends on your usage.

Are you going to carry this around?
Will you be using it routinely (hrs of light/mo)?
Will you be using it away from AC power?...for an extended period of time?
Just how far is "far" for light throw?

The light I use for this is the UK 4AA AS2.
It'll give about 5 hrs on a load of batteries.

UK 4AA AS2 w/switch about $20 delivered

Since it is AA based, I have a variety of options for power.

Lithiums for long shelf life for emergencies or cold weather dependability.
Alkalines for decent shelf life and low cost operation.
NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) for REALLY low cost at high usage.

THe UK itself is compact (easy to slide in and out of the pocket) so if it is used for a hike or a long walk, easy to carry (not an issue if you are always in your back yard, etc.). The focus is preset to a nice tight spot and will "throw" about 150 feet. I usually use it in conjunction with a compact, long lasting LED that puts out a nice "flood" type beam (PT Attitude, 4AAA or Infinity Ultra, 1AA). The Ultra makes a nice companion for extended use as it can take AAs from the UK after they are "dead" and continue to produce light in the LED.

Although, the UK won't throw nearly as far as some of the other lights others have mentioned...it all depends on your usage.

A good light to experiment with that doesn't cost much to try out is the Brinkmann LX ($20 from Walmart). It uses expensive 123a lithiums ($10 a pair at Walmart) and runs about an hour, so... pricey to use routinely but it is quite bright and will "throw" quite decently.

 

[brightnorm]

Originally posted by ikendu:
The light I use for this is the UK 4AA AS2.
It'll give about 5 hrs on a load of batteries.....

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Ikendu,

I agree that 4AA lights offer(IMO)the best combination of runtime, weight, size and battery choice for general use currently available. The UK4AA with the 14801 lamp and that unique new switch or the Mini Q40 are two of the finest examples of this class of lights. The 2L offers most of the advantages of the 4AA in a tiny package with somewhat reduced runtime and no battery choice.

Brightnorm

 

[Sigman]

I indeed like my UK 4AA, however one of the best lights I own that really throws well, is the UK SL4. Brightguy has them for $28. I was in a Costco Warehouse with their BRIGHT lighting and was able to hit the wall (it was a loooooong way off) with the beam's hotspot! I was impressed and bought it on the spot.

<a href="http://www.brightguy.com/detail_int.tpl?cart=30547485718713&sku=UND80009" target="_blank">

UK SL4 - Click on pic.</a>

 

[txwest]

I totaly agree with the views on the UK 4AA & the SL4. I have both of them. But for mass light output & very bright center spot, neither come close to my 500,000 CP Dorcey spotlight. I even picked up a Q-Beam 1 million CP a few weeks ago when Walmart was having their flashlight sale, for about $20, but took it back. It was no brighter than my Dorcey, & much larger. TX

 

[txwest]

While we're talking about the SL4, does anyone know why it makes such a "clean" center spot with a polished reflector. The only light I have that's better would be the SF T-head with the N1 or N2 lamps. Is mine an odity, or are they all like this? Is the SL6 as good? If this is normal, why can't the other mfgts duplicate it? TX

 

[EMPOWERTORCH]

My TigerHead 2C is able to project a fine pencil beam of 300 ft or more! Not bad for old fashoned tungsten technology. Retrofit it with an MES halogen bulb then you've got serious light power!
The tungsten bulb would have a longer life though!
I believe that Agilent manufacture some very narrow beam LED's which would prject a long way at a small target. The inbuilt optics of these LED's focus all the available photons into very tight beam (2 to 4 degrees) resulting in a very intense spot of light. That's why they have such high mcd ratings (50000mcd is not uncommon).
Fitting two or three of these in a torch, providing they are lined up properly, should give very intense beam of light from a low curent source. So, LED's CAN have long throw!
I have a BT2 fitted with some 8000mcd orange Toshiba LED's with an 8 degree beam angle. In good conditions I was able to light up signboards and car numberplates from up to 3/4 of a mile away, and white walls from 800 metres away. Admittedly this was in a low lightpollution area.
Still pretty impresive from a torch measuring 12 cm in length!

 

[ikendu]

Hmmm. This is interesting.
Bright LEDs with very narrow beams?! Anyone got a source for these?

 

[logicnerd411]

Originally posted by Sigman:
I indeed like my UK 4AA, however one of the best lights I own that really throws well, is the UK SL4. Brightguy has them for $28. I was in a Costco Warehouse with their BRIGHT lighting and was able to hit the wall (it was a loooooong way off) with the beam's hotspot! I was impressed and bought it on the spot.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Costco Warehouse sells lights? Decent lights? WHERE!