What's the DIMMEST flashlight?

[bykfixer]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

My sure fire 6P with a P61 after 45 minutes.

Or my buddies 6P with $6 (1000 lumen) LED drop in after 8 minutes...

The glow of the emitter was actually brighter after he switched it off....
(Star Trek dude Scotty voice) "Captain; she's gonna blow!" lol

 

[DimmerD]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

Titan T1A, it's the only led light that I can even attempt to look directly at the emitter; on low of course.

 

[Swedpat]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

paulr,

I have not tried any of the lights you mention. But the dimmiest light I know(with controlled level) is my Armytek Viking: at the lowest mode the brightness is so low that I can hold the light direct to my eye without beeing dazzled(well; in darkness with dark adapted eyes, maybe).
I would guesstimate the brightness to be somewhere between 1/50 to 1/100 lumen. This level is so low that I barely can see my way in total darkness. It would be perfect to check the wristwatch or read some text on a paper sitting in a cinema, without disturbing the other visitors.

 

[lumen aeternum]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I can put my Zebralight into a nice very dim mode and turn it off, but when I turn it on, I can see the low mode for an instant, but then it goes into a much higher brightness. I can't get my finger off the button fast enough. What gives?

 

[KeepingItLight]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I can put my Zebralight into a nice very dim mode and turn it off, but when I turn it on, I can see the low mode for an instant, but then it goes into a much higher brightness. I can't get my finger off the button fast enough. What gives?

Zebralights do not have mode memory (except as described below). The reason you are not getting low, is because you are releasing the button too fast!

From off:

1 click = hi
2 clicks = med
3 clicks = strobe
4 clicks = battery check
Press & hold (momentarily) = low
Press & hold (longer) = cycle: low, med, hi, repeat

Once on:

1 click = off
2 clicks = switch to an alternate for the mode you are in (low, med, hi, strobe)
Press & hold = cycle: low, med, hi, repeat

The alternate modes you select when the flashlight is on will be memorized. If you select an alternate low mode, for instance, the next time you go to low, your alternate will be used. Ditto for med, hi, and strobe.

Programming the alternate modes:

In any of the constant brightness modes (low, med, hi), double-click 6 times (i.e., click 12 times fast). After that, double-click some more to cycle through the available alternates. When you see one that you like, click once to select it. This will also turn off the flashlight.

Hope this helps.

 

[jabe1]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I'm surprised to see no mention of any QTC controlled lights. My Quantum DD, and my Peaks all can go low enough to look directly at the led when in a dark room. Lower than any of the others I own, including PALights.

 

[KuanR]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I have to say the dimmest light I have seen is the Spy 007 and Tri-V. I can program the light down to a low that I could BARELY see the emitter was on in a dark room.

It's brightness can be lower than a 1.5x6mm tritium vial

 

[reppans]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

Okay, that explains why you earlier said that anything lower than 0.1 lumens is too dim. You're probably really getting 0.01 or 0.02 lumens, which is about what I also find to be the dimmest useful setting for a moonlight mode.

A rough rule of thumb for Zebralight moonlight specs is to divide them by 10 and that's probably the real lumen output.

They're more accurate on their medium and high output specs. I'm not sure why they're so off on their moonlight specs. Perhaps they just don't have equipment to measure such dim modes accurately.

Good rule of thumb for ZL.

As to why? Probably to appear a lot more efficient than competitor offerings? Most folks don't collect as we flashaholic do and probably would never know the difference.

I'm surprised to see no mention of any QTC controlled lights. My Quantum DD, and my Peaks all can go low enough to look directly at the led when in a dark room. Lower than any of the others I own, including PALights.

Unfortunately Peak QTCs can't seem to hold low low outputs consistently - gets brighter for a few minutes as the QTC settles, and then gets dimmer as the battery depletes. Quite fiddly trying to maintain a fixed sub-lumen output.

 

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

Hmm, think a Solitaire's probably a contender. Though I have got one which is for some obscure reason about 5 times brighter than the other two...so maybe the two I'm comparing too are broken.

Yeah, I looked it up: Magnalite Solitaire - 2 lumens :green::green: :green::green:

:duh2:

:touche:

 

[ginaz]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

Jetbeam RRT01 goes so imperceptibly low that you would have a hard time seeing it in pitch black darkness looking directly at the LED

this. you can't get any lower

 

[more_vampires]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

Yeah, I looked it up: Magnalite Solitaire - 2 lumens :green::green: :green::green:

:duh2:

:touche:

Don't forget what happens to an incan as the battery dies. That's probably 2 lumens at turn on, huh?

 

[H-Man]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I can get an XML to go so dim that it is glowing red. Can't remember current, but the e-switches likely pull more.

 

[FRITZHID]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I can get an XML to go so dim that it is glowing red. Can't remember current, but the e-switches likely pull more.

Neat! I wanna see a white xml run red!

 

[H-Man]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I think I used a 10k or 100k pot and 2 AA cells. It is because the phosphor is absorbing all blue light that this happens I think.

 

[Prepped]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I just picked up at Nitecore SRT5, and it gets incredibly low. It makes the moonlight mode on my TN12, and S1 baton look blinding. I'm very happy with it.

 

[acl1986]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I just picked up at Nitecore SRT5, and it gets incredibly low. It makes the moonlight mode on my TN12, and S1 baton look blinding. I'm very happy with it.

Just curious, what do you use such dim lighting for? I imagined using the TN12 for late night bathroom trips, but dimmer that that and I wouldn't see a thing!

 

[Prepped]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

Just curious, what do you use such dim lighting for? I imagined using the TN12 for late night bathroom trips, but dimmer that that and I wouldn't see a thing!

I'm in the Marine Corps. When we go to the field, we're often out in the middle of nowhere, and a dim light can be very bright. A lot of times, we're restricted to using red light, which the SRT5 has. When it's time for firewatch, I wanted something very dim so as not to disturb my buddy who's in the tent with me. Also, sometimes I need to look through gear and such, and need something very dim so as not to reveal our position when we are doing a force on force scenario.

 

[more_vampires]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I'm in the Marine Corps. When we go to the field, we're often out in the middle of nowhere, and a dim light can be very bright. A lot of times, we're restricted to using red light, which the SRT5 has. When it's time for firewatch, I wanted something very dim so as not to disturb my buddy who's in the tent with me. Also, sometimes I need to look through gear and such, and need something very dim so as not to reveal our position when we are doing a force on force scenario.

In that case, Photon Covert (red.) If you can't find one, you can convert a Photon Red into a Covert Red with a bit of electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.

It's a classic.

 

[Bigmac_79]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

My dimmest light is the Niteye EYE10 - it has an infinitely variable magnetic control ring. I can pick it up in the middle of the night, when I've been asleep for hours and my eyes are completely night adjusted, and start rotating the ring very slowly, and stare right at the emitter, and I can barely see when it first turns on--at first it doesn't seem to really turn on, but just sort of change color. It's so dim I literally can't tell if it's on or not when I stare directly at it from centimeters away.

 

[jorn]

Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?

I dont think we can take the "firefly lumen ratings" for granted. I bought a lot of trunite ti's and they did not have the same brightness in fireflymode. Why? small variations can do alot of difference when we are talking sub-sub lumen lights. Small differenes like Vf, how the led is centered, focused etc etc might make the difference.
Anyway, if you want the dimmest light, its the low lux youre after, not low lumens.

A 0,1 lumen thrower will look blinding bright compared with a 1 lumen flood light.