What's this LEP all about

[bykfixer]

So in the age of LED lights there's a new kid on the block. Cousin LEP is now generating excitement. But basically what is it?

What are Laser Excited Phosphor (LEP) Flashlights?

Laser excited phosphor (LEP) is a technology taking the flashlight market by storm, creating new capabilities for handheld lights.

www.shtfblog.com

Here's a blog that explains the basics of the Light Excited Phospher

Want throw? LEP is a good place to start.

 

[Monocrom]

Yes, such lights can reach out for literally miles. I'll likely add one to my collection, eventually. Unfortunately what you typically get is a very narrow hot-spot with practically zero side-spill. And while the light can reach out for miles, with human eye-sight limitations, you're going to have a hard time making out what you're seeing several miles away. I think of LEP as more of a novelty that is fun to experience for about 5 minutes. Like a lava lamp.

 

[Olumin]

What mono said.

 

[knucklegary]

I would rather have the lava lamp

 

[bykfixer]

I wonder if way way way back in the early LED section some said "pfff, those things suck". Or "that'll never catch on, light bulbs forever"…

 

[aznsx]

I wonder if way way way back in the early LED section some said "pfff, those things suck". Or "that'll never catch on, light bulbs forever"…

Yeah, but I think it's a little different. I was one saying the early LEDs I saw in use by co-workers around me (who constantly asked if they could use my light to see something) sucked, simply because I couldn't see anything properly by the blue light (and clearly they couldn't either), and thus they were clearly worthless compared with my Strion EDIT: Incan. Sounds like LEP is more of the answer to a question nobody (well, me anyway) asked. If they light up a tiny target farther away than I can see with the unaided eye, that sounds more fundamentally useless to me. I at least had hopes that the light usability from LEDs would become good, and it has. I don't even know what to hope for with the LEP thing. Perhaps if it is integrated into some good binoculars?

Back when I checked out some of the rather juvenile types on a different forum one day, the term 'lightsaber' was very popular with them. Sounds like a good description for the LEP, so perhaps they are the market for the them.

EDIT: Corrected Strion 'LED" to 'INCAN'

 

[aznsx]

Yeah, but I think it's a little different. I was one saying the early LEDs I saw in use by co-workers around me (who constantly asked if they could use my light to see something) sucked, simply because I couldn't see anything properly by the blue light (and clearly they couldn't either), and thus they were clearly worthless compared with my Strion EDIT: Incan. Sounds like LEP is more of the answer to a question nobody (well, me anyway) asked. If they light up a tiny target farther away than I can see with the unaided eye, that sounds more fundamentally useless to me. I at least had hopes that the light usability from LEDs would become good, and it has. I don't even know what to hope for with the LEP thing. Perhaps if it is integrated into some good binoculars?

Back when I checked out some of the rather juvenile types on a different forum one day, the term 'lightsaber' was very popular with them. Sounds like a good description for the LEP, so perhaps they are the market for the them.

EDIT: Corrected Strion 'LED" to 'INCAN'. (I used to 'proof' a lot of tech docs for others. Now I'm old and I guess I need someone to 'proof read' stuff for me

Important 'edit bump' - in bold. (I used to 'proof' a lot of tech docs for others. Now I'm old and I guess I need someone to 'proof read' stuff for me

 

[raggie33]

they are ruining this country and im doing all i can do to stop them. ok im being dramtic but im no fan. if i want throw ill go with that new acebeam a19 2.0

 

[thermal guy]

Your start to see combinations of lep/led in the same light. Not that's going to be the next big thing imo.

 

[3_gun]

As prices drop I expect to see a BIG move of LEP lights into the weapon(s) based use. I have an Acebeam L17 on a carbine, works well but it doesn't have the range to be used on my 30-06 & a current LED that can reach 400+ yards with bright light & little spill doesn't exist & if it did I'm pretty sure it'd be to large to be handy.

ADD: Look what I just found in my email .. The Olight Valkyrie Turbo has one of the farthest throwing LEP weapon lights market at 530 meters. Combined with its 250 max lumen output, this is a perfect all around light for long-range illumination and target practice.

 

[raymond~]

The Valkyrie Turbo LEP doesn't really throw it out that far effectively, in my opinion. It's a specialized 'tool' with a narrow application so the onus is on us to choose and apply its use wisely. It's practical use is that it doesn't screw with night vision vs, say, a super bright thrower which might have much more spill. If in an outdoor SAR environment, having a 5-10º beam angle preserves night vision better.

 

[jtr1962]

Yeah, but I think it's a little different. I was one saying the early LEDs I saw in use by co-workers around me (who constantly asked if they could use my light to see something) sucked, simply because I couldn't see anything properly by the blue light (and clearly they couldn't either), and thus they were clearly worthless compared with my Strion EDIT: Incan. Sounds like LEP is more of the answer to a question nobody (well, me anyway) asked. If they light up a tiny target farther away than I can see with the unaided eye, that sounds more fundamentally useless to me. I at least had hopes that the light usability from LEDs would become good, and it has. I don't even know what to hope for with the LEP thing. Perhaps if it is integrated into some good binoculars?

Back when I checked out some of the rather juvenile types on a different forum one day, the term 'lightsaber' was very popular with them. Sounds like a good description for the LEP, so perhaps they are the market for the them.

EDIT: Corrected Strion 'LED" to 'INCAN'

Back in the early days of LEDs, knowing what I did about semiconductor manufacturing, I used to say these things are going to take over the world. I knew they would eventually reach and surpass the efficiencies of fluorescent and other discharge lamps. I knew any issues with color would eventually be resolved. It was more a matter of when than if. Back in those days I said probably by 2020 or thereabouts LED will have a large share of the market, if not the majority.

LEDs actually got me interested in portable lighting. My main use was for my bike. I tried incandescent solutions in the past and just gave up. The run time was too short, the bulbs constantly burnt out every time rough roads jarred the filament, replacements were $5 or more. Even when everything was working well you couldn't get much light without a huge battery. I briefly tried a 6Ah, 6V lead-acid battery, for example but even that was less than stellar.

When LEDs came around at first they weren't any more efficient than incandescents. Once they got to maybe 75 lm/W I retrofitted an old halogen bike light. That combined with the NiMH AA batteries gave me enough run time at a sufficient output to last for my rides. Things have only gotten much better since.

I'm kind of agreeing that for now anyway LEP seems to be a solution in search of a problem, although evidently enough people are buying it so that it's worthwhile to make. Efficiency seems to be only around 1/3 of LED but that's still good enough given that ALL of the light goes into the narrow beam. Try to focus an LED that tightly, you'll probably be lucky to get 1/3 in the main beam, with the rest ending up as spill.

The big issue for now with LEP is cost. I doubt we'll see any $10 LEP flashlights at Walmart any time soon. But I guess those who need them for a specific application are happy paying current price points. It'll be interesting seeing where things go from here. LEP is probably where LED was perhaps a decade ago.

 

[3_gun]

The Valkyrie Turbo LEP doesn't really throw it out that far effectively, in my opinion. It's a specialized 'tool' with a narrow application so the onus is on us to choose and apply its application wisely.

As it is a handgun sized light even 1/2 the claimed throw is about 5x the range of a common handgun. At those kind of distances the lack of spill would be a negative for most / many users.

A 1 1/2" head LEP powered by 3 123a(9v) batteries would most likely get you out to 400yds in a package many would find workable. Guys will spend hundreds to make a 8lb rifle 6 1/2lbs. Size matters. Heck if it was a bit less I might even replace the L17 with it. But the lack of spill given the range limits / uses of a carbine a LEP is probably not ideal

 

[aznsx]

Back in the early days of LEDs, knowing what I did about semiconductor manufacturing, I used to say these things are going to take over the world. I knew they would eventually reach and surpass the efficiencies of fluorescent and other discharge lamps. I knew any issues with color would eventually be resolved. It was more a matter of when than if. Back in those days I said probably by 2020 or thereabouts LED will have a large share of the market, if not the majority.

LEDs actually got me interested in portable lighting. My main use was for my bike. I tried incandescent solutions in the past and just gave up. The run time was too short, the bulbs constantly burnt out every time rough roads jarred the filament, replacements were $5 or more. Even when everything was working well you couldn't get much light without a huge battery. I briefly tried a 6Ah, 6V lead-acid battery, for example but even that was less than stellar.

When LEDs came around at first they weren't any more efficient than incandescents. Once they got to maybe 75 lm/W I retrofitted an old halogen bike light. That combined with the NiMH AA batteries gave me enough run time at a sufficient output to last for my rides. Things have only gotten much better since.

I'm kind of agreeing that for now anyway LEP seems to be a solution in search of a problem, although evidently enough people are buying it so that it's worthwhile to make. Efficiency seems to be only around 1/3 of LED but that's still good enough given that ALL of the light goes into the narrow beam. Try to focus an LED that tightly, you'll probably be lucky to get 1/3 in the main beam, with the rest ending up as spill.

The big issue for now with LEP is cost. I doubt we'll see any $10 LEP flashlights at Walmart any time soon. But I guess those who need them for a specific application are happy paying current price points. It'll be interesting seeing where things go from here. LEP is probably where LED was perhaps a decade ago.

3_gun mentioned the potential application of a weapon light for a long range long gun with long optics, not unlike the binocular thing I tossed out for grins because I couldn't think of anything else, and that might be a valid use. But let's not discount the number of 'lightsaber' kids who are likely buying them in good numbers now. That could fuel the market nicely for a short while, but after that fad burns itself out, I'm still not too sure about the future of it; not from a technology / cost / feasibility standpoint at all, but rather from my suspicion that legit applications may be few. It might be one of those 'just because you can do something doesn't mean you should' things

 

[desert.snake]

I already see 1 moving lens laser light - acebeam w50, very comfortably. Maybe cheap versions will appear, where 2 lenses are movable and fixed, the flashlight itself and the main lens will be sealed, but the movable lens will not be sealed and move manually like a sipik. A nozzle with a movable lens or diffuser for close range can be made by yourself, this is not a problem. The main problem is that they don't have really weak levels.

It could be used for similar work, for more point illumination of the place of work from the ground, for illumination of industrial climbers and just architectural lighting.



Maybe if a laser light could only be made to emit infrared light, then it would make sense in combination with night vision goggles and long range rifle.

 

[badtziscool]

Here's a question for you folks. LEP stands for Laser Excited Phosphor. Does it necessarily imply that the light emitted HAS TO go through a lens to focus it into such a narrow beam? Could the light be projected in a different manner? Maybe a lens that projects a broader beam pattern? What benefits do exciting the phosphor with a laser bring over the typical LED?

 

[bykfixer]

Leave it up to Nebo to take a novel approach to the LEP. Kinda pricey but the user can use it for long range, cob or both combined.
It's a start……

Nebo Luxtreme SL100 spotlight | 1mile LEP + COB flashlight pistol style

The Nebo Luxtreme SL100 spotlight has 2 light sources: COB and LEP. The LEP is able to reach 1 mile, while the COB is used to light up everything close by.

lepflashlight.com

 

[Remembertheslap]

Here's a question for you folks. LEP stands for Laser Excited Phosphor. Does it necessarily imply that the light emitted HAS TO go through a lens to focus it into such a narrow beam? Could the light be projected in a different manner? Maybe a lens that projects a broader beam pattern? What benefits do exciting the phosphor with a laser bring over the typical LED?

I own neither a LEP nor a lense-focused LED thrower. But, going by the specs of various units, it seems the LEPs get about double the throw, at the same lumens. The humongous reflector LED units seem to match the throw of LEPs at the same lumens. So, the advantage of LEPs seems to be form factor more than anything. Easier to mount under a rifle.... Does seem to be a different "quality" to the LEP light. But it can be diffused, as per the example in this video.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I know very little about LEP optics but I'd sure like to see a focusable version of one if it's possible.

 

[Timothybil]

So far this all has been vary enlightening. One of the first thoughts I had after seeing the beam comparison was how well would an LEP do as a SAR light, specifically a rough-country SAR where beam distance would be more important? It would obviously not be the only light needed. A longer throw LED would be needed for closer examinations where spill would be needed.