Newb to Flashlights here..

tobjectpascal

Banned
Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
177
ok first off, I'm a Security Gaurd and just recently my job has required me to do static gaurd work, basically patrolling around and looking in bushes etc etc you get the idea...

Most police/secruity use maglites, why? not because they're bright but because we can hit people with them lol :grin2:

Anyway...

I started thinking and i thought, maglites are bright, esp them 6 D cell ones, but i got thinking, why not just buy one of them 10 million candlepower lights and just shine it at people if they cause trouble, temp blind them and then jump on them, same difference right?

here's my question, these 10 million candlepower torches as seen http://www.thegreenhead.com/cool-stuff/2005/06/10-million-candlepower-spotlight.php how many lumens (new term for me, not even sure what a lumen is) is that compared to say that of a decent LED torch ?

In short, i'm not sure what i should buy for a nice bright beam, and i'm after something brighter than anything a maglite can do.. (without any special ad d ons)

Thanks...
 

Josey

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 5, 2004
Messages
1,015
Location
NW Rainforest
What do you need for runtime? I'd go with a rechargeable, otherwise you'll burn up your paycheck on batteries.

A Tigerlight is way brighter than a mag, and has pepper spray if you want it. Not too expensive.

The Surefire 10X is pretty neat because it has a 60 lumen bulb for long runtime, and a 500 lumen for super bright. Used ones are $300 plus and can be found every once in a while.

The 10 million candlepower lights are pretty big. You could try a smaller HID, like the 14 watt HID Power Light (1.5 hours runtime). Or an X990 -- unbelievable power and, I think, about an hour runtime. HIDs are a little slow to come to full brightness.

Josey
 

tobjectpascal

Banned
Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
177
woah... ok lots of tech talk there, what's a HID? :p :awman:


Ok, recharable is the way to go, thank you, basically, a spot beam may not be enough not sure, could do with something with a wider beam so i can see both sides, like the mag 951 someone on here showed, with a wider beam similar to what a car light does...

so what exactly is a lumen? is that 10 million candle power = so many lumen?

thanks for all your help...
 

Josey

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 5, 2004
Messages
1,015
Location
NW Rainforest
HID is a high-intensity light, like some of the newer, expensive cars have. There is an HID forum here.

Candlepower is the amount of brightness at one particular part of the beam, say the center. Lumens are the total amount of light a light gives off. So a flood beam can have more lumens but less candlepower (or Lux, which is another form of candlepower) than a spot beam.

I think a standard 3D mag has about 34 lumens. A Tigerlight will have, I'm guessing, 200 to 300 lumens. A Surefire 10X gets up to 500 lumens.

The 14-watt HID, I'm guessing again, has about 700 lumens. I think the 35-watt HID X990 is up to 3,000 lumens.

A nice light for close in flood is the Surefire L4, which is an LED that can work with rechargeable batteries.

Josey
 

Aaron1100us

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 3, 2005
Messages
649
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Hello. I work security at a Hospital and the College across the street from the Hospital. I don't need some big maglite to beat people with, that is what the ASP Baton is for. For normal patroling, I need brightness and long run time. Thats why on my belt, I carry a Surefire G2 with P61 bulb, Inova X5, Inova X1 and a Ricver Rock 2XAA in the pocket. For night time patrol at the college or out in the squad car, I'll take my AE 24 watt HID flashlight with 1300+ lumens. Key is multiple flashlights for multiple purposes. But if you can't carry may with you, try to atleast have two, one for brightness and one for run time.
 

FlashInThePan

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Messages
835
Location
Anchorage, Alaska
You might look at the Surefire 8NX or the Streamlight Strion . Both are very compact, rechargeable flashlights that provide a lot of light. Both should blow away a 3-D mag in brightness at short or medium range. The Strion's about $80-$100 depending on how many extras you buy (chargers for your car, etc.), and the Surefire's about $125.

However, you should definitely think about how much overall light you need and whether you really need to illuminate distant objects. If you mainly need to light up objects at close or medium range - say up to about 50 feet - the Surefire will work perfectly. It provides far more overall light than a 3-D maglight. Its beam is also whiter and cleaner than a Maglight, which tends to have little dark spots and imperfections in the beam caused by its reflector.

For far-away objects, the Maglight has a slight advantage. Its beam isn't that bright, but it has good "throw." That is, it can illuminate distant objects because its beam is so tightly focused. However, the tradeoff with a narrow beam is that you end up lighting up one small spot instead of large area. If you want more throw, consider the Streamlight Strion instead. It illuminates objects just as far as a Mag 3-D, but provides more than double the brightness - and does it in a flashlight the size of a tiny Mag AA.

By the way, both of these are rechargeable flashlights. Rechargeables are probably your best bet if you use the flashlight regularly. (Each provides about an hour or so of constant usage, which is probably more than you'd use in any given night). If you want a non-rechargeable, consider Surefire's G-2. It's a whooooole lotta light in a small package. Around $30, but you do have to keep feeding it batteries! Still, it's rugged and puts out a lot of light - probably the single best value in flashlights today. =)

I'd also *highly* consider checking out the web site FlashlightReviews.com. It has comprehensive, unbiased reviews of all these flashlights. Doug's reviews are spectacular. They cover everything you need to know - durability, run time (to see how a manufacturer's claims hold up in actual use), size, beam quality, etc. I never buy a flashlight without checking FR first. You might even stumble upon one you like better than the Surefire or Streamlight!

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Top