LED61 said:
You are privileged my friend in owning such a fine light. What else have you got besides blue?
Color temp of 5w LED - colors of 5mm LEDs
5k - red/blue
5k - red/green
5k - red/green
8k - red/green
I've heard the green is good for map reading, but I can not confirm. However, the green has some throw to it. It lit up a stand of eucalyptus trees about 50 yards away, while the red was only noticeable about 20 yards. Keep in mind this is in a very dark situation. I think the red is most useable in very low light situations.
On another note...
The 8k seems to wash out colors more. The 5k will show more of nature's colors to me. However, while walking on streets at night, the 8k seemed to get the attention of car drivers more. I noticed people braking earlier and driving slower when I was crossing the streets. It maybe a coincidence, but it always makes me feel better if I know cars see me while walking in the dark.
And one more note...
For walking around suburbs, I use the light mostly to get attention of cars and homeowners (pointed down at the ground). Today is trash day, so there were lots of homeowners putting out their trash last night. If i have a flashlight, I don't spook them and I generally get more "hellos". The light does a good job of getting me noticed.
When illuminating specific objects, the light also does a fine job in town and on the trail. However, I prefer a lensed light instead of an optics light when it comes to walking on uneven surfaces. The spill of a conventional reflector gives better spill illumination needed for this task. The TIR optic does not have spill except for a halo ring.