newbie here w some questions

what exactly is lumens ?

also looking for a good flashlight with excellent brightness and excellent runtime...going to carry it everyday,,,any suggestions ? thanks

Vic,

Lumens, basically are a measurement of total light output. It can only be measured with an expensive device called an integrating sphere. The majority of us measure in "Lux", which is a a measurement of light output at a given spot - meaning, if you take a lux measurement in the center "hotspot" of a beam, it'd be much higher than if you took it in the "flood" part of the beam.

As for your light suggestion... there definitely needs to be more info than that.

Things to consider are:
1) money - do you want a $20 MagLED, or a $250 custom light?
2) batteries - AA, AAA, or CR123A are the three most common here. However, breaking that down further, there is NiMH rechargeables for AA and AAA, and Li-Ion rechargeable for CR123A, and then many other battery sizes.
3) your specific uses/environment - if you're just needing a walk-the-dog or around the office light, it's different than if you're, say a mechanic, a LEO, or something much more physical.
4) size - do you want a smaller form factor, or a larger (think an old-school Mag) form factor?
5) LED or Incandescent? I can tell you which one is better, but I'd hate to LEaD you in one direction...

Anyways, that's that.

john

Oh, just for the heck of it, some broad advice:

People seem to really like Fenix lights (I don't own one), for reasonably priced LED lights. Arc lights are also well-received here. And obviously SureFire is a great company with a proven track record of making great great lights.

Going custom would be a light made by McGizmo (like the PD-S) or Modamag (his Draco light) - I highly recommend checking those out. Endeavour's CR2 Ion is great little pocket light. Data's Spy005 is awesome. Also, there's guys like milkyspit (he'll mod just about anything), cmacclel (does Mag mods, and makes his own lights/parts as well), fivemega (again, Mag-related stuff, and his own lights & parts).

This place is so large and complicated, that it can be real tricky to get a grasp on what the heck is going on! I'm certain that I missed MANY people and companies on the above text, but it's a quick start! Feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like - they usually get answered pretty quickly!

Take care, have fun, and buy more than one light!!!
john

EDIT: Duh... Welcome to CPF! :wave:

ok..ill be carrying the light on a daily basis ,,,night driving ,,walking my dog late at night,,,budget would be like $ 200 ....li on rechargeable,,,looking for something small,,,nothing mini though,,yes led light...thanks

thanks jch,,,,great info on the lumens

Vic,

first of all welcome to CPF, you will learn a lot here !!

As to lumens, in addition to the excellent definition given by jch you can find more here

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/features/lux.htm

Howdy vic2367, and welcome to CPF,

Be sure and check out the 'Reviews' area:

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=19

In particular, one of the hot lights at the moment that might fit your situation would be the Fenix L2D CE. I've got one in the mail on it's way to me right now. It's not exactly a 'pocket' light...... but it's not that big either (two AA batteries), and is VERY bright, with excellent runtimes. Check out the review here:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_l1dce-l2dce.htm

You could use 2 AA rechargeable NiMh batteries with that. Total cost less than $80.

But mainly, just start reading....... there are lots of new lights coming out with the newer LEDS, either the Cree or Seoul variety..... which are twice as bright as the previous generation of LEDs, so lots of choices, with more coming on-line everyday, including everything from small, but powerful keychain AAA lights, to super-duper Tri and Quad LED super lights sporting more exotic rechargeable batteries.

A few others to look at:

Huntlight FT01 XR-E
LumaPower M1
Fenix P1D-CE

Ok.... that should get you started......... have fun.

Derek

if you have deep pockets surefire have some great torches.have a look at their website.good hunting .gc.

vic2367 said:

...ill be carrying the light on a daily basis ,,,night driving ,,walking my dog late at night,,,budget would be like $ 200 ....li on rechargeable,,,looking for something small,,,nothing mini though,,yes led light...

Click to expand...

A few lights spring to mind:

1. Streamlight Stinger LED rechargeable. Not li-ion, but ni-cad rechargeable. Meets all your other requirements and has multiple levels. You can get both AC and DC (for the car) chargers.

2. SureFire L7 LumaMax. Again, not li-ion, but ni-cad rechargeable. More expensive than the Stinger LED, but brighter (5W vs 3W Luxeon) and more rugged. Comes with AC and DC chargers.

3. Inova T4. This one meets all your requirements.

Welcome to CPF.

im also looking at the fenix l2d ,,,,been reading these forums for a few weeks now,,,

looking for a light that can do recharegables ,,,

ok,,,li ons vs. ni cad ,,,which is better ? which will give me more power and run times ?

vic2367 said:

im also looking at the fenix l2d ...

Click to expand...

Yes, a lot of people here love Fenix lights. The L2D CE is much smaller than the lights I mentioned -- I would regard it as a mini-light. You said you didn't want a mini. Also, while the L2D can use rechargeable batteries, you have to remove the batteries, charge them and put them back. To charge the lights I mentioned, all you have to do is put the light in the charging cradle -- much more convenient IMO.

I like my P1D-CE a lot, but it really is tiny. And when I say tiny, I mean tiny! I believe it's 71 mm long. That's a bit more than 2.75 inches. If you want something bigger, but still not huge, then you could consider the Amilite Neo T5, Fenix L1D-CE, or L2D-CE. I'm about to order a Neo T5 myself. You can choose to order one with a 15 lumen or 30 lumen brightness on low, and a supposed 140 lumen+ high.

vic2367 said:

ok,,,li ons vs. ni cad ,,,which is better ? which will give me more power and run times ?

Click to expand...

For a complete battery education, see here:

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/

But, in a nutshell....... nicads are pretty old school at this point, at least for small, portable flashlight use.

NiMh are lighter, less prone to 'memory' effect, and inexpensive..... but suffer from a fairly rapid loss of power when stored unused (the Sanyo Enloop brand are MUCH better at holding their energy..... that's what I use for my AAA and AA applications).

Lithium Ion rechargeables are a newer technology and last much longer when stored, don't have much of a memory, can be charged many times, but need more care in their handling, charging, and use (don't charge unattended).

Be sure and understand that many of the Lithium Ion batteries are 3.7 volts...... compared with 1.2 volts for the NiMh..... so you need to be sure and match the right battery to the right light. Just because it fits doesn't mean it is the right battery.

Ok..... hope that helps. And, for the more technically inclined out there, if I've made an error in the preceeding mini-tutorial, please feel free to set me straight..... I claim no special understanding of batteries, just what I've read in the last few months.

Derek

thanks derek...that was pretty clear,,,yeah georgepaul...dont want a mini light,,,didnt know the fenix l2d was a mini light,,,can a fenix l2d or an inova flashlights use li on ?

ok...just browsed through the fenix web site and saw the l2p...does this light accept li ons ? im guessing not,,,

vic2367 said:

...can a fenix l2d or an inova flashlights use li on ?

Click to expand...

The Inova T4 uses a lithium ion rechargeable battery.

also the inova xo and the t5 ...would these accept li ons ?

A nice versatile light is the Fenix L2D / L1D CE