Compare incans and Crees?

I've tried, but can't find a reasonable comparison (since Quickbeam's charts are gone). I have a specific need for a long throw light. Don't care about spill; this is to be used to light up channel markers at night, so throw is much more important than flood. Used to use a cheap spotlight, but it's too much trouble. I've been using a TL-3 with a Carley lamp, which is OK, but I'd love something around the same size with better throw. Do any of the newer LED lights throw like a TL-3, especially with an emphasis on spot? Since it stays in the boat, and gets bounced around, an LED would probably be less likely to crump and probably provides longer runtime. Are the new LED's close, or even better throwers than a TL-3?

If you put an aspheric lens and an LED module in a maglite, you'll get all the throw you need with absolutely no spill/flood.

If you're using it on a boat, you need a floating torch.

Eveready Dolphin.

The aspherical mag can be defocused to provide massive flood without the donut hole also.

Here's a comparison from nitro of an aspherical mag with a p4. This comparison just happens to have a TL-3 in it.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/175386

I have just built a mag like this with a Q5. I will have to post some pictures of the beam shots, maybe tonight.

Don't need a floater, just something that can be splashed. And the dolphin-type lights aren't bright enough, and are much bigger than a TL-3. I have a 2C with 3X123 in my drybox for backup, but I need something even smaller than a 2C body. I'm trying to figure out if the Q5 Crees, or other new LED's will throw similarly to the TL-3. Can't really tell that much from the link, although clearly a lot of work went into that comparison. It does look like the MRV with a Q5 outthrows the TL-3 based on that one pic.

I have a Q5 Cree aspherical mag but don't have a TL-3 to compare it to.

The only way to get a light smaller is to have a modder cut down a 2 c to a 1 c and use an AW C lithium cell. Or you could buy and MRV or Dereelight DBS.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=169676

The TL-3 in my beamshots has a stock bulb w/2x17500's. I don't have a Carley bulb, yet. However, I believe the Tiablo or MRV will still outthrow the TL-3 w/Carley, and is only slightly larger. If you want more throw with a light not much bigger then a TL-3, I'd recommend the Tiablo A8-Q5 or A9.

Here's three good throwing Q5 lights.
http://www.lumapower.com/products/mrv.html
http://www.tiablolight.com/
http://www.dereelight.com/dbs-2stage.htm

Good luck on finding a light.

Nitroz said:

I have just built a mag like this with a Q5. I will have to post some pictures of the beam shots, maybe tonight.

Click to expand...

Looking forward to those beamshots. Can you post pictures of the light also? I'm curious to see it. Hopefully I'll be getting mine soon.

Nitroz said:

Here's three good throwing Q5 lights.
http://www.lumapower.com/products/mrv.html
http://www.tiablolight.com/
http://www.dereelight.com/dbs-2stage.htm

Click to expand...

These are the top three production LED throwers, in order. The MRV and Tiablo are the same size, but the Tiablo has a deeper reflector and outthrows the MRV. The DBS is a larger light with larger/deeper reflector and outthrows the Tiablo. So the bottom line is, the larger and/or deeper reflector has more throw.

Here are a few threads on good-throwing LED's with beamshot photos (including "real world" shots).

Dereelight Beamshot Photos:
Dereelight DBS review!

Tiablo A8/A9 Review (with Photos):
TIABLO A8. Runtimes, Beamshots up to 250 meters. Updated with A9 details!!!

LumaPower MRV Review:
LumaPower MRV - 100 & 200 m Beamshots & Runtimes! MRV Deconstructed. Now FluPic'd!

Those Lights And More:
DBS (Q4 UPDATE!), MRV, Tiablo A8, DX Cree Projection, WF-600: RUNTIMES and pics!

No Beamshot Pics, But:
Best throw in LED

Nitroz said:

Here's three good throwing Q5 lights.
http://www.lumapower.com/products/mrv.html
http://www.tiablolight.com/
http://www.dereelight.com/dbs-2stage.htm

Good luck on finding a light.

Click to expand...

Is there good aftermarket support for all 3 of the lights above?

I know that the Dereelight DBS will be easily upgraded by just replacing the module with a new one. They also have smooth and textured reflectors.

Is this what you meant?

Now, I own none of the lights mentioned, so I take no offence if you choose to discount my opinion.

Fair enough, on a clear day, the Dereelight, Lumapower and Tiablo will outthrow a SL TL3. However, on water, the air is rarely perfectly clear, often with much water vapour, mist and fog. In these circumstances, the continuous spread-spectrum of the incandescent TL3 will cut through the night more appropriately than the LED offerings. I do not know where the cut-off is though, and how misty it has to get before the TL3 becomes viable over the others.

Thanks to everyone for getting all the info in one spot. I'll have some idea about the moisture situation as I have a cheap Cree light coming from Deal Extreme...a WF-600. At least I'll have a rough idea, since it's supposed to be a decent thrower and it sure doesn't require a big investment. My experience has been as Mike stated in general, which is that in a real moist dark environment, the beam from LED's scatters quite a bit and causes glare, and I assume this would cut down on the throw, but there's no substitute for a real-world test.

Nitroz said:

I know that the Dereelight DBS will be easily upgraded by just replacing the module with a new one. They also have smooth and textured reflectors.

Is this what you meant?

Click to expand...

Yes. Thank you.

davidra said:

Thanks to everyone for getting all the info in one spot. I'll have some idea about the moisture situation as I have a cheap Cree light coming from Deal Extreme...a WF-600. At least I'll have a rough idea, since it's supposed to be a decent thrower and it sure doesn't require a big investment. My experience has been as Mike stated in general, which is that in a real moist dark environment, the beam from LED's scatters quite a bit and causes glare, and I assume this would cut down on the throw, but there's no substitute for a real-world test.

Click to expand...

This is where the aspherical mag would help. With less side spill and a laser tight spot, it would be better.

davidra,

I think you really want to stick with incans in this situation. The light from an incan is much better for outdoors, fog, rain, on the water use. Lumen for lumen it will kill an LED in terms of actually seeing what you need to see.

Do you have a price limit? Does it need to be rechargeable? Does it need to sit around unused for long periods of time? And can it be bigger than a TL-3?

The Deree DBS would probably do the trick, but there is definitely a lot to be said for incandescent lighting in those environments, I'm always amazed at the way a lake soaks up light. If it were me I think I would build up a incan mag mod around a smooth reflector. Something in the 35W territory would be good.

js said:

davidra,

I think you really want to stick with incans in this situation. The light from an incan is much better for outdoors, fog, rain, on the water use. Lumen for lumen it will kill an LED in terms of actually seeing what you need to see.

Do you have a price limit? Does it need to be rechargeable? Does it need to sit around unused for long periods of time? And can it be bigger than a TL-3?

Click to expand...

+1

Listen to the voice of reason!