poalcat
Newly Enlightened
I have bought, after much wrangling to put the money together, the mighty X990. I simply could not resist the allure of a flashlight as powerful as this one. Sadly, I had to sell my beloved M6 - which had also attracted me because of its power - as part of the money-raising process.
Bearing in mind that the X990 and M6 are two different creatures, I thought the trade-off was worth it for a number of reasons.
First, I was intimidated by the expense of operating the M6. Using the MN21 LA for twenty minutes costs $8 if you get a good deal on batteries. That equals $24 for every hour of operation. I felt almost guilty every time I used it - could feel the dollars vaporizing away amid that broad, gorgeous river of light! This uneasy awareness, though I tried not to admit to myself, tainted my pleasure when I used the device.
Second, the M6's light output didn't quite satisfy me. Don't get me wrong - for its size the M6 produces an unparalleled amount of light, and the light quality is superb. But when I compared it to my $36 Brinkmann Q-Beam, the total light production was not much different. There are pictures in Mr. Ted Bear's McCulloch Field Report which illustrate this. (Remember, I bought the M6 because it is famous for its power.) Unlike the M6, the Q-Beam is no engineering marvel - it is heavy, cumbersome and a strain on the wrist to use. Except for brightness, the M6 is superior in every way. But it was still disillusioning to realize the M6 generated no more light than the cheap Brinkmann I had bought years earlier.
Third, the throw - as opposed to lumen output - of the M6 was not all I hoped it would be. At short to medium distances, its ability to illuminate objects is astounding for a flashlight which can literally be carried in your pocket. But after 60 or 70 yards its diffusing beam rapidly disintegrates. And though its illumination is still visible at longer distances (beyond a quarter of a mile), it becomes so ghostly by then as to be almost indistinguishable from starlight.
And so, after possessing the M6 for a while, the sunny euphoria of my ownership became clouded by these considerations, especially the expense of operating the flashlight. While such a letdown eventually occurs after any exciting purchase, it was difficult to stomach the realization that it was significantly less expensive to use the equally bright Q-Beam (though not as enjoyable). It was in this context that the X990 seemed to offer deliverance. (To a flashaholic, the resolution of flashlight problems amounts to a deliverance - a rescue from the gnawing anxiety of unfulfilled flashlight dreams and flashlight longings.)
The most prominent characteristic of the X990, of course, is its brute power. Different flashlights have varying styles of attacking darkness. Some, like the E2, streak through it with the narrow, concentrated brightness of a small sunbeam; others, like LEDs, pierce less forcefully, illuminate more broadly, and endure more resolutely; still others, like the M6, smash gaping holes through the shadows. But the X990 obliterates darkness, erases sweeping tracts of sullen murk like a flamethrower devouring fields of dry straw. The E2 is like a pistol shot and the M6 like a cannon blast; but the X990 is like a bomb. Its fierce white light completely engulfs a two lane roadway for four hundred yards, lending it the vivid, smiling sparkle of daytime. This outpouring is so exorbitant that even my wife (who is not exactly fond of my flashlight obsession) paid it an unintentional compliment by saying it was "ridiculous". Ridiculously extreme, that is.
Armed with this ridiculous light machine, I ventured, after dark, down a dirt road enclosed by swampy woods. This place surrounds visitors with the kind of dense, menacing darkness that can make a person's hair stand on end. Strange rustling and trickling noises float and murmur. My dog was there to protect me, though, and my wife was there to protect the dog and me both. However, using the X990 on that desolate road was analogous to switching on an overhead light in a dark room - voila! - blurry gloom was replaced by serene clarity. Vague shapes and gray outlines sprang into tangible solids and lucid colors. The X990 not only lit our path, it burned away the shadows around our path, especially when it was used in its flood mode. Its illumination was so penetrating, so brilliant and so broad that mystery and uncertainty fled before it like mist in a strong wind. I can say, with only mild hyperbole, that lighting your way with the X990 is like walking in a portable lighted room. Even my wife agrees with that comparison. (My wife!)
The X990s astonishing might can bring unintended results, I learned. On a community college campus I was confronted by security who saw the dynamic beam from afar and wanted to know what was happening. On my own street people actually went to their doors and windows to ascertain the meaning behind the dramatic light show deluging their neighborhood (and I hadn't even pointed the light at their houses).
So far, I have operated this newest pride and joy for about 3 hours. Because the batteries are rechargable, this usage cost me nothing. If I had used my M6 for that long, I would have had to pay $72 for the privilege.
The X990s most obvious drawback is its size/weight. Though it is well balanced, it cannot be denied that after hauling it around for a while your arm starts to feel like it's attached to a misshapened dumbell. The carrying strap alleviates this problem for the most part. Still, the X990 is an odd-appearing thing to have hanging across your chest. It looks like a grotesquely bloated caricature of a normal flashlight and reminds me of how Jim Carrey's dog Milo looked after his transformation in the movie The Mask.
In sum, my primary feeling now is relief at having finally found a flashlight that satisfies my primitive need for sheer power. This is not to say that forcefulness alone is necessarily a light's most important or interesting aspect. LEDs, for example, fascinate me, and I can hardly wait until a fully operational 5 watt LS flashlight is developed. But a flashlight's power is its most conspicuous dimension, and the prospect of finding one of truly overwhelming strength is probably the main impetus which turned me into a flashaholic. I wanted to be able to "turn night into day", to outmuscle darkness whenever and wherever I felt like it. Now I can - almost.
Bearing in mind that the X990 and M6 are two different creatures, I thought the trade-off was worth it for a number of reasons.
First, I was intimidated by the expense of operating the M6. Using the MN21 LA for twenty minutes costs $8 if you get a good deal on batteries. That equals $24 for every hour of operation. I felt almost guilty every time I used it - could feel the dollars vaporizing away amid that broad, gorgeous river of light! This uneasy awareness, though I tried not to admit to myself, tainted my pleasure when I used the device.
Second, the M6's light output didn't quite satisfy me. Don't get me wrong - for its size the M6 produces an unparalleled amount of light, and the light quality is superb. But when I compared it to my $36 Brinkmann Q-Beam, the total light production was not much different. There are pictures in Mr. Ted Bear's McCulloch Field Report which illustrate this. (Remember, I bought the M6 because it is famous for its power.) Unlike the M6, the Q-Beam is no engineering marvel - it is heavy, cumbersome and a strain on the wrist to use. Except for brightness, the M6 is superior in every way. But it was still disillusioning to realize the M6 generated no more light than the cheap Brinkmann I had bought years earlier.
Third, the throw - as opposed to lumen output - of the M6 was not all I hoped it would be. At short to medium distances, its ability to illuminate objects is astounding for a flashlight which can literally be carried in your pocket. But after 60 or 70 yards its diffusing beam rapidly disintegrates. And though its illumination is still visible at longer distances (beyond a quarter of a mile), it becomes so ghostly by then as to be almost indistinguishable from starlight.
And so, after possessing the M6 for a while, the sunny euphoria of my ownership became clouded by these considerations, especially the expense of operating the flashlight. While such a letdown eventually occurs after any exciting purchase, it was difficult to stomach the realization that it was significantly less expensive to use the equally bright Q-Beam (though not as enjoyable). It was in this context that the X990 seemed to offer deliverance. (To a flashaholic, the resolution of flashlight problems amounts to a deliverance - a rescue from the gnawing anxiety of unfulfilled flashlight dreams and flashlight longings.)
The most prominent characteristic of the X990, of course, is its brute power. Different flashlights have varying styles of attacking darkness. Some, like the E2, streak through it with the narrow, concentrated brightness of a small sunbeam; others, like LEDs, pierce less forcefully, illuminate more broadly, and endure more resolutely; still others, like the M6, smash gaping holes through the shadows. But the X990 obliterates darkness, erases sweeping tracts of sullen murk like a flamethrower devouring fields of dry straw. The E2 is like a pistol shot and the M6 like a cannon blast; but the X990 is like a bomb. Its fierce white light completely engulfs a two lane roadway for four hundred yards, lending it the vivid, smiling sparkle of daytime. This outpouring is so exorbitant that even my wife (who is not exactly fond of my flashlight obsession) paid it an unintentional compliment by saying it was "ridiculous". Ridiculously extreme, that is.
Armed with this ridiculous light machine, I ventured, after dark, down a dirt road enclosed by swampy woods. This place surrounds visitors with the kind of dense, menacing darkness that can make a person's hair stand on end. Strange rustling and trickling noises float and murmur. My dog was there to protect me, though, and my wife was there to protect the dog and me both. However, using the X990 on that desolate road was analogous to switching on an overhead light in a dark room - voila! - blurry gloom was replaced by serene clarity. Vague shapes and gray outlines sprang into tangible solids and lucid colors. The X990 not only lit our path, it burned away the shadows around our path, especially when it was used in its flood mode. Its illumination was so penetrating, so brilliant and so broad that mystery and uncertainty fled before it like mist in a strong wind. I can say, with only mild hyperbole, that lighting your way with the X990 is like walking in a portable lighted room. Even my wife agrees with that comparison. (My wife!)
The X990s astonishing might can bring unintended results, I learned. On a community college campus I was confronted by security who saw the dynamic beam from afar and wanted to know what was happening. On my own street people actually went to their doors and windows to ascertain the meaning behind the dramatic light show deluging their neighborhood (and I hadn't even pointed the light at their houses).
So far, I have operated this newest pride and joy for about 3 hours. Because the batteries are rechargable, this usage cost me nothing. If I had used my M6 for that long, I would have had to pay $72 for the privilege.
The X990s most obvious drawback is its size/weight. Though it is well balanced, it cannot be denied that after hauling it around for a while your arm starts to feel like it's attached to a misshapened dumbell. The carrying strap alleviates this problem for the most part. Still, the X990 is an odd-appearing thing to have hanging across your chest. It looks like a grotesquely bloated caricature of a normal flashlight and reminds me of how Jim Carrey's dog Milo looked after his transformation in the movie The Mask.
In sum, my primary feeling now is relief at having finally found a flashlight that satisfies my primitive need for sheer power. This is not to say that forcefulness alone is necessarily a light's most important or interesting aspect. LEDs, for example, fascinate me, and I can hardly wait until a fully operational 5 watt LS flashlight is developed. But a flashlight's power is its most conspicuous dimension, and the prospect of finding one of truly overwhelming strength is probably the main impetus which turned me into a flashaholic. I wanted to be able to "turn night into day", to outmuscle darkness whenever and wherever I felt like it. Now I can - almost.
