You prefer a flood or throw light?

If I tell you that you can take either a Zebralight H30 or DBS 1S and take on the Amazon Rainforest for 3 weeks. Which one will you choose?

I used to like lights that throws, now I am very fond of floody lights. I guess I like to see clearly what's around me therefore I will bring a floody light if I am in that situation. (for example: If I am in that situation, I would prefer a Zebralight H30 over a DBS.)

I also want to see what cpfer prefers. I guess many cpfer prefer throws because many post/threads are asking for the best thrower...

Let me know your preference.

My example might not be good. Someone please chime in if they have a better example or understand what I am trying to say.

I've changed on that. I used to go for throw but now I prefer lights with medium throw and good spill.

For EDC purposes - flood for sure. Need some throw, but a lot of flood.

Medium throw with lots of spill would be my choice for a single light. That's one reason that at work I get by with just my LOD.

Nothing is perfect, but I know that the darker it is out the more floody of a light i can get away with. For most things flood is fine. Too throwy in a small dark room and you end up seeing spots.

Combination lights are my preference. Floody for under desk and medium throw for ceiling and underfloor work.

I like having both in the same light.
The Lunasol 20 and lunasol 27 are both able to produce a good low flood beam as well as a nice high thrower beam.
Yaesumofo

Throw if lost outside in the situation you are describing. You can always diffuse, or use the spill of a collimated beam for medium and close up work.

yaesumofo said:

I like having both in the same light.
The Lunasol 20 and lunasol 27 are both able to produce a good low flood beam as well as a nice high thrower beam.
Yaesumofo

Click to expand...

Hey, cut me a break James!! Wadaya mean, ya like both!? Take a stand on this one--don't give some wishy-washy answer!! Ain't everybody who's got a 20 AND a 27!!

I really (REALLLY!!!!) like throw and have a number of lights which do just that-THROW....however, for real-life, practical purposes and all-around use, I enjoy seeing what's in the periphery as much as what's in front of me! The pencil-point illumination 1/4 mile ahead of where I'm standing really doesn't help me in the walk to get there.


Karl

If I could have only one it would be a floody light with a wide spill and a decent hotspot, if that makes any sense...

outdoors? only one? Tiablo A9 for its throw, its spill, and its two modes.

Crenshaw

So, when you say that you mean two extremes right? Throw = Aspheric Cree emitter projection at 200 yards, and Flood = Seoul P7, 500L driven at 2.5 Amps with no optic or reflector... right?

If thats your definition of each, I'd rather have a wall of flood.

Many of the lights others call throwers, actually do have some serviceable side flood.

edited OP

The question makes no sense as asked. Who'd ever think of going to the Amazon without a backup light? Take one of each.

How about Surefire Optimus with its' vari-beam? :naughty:

In all seriousness, I would prefer something along the medium, leaning a little more to the flood side.

I'd take a Zebralight H30 and an "in the middle" light with a good sized hotspot and less spill, like a Surefire E2L. That way your throw light doesn't wash out your night vision when spotting further away, and your ZL will take care of everything else.

I used to only want throw. I work in open outdoor spaces and need to see long distances.
As my flashaholism grew I realized the need to address specific purposes.
When I am in dense forests, there is no long distance, I switch to flood.

When the P7 became available I had thought I had the best LED available until I got it and found it to be a good light for indoor or just 60 yards as it lights up every thing close. Heck of a flood.

It made me realized why my custom 5761 which I built with an aspheric lens is my favorite.

The 5761 bulb has a huge hot spot and spill but is a throw light. (to some it looks only as bright as a M85 but then you realize it is twice the size of spill and hot spot and therefore have all the lumens over a wider area.)

The aspheric gave it true ability with a slight twist to go flood or spot.

In life I find you need both, but depending on where you are will dictate which you will use the most.

I use as primary a throw, and in a pocket a back up close range, flood is carried.
Both lights will be high lumen output.

Too much throw is horrible up close it blinds you and the contrast between hot spot and spill is noticable. The difference between the beam and the darkness is blinding. If I had only one light to carry. It would be a medium range, more flood than throw.

The majority of you environment is closer to you than the remaining world is.

Karl.
Hey I like throw as much as the next guy.
My point was I like having BOTH in one light.

One of my all time favorites was a Space needle clone i MADE.
I don;t remember what driver I installed but I do know the LUX III was the best of the bunch from a clip of 20 or 30 I bought from Europe. This emitter was nice and white and was almost 2x brighter at any given current than the others. Anyway when installed in a Mag C host with a NON OP aluminum reflector. This light had and still has the ability to reach out and touch at quite a good distance. So Yes I like that too.
Coupple that with a Mule with a cree emitter and you have wide and tight as the get.
BTW Kolala makes this mini tower drop in for an E1E. It is a very interesting beam. because it has a VERY wide side spill and smack in the middle there is a very nice little (and I mean little) hotspot. OK I doubt this is any good for out door long range stuff but the concept of the wide beam with the tight spot is sort of cool.

IMHO there is good reason to have and carry lights which give you both.

Hell I used to be big on sheer output. Now output doesn't matter that much to me since I almost never use a light on it's highest level for any length of time. I find ultra high to be too high and unusuable most of the time.
Yaesumofo
BTW Karl My 2 sets of lunasol pale in comparson to some of the things you have lurking around.....
Got to have a backup right?

karlthev said:

Hey, cut me a break James!! Wadaya mean, ya like both!? Take a stand on this one--don't give some wishy-washy answer!! Ain't everybody who's got a 20 AND a 27!!

I really (REALLLY!!!!) like throw and have a number of lights which do just that-THROW....however, for real-life, practical purposes and all-around use, I enjoy seeing what's in the periphery as much as what's in front of me! The pencil-point illumination 1/4 mile ahead of where I'm standing really doesn't help me in the walk to get there.


Karl

Click to expand...

In the Amazon? I doubt I'd be able to see more than ten feet ahead of me through the forest, so I'd take the Zebralight. For my normal EDC, I prefer a more balanced beam with a bit of bias toward flood.

I prefer throw outdoors (even though flood is nice sometimes for instance up close examinations) and for indoors it does not matter to me.

Throw is much more impressive though.