Better for a pilot: L2D/T or Proton Pro?

I know there have been previous posts on this same topic. However, my budget is different this time. I was trying to keep the light under/around $50, but I will go a little over in order to get the right light.

The light is for my brother who is a pilot. He was flying some small jets in the past, but soon he will be flying the C5 (big plane). He previously used a standard mini-mag. When I asked him about the output, he said that it was bright enough for exterior inspections, but too bright for anything in the cockpit. When flying the C5, he will not be responsible for doing the exterior inspections, but I still want him to have a versatile light.

-I am familiar with the output settings of the L2T, but not the others. I don't like all the settings available in the L2D Q5, but it is supposed to have a lower low and a higher high. Using the L2D with the head-twist for changing outputs, this seems like a good option. What about the L2D CE for its lower low and lower cost? If I got one of the L2x lights, I'd get the red filter, but then he'd have to worry about losing it. How to retain it??
-How about the Proton Pro??? I am pretty interested in this light (for him), although I'm not sure about it using only 1 AA. It claims 1000+ candle power, but how does that relate to lumens?? How many lumens is the low output red LED? How long does it last on a low output white and the low red LED?

Are there other lights you can recommend for this price range and purpose?? Many thanks in advance.

The low mode of the L2D will likely still be too bright for him. The proton pro would likely be an excellent choice, as it comes on in either high white, or low red output, both of which are excellent for a pilot.

The runtime on the lowest settings is absolutely amazing.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/182920&highlight=proton


230+ hours on white
570 hours for red

Each is infinitely adjustable upwards from there.

Can it be configured to always come on with the red LED? How about coming on at a very low setting also?

smg said:

Can it be configured to always come on with the red LED? How about coming on at a very low setting also?

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It depends on how you press the switch. White comes on in high, then you can ramp down. If you hold for red to come on first, it comes on in low, then ramps up.

Brightness Control - 2W White LED

• From off: Press and release to turn on.
• Press and hold to dim primary beam.
• Release to select desired brightness
  (There will be a brief "blink" when the lowest lighting level has been reached)

Brightness Control - Secondary Red LED

• From off: Press and hold to turn on.
• Release to select desired brightness
  (There will be a brief "blink" when the lowest lighting level has been reached)

Click to expand...

If you want low white, you can hold it against your leg or palm of your hand and ramp it down before you shine it around.

How about the Surefire A2? It was designed for pilots. I've been seeing them at the marketplace for about $100, which is a very good price.

Thanks Marduke. Any idea how much total output on high, in lumens? How low is the low output red? Are we talking 0.1 lumen or 2 lumens?

Thanks xcel. I suspected that the A2 would come up in this thread too. Even at $100, it's too much to spend. Also, I'd like to get him a light that takes AA batteries, since he is not really into flashlights.

The Proton is sounding like a light that I want to carry!

smg said:

Thanks Marduke. Any idea how much total output on high, in lumens? How low is the low output red? Are we talking 0.1 lumen or 2 lumens?

Thanks xcel. I suspected that the A2 would come up in this thread too. Even at $100, it's too much to spend. Also, I'd like to get him a light that takes AA batteries, since he is not really into flashlights.

The Proton is sounding like a light that I want to carry!

Click to expand...

IIRC, the Pro is around 80ish high white, low red is VERY low, like .01 lumens

One light it might be worth waiting for is the LF5XT, it is an AA light that can be programmed for anything.
Your friend might not like the programming, but your could program it for him, then he would have somewhere between 1 and 5 modes (constant brightness at any level or strobe), that fits his work perfectly.

If it lives up to its promises, it might be one of the best flashlights on the market, but your will have to wait a couple of weeks before the review shows up.

could just get a 5ex and the nitize multilevel clicky for his minimag

HKJ said:

One light it might be worth waiting for is the LF5XT, it is an AA light that can be programmed for anything.
Your friend might not like the programming, but your could program it for him, then he would have somewhere between 1 and 5 modes (constant brightness at any level or strobe), that fits his work perfectly.

If it lives up to its promises, it might be one of the best flashlights on the market, but your will have to wait a couple of weeks before the review shows up.

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granted hes a pilot and very smart , but i still think the Lf5xt is way too complicated for him as its plenty complicated for many of us here :laughing: but it certainly has all the bells and whistles

qip said:

granted hes a pilot and very smart , but i still think the Lf5xt is way too complicated for him as its plenty complicated for many of us here :laughing: but it certainly has all the bells and whistles

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It only need to be programmed once, then your can forget about the programming and just use it.

I.e. as I wrote before, the OP can program the flashlight, then is fried do not need to know about all the complicated menus, he just need to know about two clicks to change mode.

:thumbsup: true...but i think SMG after programming would end up keeping the light for himself and end up give him one of his others :laughing:

qip said:

:thumbsup: true...but i think SMG after programming would end up keeping the light for himself and end up give him one of his others :laughing:

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That might be, and his excuse could be that the light is outside his price range :laughing:.

But I am looking forward to receiving this light and see if it is as good, in reality, as on paper.

Proton! The UI is great. Among the smallest 1AA lights, has awesome run time, and has a great clip which a pilot will find very useful.

Between these two, I'd say definitely the Proton.

HKJ said:

One light it might be worth waiting for is the LF5XT, it is an AA light that can be programmed for anything.
...

Click to expand...

I had thought about that one too. However, I can't wait. I want to be able to give it to him by the 9th of June, when I leave for a trip. Of course, that also means I need to have time to play with the light first I need to make sure it's good enough for him!

qip said:

:thumbsup: true...but i think SMG after programming would end up keeping the light for himself and end up give him one of his others :laughing:

Click to expand...

That's the most likely scenario I'm still waiting to see how that delay is handled when it is finally released.

Out of the two, the proton would be the better choice, since low of the L2D is around the output of the minimag.

I'd get an L2T with the simple hi/low mode. By itself, low mode is still too bright for cockpit work etc and will affect night vision. However, with Fenix's slip on red filter attached, it should be ok.

This still leaves you with the option of a bright high mode for emergencies.

I like the simple hi/low output of the L2T, but the low is too high. Also, using a red filter means that he has to keep track of it when it is off the light. Any way to do that??


When will they put a Q5 into the Proton Pro? This is sounding like a great light.

What's he going to be using this light for inside the plane? If he's going to be reading charts, then stay away from red lights. Red is a bad idea for reading charts because red markings is invisible under red light.

The Photon Pro and L2D will be too powerful for general interior use. What you should be looking at are low power 5mm LED white lights such as:

http://www.arcflashlight.com/arc-aaa.shtml
http://www.peakledsolutions.net/Products/Kilmanjaro_HA_1LED.html
http://www.peakledsolutions.net/Products/Fujiyama_HA_3LED.html
http://www.peakledsolutions.net/Products/Matterhorn_HA_3LED.html
http://www.photonlight.com/Proton-AA-Handheld-LED-Flashlights-Headlamps-p/pr-aa-led-flashlight.htm