red light special

"roxanne.... you don't have to turn on the red' light"

but i do!
i've done a little searching but haven't really found a current red light that i like, although i've dug up some interesting info on why it's good for walking at night. can you guys recommend a red light for me. i want led, not incandesant. besides the obvious efficiency advantage, the red filter would kill my lumens per watt. i like aa factor, one or two is fine. adjustable brightness a nice plus but not required. i like bright, but not enough to ruin the benefits of preserving night vision. can you guys get me started in my search. it's only 1am so i know you all are still up and at em tonight, lol.
thanks,
jasonsmaglites

The Kroma offers two levels of red. The low level is really great for seeing at night without bothering your significant other. Also, if you need white it is just a touch away. Of course you also get a high and low blue and white. If the Kroma is just too big or expensive for you then I suggest a red INOVA X5. I just got one and can tell you that it truly is great at sucking every last ounce of power out of a cell. Yes, while other X5s use 2 cells this one only uses 1. Reasonably priced and tough as nails. I hope this helps.

Paul

P.S.: If you can find one a Surefire L1 red may also fit the bill. Relatively small and two levels of red at the touch of a tailcap.

Another "both ways" option is the Fenix P3D plus red filter. Gives you red or white plus brightness and strobe options.

Photon Proton, and Photon Proton Pro both have fully adjustable red. The Gerber Infinity Ultra also comes in red ( I am interested in selling/trading one btw )

A 2xAA or 2xAAA MiniMag can also be used to direct drive a single 5mm red LED with only minor modifications. I have one set up like that as a bedside light and it is one of my most used lights.

Nite-Ize makes a red LED drop-in for use with the 2AA Mini-Maglite. The drop-in is actually 3 LEDs. Nothing fancy, but it works and is only about $5.

BMF said:

Here is the cheap but has a good review, build like tank, long runtime and Made in USA.

Click to expand...

That site info is wrong, the Gerber is actually made in China.

Monocrom said:

Nite-Ize makes a red LED drop-in for use with the 2AA Mini-Maglite. The drop-in is actually 3 LEDs. Nothing fancy, but it works and is only about $5.

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There's also a Red LuxI dropin.

This one uses 3AA's for extended run time, and sports four 5mm red led's.
http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-ASTRONOMERS...ryZ29954QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Form is that of an extended mini m@glite, quality is not, however it is serviceable. It did arrive, packaged, with some corrosion on the tailcap spring but it cleaned up easily and the condition has not reappeared. Indoors it lights up a large room easily. Outdoors it will light your way but don't expect huge throw. Overall, this light provides useful tasklighting while preserving night vision.

jasonsmaglites said:

"roxanne.... you don't have to turn on the red' light"

Click to expand...

"Let the Redlight Special shine her light on me..."

(sorry, had to... couldn't get it out of my head for an hour)

The closest I ever got to my "perfect" red light was this one, which I sold over a year ago. It's #2 in the link below:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=160225

I guess it still wasn't perfect enough for me, since I sold it off. It looked something like this against the wall...

I thought that they debunked this red light thing decades ago. While it is true that the eye will not respond quickly to red light (so no vision washout), the most sensitive receptors in the eye can't see red at all. Night vision peaks in the blue range, making low level blue centered light the most efficient. I think that the military gave up on red lighting back in the 80s. Are there recent findings that I have missed, or is this an urban legend that won't die?

gerG

gerG said:

I thought that they debunked this red light thing decades ago. While it is true that the eye will not respond quickly to red light (so no vision washout), the most sensitive receptors in the eye can't see red at all. Night vision peaks in the blue range, making low level blue centered light the most efficient. I think that the military gave up on red lighting back in the 80s. Are there recent findings that I have missed, or is this an urban legend that won't die?

gerG

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The military still uses the "red light thing" today. It was never debunked. Red isn't the most sensitive to see with, it's the color which is least sensitive to destroying night vision, so you can use more of it (compared to other colors) before adversely affecting night vision.

Marduke said:

The military still uses the "red light thing" today. It was never debunked. Red isn't the most sensitive to see with, it's the color which is least sensitive to destroying night vision, so you can use more of it (compared to other colors) before adversely affecting night vision.

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I read some time ago that the military was finding that pilots were cranking the red lights up to max just to get some visual acuity, and still managing to wash out their vision somewhat. According to that article the military was switching to low level lighting in the middle of the visible spectrum to get a better compromise between preserving night vision for potential events, and being able to see more immediate events. That article could have been wrong, and I may have been misled.

You touch on an important distinction: preserving night vision is not the same as being able to see clearly. It is preserving that sensitivity for potential future need (like eyepiece time). My preference is to stumble around at night with a dim-able white light vs the red ones that I used to use.

I just thought of something else: light etiquette. I haven't been to a star party for years. If I were to start that hobby again, I would switch back to red. I would not want to risk toasting someone else's dark adaption. That would be rude.


gerG

I thought things were pretty simple...

Night vision consists primarily of rods' output. Rods are most sensitive in the blue part of the spectrum. Hence, red light has least effect on rod adaption and night vision. Period.

So i don't really see anything to debunk there

You may want to investigate the Photon Proton Pro (AA) and the Pak-Lite Pilot (9v). I personally prefer the Photon Proton Pro over the Pak-Lite.

I thought it was a promotion for red light district. Sorry, I have to throw that out.

I think the proton pro is a good option. It's small, and relatively inexpensive.

orcinus said:

I thought things were pretty simple...

Night vision consists primarily of rods' output. Rods are most sensitive in the blue part of the spectrum. Hence, red light has least effect on rod adaption and night vision. Period.

So i don't really see anything to debunk there

Click to expand...

Hence the paradox. If I use a red light, I will dark adapt better. However, since I have terrible night vision in the red spectrum (rods do not sense red at all) I really can't see what I am doing with a red light. Maybe I just need a really bright red light.

gerG

TerraLUX makes a red LED drop-in for full size Mags that puts out 150 pure-red lumens (http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-6exr.html); This is much more efficient than a red filter as a standard white LED puts out very little light in the red end of the spectrum, meaning you'll lose nearly all the light output in the filter. It's a better deal too, you can get the drop-in and a brand new Mag (red perhaps?) for ~$40.

dub post