How many lumens on low do you guys like?

Hello Guys,

I'm new. I want to get a two modes tactical flashlights. Do you suggest very high on high and very low on low? Very high on high is no problem.
But I'm confused with how low it should be on the low. 2 lumens? 7 lumen?12 lumens? or 30-40 lumens which seems to be more practical?

Thanks!

It depends on how you are using the light. If you are in the woods camping (with a tactical light.... :shrug: ), ~1-3 lumens is ideal. If you are a police officer, ~40-60 will work great for an all-purpose light for searching cars, etc, with a ~150-250lm high for those "oh poop" moments.

BTW, :welcome:

Bigworld113 said:

Hello Guys,

I'm new. I want to get a two modes tactical flashlights. Do you suggest very high on high and very low on low? Very high on high is no problem.
But I'm confused with how low it should be on the low. 2 lumens? 7 lumen?12 lumens? or 30-40 lumens which seems to be more practical?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

:welcome:
In Pitch Black Conditions, I Seem To Prefer About .08 Lumens. For A General Use Low, I Prefer 10 To 12 Lumens Of Light. YMMV

Less than 1 lumen. When I want, low, I want LOW!

Aim for 2 lumens and be prepared to accept 7.

Unless you are OK with more than 2 levels, then you have a chance.
Like Novatac for example.

I really like the SF E1B low which is stated as 5 Lumens ( But I suspect is more )

I am happy with 15 Lumens on low

Well below lumen is sufficient in very dark conditions. Much the way that no amount of light is too much if the sun is out. Its all about dynamic range of the light.

Anything that approximates a 2AA Maglite is sufficient for me. My E1L gives out 3 lumens on low but the optic in the head seems to "multiply" this.

My D10 has a low of 3 lumens and that is perfect for me on unlit trails with no residual residential lighting - doesn't affect night adapted vision. Any lower wouldn't be bright enough to see any distance in front of you.
The high of 130 lumins is pretty perfect for everything else!:thumbsup:
jr/

in pitch black or near pitch black? a lumen or less.

for a "low" mode on a flashlight id prefer its 5 lumens or less.

heres another related thread kinda - What is "low" to you?

By "tactical", I assume you mean a 2xCR123 size class of flashlight. Not the kind you would be using for reading in a tent at night. My personal preference for a general use 2-mode light is about 30-50 on low and however high for >1.5hr. 30-50 is good for general use and will typically last quite 12hrs or so. If you need less, you can always point it at a ceiling or wall, and walah, you have an adjustable pure flood light for reading. I have no idea what is appropriate in those cases where you might need to sharpen a knife in pitch black in some cave in Afghanistan. Maybe 1 lumen or less.

I like the two modes on my Aurora P7. It's around 60 lumens on low. About as much as my Bolt 2 AA which is my EDC. It's a good amount enough to work on stuff at night or in daylight in dark areas like computers without killing your eyes in pitch black. Also it's enough to use as a decent candle mode.

I like around 8-12 for reading in bed or looking around the car in the dark when someone else is driving. Dont want to mess up there night vision. It depends if you want the bare minimum to see or if u want it for reading or what.

Outside I don't want less than 15. If the goal is the best possible night vision, then I'd want a specialized red light that can be smoothly dialed down to zero.

My gerber tempo is spec'd at 7 Lumens. I am not sure what it actually does, but its about right for me. I put a piece of scotch tape over the front to smooth out the Nichia beam, and soak up some lumens. So I think its in the 5 Lumen ballpark. My Inova X1V2 is around 10 Lumens. I find thats pushing it a little, bordering on excessive. I use scotch tape on it as well to help flood out the beam.:thumbsup:

I find both these lights extremely useful... even more so than my brighter lights.

Welcome to the forum, Bigworld113.

Typically, if I only have 2 levels, I want the low to be about 5-7 lumens. I find that to be just enough for lighting a dark sidewalk, with the occasional street light nearby.

I wanted to bring something else up. There are different factors that will cause some variation in the answers here. One main factor is the focus of the light. The output of a Surefire E1B will be very different than that of a Zebralight (focus vs. flood). Also, I have been in the woods with a headlamp that was putting out probably 5 lumens and it was still tough to navigate. The reason was that the PWM of that light was annoying and made it a strain to see the path as I moved. I just wanted to toss that out there.

I don't know how much lumen(s) the lowest low on my nitecore D10 got, but its pretty much perfect for me.


regards, holger

Less than half a lumen... just enough to make the phosphors start to glow.

Or perhaps that's what I prefer for a minimum. For a navigation low I'd say in the ballpark of 2-5 lumens.
:welcome:

5 lumens is enough for me.