Flashlight Buyer's Guide added

Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Added a "Flashlight buyer's guide" to my site. Lots of info for the newbie... Let me know what you all think... Kinda big - my fingers almost fell off with all the typing...

http://thelightsite.cruxial.com/buyers_guide.htm

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Wow! With just a quick overview I found it has lots of info. I think I'll go read it carefully later since you have some things in there that I didn't know. Good work! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Lots of info.

But all a flashlight buyers guide really needs is:

1. Buy a flashlight

2. Turn it on.

Then buy another light, and another light, and another light and another light, and join CPF, and then start buying some really expensive flashlights.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Thanks, Quickbeam. A really good write-up. I'll bet that almost all will find at least a piece of information or a perspective that is new tp them.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

[ QUOTE ]
But all a flashlight buyers guide really needs is:
1. Buy a flashlight
2. Turn it on.
Then buy another light, and another light, and another light and another light, and join CPF, and then start buying some really expensive flashlights.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, that's the CandlePowerForums buyers guide!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Nice guide. I don't understand the advice not to use rechargeable batteries in devices intended for alkalines though. With a few exceptions, you can generally use a NiMH AA anywhere you can use an alkaline.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

i read the whole guide. A great review for me. Just what the beginner needs.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

[ QUOTE ]
I don't understand the advice not to use rechargeable batteries in devices intended for alkalines though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good! These are the kind of comments I need.

Personally I've had poor success using rechargables in flashlights. I'm charging up a couple now and will do some tests. Nice thing about the web page is that it's editable! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Constructive criticism appreciated! (but don't get overzealous, now) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

I've been using NiMH AA's in my Minimag for a year or so. They work fine. Brightness is maybe a little less than with brand new alkalines, but equal to alkalines that have been in use for a while, and stays steadier. Runtime is fine, I don't use it enough to care about any differences, when the light starts dimming I recharge the cells. Self-discharge isn't too bad (I can leave the NiMH in for months). I also tried a NiMH in a CMG Ultra and that worked fine too, maybe with less runtime than an alkaline but still plenty. The voltage drop might be an issue with very marginal designs like two-cell LED flashlights with no step-up converter. But flashlights like that really shouldn't be sold.

One other issue, the guide mentions LED's being much more efficient than incandescent lamps, but I think that's only true of monochrome LED's. With white LED's, losses in the phosphor make the efficiency about the same as incandescent. You still get much longer useful battery runtime, since an incandescent on a weak battery will glow orange and then quickly drop down to infrared, while an LED will stay white (or whatever color). A white LED at 1/10th of its normal brightness is still useable.

LED's are getting better (they may double in efficiency over the next year or so). However, for now, fluorescent and HID lights are quite a bit more efficient than either regular incandescent or LED's.

While I'm at it, a comment on your review: they are great, very informative, however there's one piece of info that I always want, which is the weight of the flashlight with and without batteries. If you have a postal scale, can you start putting that info into your reviews? Sometimes there are manufacturer specs (e.g. at brightguy.com) but those are often incorrect.

Keep up the good work!

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

I've thought about the weight issue - The post office nearby has a scale and if I weigh the empty flashlights and one of each battery type, I could just calculate the weight with batteries later... I'll work on that one.

I'll also change the part about the rechargables with the caveat that runtime and brightness may be reduced.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

re: rechargeables:

Maybe we can find a way to say that rechargeables aren't forbidden, but the manufacturer may have a good reason for recommending against their use, such as unregulated LED lights.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Doug, you can get a postal scale (normal mechanical type) for $8 or so brand new at Office Max or someplace like that. No need for a fancy digital one.

Blikblok, any flashlight that wants alkaline batteries but doesn't work when the voltage falls below 1.2V is badly designed and shouldn't be recommended. Alkaline batteries have a tapering discharge curve and a lot of the energy comes out at below 1.2 volts. When you see a spec like "2500 mAH" for an AA alkaline, that generally assumes a cutoff voltage of 0.8 volts. The two-cell, unregulated CMG Reactor actually says to use lithium AA's, which is crazy, and in fact they've replaced that light with the Reactor 3 which uses three cells. I guess there's also some direct drive Luxeon lights made by modders which could get fried by the higher short circuit current from a NiMH, but someone using a light like that should know what they're dealing with.

I think it's enough to say NiMH can generally substitute for alkaline at reduced brightness and runtime, unless the manufacturer specifically advises against it.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Good job, Quickbeam. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

I regularly use rechargeables in flashights, but, I do remember a day working on an electrical problem in a 135 degree attic, in the way far corner of the attic when all of a sudden the NiCads died. I head one heck of a time finding my way out. Alks generally give you plenty of warning before going out. Of course I don't have this problem anymore since I always have several lights on me at all times!!

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:

LED's are getting better (they may double in efficiency over the next year or so). However, for now, fluorescent and HID lights are quite a bit more efficient than either regular incandescent or LED's.


[/ QUOTE ]
Well, while i can't comment on the HID lights, i do have experience in using fluorecent. I start fluorescent light (the radioshack 4AA) the same time with a luxeon star light with 3 batteries. All the batteries used are the same for both light. To my astonishment, the luxeonstar remain brighter for twice as much as the fluorescent. The fluorescent became so dim that it is not that pleasant anymore that i need to turn this thing off and change it to a new set of batteries. In my final test, the luxeon light remains about a bit brighter than the fl on its second set.

back to topic, Wow, a very nice page you got there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

paulr:
I agree with you. It's up to the manufacturer to protect their product if something as simple as a chemistry change could damage it.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

I think your buyer's guide fills a need that was previously unattended to by reviews sites. Good work, great page.

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

I think your page don't have enough pictures in it. We all know a pic worth a thousand words. Also, should you atleast give the name of the rechargeable batteries? like NiMH, NiCd, Alkaline, lithium?
just a suggestion /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: Flashlight Buyer\'s Guide added

Excellent. Compact, useful without being too technical. Maybe you should consider selling it to about.com.

W