Searchlight suggestions for my friend

My friend assists in searching of missing people (usually elderly people lost in woods) and he has asked for my advice for good portable lighting. Typical terrain is pinewood and birch forests outside cities, so reliable lighting is essential. Price range should be like 100€ (~130$) max but I think that I can persuade to spend bit more if needed.

My first question is that how much should there be actual torch lumens for the job specified? He insists that it should be over 200lm but I think that something like 150-200lm with good throw and adjustable brightness should be more than enough. I think that only thing that hundreds of lumens do is destroy his night vision every time he shines the light at his feet, especially when there is snow on the ground.

He also prefers rechargeable torch with integrated battery, but is there even any rechargeable flashlight in that 100€ price range that would give 150lm+ with much longer run time than typical 2*AA format, let's say 8-10hours? I think that rechargeable torch with integrated battery has its drawbacks, since eventually the battery will be depleted and there is no possibility to change the empty battery.

I've possibly managed to change his mind to 2*AA(or CR123) format(with necessary amount of spare NiMh/Li-Ion batteries) and about 200lm(max) but what do you "missing people search experts" think, am I right in this matter?

My suggestions could be one of these:
Nitecore D20. Fenix L2D(Premium Q5). Fenix P3D(Premium Q5).

Requirements in short
- Total run time 8-10hours (spare battery carry is not a problem)
- Price range ~100€ / 130$
- Lumens maybe 150-200 or to be confirmed by you
- Good throw with enough usable spill
- Battery format preferably 2*AA, integrated battery or possibly 2*CR123
- Weather proof and durable for rough use

Ps. He is currently using Mag Charger and wants better runtime and less weight to carry around.

My thoughts:

- 200+ lumens is a good starting point. More the better. Especially when you're faced with less than ideal weather conditions.
- Forget AA batteries. If your friend wants a light that runs on rechargeables with good capacity, get him something that will run on 18650 li-on batteries. And make sure he carries a few spares along.
- For good throw with some usable spill you need something with a big reflector. None of the lights you listed are good throwers. They're all EDC type lights with thin housings and small reflectors.


Given your price range I would say go with the Dereelight DBS V2. There are plenty of reviews and pics about this light on the forum. You can pick and choose the components to suit your needs and they're upgradeable as well. I'm thinking a DBS V2 with 3SD driver, 5A Q3 LED, and smooth reflector would suit your friend's needs the best.

Toaster said:

My thoughts:

- 200+ lumens is a good starting point. More the better. Especially when you're faced with less than ideal weather conditions.
- Forget AA batteries. If your friend wants a light that runs on rechargeables with good capacity, get him something that will run on 18650 li-on batteries. And make sure he carries a few spares along.
- For good throw with some usable spill you need something with a big reflector. None of the lights you listed are good throwers. They're all EDC type lights with thin housings and small reflectors.


Given your price range I would say go with the Dereelight DBS V2. There are plenty of reviews and pics about this light on the forum. You can pick and choose the components to suit your needs and they're upgradeable as well. I'm thinking a DBS V2 with 3SD driver, 5A Q3 LED, and smooth reflector would suit your friend's needs the best.

Click to expand...

what he said, except that i would add on that he carry perhaps a Fenix E01 on a lanyard around his neck as a backup light (10 hour 10 lumen runtime) and enough light if its pitch dark and maybe another light with a slow strobe to make him more visible to the people lost in the woods, i know i would yell out if i was lost and saw a light in the distance. Perhaps a Jet I or Jet II with the IBS?

When someone mentions "search light", I automatically assume that it's to be used for serious purposes. In this case as is typical, it's for finding people in dire need of being found.

If it's that serious, should price be the first or second most important criteria? ... and is the person not willing to carry an extra pound or two if it gives them immensely superior "searching" capability?

For searching when it's important, HID is a given.
There are some really good choices if you can budget up to around $400 (the AE 25W Xenide comes to mind), but you can also get a lot of bang for the buck with something like the Amondotech.
http://www.batteryjunction.com/n30-3161.html
Then carry a small but powerful LED light such as a Fenix L2D-CE/Q5 as a pocketable backup.

I'm thinking that your friend is wanting to go drag racing, but wants to do it with a Toyota Prius. Not really the best tool for the job.

Thanks for your recommendations so far. I'll check those Dereelight reviews, but how about Fenix TK-11 or Raidfire Spear, would those be recommended by anyone?

Zenster:
If I've understood his role correctly, he is volunteer and merely assists police/army personel in his free time(and with his own money..), so he is not in main responsibilty for the search. I think that those police/army dudes have enough kilowatts of their own if necessary..

If the choice is for maximum lumens and bang for the buck, I doubt if you can beat this Coleman model (3 Cree emitters, 530 lumens advertised, $45), which is only available online (but the order can be picked up at your local Wal-Mart):

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8187724

There were some CPF threads about it a couple of months ago. I've been trying to persuade myself that I have a need/use for it since then, but haven't been successful so far.

How about the greatest bang for your buck light ever......the POB its a 35 watt HID and it has a runtime of about an hour....super bring over 3000 lumens

beat that

I would use a fenix TK-20.It only has an hour and a half run time on high at 150LM but it runs on 2XAA and hell you can carry 10-12 of them and never notice.And the low of 45LM will get you eight hours to use.The throw of this light is fantastic and the beam looks more like an incandescent then an led.Tough as hell to.

Fenix TK20 if you stay with 2AA, Fenix TK11 and a couple 18650 cells and a good charger if you want to go rechargeable li-ion.

Either of those has a simple UI, is extremely sturdy, and, they both are cheap enough to get a backup light with them for under $100.

The first lights that pop into my head are the Fenix TK20, Eagletac P10A2, Olight T25, and the Jetbeam Jet I Pro EX.

The TK20 seems to be one of the better choices here.

Right now it's not possible to get anywhere close to 8 hours runtime at 150-200 lumen from 2 AA batteries.

I don't think any normal AA LED lights will be close to the Magcharger in throw or output. Keep that in mind.