Looking for a brass flashlight recommendation

I'm thinking it's time to buy a brass flashlight, there's something kinda retro and "classy" about them. There does not seem to be much out there that's at a price point I can justify ($100.00-ish), but I've been wandering around the Peak site today (what an awful site 'though) and found a couple of possibilities.

I'm looking at the Caribbean and the Kino bay, Both with P4 LEDs and both in brass. All of the other Peak lights I considered are not available. An AA light would be handy, and the Caribbean looks cool, and there's a sale on right now.

I'm having a bit of trouble trying to figure out brightness levels, because they quote output in cp, which I assume is candlepower. I know a direct conversion from candlepower to lumens is not realistic but is there a rough conversion that can at least let me compare this to my other lights?

Anybody care to make a recommendation? I would really appreciate the advice.

Thanks

Randy

I had similar predicament. But after some reading up, I found 2 threads (this & this) to be very helpful.

MWClint stated in his thread "Power output levels average per LED are 20 Candela for standard output, 34 Candela or 5 Lumens for High Power and 40 Candela or 7 Lumens for Ultra Power times the number of LEDs per flashlight head."

^^ that was for the 5mm leds.

ive seen someone make this "approximation" before and it seems to give
a decent idea of the brightness. it's not a true calculation obviously..
but looking at what peaks i have and comparing them to other known
lights it seems to be close enough.

and the magic formula is...
just remove a "0". lol

500cp=50lumens
1000cp=100 lumens
650cp=65 lumens

Peaks can be very handy - just call Curt or Robyn to select from the many build options. As for brightness and battery options, these can also be tailored to your needs.

And "classy" doesn't begin to describe these beauties, though I must admit that I've become so utterly addicted to polished brass Peaks that I'll probably not live long enough to see any hint of "retro" patina.

Enjoy.

Brass is soft, heavy, and tarnishes easily. I would think that would make it an undesireable material for a light body. What is it about brass that you find attractive ?

GPB said:

Brass is soft, heavy, and tarnishes easily. I would think that would make it an undesireable material for a light body. What is it about brass that you find attractive ?

Click to expand...

It's true that the brass is soft, heavy and tarnishes easily. However, "undesirable" is a subjective quality. For many EDC uses all would agree that aluminum has the weight advantage. For some environments, e.g., medical or abusive, stainless may be more appropriate. Yet for some of us, polished brass holds an appeal that cannot be duplicated by any other material. Semper Fi!

Thanks for the replies everyone, I appreciate the advice. Greg, in a practical sense, you're right, but I just like the look of the stuff.

I have all sorts of iPods and various other music playing things at home but I still think a vinyl LP played on a good turntable sounds better. I have a bunch of digital synthesizers at home but nothing compares to playing a good acoustic piano. It's just one of those odd things.

Randy

I have quite a few brass lights now, and my favorite, hands down, is the FireFly. I have it with both a 123 tube and a CR2 tube. The light is beautiful, and the action of the threads is just about the best I've ever experienced.

Mine has an old emitter/optic, and I'll be sending it off eventually for a warmer and stronger emitter, with a floody reflector, and a Flupic converter to replace the awkward electro-mechanical 2-stage switch in the body.

I do love brass for decorative objects despite the fact that it is a high maintenance material---polishing the tarnish a bit of a chore. It weighs a ton as well but, just after a bit of attention, it sure does look like gold. As an EDC, unless small, somewhat weighty for my pocket or belt. A real looker though!


Karl

So where can I check out the Firefly?

Randy

Personally, Brass is beautiful, heavy, yes but a luscious metal that doesn't need a HA coating and the patina is part of the charm. Go for the Caribbean in the pocket body and the only two keychainable brass Peak's dsue to weight for my preference are the lug Matterhorn or the Shasta, the Shasta being a bit heavier and beefier in feel. The Shasta will also fit on the Baltic AAA body as well.

The pocket body, if still available, is great in a watch pocket with the Caribbean or the McKinley head and is quite secure in that pocket.

Brass rules.