well, the streamlight stylus 3 was about perfect (except for the annoyingly blue tint) until some of those darn AAAAs leaked in there. But the amount of output at the hotspot was about right. I've seen the stylus listed as 10 lumens (by streamlight) and IIRC 27 lux in one review, but i'm not sure about matching those numbers up with the listed output for the eiger, given the different beam profiles and units of measure, respectively. That's why i was hoping to get some feedback from someone who's played (or worked) with them.
The beam profile I'd *like* to get amounts to basically a narrow flood or wide spot, with very even intensity across the area the light illuminates, and a sharp demarcation where the beam ends, with very little or, preferably, no spill. My light gets used mostly to check pupils and examine the airway, and spill light is pretty much counter-productive in both cases. The high CRI I'm looking for is not strictly speaking necessary, but would be aesthetically gratifying and might help in *some* instances, especially where differentiating tissue planes is necessary.
Other uses for this light include paperwork and tracking down things like syringes and IV ports in a darkened operating room. That, and there's also the pesky little fact that my hospital has lost power twice in the past week, and the second time the emergency lighting went out and backup generators took noticably longer to kick on than in the first go 'round. Also, the hospital has backups, but the rest of the campus, including parking structures, do not. A very long run time with usefull but not overwhelming output would be very welcome.
The light will probably be used with L92 Lithium AAA primaries, both because the streamlight WAS a gift with sentimental value and I hated like hell to lose it to battery leakage (and will not go through that again), and because I really don't trust myself to keep up with rechargable AAAs and make sure theyr'e there in peak condition when I need them.
The only other thing I could hope for from peak would be the fabled two-level momentary switch, with a low similar to what I've described, and somewhat higher output available should the need ever arise. By "annoyingly blinding," I mean difficult but not impossible to look directly into the emitter voluntarily at close range (inches to maybe a couple feet). I need to be able to confirm brisk pupillary constriction even in a brightly lit room, and am willing to make the patient momentarily uncomfortable to do so, but I don't want the light to be unduly painful or force the patient to withdraw involuntarily, making it impossible for them to cooperate with my exam. The streamlight seemed to be about there, and the incan minimag seems to work well for the folks down in the emergency department (I just don't want an incan).
I think that someone has finally made a light that meets ALL of my needs (and I've been looking for maybe 7 years), now I just want to nail down the optimum choice and maybe attach some sentimental value to what I expect to be a well-loved tool for years to come. The eiger is at the very top of my range or probably still more than we can really afford, even as a gift, but I've finally realized the truth to the saying "A poor man can only afford to buy the best, once."
