Proper low lumens

One last thing before I pull the trigger on an AAA or AA ITP, Maratac, Quark, nitecore et al:...the low lumen for me is very important...some go down to 1, others around 10...what would be the right amount of low lumens for reading a menu in a dark restaurant...something that lights up the menu, but not the table...

FlameOn said:

One last thing before I pull the trigger on an AAA or AA ITP, Maratac, Quark, nitecore et al:...the low lumen for me is very important...some go down to 1, others around 10...what would be the right amount of low lumens for reading a menu in a dark restaurant...something that lights up the menu, but not the table...

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One lumen will be more than enough to light up the menu.

The Quark AA "moonlight" mode is 0.2 OTF lumens, which I find more than bright enough to illuminate a menu in a dimly lit restaurant.

Well, I don't have any experience with any of the lights you mentioned except the Quark, and I never use the moonlight mode; personally it's useless to me(just my opinion), but to answer your question, 25 to 30 lumens would be low enough for me and it wouldn't be too bright.

I have the Quark Mini123, Nitecore D20, Maratac AAA and ITP A3 EOS SS. The D20 looks to be the lowest of the lows out of the 4 followed by ITP/Maratac and then Mini123. D20/D10 says it is 2 lumens, ITP/Maratac states 1.5 lumens and Mini123 claims 3 lumens. The 2 lumen on my D20 looks to be lower (closer to 1 lumen or less to me), the ITP/Maratac 1.5 lumens looks accurate and the brightest 3 lumens on the Mini123 looks accurate too. 3 lumens is probably the most I'd want to use in the situation you laid out above. The lower, the better so as not to call attention to yourself at the restaurant. I have read books in the car at night and like the ITP/Maratac low level, beam profile (more of a smooth, floody beam) and size best. Plus, you can put a ChapStick cap on it for a diffuser. :twothumbs

UpChUcK said:

Plus, you can put a ChapStick cap on it for a diffuser. :twothumbs

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Now that's thinking with your dipstick Jimmy!
Seriously though, that is a good idea, as long as it doesn't get ChapStick all over the bezel.

I think I'd want about one lumen for menu reading. Less would work in really dark conditions. I'd like to see lower lows in general.

Geoff

ti-force said:

but to answer your question, 25 to 30 lumens would be low enough for me and it wouldn't be too bright.

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To some degree this question is like asking "what size shirt should I buy?"

This is different for everyone, and is to a good extent dependent on the quality of lighting around you and your own eyesight, but I can pretty comfortably navigate around on a trail in the dark at 25-30 lumens! It would easily light up the table under dim lighting. (If it doesn't light up the table, then I can't imagine needing a light to read with - but again this really does vary from person to person.)

If you are middle-aged like me and presbyopic, you may need a bit more light to read comfortably. It also depends a LOT on the size of the type in the menu - low light greatly reduces your visual acuity. (To be honest tiny type in a menu in a restaurant that is so dark I'd have trouble reading a large type book for the visually impaired really annoys me! I've been to places like this.)

Still I'd say less than 5 lumens should be plenty. I think the people who are calling for ~1 lumen or less are right on the money for most people. (If your eyesight is really bad and you find you constantly hold stuff up to the light in order to read it, go for a brighter low.)

Photon freedom micro is variable from almost nothing up to 10 or so lumens, so you can pick your level. Plenty bright for what you want, IMHO. For $20.00, you can't really go wrong. At the other end of the price scale, the SF Titan T1A is variable from the lowest of practical lows, on up to 70 or so lumens. Photon can be had with a covert nose on it which effectively blocks sidespill but still allows a nice area of coverage out the front for reading. Both go far lower than my MiNi's or other lights I own that have a "low level".

A zebralight would probably be the best thing for that task. Low lumen and all flood.

The Quark regular (not mini) AA or 123 have a 0.2 lumen advertised low with 4 lumens as the next step. My experience is that 4 lumens will definitely call attention from other diners. The 0.2 lumen works most of the time but I prefer to use a Photon Freedom and not pull out a larger light. My wife understands the Photon but nothing larger.

Thanks all....Price wise, I think I'll go with the Maratac...I like the ITP too as it's nearly the same, but I like the knurling on the Maratac...

ti-force said:

Well, I don't have any experience with any of the lights you mentioned except the Quark, and I never use the moonlight mode; personally it's useless to me(just my opinion), but to answer your question, 25 to 30 lumens would be low enough for me and it wouldn't be too bright.

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i feel sorry for the fellow patrons in the restaurants you visit. 25-30 lumens in a dim restaurant is EXTREMELY noticeable to others, and is MASSIVE overkill. in many nice restaurants that would easily double or triple the total illumination provided at the table.

for the sake of maintaining the ambiance for others, <5 lumens (shielded) is a much more appropriate, with <=1 being ideal for simply lighting up a menu.

Ragiska said:

i feel sorry for the fellow patrons in the restaurants you visit. 25-30 lumens in a dim restaurant is EXTREMELY noticeable to others, and is MASSIVE overkill. in many nice restaurants that would easily double or triple the total illumination provided at the table.

for the sake of maintaining the ambiance for others, <5 lumens (shielded) is a much more appropriate, with <=1 being ideal for simply lighting up a menu.

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I concur!

I agree that 25-30 lumens is insanity in a restaurant!! Someone needs to start eating more carrots if you need this overkill. I can easily read a menu from the candle on the table & don't even need a light myself.

ti-force said:

Well, I don't have any experience with any of the lights you mentioned except the Quark, and I never use the moonlight mode; personally it's useless to me(just my opinion), but to answer your question, 25 to 30 lumens would be low enough for me and it wouldn't be too bright.

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I think the only time I've used the moonlight mode is when I'm getting ready for bed in a room with 3 other people sleeping. I find that's the most useful time because I don't want to disturb anyone, and I really don't need anymore output. Obviously, this kind of situation won't apply to many people.

1-2 Lumens is more than enough.

FWIW the ITP 3 mode is 1.5L on Low and its enough light to read the other guys menu sitting across from me at the table.

in total darkness (indoors in a windowless room, or moonless nights in the wilderness) i'm happy with less than 1 lumen for hiking a trail.

if fighting ambient light, as one finds in a city side-alley, then even 10 lumens might not be enough.

for looking under the hood of your vehicle hood trying to see into a dark back corner in the middle of a sunny day, then even 100 lumens might not be enough to see what's happening.

a menu? 3-5 lumens is more than enough for even old men like me (equal to an original Arc AAA with BS led).

conditions determine need.

If reading will be the primary function of the light, then what you need is flood (even, low lux). I don't know what kind of diffuser will fit the iTP AA, but a piece of tape should work.

The problem with reflectored light, especially the XPE-reflectored lights is that hotspot is very-very small at short distances. This does 2 things:
1. your eyes adapt to the brightest part of the beam
2. the spot will allow you to read 1 word at a time

I've tried doing this before I got a zebralight and its not fun.

In terms of appropriate lumens. I think, what is meant by this is brightness or lm/Area, which has units of "lux". So a flashlight with low lux is what your after. Therefore:

+1 Photon Freedom or ZL H series

FlameOn said:

Thanks all....Price wise, I think I'll go with the Maratac...I like the ITP too as it's nearly the same, but I like the knurling on the Maratac...

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Yes, the Maratac does have much grippier knurling. My stainless steel A3 is quite slippery. Not sure if the HAIII version is any better. The only change to my ITP/Maratac I'd make is to have the levels go lo>med>hi instead of me>lo>hi. So when I don't want to call attention to my light in a public setting in order to use the low level, I put the head in my palm and twist to get to low. Not a big deal.