Less lumens!!

So, for the last year I've been interested/purchasing light with 200-700 lumens mainly Eagletac. I live In a small town ( no pun intended mellencamp) I've recently started purchasing cheap, no name LED lights advertised as having 6 lumens. as a result of this ive figured out less is more. It's better to go walk around town at night with a light that will give enough light so "you" can see, not give out enough light that you wake up you neighbors. What is a good low lumen light?

6 lumins is fine for some tasks but I think it is always better to have more at hand if needed. I just bought a Kalarus P1A and it has a low light setting and a high. I find the low enough for most tasks but it is still more than 6 lums. I like having the big amount of light that the high setting gives me even if I only use once in a while.

If you are looking for something smaller, cheaper and even less bright, the ITP 1AAA is a heck of a good light for about $20. It has a very low setting that I use in the car mostly to avoid blinding myself when I am just looking for a map or something.

Zebralights are good in that regard.

Congratulations, you've seen the light . There are many low lumen lights available. Give us a better idea of your price range and what other features you're looking for....... battery type, general use, etc.

For instance, the newly announced Jetbeam RRT0 XM-L is a nifty little pocket sized EDC light that looks like it will go from 550 lumens all the way down to .005 lumens, controlled by an infinitely variable control ring. Neat.

HDS lights offer a similar range, as does the NovaTac 120P.

Or, you could go with something like the Fenix E01, which is an inexpensive AAA keyring light.

In any case, welcome to the world of the low lux

Low is the new High.

3lm from a Quark Mini on low setting is useful.

Some Mag Solitaire, 2xaa, 3xaaa, ... with LED conversion is about 10-20lm depending on LED supplier.

ITP/Quark are great choices in various battery configs.

A couple GITD orings can provide light in a lightless situation.

As someone on this board has mentioned, anything that will make your pupils shrink is considered wasted lumens.

Manufacturers tend to push the absolutely maximum output on their lights, and neglect lower modes.

Which is why I'm happy to say that I have Quark Tactical as my backup, which can be programmed to different outputs according to my needs.

agreed.

I dont even consider buying a small light unless it has efficient low low modes.

+1, I find my small bright single mode lights useless nowadays.

Quark AA moonlight! So low you can look directly at the led and not get blinded. Just right for walking around in total darkness without calling attention to yourself.

I've also been turned onto this recently since getting my swm V10R TI. I used to think my nitecore D10 SP was low at 2 lumen's but I love the 'less then 1 lumen' the V10R TI is capable of.

Quarks are better = 0.2 lumens

Johnbeck180 said:

It's better to go walk around town at night with a light that will give enough light so "you" can see, not give out enough light that you wake up you neighbors. What is a good low lumen light?

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I walk 3-4 times a week when it's completely dark with a light putting out between 300-800 lumens (depends on the light I take). I walk past many houses and have never had an issue with waking up anybody. Unless you're shining your light into the windows, there ought not be a problem.

Just buy a multi-mode light so if you really feel the need to be not so bright, you don't have to be. Personally, I like to be able to see what's 100 metres in front of me when I'm out at night by myself.

a flashlight can never be bright enough for me and never to small. Yes, a low mode make sense and thats why the manufactors always have low modes. Nobody is forced to use only the full amount of power, thats why u have the different modes, clearly the best solution is a stepless ring for that. The joy some ppl here have for small one mode ultra low lumen lights is beyond me.

Last year some friends and I were staying in the wilds of Scotland. Being from the city I had rarely seen nights so dark! The Milky Way was easily visible, there was no moon. Most nights we walked the mile or so down a track at the side of the loch to the nearest pub. The first night we used tiny key chain lights (the ones that use watch batteries and you have to keep pressed). They lit up a few feet in front but that was all. After that I got my old rubber 2D cell light out of the boot of the car and used that. It made a lot of difference! We could see several yards in front of us, and when there was a noise at the side of the road (foxes, owls etc,) we could actually see what it was)! I often wonder what it would have been like with a modern 100 lumens flashlight. So while I don't always see the need for max lumens, a good mid range lamp can make all the difference on a completely dark night (with a high mode just to check those noises in the bushes!)

gcbryan said:

Zebralights are good in that regard.

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+1

Lots of good recommendations here - lots of good questions - lots of agreement (including mine) that having a very low setting is very useful. For the lowest low, I still enjoy my Surefire T1A. For a bargain that gives a huge range, the Jetbeam RRT0 XML is a great choice (as already mentioned.) If you don't need infinite range of control, the Zebralight SC600 is amazing - 0.1 lumen at the lowest setting up to 750 lumen on turbo ( I measure 738 consistently in my integrating sphere). For a nice bargain - a blend between size, brightness and price, the Zebralight SC60 (or SC60W if you like warmer, or more neutral tints) is a nice compromise.

The members that have been around for a while will certainly agree - it's absolutely AMAZING the number of choices you have. 10 years ago? Mostly just grab an incandescent and deal with one level. Price? All over the place. But now? LOOK at all the manufacturers that have products that will meet your needs - and the run times, low prices, etc. And they are all pretty darn good. And every member of the forum is passionate about their favorite brand and why it's 'the one' to choose.

I prefer not to openly endorse any brand, but my own collection has evolved through tens of thousands of dollars of lights to a pretty simple collection - I suppose I "endorse with my wallet":

McGizmos
Surefires
Zebralights
Fenix lights

And out of MY collection, for the mix of low level, high levels and reasonable price, any of the Zebralights will fit the bill. Plus they are tough little buggers - sure, there were some reliability issues in the past, but I've never had any failure from any of the 10 or so I've owned, and I beat the you-know-what out of one over HERE and it's still going strong.

Good luck!!

I agree 100%

Having less light can be good but you can alway just put your finger in front of the lens to block out some of the light.

If I wanted a weak and crappy light, I would just buy a $1.00 POS from the gas station and be done with it.

Arc-AAA

Or just look through Eagletac's line you were already looking at. D series lows 3-5 lumens. 12 Lumen for the T20C2 XML. Most have a 25 or less mode. All of them very nice lights.

HDS has some of the best low-lumen lights I've ever used. For something a little less pricey, give the 4Sevens Quark line a look.