Bolster
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'm getting a little skeptical of the "peak output" numbers of massive lumens that are published by various manufacturers. Sure, they are higher than we generally get in the field with real-world batteries and conditions, but I'm not talking about that.
I'm talking about a headlamp that has, say, 200 lumen output -- WOW -- for 20 minutes -- not wow. I don't care too much what the top lumen count is, if it can't sustain that number for a couple hours to get the job done. What I'm starting to do is look at the second or third brightness level to make my decision to buy or not, based on that. How bright can it be for 2, 4, 6 hours?
With handhelds, I can understand the usefulness of a brief flash of massive light. But for a headlamp? They're not for spotting, they're for seeing. Once my eyes get used to 200, stepping down to a sustainable 50 is a disappointment; eyes must adjust. So I'm starting to get jaded with these high-lumen-low-runtime numbers on headlamps, even though I value them on handhelds. Infrequently do I need a headlamp to give me a brief high power burst. MOST of the time I need my headlamp to give me long, sustainable output.
Perhaps I'm in the minority on this.
I'm talking about a headlamp that has, say, 200 lumen output -- WOW -- for 20 minutes -- not wow. I don't care too much what the top lumen count is, if it can't sustain that number for a couple hours to get the job done. What I'm starting to do is look at the second or third brightness level to make my decision to buy or not, based on that. How bright can it be for 2, 4, 6 hours?
With handhelds, I can understand the usefulness of a brief flash of massive light. But for a headlamp? They're not for spotting, they're for seeing. Once my eyes get used to 200, stepping down to a sustainable 50 is a disappointment; eyes must adjust. So I'm starting to get jaded with these high-lumen-low-runtime numbers on headlamps, even though I value them on handhelds. Infrequently do I need a headlamp to give me a brief high power burst. MOST of the time I need my headlamp to give me long, sustainable output.
Perhaps I'm in the minority on this.
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