Most Useful Moonlight Mode--0.2 Lumens? Even Less Than That?

I'm curious to hear what people's thoughts are in regards to moonlight mode. More specifically, what is the lowest setting that you find useful?

Also, what lights with moonlight mode would you guys recommend? Are there lights with a moonlight mode that also feature a low low setting (i.e. 1-2 lumens)? I'd prefer AAA, but AA would also work.

I used to think that anything under 5 lumens was silly, but after having used a flashlight on low in the middle of the night I can now see the benefit of having a good moonlight mode. It's amazing what you can see with such a little amount of light once your eyes have adjusted to darkness.

My HDS 140 goes down to 0.07 lm. Even THAT is not low enough sometimes...

Use my cell phone for moonlight/firefly mode or just bounce light off my body if I just have a light that doesn't have any low. I wouldn't pick a flashlight with a super low mode being any sort of major criteria - if the light fits best with more important stuff then it could be a type of bonus.

i use a ThruNite at 0.04 lumens a couple times a night, every night.

off the deck i can see things pretty well out to 25 yds on a moonless night.

and i never get that blinding eye-pain i used to get with 3-5 lm lights when i turn them on after sleeping.

Howdy UpstandingCitizen, and welcome to CPF!
I used to think you couldn't go to low, but after owning a NiteCore IFE2 for a while I had to revise my thinking . That light goes down to .003 lumens, which is so low that you could look at the LED with dark adapted eyes with no discomfort. I mean, it was barely glowing and provided, at least in my opinion, no useful light.

Of course since it has the magnetic control ring you could select ANY level between .003 and the 270 lumen top end, a very nice feature.

One day, out of curiosity, I compared the low level I usually adjusted it to, with another light with a set moonlight level of .1 lumen, and they were the same. So, for me, I don't find that I need anything less than .1 lumen, but of course that's just me, as I'm sure there are plenty of CPF members who can appreciate and find a use for light levels even lower than that.

The Peak Solutions QTC lights also go down into the nether regions, and allow near infinite adjustment from barely glowing to their full rated output. Those are available in either AAA (the Eiger) or AA (the El Capitan).

My Zebralight SC600 has not only the .1 lumen level, but a 3 lumen level as well, and I find myself using that more than I expected. They offer that in a AA format too, the SC51, a very nice pocket light.

And yes, a moonlight mode IS a requirement when I'm looking at lights. Not only do I find myself using it often at that level, but it's comforting to know I can extend the runtime of my light if needed. There's an old CPF saying along the lines of "it's often better to have a little light for a long time than a lot of light for only a short time".

coyote said:

i use a ThruNite at 0.04 lumens a couple times a night, every night.

off the deck i can see things pretty well out to 25 yds on a moonless night.

and i never get that blinding eye-pain i used to get with 3-5 lm lights when i turn them on after sleeping.

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Thanks for the feedback--that's the kind of moonlight mode I'm looking for. Is that the ThruNite Ti?

http://www.thrunite.com/en/NewsView.aspx?id=204

Derek Dean said:

And yes, a moonlight mode IS a requirement when I'm looking at lights. Not only do I find myself using it often at that level, but it's comforting to know I can extend the runtime of my light if needed. There's an old CPF saying along the lines of "it's often better to have a little light for a long time than a lot of light for only a short time".

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That about sums it up as to why I'm looking for a light the lowest useful moonlight mode. I think that it especially makes sense with a small light that you'd carry around in a pocket.

UpstandingCitizen said:

Thanks for the feedback--that's the kind of moonlight mode I'm looking for. Is that the ThruNite Ti?

http://www.thrunite.com/en/NewsView.aspx?id=204

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that's the one i use. currently available for $16 plus shipping through Illumination Supply. and owner craig seems like a nice well informed guy.

fyi - recent user tests show it runs for a couple hours on 60 lm high and around 125 hours in moon-mode on a 1xAAA.

and here's a CPR review of it: Thrunite-TI-review-with-.04-lumen-Firefly-mode

Derek Dean said:

... There's an old CPF saying along the lines of "it's often better to have a little light for a long time than a lot of light for only a short time".

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Here, Here. I do not understand the need for 750 lm on a AAA so that I can impress my friends for 30 seconds. I regularly walk the woods with 10 lm, 20 lm when lots of light is needed. My E01 is my best friend. Nitecore D11.2 is pretty good too. They say it only goes down to 3 lm, but it is more like 0.3 lm. Great for getting around the house at night.

Until I picked up the Quark X AA2 I had no idea what I was missing out on. Its 0.3 lumen is great for a nightstand light for checking on our young kids. I have to inhibit my other lights some other way because even at a couple of lumens it's way too much.

The red filter with the T20C2 on low is another way to solve the problem but I prefer white light if possible.

X2 for the Quark X AA2. Or you could get an XP-G R5 with a .2 lumen moonlight low.

I'm waiting for Beacon of Light to post here - he was the person whose posts first educated me on the usefulness of a moonlight mode. Like a number of posters in this thread for a nightlight it absolutely has to have a moonlight mode. By using a slight modification I have turned a Thrunite Ti into a firefly mode only light. The perfect nightlight...

Harry999 said:

I'm waiting for Beacon of Light to post here - he was the person whose posts first educated me on the usefulness of a moonlight mode. Like a number of posters in this thread for a nightlight it absolutely has to have a moonlight mode. By using a slight modification I have turned a Thrunite Ti into a firefly mode only light. The perfect nightlight...

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How'd you do that?

I just ordered a Thrunite Ti, and I'm curious to try it out. It's hard to complain at $16 shipped, so I'm sure I'll be happy with it.

shane45_1911 said:

My HDS 140 goes down to 0.07 lm. Even THAT is not low enough sometimes...

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Far too bright at times and I've even made the mistake of thinking I was on a medium setting when I was already down at .07-.08 - hence my triple click left me at the same place. Not having anything that goes much lower with an attached lumen rating to post, I'm thinking that one of my holy grail moonlight settings would be .01, but maybe even less.

For the record, I think that for a level to be considered a moon-mode it should be no brighter than the full moon itself would be and that with the full moon out, it should be undetectable on the ground, only showing up and offering light equivalent to what the moon was putting out.

Moon modes are great, but for some of us who have no problem walking in the dark and just want a little support out of our lights, I really wish to see an aurora mode, which can be as bright as the full moon at times, but generally much lower.

kaichu dento said:

...For the record, I think that for a level to be considered a moon-mode it should be no brighter than the full moon itself would be and that with the full moon out, it should be undetectable on the ground, only showing up and offering light equivalent to what the moon was putting out.

Moon modes are great, but for some of us who have no problem walking in the dark and just want a little support out of our lights, I really wish to see an aurora mode, which can be as bright as the full moon at times, but generally much lower.

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nice going KD - best description to date!

that's how i evaluate my lights too: i go out on the deck, aim the beam at my feet and if the beam can be easily seen in full-moon-brightness, its way too bright. if it can't be seen, its low enough. weeks later when there is no moon, even the lowest levels seem more than enough.

Currently my lowest lumen light is my Safe-light "handyman" with a depleted 9v battery. On "locator glow" you can look at the led directly even with night adjusted eyes. It puts out just enough light to navigate if the territory isn't too tricky. I'd call it "Starlight mode", as it is way less than full moon illumination. Next up is Lo which is still pretty low, then the "Hi" setting is still pretty dim (signficantly less than my ZL SC60's L2 at 0.2 lm).

With a fresh battery "Starlight mode" is a bit brighter, Lo is less than 0.2lm (maybe 0.1lm ?), while Hi is probably about 0.4lm.

Note that all these lumen levels are gauged by my notoriously inaccurate 59 year old binocular semi-spherical bio-neurological photon detectors, so they should be treated as the rough estimates they are

coyote said:

nice going KD - best description to date!

that's how i evaluate my lights too: i go out on the deck, aim the beam at my feet and if the beam can be easily seen in full-moon-brightness, its way too bright. if it can't be seen, its low enough. weeks later when there is no moon, even the lowest levels seem more than enough.

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Thanks！
I know there's getting to be more and more of us all the time and I'd like to see an additional level of 'rateability' added from Greg's post mentioning starlight the the moon and aurora ranges of output.

The moon is pretty damn bright and anyone who wishes their Novatac or HDS could go lower is already painfully aware of this fact. Starlight is probably just right next to no light at all, and of course, the aurora can be pretty bright or almost non-existent in it's ability to light a path.

It shows common processes of logic when you read that someone else does the exact same thing you do, and shining the light at my feet is something I do for the same reason as you do, in addition to checking tint.

The low in my latest D11.2 is probably around 0.1 lumens (not the advertised 3 lumens). This seems to be about the limit for useful illumination. I think 1-2 lumens may be a more practical level.

Geoff

shane45_1911 said:

My HDS 140 goes down to 0.07 lm. Even THAT is not low enough sometimes...

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^^^this^^^
Seems i am always looking for a lower setting on the Clicky.
My Nitecore EX11.2 does get lower but the tint is not neutral.

UpstandingCitizen said:

How'd you do that?

I just ordered a Thrunite Ti, and I'm curious to try it out. It's hard to complain at $16 shipped, so I'm sure I'll be happy with it.

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It is a very simple mod and in the interests of full disclosure I will note it was originally suggested by some of the purchasers of the prototype Ti run offered to CPF members.

Simply get a plastic material such as for example blister packaging. Cut out a small amount. The size depends on the location you are placing it. When you remove the head from the light you will see a foam ring. in the center is a space at the base of which is a small metal tab (the rectangular strip pointing to the center).

When you twist the head the battery positive pole pushes this tighter into the head causing high mode to engage. Now take the cut out plastic and insert it under the tab (using a pair of tweezers worked for me). Now even if you tighten the light fully high mode will never engage and you have a dedicated firefly Ti which will never annoy you in the middle of the night because it no longer has a high mode. Note if needed you could just pull the plastic insert out and it is back to original format.

Edit: I find myself agreeing with the view expressed above that sometimes even moonlight modes are too high. Many of my purchases are now specifically made with lights which have moonlight mode and I sometimes use a diffuser to reduce that output to an even lower level.