Sho Yer Dim Thro Lites- WHAT?

OK, this is going to be a semantically challenged thread. I've been thinking about this for a while and maybe now's the time. For the true lack of better words, I want to hear about your tightest, dimmest throwers of any color. Throwers is the semantically challenged part. Thinking in terms of Throw + Flood or Throw + No Flood, Throw is the best word I can think of for any beam with no spill, regardless of it's output level.

So you don't have to agree with me about anything but my semantic premise.

Back to bidness.

Tell me about your dimmest, tightest beams. Stock or custom-- I want to hear about them. Confess. You'll feel better.

Specs, pics and beamshots appreciated.

On the high output end I'm really not interested in anything brighter than an Inova X1-Gen1. I'm going to run out of them one day and I'll need a replacement for Mrs Umbra. This is serious.

What I am really interested in are the tightest, lowest powered beams. Any of you who have read many of my posts will know of my love of de-powered NV Green Photon Freedoms.

There has to be more lights in this category.

WHAT ARE THEY?

The old Jetbeam Jet II IBS; 1x123 with a fat reflector and a 2 lumen low. Scores 10k lux maxed out, so it's a Maglite-tight hotspot, but with the IBS interface, you set the modes however you please. Includes a 2-lumen-per-10-second locator beacon mode.

Sweet

My Photon Freedom Micro (covert nose) with the Yellow LED and CR2032 appears to less bright than my similar NVG version (not by a huge amount, but easily noticed), but I can't say I've fallen in love with the sickly yellow colour at low light levels. From looking at the Photonlight website I get the impression that the Red, Yellow, and purple versions may be slightly dimmer again.

I have one PALight "Star" that has a "Locator Glow" that is much dimmer than all the rest of my PAlights, it is much dimmer than my yellow PFM described above. Strangely enough it has a normal "Hi" level (obviously has some difference in the Locator Glow circuit). Not much use for anything beyond finding the light in a dark room, but that is all I need the "Locator Glow" to do, so I'm fine with that. PALights come with a convex lens to focus their beam, so not much spill.

My "dimmest" lights are fauxtons with almost flat batteries. I have run some down so low that I needed to take them into a dark room to tell whether they are switched on or not (totally useless as far as supplying light to do anything with, but they are "very dim"). No spill, and no throw either

With the original X1 as the benchmark I don't know of anything that would provide similar output.All of the optic lens lights I have tried offer a wider spill than the X1 and reflectors provide a different type of beam.Maybe an optic based custom/modifed light is the way to go.....

I was going to mention the 1st Gen X1. Sadly mine died. I think Inova has a lifetime guarantee, if I send it in do you think they'll fix it to it's original condition, or just replace it with a new one (which I don't want).

Of my lights the old X1 and the Palights are the tightest throwers. A dimmer light that also throws a bit is the ThruNite Ti. Then there's the L1 with a weak battery.

Geoff

Terralux TLE-1F in a 6V lantern. The other is a MTE SSC-P7.


The MTE SSC-P7 produces a big blob of light. The 6V lantern with the Terralux (50 LED lumens, ~30 OTF) that tight bright spot.


BIG reflector!!! :naughty::nana::devil:


I tried most of my LED bulbs in the lantern. The Terralux matches the reflector perfectly.

reppans said:

I was going to mention the 1st Gen X1. Sadly mine died. I think Inova has a lifetime guarantee, if I send it in do you think they'll fix it to it's original condition, or just replace it with a new one (which I don't want).

Click to expand...

I think this came up a few years ago and Inova just replaced the light with a new one.

I have a couple of dead Gen 1s I'm hanging on to in case I ever find anyone who fixes them...

The 10mm LEDs from Radio Shack are impressive throwers. They tend to put a hand-sized projection of the tiny die across the room.

The old River Rock 2AA and 2C lights which Target used to sell employed optics and had virtually no spill. I no longer own them, but still have a 1st generation Inova X1. That old X1 is useful for looking in small, dark parts bins in the basement workshop where spill is no required.

I can't believe this thread came up. It's so ridiculous but i made an aspheric lens for my Fenix E01 out of a jewelers loop TP rolls and a rubber gasket LOL. It has crazy throw compared to it's normal state.

I love this place.

crap.

I have QTC Peak, QTC Lummi Wee, QTC Kuku 40DD, Zebralights up the yinz...but none are called throwers...

otherwise...you know, I'd post up a pic and show ya some subhuman lumens

Neat thread. This little light is one of my favorites. This is a quark turbo which I modded from the stock XPG to a neutral XPE. (not my idea, copied someone here on CPF) Its got throw like an aspheric, it easily matches my 2AA lenslight on high. But its the throw and moonlight mode which should qualify it here...

My 1st gen CMG Infinity in white, dim with little throw,in the dim with some throw is my CMG Infinity with a amber led.

Thanks for the posts.

So, is any factory out there making a stock tiny 1xAAA or 1xAA aspheric with a 5mm LED or something brighter with a UI to throttle it way down? Tiny. Dim. No spill.

it was only a hand held arrangement but I took my old CMG Infinity Red and held a magnifying glass in front of it late into a week long run time. I could make out details at 40+ feet.
According to the often referenced "Night Vision, The Red Myth" page ( http://stlplaces.com/night_vision_red_myth/ ) -Deep Red light should give the best detailed vision in the zone of our night vision Blind Spot. That seemed to bear out in my experiment.
I would think that for minimal lumens output, a deep red light would be best For Spotlight Throw.
I'm also under the impression that for best peripheral night vision with minimal lumens, a Teal flood would be best... better still if the center field were blocked out for the exclusive use of deep red for the (roughly 15 degree?) blind spot. That or teal flood with no blocking out of center, augmented by red spot for center. Hope I said that sensibly enough.