S4MadMan
Enlightened
I'm still waiting for a few flashlights to show up and one to pass customs (McCulloch X995) but I figured I'd review some of the longest throwing incandescent flashlights. I included a typical 3D Craftsman flashlight as the basis for the comparison.
Here are the contestants:
Charging up!
Here's the vital data:
*Efficiency is some whacky thing I created. I take the lux reading at 1 meter and divide it by the lux reading at 1' and get a percentage. This percentage basically shows the efficiency/ability of the reflector to hold its beam pattern. Of course there are many other factors involved but I think it gives a general idea of how "efficient" the reflector is and also gives us a general idea of what type of reflector it is: flood or spot. If my thinking is completely flawed, please advise and I will get rid of it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
The picture below is nice looking but does not tell the tale.
At 20', the MAG is impressive but look at the SL-35X, it's amazing. For distances up to 50', the SL-35X was the winner. For distances 50'+ the MAG was the clear winner. Overall, it's hard to beat both the MAG and SL-35X. The M11 held its own and is a great buy. The CTZero is a long throw specialist but the beam is very narrow and not very useable. And the Craftsman? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif It's completely outta its league in this comparison. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif
Finally we have beam shots at 150'. You may have to turn up the brightness of your monitor a bit to capture some of the detail but the MAG and Zero were the long throw winners. The SL-35X did a good job throwing but it's the most impressive as a flood light where it lights up everything within the first 50'. It's a great pick for an all around light.
Craftsman 3D was just out of its league here. Compared to the others, it performed so poorly, I thought the batteries were dying...until I checked the built-in battery life indicator which read full power. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Pelican's M11 is a great all around flashlight. It's designed to take abuse and is currently my go to flashlight. It doesn't have the longest throw nor widest/brightest flood, but it's plenty bright, has a 90+ minute continuous run time and can take a beating. I'm very impressed with it and plan to purchase an M9:
Streamlight SL-35X: what you can't see very well in the picture below is how the SL-35X lights up every thing in front of it. The SL-35X puts out *A LOT* of light. If you compare it to the other pictures and look very carefully, you will see that it does lights up things the other flashlights do not. Streamlight rated the SL-35X at 450 lumens. I don't think it's that high but I would it's one of the brightest hand-held flashlights I have ever encountered and again, would say for anything 50' or less, it would be my go to flashlight.
If you want an inexpensive, good quality rechargeable with tremendous throw, the CT Zero is it. The Zero is only good at throwing and for a street price of around ~$60, it's a bargain.
Last and certainly not least, the MAG Rechargeable w/UCL. It's an excellent flashlight and I would say the overall winner. It is excellent for both flood and spot applications. I can't wait to get the Welch-Allyn super bulbs and do some more comparison. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
This concludes Part I of my Throw & Flood testing. Next up will be the MAG charger, our winner here versus:
HID: McCulloch/Bohmen X995
LED: Electrolumen's Tri-Star 3x3, Mr. Bulk UBER Space Needle
Incandescent: Welch-Allyn Super Bulbs
And just for kicks, I'll throw in the mix my MadMan HID Spot Light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Here are the contestants:
Charging up!
Here's the vital data:
*Efficiency is some whacky thing I created. I take the lux reading at 1 meter and divide it by the lux reading at 1' and get a percentage. This percentage basically shows the efficiency/ability of the reflector to hold its beam pattern. Of course there are many other factors involved but I think it gives a general idea of how "efficient" the reflector is and also gives us a general idea of what type of reflector it is: flood or spot. If my thinking is completely flawed, please advise and I will get rid of it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
The picture below is nice looking but does not tell the tale.
At 20', the MAG is impressive but look at the SL-35X, it's amazing. For distances up to 50', the SL-35X was the winner. For distances 50'+ the MAG was the clear winner. Overall, it's hard to beat both the MAG and SL-35X. The M11 held its own and is a great buy. The CTZero is a long throw specialist but the beam is very narrow and not very useable. And the Craftsman? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif It's completely outta its league in this comparison. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif
Finally we have beam shots at 150'. You may have to turn up the brightness of your monitor a bit to capture some of the detail but the MAG and Zero were the long throw winners. The SL-35X did a good job throwing but it's the most impressive as a flood light where it lights up everything within the first 50'. It's a great pick for an all around light.
Craftsman 3D was just out of its league here. Compared to the others, it performed so poorly, I thought the batteries were dying...until I checked the built-in battery life indicator which read full power. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Pelican's M11 is a great all around flashlight. It's designed to take abuse and is currently my go to flashlight. It doesn't have the longest throw nor widest/brightest flood, but it's plenty bright, has a 90+ minute continuous run time and can take a beating. I'm very impressed with it and plan to purchase an M9:
Streamlight SL-35X: what you can't see very well in the picture below is how the SL-35X lights up every thing in front of it. The SL-35X puts out *A LOT* of light. If you compare it to the other pictures and look very carefully, you will see that it does lights up things the other flashlights do not. Streamlight rated the SL-35X at 450 lumens. I don't think it's that high but I would it's one of the brightest hand-held flashlights I have ever encountered and again, would say for anything 50' or less, it would be my go to flashlight.
If you want an inexpensive, good quality rechargeable with tremendous throw, the CT Zero is it. The Zero is only good at throwing and for a street price of around ~$60, it's a bargain.
Last and certainly not least, the MAG Rechargeable w/UCL. It's an excellent flashlight and I would say the overall winner. It is excellent for both flood and spot applications. I can't wait to get the Welch-Allyn super bulbs and do some more comparison. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
This concludes Part I of my Throw & Flood testing. Next up will be the MAG charger, our winner here versus:
HID: McCulloch/Bohmen X995
LED: Electrolumen's Tri-Star 3x3, Mr. Bulk UBER Space Needle
Incandescent: Welch-Allyn Super Bulbs
And just for kicks, I'll throw in the mix my MadMan HID Spot Light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
