What Makes a Light Powerfull?

CalgaryGuy

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 23, 2003
Messages
501
Location
Alberta, Canada
I'm puzzle, what makes a light good? I though it was the bigger the reflector, the better the light. But there are a lot of cheap light with big reflector and the good light, small reflector. But reflector are cheap (about $2 a piece) and some light, you can buy different reflector (like the Tec40).

I know that the bulb is very important but a lot of flashlight, you can interchange one bulb with a different one but a cheap light (like an Energizer light) is still cheap even if you put a nice bulb in it.

However, what makes a relatively cheap light like the Tec40 cost $25? Reflector is $2, bulb is $5, battery is $3, body and lens can't be $15, can it?
 

SilverFox

Flashaholic
Joined
Jan 19, 2003
Messages
12,449
Location
Bellingham WA
Hello CalgaryGuy,

A good light is the light that does the job at hand.

Cost, size, style, and shape all go into the design and engineering of the light, but if it doesn't do what you need it to do, it's not a "good" light.

I think you need to stand back and evaluate what you are trying to do with your light. Once you know what you expect the light to do, you can then find the right light for the job.

Tom
 

Xrunner

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
1,608
Location
Colorado
To answer your question I believe the name and company that back it add to the cost. You also usually have dealer markup, so if a dealer sells the light for $25, the company might sell it for 20 (just a guess). I agree with SilverFox on what makes a light good. A good light for a job may very well be $5, and a good light for the next job that comes up could be $50, depending on the job. Just my $0.02.

-Mike
 

lionken07

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 7, 2003
Messages
166
Location
CT
a light that last longer than 10 hours but are smaller than a L4 but put out more light than M3, that is a powerful light. Wait am I dreaming?...
 
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