Flashlight with greatest spectrum of moonlight modes.

Hey guys,

Looking for a pocket sized flashlight with the greatest spectrum of moonlight modes

I dont really care what battery type it is

By moonlight, i mean a good spectrum below 5 lumens

Optimally something with options of 5, 2, 1, .5, .2, .1, .05, .025

The Zebralights have a decent moonlight spectrum but is there anything else out there with more choices?

Something like the JetBeam RRT-0SE?

As above, maybe along the lines of an infinite control ring, v11r is another which you can dial in the output.

Lowest setting

You could easily program a Cool Fall 007 or Tri-V to do that.

Or an HDS, although that has a few less presets than the Cool Fall.

Yes, infinitely variable magnetic ring light, or an HDS rotary or clicky (~16 of its 24 mode steps are below 10 lms and it's fully programmable). My ZLs didn't work for me.

Budget??

First ten levels of the v5:

Looking at the Jetbeam and Sunwayman... I rather have better choices below 1 lumen.

Budget? Ha! Before looking at some of these lights I thought people only paid big bucks for +1000 lumens, not -1 lumens! :ironic:

I really like the HDS rotary... but... too expensive. Same thing with the TriV.

I was thinking more along the lines of $50...

Awesome lights though...

Blind said:

Looking at the Jetbeam and Sunwayman... I rather have better choices below 1 lumen.

Budget? Ha! Before looking at some of these lights I thought people only paid big bucks for +1000 lumens, not -1 lumens! :ironic:

I really like the HDS rotary... but... too expensive. Same thing with the TriV.

I was thinking more along the lines of $50...

Awesome lights though...

Click to expand...

Check out the Zebralight Sc5 or Sc52. Both have 4 modes under 5 lumens, and a fifth not much brighter. The Sc5 goes up to 500 lumens, so really good range. They won't break the bank, either.

ElectronGuru said:

First ten levels of the v5:

1	0.18
2	0.25
3	0.34
4	0.48
5	0.68
6	0.97
7	1.39
8	1.98
9	2.88
10	4.17

Click to expand...

Was going to suggest the v5 wasp head and HDS rotary. If only the v5 had more than 4 modes. I do love all the levels now available especially in moonlight for sure!

The Oveready V5 also has a programming/status light, red or amber, that can definitely be used with fully night adapted eyes.
I like to have the bump feature activated so that if I turn on the flashlight with my hand over the working end of the flashlight, it will bump to the programming light.

ElectronGuru said:

First ten levels of the v5:

1	0.18
2	0.25
3	0.34
4	0.48
5	0.68
6	0.97
7	1.39
8	1.98
9	2.88
10	4.17

Click to expand...

Another vote for the HDS Rotary. One of the best flashlights ever made.

OP mentioned his budget range is around $50 or so. Best option in that range is going to be a Zebralight, you can find some new or used SC52 lights in the $55-60 range. Zebralight will definitely be your best bet if you don't want the infinite ramping lights mentioned, the levels available are great and should meet the needs you have.

The old programmable Armytek Predator v2.5 have the lowest moonlight modes for me. Up to .01 if I'm not mistaken.

That being said, the next best moonlight that goes really low is that of the Nitecore SRT3's. These are my only two light that have really low moonlight modes.

My new S1 Baton also has a pretty usable moonlight but doesnt go as low as those two lights mentioned above.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the SRT3 also has a secondary red led too.

You might also consider that flood VS spot is a major factor when using sublumen light levels. A .1 lumen light with a serious hotspot is going to look much brighter than a more flood type beam; at least if you compare the hotspots.

I use a ZebraLight SC62d every night. Waking up with fully night adapted vision, anything more than the ZL's 2nd lowest-low, is just too bright for me. The lowest setting on the Oveready V5 Wasp head is close enough to that, with the red programming emitter even less.

I'm a noob, so just curious. Why would you need so many low settings under 5?

dpadams6 said:

I'm a noob, so just curious. Why would you need so many low settings under 5?

Click to expand...

I would like to get around the dark using a low lumen setting such as 2 lumens, then 1, .5, .4, .3, .2, .1, .05, and so on... until my eyes are well adapted to see in almost pitch darkness and i won't need a flashlight at all due to having acquired "light memory" and i would have overcome darkness.

Like neo.

My best trick involves sitting in a closet drinking beer and listening to the radio for about 30 mins. I see everything after that, I just have to prep the house. Even the LED clock on my oven ruins the night adaptation.

dpadams6 said:

I'm a noob, so just curious. Why would you need so many low settings under 5?

Click to expand...

To maximize your night vision, runtime, and stealth, you only want use just enough light for a given task, and different tasks require a different amounts of light, of course. I'm lazy and personally like recharging a single Eneloop or 14500 after ~ 30-50hrs of use. Also love having my eyes well dark-adapted since it lets me see much better the other 120-degrees outside of my lights beam, and it makes 200 lumens feel Iike a 1000.... for the brief moments I need that.

How about the Sunwayman V25c?