The 'perfect beam' moment

Have you ever had a perfect beam moment? Where you lit up and noticed that the tint, shape, brightness, rendering and overall quality of the beam you were producing was as near to perfection as you could hope for the situation you were in? If so. what was the light, and what were you illuminating?

To start with, I had one yesterday. Nothing fancy: 2C maglite, LOP metal reflector, 2 x 26500 batteries, TL-3 bulb, UCL glass and usual MAG resistance fixes. I lit up on a gloomy muddy woodland path and the beam was like poured white cream over the terrain - chunky soft central hotspot blending to a smooth outer circle. It was 'as good as a light can be' for that situation - not overpowering or glaring, yet not dim and muddled. The 100 CRI was appreciated - and needed.

And a bonus one - from last week. Had a terrible day, headache, traffic jam, not very well. I lit up my HDS High CRI rotary on the second from lowest setting and used that for 10 minues while I got ready for bed. The gentle light was a true calming influence, my brain and eyes appreciated the soft 'firey' glow - like the last embers in a campfire. Felt better for that.

So how about for you - what were your 'perfect beam' moments?

Good thread sir.
I'm mulling it over as there have been so many times the beam was just the right one for the given task...

But that occasion where it was pefect? I'll need some time to think about that one.
What stands out in my mind was the first time I used the ROP'd 2C Mag to turn off the neighbors photo sensitive porch light, then later used it to light up my entire block...
Or the first time I used a Malkoff'd Mag to spot some tree'd racoons that a 4C had lit their eyes with.

My Elzetta Bones recently provided the perfect amount of light inside a 10' deep storm drain manhole while competing with a mid day cloudless sunshine...

Or the time my PK PR-1 (on 200 lumen medium) provided exactly the right amount of light to a backhoe operator (without blinding him) trying to shove concrete slabs onto a truck bed while his bucket kept casting a shadow in the exact spot he needed to see...

But the one I'm trying to remember was a vintage light whose bulb had a shadow in the center, which was just right. It escapes me which light and why the shadow mattered...

My wife and I went for a walk last night and we heard a noise off to the side of the road. I shined the Fenix TK09 toward the noise and it lit up the deer that made the noise perfectly.

Later on my wife thought she saw another so we pointed the light toward a small field. No deer but the light showed us what was going on just right.

Time and time again the TK09 (older version; maybe 2015?) has been great for seeing random stuff on walks I've taken lately and is why it's my main EDC light.

Cool thread by the way! Looking forward to future responses.

Every time I turn on my Malkoff M91w/Surefire 9P(mostly used with extender and 2x18650).
Just excellent for as well indoors and outdoors close distance use. It really feels like a bright smooth floody incandescent, and it's the most pleasant beam I have ever experienced!

It took my HDS Rotary 325 modded with a XP-L HI 4000K out during Halloween. I hadn't really used it outdoors much but when I fired it up I was really pleased with the combination of throw and flood using it to help a group trick-or-treat on some dark roads.

My wife pointed out an empty house that had been for sale for a while in the neighborhood. I took the light with me to check out the large backyard on the edge of the forest in the back. Cranking it up to full I was so pleased to see how well it lit up a massive approx 100x200' grassy area and well into the wooded areas.

Almost every emitter I have seen looks, however slightly, either "cool" or "warm" to my perception ....

The exception, and the most "perfect" white-balanced LED that I have, happens to be an XP-G R5 found in an N-cell Peak ShastaX.

I took my dog for a walk 2 nights ago. The air was clear and the moon was out. We walked down a dirt road with woods on either side. I took my Nitecore TMO6S. It lit up the road for several hundred meters with plenty of spill on both sides of the road. Good choice for the night. It was one of those perfect beam moments.

For those that live int Barrow Alaska....it would be every time they turned on their light....day or night it doesn't matter...for the next 2 months.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/article...utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

:candle:

LeanBurn said:

For those that live int Barrow Alaska....it would be every time they turned on their light....day or night it doesn't matter...for the next 2 months.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/article...utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

:candle:

Click to expand...

Wow! 2 months with no sunshine? Oh my!
Note to self; stock up on vitamin D and Prozac

LeanBurn said:

For those that live int Barrow Alaska....it would be every time they turned on their light....day or night it doesn't matter...for the next 2 months.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/article...utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

:candle:

Click to expand...

Well, the days are short, but it's not complete darkness.

Bykfixer: http://theconversation.com/a-small-norwegian-city-might-hold-the-answer-to-beating-the-winter-blues-51852 :thumbsup:

Thanks for the great input. I love to hear when a light performs not only as intended but better than.

Minimoog said:

Have you ever had a perfect beam moment?

Click to expand...

Cool thread...I love CPF!

My most memorable moment (since becoming a flashaholic in 1990) was the first time I fired up the K60 on high on a clear moonless night. :buddies:

Another perfect beam moment - got my Malkoff HoundDog 18650 Neutral yesterday. Totally blown away by how excellent this light is.

This is really a unique thread, I like it. And I have to agree with the OP, the hi cri HDS has a wonderfully pleasing tint. It has the most 'incan like' tint of any light I have seen. For me, it's the best light to use in the evening around bed. It does feel like it has that camp fire, calming effect.

A few days of pondering later...


A pretty early flashlight.
This one was made at about the time the tungston filament was being adopted into light bulbs.


The fisheye lens puts out the perfect beam for walking in alleys or confined places like dark hallways and small rooms. And it's tint is so gentle when all 3 D cell volts are flowing well.


The old Franco miner light puts out a wonderful flood.


It quickly runs out of steam in todays world free lumens, but in real dark conditions like a cave it does a great job of lighting up a broad area while guiding your footsteps.
Another gentle beam. Using this one for walking gives a sense of peace and quiet of nights long ago.

But the one I found to be perfect.... at least to me...

This old Bond with a twisty head.

Mag-who?
With an old #14 in there it can be dialed in just right.
In real darkness I like the little ring around the edge the protruding lens provides. It's like adding a mirror to the edge of the beam for a giant boost of spill.

I love the classic lights and when the right combo of bulb vs reflector is obtained they put out a pretty smooth beam. The lack of output by todays standards is a welcome reminder of a time when life moved at a much slower pace, without all the noise and light pollution we find normal these days.

I think my favorite bright beams ever are incans as well. They come from either a Pelican 2320 (M6) or the Brinkmann LX6 with adjustable beam. They were copy cats of the then famous SureFire 6P but had less artifacts and were closest to 100 lumens vs other 6 volt lights. The bi-pin in the Brinkman put out a real nice beam, but if you dropped it bezel down the bulb likely popped out. The Pelican was stiff competition for the 6P in terms of durability. Their little 1aa 2350 LED is a goody too. It's like the battery sipper version of the 2320 with even more throw.