Red light for domestic night operations

Hello,
last night I could not sleep well, so i was going back and forth from the bed. I did use my triple E1e, but even the lowest setting was blasting too much for my night vision. So in my insomnia I grabbed my HDS rotary. No problem with its lowest setting, but wasn't really bright enough and the beam was too sharp. I thought that a red light would be the ultimate night stand.
So I wonder, what would be a fine, small and simple red led flashlight? Is anything available in commerce?
Cheers

Budget ?

If budget isn't in the question I would HIGHLY recommend the new 2017 Surefire Aviator. It has a white LED and a colored LED. For the colored you could choose red. The colored and white both have two modes. It's incredible

Well, budget I would like to keep it under 100usd, as I'm organising an haiku with Tana trimming...
The aviator looks epic, but its big and does not look cheap 😅

If you want cheaper, but good quality -- here are a few suggestions, in no particular order:

- Streamlight Stylus
- LRI Photon Micro Light
- LRI Proton Pro
- Pak Lite 9V
- Inova Micro Light

Four Sevens used to make one of their "Atom" lights with a red LED, but I think it has been discontinued. Also, I believe the Nitecore Tube now has a red variant.

Good luck, let us know what you wind up with!

You'd think there would be a commercial offering for something in red, but it never seems to work out that way.

Some suggestions: the Pak-Lite in red output, $20

Rigel Starlite Mini Red LED, $23

Both take 9V batteries.

Have you considered making your own filter...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?320811-Changing-LED-Tint-With-Filters

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?355715-Red-Filter-Film-for-Headlamps

P

The BOSS / Scout / McGizmo "lego" solves for both variables (triple optic, red/white output) ... but at a significantly higher outlay

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/5090659

Find a Surefire F05 and slap it on the front of your HDS. The F05 has been discontinued for a while, but I found one a few months ago. Be careful the F05-A fits a slightly larger light

I know that you requested red, but a sub lumen white light, like on the AA Zebralights is quite easy on my dark adapted eyes in it's lowest setting and it's easy to go directly to it's lowest setting. You can choose from three different beam patterns - Standard bulls-eye with bright hot spot and less spill, semi flood and full flood.

Wow that is a lot of good suggestions! Thank you. BIGFOOT and Tmedina, I will look into those. Regarding the red filter... Actually I do have one, from a fenix LD10 (maybe). I will try to retrofit it to one of my favourite. A red film is good option too, as I use a diffraction filter already (the Phaseburn, if I'm not wrong) with great satisfaction.
I am well acquainted with Zebralights, as I own few. They're awesome but for whatever reason I just never carry one with me.
I have no interest in oveready lights as I never ever managed to get one.
On another note, I had a better look to the Aviator. Looks incredible indeed. That would be the only SF I wouldn't mod.

rioimmagina said:

Wow that is a lot of good suggestions! Thank you....

I have no interest in oveready lights as I never ever managed to get one....

Click to expand...

I see 23 of the E-series compatible Scout parts in stock now, at the time of this post :shrug:

archimedes said:

I see 23 of the E-series compatible Scout parts in stock now, at the time of this post :shrug:

Click to expand...

I meant the Boss and the Moddo, these are the only one I'm interested in. Thanks for the heads up!

So now I was browsing on this lightmalls vendor, checking if something was suitable for the red film thing... I saw a Manker E14 quad for a ridiculous price. Is that any good? It's so powerful it looks dangerous. ..

mbw_151 said:

Find a Surefire F05 and slap it on the front of your HDS. The F05 has been discontinued for a while, but I found one a few months ago. Be careful the F05-A fits a slightly larger light

Click to expand...

Completely unrelated note, but I forgot all about the Fxx-A run of filters. I can get a diffuser for my E2LAA-A, sweeeeet!

peter yetman said:

Have you considered making your own filter...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?320811-Changing-LED-Tint-With-Filters

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?355715-Red-Filter-Film-for-Headlamps

P

Click to expand...

A big +1 for this ^

You will actually have a bunch of tints of red to play with in the Lee filters. The D-C Fix diffusion film (Phaserburn sells this) is cool too, and I use various combinations of filters and diffuser. Usually I am filtering to remove unwanted tints, like green, or make a cool white into neutral. But your need is a big reminder that you can use them for a lot more than just adjusting "white".

rioimmagina said:

Hello,
last night I could not sleep well, so i was going back and forth from the bed. I did use my triple E1e, but even the lowest setting was blasting too much for my night vision. So in my insomnia I grabbed my HDS rotary. No problem with its lowest setting, but wasn't really bright enough and the beam was too sharp. I thought that a red light would be the ultimate night stand.
So I wonder, what would be a fine, small and simple red led flashlight? Is anything available in commerce?
Cheers

Click to expand...

One of the biggest things to consider here is the actual wavelength and colour of the light. You want something close to 660nm or it's not even worth it imho. For example, most red LEDs and pretty well all filters are orangey especially when compared to a proper red LED. The orangey red light doesn't preserve night vision that well, I'd rather dim white light.
I use an HDS Hyper Red which probably isn't an option but I noticed Zebralight do an AA size angle light in photo red which is worth a look (make sure you look for the H502pr and not the standard H502r). I modded a light with what I think is the same LED the zebralight uses, a photo red XPE, and it is pretty much the same as the Osram in my HDS.

I looked into the spectrum issues at one point, and posted this a while back (although it is now obviously a bit outdated) ...

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...inus-SST-90C&p=4088739&viewfull=1#post4088739

Not a fan of the red light "night-ops" business as it doesn't provide you with any color feedback whatsoever, and you technically need a 660nm or higher red LED to do it correctly, which virtually no LED or flashlight is. Any standard light with a broad beam and moonlight mode covers all bases, I'm a big fan of Zebralight's 0.01 lumen mode for this reason.

If you insist on trying red, look up Rigel Systems flashlights, their red LED flashlights for astronomy do indeed use 660nm LEDs and include infinitely variable output wheels for least-light-needed adjustment.

StarHalo said:

Not a fan of the red light "night-ops" business as it doesn't provide you with any color feedback whatsoever, and you technically need a 660nm or higher red LED to do it correctly, which virtually no LED or flashlight is. Any standard light with a broad beam and moonlight mode covers all bases, I'm a big fan of Zebralight's 0.01 lumen mode for this reason.

If you insist on trying red, look up Rigel Systems flashlights, their red LED flashlights for astronomy do indeed use 660nm LEDs and include infinitely variable output wheels for least-light-needed adjustment.

Click to expand...

I'd have to agree about using red light, I'm not really a fan either and given the choice I'd go white light. That said, if you really want to play with it 660nm is the go. HDS have the best low modes around but if it's not doing it for you and you want easy on the eyes but bright then 660nm is probably for you. Is your HDS cool white? I like neutral to warm, favouring neutral but a low warm light is perfect on tired eyes imho.

Dave at Customlites.com makes an excellent red P60 based drop-in. You can have up to five modes and hecan get a VERYlow first mode if you ask. I have one--put it in a Solarforce host with some diffusion film on the lens and I couldn't be happier.