Uses for a RED led flashlight?

I have an old Solarforce P60 lamp with a red emitter. I bought it a long while back just out of curiosity. I recently dug it up again and was wondering what I might use it for. For now I put it into a SureFire 6P with two 123a cells and it's just sitting on the dresser on standby.

It's pretty dang bright; I think it's an R2 bin if I remember right. So, probably won't preserve night vision! And I measured about 0.75 amps with the two 123a, so it won't really be a long-runner either.

So I got to thinking, what do other people do with a red flashlight? (other than low-light vision stuff)

So far the only things I can think of are:

1. Emergency roadside lighting (& signaling?), like a road flare. Not sure if this would be any better than just plain white light though.

2. Light-painting photography; I thought it might look neat to try some light-painted photos with just monochromatic red light.


Any other thoughts?

There are also a lot of Red Light Therapy applications.

Red lights are used in the military a lot because it is one of the best colors for helping to preserve night vision while also having one of the shortest ranges of detection.

it`s used in astronomy so as to avoid local light polution and preserve night vision, they`re also handy in the darkroom if you develop black and white film, I used to use a string of red leds in my darkroom all the while and a red light torch

I use my red Zebralight head set for walking through the woods to my hunting spot. It doesn't seem to spook game as much.

What markdeerhunter said. I thinks it's the hunter's choice for low detection by game, but I've also heard green does the same. I've asked the deer which one they have the most trouble seeing, but they won't tell me. I have a 6P with the flip-up red lens cap.

Used red a lot when I was in the service. It does save your night vision but couldn't stand the way it made everything look. Was pretty useless IMO. Also my GF once wrote me a letter using red ink and got so ticked at her for sending me a blank letter that we almost broke up😂😂😂

thermal guy said:

...... Also my GF once wrote me a letter using red ink and got so ticked at her for sending me a blank letter that we almost broke up

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Dang, well there's one good argument for plain white light!

All of the above. I use one at night for short distances around the house or in the car. Inprefer a red light for my computer desktop at night also.

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I use a red light this time of year on nightly walks. Allows me to see where I'm walking and preserves night vision. Much more pleasant than a white light.

jon_slider said:

There are also a lot of Red Light Therapy applications.

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Never head of "red light therapy", gotta go look this up.

adnj said:

Inprefer a red light for my computer desktop at night also.

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Ok, that is very intriguing, now I want a red lamp @ my computer desk AND a red flashlight.

Jason_Tx said:

Never head of "red light therapy", gotta go look this up.

Ok, that is very intriguing, now I want a red lamp @ my computer desk AND a red flashlight.

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it was news to me too, until recently
it is helping my arthritis pain, got rid of a migraine for my daughter, and theres a bunch of interesting stuff about mitochondria getting energized.. to improve eyesight..

our mitochondria can absorb red light

suggest a red light:
The Sofirn C01R is an inexpensive way to try Red out. Its a bargain, and has 3 very well spaced modes. Recommended, not affiliated, just a fan.

for more power these kaidomain dropins and hosts are also inexpensive

Cool, thanks Jon (FYI Link goes to the CO1S but easy enough to find the R)

fixed, thanks
I like 660nm Red best
Ive tried 620, which is brighter but more orange
Ive tried 730, it is barely visible

I personally dont like to use Red for Illumination, I dont do astronomy or I might
I prefer to use Green, I can see much better with it

imho, the idea that red preserves night vision is only true at low levels, and green can also preserve night vision, at low levels

imo green is much better when hunting, it lets me see the green leaves of trees and brown fur of the animals
red light hides both of those colors
the animals cant see either color

overall though, Im not a fan of monochromatic light, I prefer to use High CRI, and it too can preserve night vision, at low levels

as to night vision, if Im not doing astronomy, why would I need to preserve my dark adaptation, if I have a light I can use anyway

in actual use, I find red particularly frustrating, and would never chose it voluntarily over green or high CRI

I used red light a lot in the Marine Corps (early 90's) because of the red light readable maps.
But I cannot recall the mention of night vision preservation at all. Not to say it wasn't mentioned but I do not recall it so it must not have been a major point.
What I do recall the main reason being the red light was much less detectable and of course, no one wants to give away their position

Spent my Navy time in the Submarine Service. At night control and adjacent areas were always in low red light to preserve night vision for periscope viewing.