Have You Adapted to Bright Lights?

I've become jaded. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif After having a Scorpion for almost a year and then getting a TL-3 for Christmas, I'm no longer surprised by their output. Sometimes I actually expect MORE light to come from them. Call me a malcontent - I know that it's me and not my lights.

Have you "adapted" to bright, small, lights too?

I know what you mean, you get spoiled by nicer and brighter lights, and after a while, want even more output.

Heres something you can do, to bring new life to your lights.
When and where do you use them mostly?
If your like alot of us, your not always using them in a DARK place.
A light that always surprises me with its output, are the Arc AAs.
Nope, not a whole lotta light, but use it at night, to walk around your DARK house, after you are night adatped.
lol,,, or, do that with your Scorpion, it will blind you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The other night, I was out in the woods, walking with a few lights, PR-T heads, modded mags etc, and they impressed me, cuz I was in deep woods, where it was DARK.
Alot of the time, we are all in our backyards, where there is alot of light polution. So even a bright light, is not all that impressive.

-John

Like you, John, I usually only use a low output light when I'm dark adapted (Arc AAA, TT-1 LED, Dorcy 4LED, MityLite). At most I'll use the BB400 I got from ksbman or Arc LSL, which is slightly brighter.

The lithium incans are saved for distances, when outdoors. It's just that sometimes I expect a large lantern like beam from a small light. More, more, bigger, brighter, better! I guess I want from my lights, that which, I myself, am not. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

When I evaluate a light, the first thing I check out is the beam! I can live with less bright in some lights because they spread it out well.

I DO like bright, and smaller is better. However...

I am most likely to use AA, C, and D lights because they are batteries I can replace pretty cheap.

My favorite combo is a 3D light with 4C driving a Kryton 103 through Writeright or an Acrylite Lense. When the bulb is well centered it gives a reasonable sized hotspot with great spill.

And I carry a TT2L as EDC, as the LED mode seems to last forever on 123 batteries, and the Xenon is decently bright.

Jayflash, jtice, I really know what you guys mean....
I used to hit all the local gun shows whenever they came to Fort Worth or Dallas, usually for the sake of checking out the latest and greatest flashlights. At a time I was really big into guns and gunsmithing. I even thought I would like to do that as a living at one point, but I quickly discovered that after a while, the oooohhh and aaahhhhh factor went away. I think the same is true for flashlights (for me). I mean, I really like all the new offerings by the big companies, but I don't get that "Man, I am blown away" type feeling anymore. Maybe because I am more "adapted" to my lights. Then again, I don't own a 10X dominator.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

About half of my back yard is really dark, because it is covered with these huge old oak trees and I don't have flood lights on that part of the house. Unavoidably, that is where the cats choose to run and hide in the bushes when I am trying to put them in for the night. I usually don't use what I am carrying on my belt, but rather I reach for a smaller backup LED in my pocket, such as dorcy AAA, or AA, or heck, even LedLenser V2 moonlenser.

jayflash, here's the cure: bring your lights outside in as dark conditions as possible. First, light up the landscape (or whatever) with a stock Minimag or a nice plastic Energizer 2 D cell light (preferably ones with an hour or more runtime on them already, for good measure); whatever you were using before joining CPF. Then, unleash the arsenal. If you aren't feeling pretty swell about your lights and enjoying new feelings of gratification about the quality, durability, brightness, color, runtime/regulation of your lights, then get yourself to an eye doctor as soon as possible, 'cause something's wrong with ya, boy!

This is the single best reason to keep one of these pre-historic beasts around. One needs suitable contrast to be able to maintain a perception of significant difference.

I too am getting a little jaded by the bright light. Initially I get the oooh and aaah when I first bought my M2 and had the 120 lumens P61 installed. Now I find that it is very normal, nothing to scream about. In fact I told myself that besides the E2e and E2D, no incandescent of mine should be below 120 lumens as a passing grade. When I bought my M3, I had the 225 lumens MN11 fixed on and waited the whole week so that I can stay out during the weekend in a rural island in Singapore but when I used that light the feeling I had was "that's it???"

Now I am into not so powerful lights where in fact I get to use around more often than the brighter ones. One example is the KL1 for my E2e which gets used more than all my other Surefire as a general purpose light. The other is my Inova X5T which I tend to use for reading, searching my bags in darkness, having it as general illumination when resting in the jungle, and also to burn the almost depleted batteries away. The X5T is a light which I don't mind having it turned on the whole night through.

Yes, pjandyho, others have praised the pleasures of "dim" lights in previous threads. It's funny but I like going for hikes in the dark woods and testing my little lights to see how few photons are necessary for navigation. Lately, the little lights have been more fun to play with - but I still keep a big, bad, bright, baby on hand, just in case.

Just like me...just like me Jayflash...

Hehe, that is exactly why I'm waiting to get a HID spotlight...

Jtice describes a phenomenon that impresses me over and over again - I fully agree with him. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

You might want to:
a) get more lights
b) cycle them through, don't get used to one
c) get more lights
d) take your time to enjoy whatever made you buy that light
e) (who would have guessed it) buy more lights. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Good points, K-T, I do cycle through my various lights so that I have (a little more) justification for buying them, and to become familiar with their individual attributes. Thereby, being better able to choose the proper light for different jobs.

Unfortunately, points a, c, and e, are well taken too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif

As a full-blown flashaholic, I find my favorite "new" light now is one of the early CMG Infinity tasklights with a red LED. It's just about everything a nice little nightlight should be, with a beautiful and useful beam, cheap and easy to operate, and indestructible. Who could ask for more?

Like sotto, I tend to navigate around the house at night with a CMG Infinity white or a dim red light like a Palight or one of my custom 1-led reds.

I am finding that the ArcAA and CMG Ultra are just a little too much at night. You just don't need much.

Worse is my X990 totally destroys my night vision. Had it on my Bicycle mounted. TOO Bright. Also, being older (50) the 200 lumen+ flashlights are very addicting at night. I gotta have a 5 watt Luxeon on my belt at work. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

MagLights remind me of a match or a candle now.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

All because of CPF! and Brightguy! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif

NikolaTesla /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

An Arc lamp is the Spark that takes away the Dark--HID Forever!

My Lights LightWar /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/xyxgun.gif

I think the term "jaded" is applicable here. I started with a Palight and Minimags and worked my way up to monsters like the MagCharger85 (1,100+ bulb lumens) and yes, if you play with them repeatedly, they can start to seem just "pretty bright." The only light that still makes me go "holy s#$*" every time I light it up is the Aurora.

Having said that, I still use my Palight every night. The L4 gets the most use overall.

Wilkey

Just to chime in, my flashlight that sees the most use is a mini mag with an opalec module in it (maybe 7 lumens of light?), but it is enough when all the lights are out and in runs on cheap alkalines.

I think this was one of the reasons I just purchased the SF L2 as an EDC. The low beam (15 lumens) is what I'll mainly drain the batteries on, but once in a while when I'm feeling like the low beam is too whimpy, I'll press the button harder for a pure-white 65 lumens. I think the option helps a little with "lumen-apathy." /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[ QUOTE ]
capnal said:
Jayflash, jtice, I really know what you guys mean....
I used to hit all the local gun shows whenever they came to Fort Worth or Dallas, usually for the sake of checking out the latest and greatest flashlights. At a time I was really big into guns and gunsmithing. I even thought I would like to do that as a living at one point, but I quickly discovered that after a while, the oooohhh and aaahhhhh factor went away. I think the same is true for flashlights (for me). I mean, I really like all the new offerings by the big companies, but I don't get that "Man, I am blown away" type feeling anymore. Maybe because I am more "adapted" to my lights. Then again, I don't own a 10X dominator.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

About half of my back yard is really dark, because it is covered with these huge old oak trees and I don't have flood lights on that part of the house. Unavoidably, that is where the cats choose to run and hide in the bushes when I am trying to put them in for the night. I usually don't use what I am carrying on my belt, but rather I reach for a smaller backup LED in my pocket, such as dorcy AAA, or AA, or heck, even LedLenser V2 moonlenser.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a Surefire 10X Dominator! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But it's sold right now and since the check is coming in in a few days, I'll have a few more days to play around with it. Why am I selling it? Because it wasn't bright enough to justify the price.

So I'm turning that money into funds for the Phoenix! Ah yes, brightness regulation, 4000+ lumen high beam for 10 minutes, 120lumen LED low beam for 6 hours, dual stage twisty/push button SF-style LOTC, hard anodized.....

Oops, I've said too much!

It seems that every light I've gotten increases by brightness by a factor of 10.

Photon keychain: 2 lumens
Surefire E2e: 60 lumens
Surefire 10X Dominator: 550 lumens
Phoenix: 4000+ lumens /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

We should convince SF to make a special run of the Beast for CPF, keeping a reasonable price for it. I may well find the money to buy two, some replacement bulbs, and few hundreds 123.
Once we have the most powerful flashlight in our hand, we will decide that we need many small dimmer light... Am I wrong?

Anthony

You have $10k on your hands to buy flashlights with?