Greetings!
I am a private pilot looking for some recommendations on an LED based flashlight that meets my finicky and exacting specifications. Your suggestions are most welcome.
Here are my nit-picky requirements:
- Very small size / lightweight. The smaller and lighter the better, but *definitely* no larger or heavier than, say, a pair of AA's side by side.
- Dimmable. Must be able to select from either at least three or four brightness settings. Gradual dimness preferable, though.
- Colored or filterable. Red is most desirable, but green is acceptable, assuming the light is dimmable. Ideally, this would be a removable filter, and not just single color LED's.
- Clipable. I typically fly wearing a baseball cap, so I want the ability to clip to the bill of a cap (and still have the thing pointed the right way,) or directly to my headset frame or mic boom. (I like the Pelican L1, but the clip goes the wrong way for mounting on the bill of a baseball cap and I'd like to be able to use this as a headlamp (on a baseball cap) for non-flying situations, as well.) The clip / mount must be sturdy enough not to slip or slide during a bumpy flight, but small enough not to get in the way. This is also the reason that the whole rig needs to be as lightweight as possible.
- Cord / Battery pack free. I like the "Lip Light / Mic Light", for example, but I want no more cords to tangle / get in the way. Unit must be entirely self-contained. (LR44 batteries or similarly small batteries would be optimal.)
- Long battery life. At *least* three or four hours of use at a time. (I assume any LED based light should last much longer, I'm just saying.) Brightness / range will probably not be an issue, as I want to be able to dim it down anyway. I just need enough light to see instruments and read charts by.
- Easy to use. Relatively simple, one-handed operation is a must. If I have to futz around with two hands in the dark to get it to do what I want, it really won't be of much use.
- Durable. Probably not an issue, but since size and weight are bigger concerns, plastic is probably better than aluminum or other metal. Should be able to withstand dropping without breaking, though, as well as being tossed around in a flight bag. Water resistance would be nice, as well.
I guess that's it. That shouldn't be so hard to find, now should it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Let me know what you all think...any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
David
P.S. These *almost* perfectly meet my criteria:
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/pho1.htm
or
http://ledmuseum.thefire.us/sneak1.htm
...but dimability, a removeable color filter, better battery life, and better durability / water resistance would be nice.
I am a private pilot looking for some recommendations on an LED based flashlight that meets my finicky and exacting specifications. Your suggestions are most welcome.
Here are my nit-picky requirements:
- Very small size / lightweight. The smaller and lighter the better, but *definitely* no larger or heavier than, say, a pair of AA's side by side.
- Dimmable. Must be able to select from either at least three or four brightness settings. Gradual dimness preferable, though.
- Colored or filterable. Red is most desirable, but green is acceptable, assuming the light is dimmable. Ideally, this would be a removable filter, and not just single color LED's.
- Clipable. I typically fly wearing a baseball cap, so I want the ability to clip to the bill of a cap (and still have the thing pointed the right way,) or directly to my headset frame or mic boom. (I like the Pelican L1, but the clip goes the wrong way for mounting on the bill of a baseball cap and I'd like to be able to use this as a headlamp (on a baseball cap) for non-flying situations, as well.) The clip / mount must be sturdy enough not to slip or slide during a bumpy flight, but small enough not to get in the way. This is also the reason that the whole rig needs to be as lightweight as possible.
- Cord / Battery pack free. I like the "Lip Light / Mic Light", for example, but I want no more cords to tangle / get in the way. Unit must be entirely self-contained. (LR44 batteries or similarly small batteries would be optimal.)
- Long battery life. At *least* three or four hours of use at a time. (I assume any LED based light should last much longer, I'm just saying.) Brightness / range will probably not be an issue, as I want to be able to dim it down anyway. I just need enough light to see instruments and read charts by.
- Easy to use. Relatively simple, one-handed operation is a must. If I have to futz around with two hands in the dark to get it to do what I want, it really won't be of much use.
- Durable. Probably not an issue, but since size and weight are bigger concerns, plastic is probably better than aluminum or other metal. Should be able to withstand dropping without breaking, though, as well as being tossed around in a flight bag. Water resistance would be nice, as well.
I guess that's it. That shouldn't be so hard to find, now should it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Let me know what you all think...any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
David
P.S. These *almost* perfectly meet my criteria:
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/pho1.htm
or
http://ledmuseum.thefire.us/sneak1.htm
...but dimability, a removeable color filter, better battery life, and better durability / water resistance would be nice.