Thowers vs. Flood

Something I have been wondering.... why is it that incans are usually better throwers than LEDs? Is it because of the temperature of light emitted?
I see ads about how LEDs can be seen from miles away, but when using LEDs they definitely don't throw as far as the incans.

Being able to see a LIGHT from a great distance is much different than being able to light up an OBJECT at a great distance.

That's marketing hype "can bee seen" not light up something as Roy said.

There are some LED's that throw as good or better than a lot of incans. They usually are luxeonIII based with a nice sized reflector. I know a luxIII driven at spec or at 1amp in a mag reflector is a laser beam of an LED light.

Yeah, you show me a keychain light that runs on button cells that can light something up a mile away and I'll buy it!

As far as actual lights... I have stock a Mag (though I hate to admit it), several brighter than stock incandescent Mags and one Lux I Mag and a few Lux III Mags. Now, maybe it's just because there's less overall light with the Lux III and what is being put out is put out straight without TONS of sidespull, but I could swear that the Lux III lights have more throw than my brightest incandescent Mags which I KNOW put out more total lumens. Again, I'm certain it's just an optical illusion since the bright incandescents are putting out so much total light.

For example, I can shine my UX1L that runs at 937 mA on three tops two number blocks away. My address is 1702 and when the moon isn't particularly bright, I can light up the trees behind 1802, 1806, 1810 etc... and with my Brightest MAGs, they will only barely light up. Or there's a particular water tower that is surrounded by total darkness and comparing the same UX1L or even a 3D Mag with the Craftsman PR base 1W bulb, it lights up a very nice circle whereas with the bright incandescents, they just sort of make the water tower slightly brighter rather than a well-defined brightspot.

I think that LEDs aren't point sources the way incandescent filaments are. 5wt LEDs have a large surface area and not much collimation. The light scatters all over the place. Incands are more point-source-like.

I've wondered this as well for quite a while.

Now that the StreamLight ProPoly 4AA Luxeon is out, it seems kind of moot. My previous good light for spotlighting things at a distance was the UK 4AA with the "Rechargeable" lamp and running on NiMHs. The ProPoly is at least as good as that was so... no more incandescents for me!

The ProPoly is a little bulkier than I'd like but man oh man can it throw!

I EDC Lux LED lights. Some of the Luxeons I own have pretty good throw. Even though all the Lux lights cost more, none can out throw my Streamlight TL-3. None have that sized bezel/reflector either, to be sure, but I think it's still true that more lumens from an incan cost less than lumens from a LED.

LEDs should just get better and bridge this gap. And I'll get some turboheads for a Lux III light I'm getting in the future and see if it might out toss the TL-3.

I do find the color of an incan gives better depth perception and brown color rendition than LEDs as well.

I don't think my 6 millon CP spotlight would really let me see for one mile either, though I'd be inclined to think it can be seen from that far. I have seen keychain LEDs that claimed you could see them from a mile away. Probably night, but maybe good image intensification night vision would help that!

TorchMan said:

I have seen keychain LEDs that claimed you could see them from a mile away. Probably night, but maybe good image intensification night vision would help that!

Click to expand...

I would be on a moonless, starless night, in the middle of no-where (no ambiant lights ect) you could see a 5mm LED thats driven pretty decently for at very least 1 mile. A luxIII mag I would bet 5+ miles.