Help me decide between green light and High CRI

F89

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Messages
1,420
Maybe on paper, but in real world during camping, it is useless, i have tried many times to find use for green leds, except for making meat look unappetizingly horrible on a grill, i did not find any. UV is more fun. you can tell right away which teeths a person has are real and which are not.

I do have a green acebeam e10, I give it to my kid on camping trips, this way I can see where he is.
I wasn't talking about on paper. I was talking about my experience in use.
One again I'm using a 568nm LED. It isn't quite green so I can't really comment on whatever green LED it is you're using which is likely a more pure green wavelength.
 

F89

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Messages
1,420
From my experience the longer the frequency (that's still visible. E.g. Deep red ~660nm), the better when it comes to preserving night vision.
Using as little light as possible (combined with a long wavelength) is best if preserving your night vision is a priority.

As far as high CRI light goes, it's excellent. Depending on your task or comparative light source you may or may not see it as a bonus.
A good tint to me can be as important as CRI but generally I'd like both a good tint (not just colour temperature) and high CRI.
 

AstroTurf

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 21, 2020
Messages
1,173
Location
RVA USA
I've got one of these lying around... red white blue and green

 

TPA

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
417
Location
Florida
Personally I'll take agreeable color temperature over CRI, within reason. I tend to like warmer color temperatures, especially in longer-term use, such as the aforementioned camping. It just makes things feel more human and comfortable. At the same time, if the CRI is too low, then everything looks sickly.
 

alpg88

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
5,342
High cri is good, but neutral 5000k is more than enough for camping, he won't miss any details with 5000k, it is not an OR, but camping, everything around him will be either green or brown in various shades. 2 white lights seem unnecessary redundant imo.
 

F89

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Messages
1,420
All this talk about damaging colors, but nary a mention of the sun including the very same colors at higher levels of light.

Walking around outside in full sun is exposing you to far more blue light than your phone.
True, but if you're in a dark room or lit with ambient light looking at a bright screen at close range, that's a definite factor. As bad as lying in bed staring at a phone in the dark is, I'm guilty of doing it far too often.
For the most part outside I'm wearing quality sunglasses and not staring at bright points of light or obviously directly at the sun.
 
Last edited:

lumen aeternum

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
890
I am told that green does not disturb wildlife. And it is good at illuminating your path. I use a green AAA maglite to make sure the chickens are all back in the coop before I close it up.
 

alpg88

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
5,342
That is a myth, wildlife can see green light just fine, they will hear, feel vibrations, and smell you long before your light will disturb them in any way. Internet says green light is beneficial to hunter cuz it may help to spot the game, due to contrast, but i do not know a single hunter who goes hunting with green light, or uses it in any way.
 

Buff

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 21, 2023
Messages
382
Location
North Carolina Mountains
I'm in a Submarine running deep enough so as to pass under the Island of Guam knowing that it could capsize at any moment. We always use red light incase we lose power and are thrust into darkness. If the Navy uses red light you know it's been tested many more times than necessary?
IJS?
 

Shock&Awe

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 13, 2024
Messages
8
Location
Australia
Thanks guys for all the helpful information. After weighing up all the pros and cons of green vs high CRI, and reading all the comments about the usefulness/uselessness of green light, I've decided to go with the Red/CRI combination.
I figured that since a headlamp is primarily used as a light source for doing tasks, then it makes sense to have a high CRI light.
Green light is too limited in its uses and UV is apparently dangerous for the eyes. I can have a seperate UV light if I wanted to highlight scorpions or sheet stains in hotel rooms lol
 

alpg88

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
5,342
From my experience the longer the frequency (that's still visible. E.g. Deep red ~660nm), the better when it comes to preserving night vision.
Using as little light as possible (combined with a long wavelength) is best if preserving your night vision is a priority.
That is true, I observed the same thing, build few lights with 660nm reds, aka deep reds, however you can't really see things as good with deep red as with regular reds. details are not as sharp.
 

TPA

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
417
Location
Florida
All this talk about damaging colors, but nary a mention of the sun including the very same colors at higher levels of light.

Walking around outside in full sun is exposing you to far more blue light than your phone.
...and there are plenty of doctors who claim the sun is bad for you, not understanding the sun's been around a lot longer than mammals, and most (all?) mammals need sun.
 

jon_slider

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 31, 2015
Messages
5,159
For camping, Red is better than Green because Red is less attractive to bugs than Green.

For Hunting, Green is better than Red because it is easier to navigate through vegetation, since Green will show foliage, whereas Red does not. Green is preferred over Red, especially for Hog hunting, as it makes it easier to recognize their coat.

For blood tracking the very best option is to use Red Plus Green, together.

For camping, High CRI is better than Low CRI, as High CRI will show Red pigments, such as in foods, people, animals and woods, better than Low CRI.

I would not buy a light with a Low CRI primary LED. High CRI is first priority for me.

For the OP, if he has his heart set on a Low CRI primary LED (although I consider that a Big Mistake), I would choose Red and High CRI for the secondaries.
 

Monocrom

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 27, 2006
Messages
20,175
Location
NYC
...and there are plenty of doctors who claim the sun is bad for you, not understanding the sun's been around a lot longer than mammals, and most (all?) mammals need sun.
True. But unfortunately skin Cancer is very much real. Look at how much clothing individuals wear in the Middle East to protect themselves from the Sun. They don't walk around barefoot in just shorts with a towel over their shoulders. Even in America, going to the beach for a Day Trip.... Don't forget your Sun block! And the ones who do, well; not just red as a lobster. Get a family member to help peel away that dead, burnt, crispy skin from the rest of your flesh.

I think most animals, including mammals, are smart enough to limit their time out in the Sun if they can help it. Humanity is the only creature dumb enough trying to cook itself using the Sun. Got to get that sweet, sweet tan!
 

alpg88

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
5,342
In my 30s i used to get bad acne on my back, i saw half a dozen of dermatologist, no one helped me, just kept giving me different pills, and ointments, even shots in every blister, at best they would go away for a little while then come back, the only thing that helped was sun. 3-4 days on a lake with no shirt on, and it would clear up for months. tanning salon helped in winter time. At around 40 it stopped coming back, I have not had it in decade. so sun uv/vit D cured it. doctors could not. I have a feeling they probably knew about sun, but would not tell me, cuz sun is free, and they are not.
 
Top