metalophile
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2012
- Messages
- 8
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____Less than $50.
3) Format:
____I want a flashlight.
4) Flashlight-specific format/size:
____Every day carry right around 4 inches long - my cell phone holster has a slot about the size of most AA flashlight diameters.
5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness) (prefer XM-L for efficiency)
6) Manufacturer:
Either
____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a "host" or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a "drop-in" emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.
7) What battery type do you want to use?
I want to be able to use AA NiMH or 14500 Li-ion interchangeably
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
(perferably also with a low mode ~30-70 lumens)
9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
On the floody side. Or (gasp) flood to zoom aspherical - I like these for versatility.
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).
60 minutes or more
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
3 -5 modes would also be acceptable.
14)Material/Finish/Coating
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.
I want one of the most efficient flashlights available - my thought would be to have an underdriven Cree XM-L that would exceed 100 lumens/watt of input power. Does any such animal exist that maxes out at 200-300 lumens on high? As I mentioned before, extreme throw is not important to me.
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____Less than $50.
3) Format:
____I want a flashlight.
4) Flashlight-specific format/size:
____Every day carry right around 4 inches long - my cell phone holster has a slot about the size of most AA flashlight diameters.
5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness) (prefer XM-L for efficiency)
6) Manufacturer:
Either
____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a "host" or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a "drop-in" emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.
7) What battery type do you want to use?
I want to be able to use AA NiMH or 14500 Li-ion interchangeably
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
(perferably also with a low mode ~30-70 lumens)
9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
On the floody side. Or (gasp) flood to zoom aspherical - I like these for versatility.
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).
60 minutes or more
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
3 -5 modes would also be acceptable.
14)Material/Finish/Coating
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.
I want one of the most efficient flashlights available - my thought would be to have an underdriven Cree XM-L that would exceed 100 lumens/watt of input power. Does any such animal exist that maxes out at 200-300 lumens on high? As I mentioned before, extreme throw is not important to me.
