need a light for hospital night duty work...

i've completed the checklist. where there are two or more answers to a question, it means i could go either way, or else both apply.

firstly, i'll give a typical use scenario, as someone in the comments mentioned this might narrow things down.

i work night duty in hospitals as a patient sitter/safety attendant. i make sure confused patients (acquired brain injury, psychiatric and dementia) don't climb & fall out of bed, rip out their IV needles or wander off into the night. sometimes there's a lot of ambient light (corridor lights are left on just outside the open door of the payients room) and other nights i'm sitting in an almost-pitch black room trying to see what the hell the patient is doing, by the light of a few ultra-dim lights that show power is running to the wall electric socket.

the light will be used to sit on a table while i document the patients behaviours, used to illuminate the patient and their bed to see what they're up to or to try and determine *which* bodily excretion the patient and/or their bed is covered with (blood, faeces, vomit, urine or saliva...) and used for ceiling/wall-bounce for a diffuse light during hands-on work (changing geriatric diapers, holding the patient's hands away from their feed tube, IV needle or catheter.)

aside from that... i prefer incan light, *but* would be very happy with an LED with a warm to neutral tint... high CRI *if* it'll help determine skin colour in dim light (ie: people turn blue when they're hypoxic), low light only or a firefly/moonlight mode - would only need higher for ceiling-bounce, and maybe a diffuser lense to soften the light a little. oh, and working range is from 'notes on the table' to about the size of a 4-bed room (never anything more distant)

thanks in advance for any suggestions.

==================Flashlight Recommendation Checklist================

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

____This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!

____Up to $25.


3) Format:

____I am not sure, please help me decide.


4) Size:

____MICRO - Keychain size.
____TINY - Every day carry (2-4 inches).
____SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).


5) Emitter/Light source:

____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
____Incandescent (known for superior color rendition)


6) Manufacturer:

____I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I am interested in assembling my own components. (for example a Â"hostÂ" or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a Â"drop-inÂ" emitter from another source).


7) What power source do you want to use?

____I intend to useÂ*Rechargeable cellsÂ*(NiMH or NiCD) based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.

7a) If you have selected a rechargeable option

____I want a separate/stand-alone charger (this involves removing the batteries to charge)


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need?Â*Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).

____I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (1-10 lumens).
____I want an indoor "blackout" light (15-50 lumens)


9)Â*Flood vs Throw:Â*Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.

____All Flood: I am doing "arms length" tasks like reading and campsite cooking.
____Wide Flood: I want a defined flood area for semi-close tasks like after-dark campsite tasks or working on a car.


9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this lightÂ*(check all that apply)

____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)


10) Runtime:Â*Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).

____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage:Â*Generally the old phrase Â"you get what you pay forÂ" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Not Important (A Â"night-standÂ" light).


12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):

____I donÂ't know.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection.Â*Select all that apply.

____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)


14)Material/Finish/Coating

____I donÂ't know.


15) Water resistance

____IPX4 (Splash resistant)


16) Storage conditions

____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment)


17) Special Needs/extras:Â*Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.

____Wrist/Neck Lanyard

It blows your budget out of the water, but a Malkoff MDC 1AA would cover most of your needs. I don't know about the color rendition though.

The color rendition is the biggest stumbling block, I think, and there's no way to tell until you have it in hand to try out.

You might try this: do a Google for "L3 ILLUMINATION L11C NICHIA 219B" - you'll find them at SBFlashlights, for about $35. It's a tail stand, with a rear clicky, solid pocket clip, and a neutral tint. It comes in either 3 or 4 modes - you will probably only ever use the first two.

Otherwise, if color rendering is absolutely mission critical, and it sounds like it is, you might think about getting an old-school mini-Maglite for $8 at Wally World, and keep it fed on Eneloops.

I can't think, off-hand, of too many mainstream manufacturers that have a light fitting those criteria. You might even look at an off-brand from BangGood or something similar.

You have an interesting yet challenging combination of criteria listed above, compounded by the limited budget .... Thinking a bit outside the box, and if you could consider boosting the price range significantly, perhaps a used SureFire A2 ?

I have seen them in heavily worn, but fully functional condition, for well under $100

thanks for the recommendations! the malkoff and surefire will go on my wish list.

the L3 ILLUMINATION L11C NICHIA 219B is doable, despite the exchange rate of the Aussie dollar hefting the price to ~AUD$47. good call on the Nichia model... from what i've read on these forums, the 219B has a CRI of 92 or something? that should pick up blue-tinged lips better than the XP-G model (~83 CRI?).

there's no edit option for my original post, but i'll up the price bracket to $50 and see if any other recommendations fall within it. (At the moment, given the price constraint, i'm leaning toward the L3 ILLUMINATION L11C NICHIA 219B.)


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!

____Up to $50.

frustratingly... the L3 ILLUMINATION L11C NICHIA 219B won't ship to Australia. bloody amazon does this all the time too.

assuming i don't have the spare coin to relocate to your amazing country... can you recommend anything else that may ship here?

It will blow your budget away. Like, may put you in the same bed as one of your patients, but an HDS Rotary HiCRI would complete everything on your list... just at 10 times the price.

And worth every cent.
P

Edit: Have a look at a Lumintop Tool Nichia 219b.
Not my sort of thing, but it's AAA 3 modes and under 50 bucks.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Titanium)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-and-more
P

^The Lumintop can be had from BangGood.com for between $10 and $15. I *believe* they ship to Australia - from the website, it says 7 to 25 days. Looking at the Lumintop, it doesn't seem to tail-stand.

I didn't think to ask - are you talking US or Australian dollars?

You might also look at the "ReyLight Tool Ti Nichia 219B Titanium 110LM AAA Mini LED Flashlight" - again, just outside your modified budget, but has both a tail activation and tail-stand capabilities.

Disclaimer: I don't own either, but I believe both get pretty good reports overall.

chenrazee said:

frustratingly... the L3 ILLUMINATION L11C NICHIA 219B won't ship to Australia. bloody amazon does this all the time too.

assuming i don't have the spare coin to relocate to your amazing country... can you recommend anything else that may ship here?

Click to expand...

I have a fairly unused L10 219, 3-mode, and I have two primary gripes about it. It is three mode but no mode memory. Everytime you turn the light back on it jumps to the next mode. That and it cannot tail stand, so either an aftermarket clip, or its going to be keychain duty... though for an 1xAA its going to be fairly heavy for the latter. Otherwise its a nice light, its been sitting unused for nearly a year. In-depth review here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Nichia-219-1xAA)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMS-VIDEO

Yeah, international shipping can be frustrating. But if you're interested, I'll ship it to you for free. :welcome:
PM me your address and I'll ship it out Monday.

hi Illum!

i tried to PM you, but your mailbox is full mate.

cheers,

Balthazar

Illum said:

I have a fairly unused L10 219, 3-mode, and I have two primary gripes about it. It is three mode but no mode memory. Everytime you turn the light back on it jumps to the next mode. That and it cannot tail stand, so either an aftermarket clip, or its going to be keychain duty... though for an 1xAA its going to be fairly heavy for the latter. Otherwise its a nice light, its been sitting unused for nearly a year. In-depth review here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Nichia-219-1xAA)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMS-VIDEO

Yeah, international shipping can be frustrating. But if you're interested, I'll ship it to you for free. :welcome:
PM me your address and I'll ship it out Monday.

Click to expand...

peter yetman said:

Edit: Have a look at a Lumintop Tool Nichia 219b.
Not my sort of thing, but it's AAA 3 modes and under 50 bucks.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Titanium)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-and-more
P

Click to expand...

One I was going to recommend also. The black anodized aluminum version can be found with the Nichia emitter, but is normally sold with a rear clicky switch, which would shoot down the tail standing. But Lumintop sells a second tail cap with a magnet in it that would enable it to tail stand, as well as cling to portions of the bed, etc., to possibly get a better angle.

Another possibility would be the Nitecore LA10 CRI. It too it AAA, and looks like a lipstick. It acts like one too in that rotating a ring near the bottom will extend a diffuser that does a great job of softly illuminating an area, with three levels of brightness. It has a magnetic bottom, which increases the flexibility of where to place the light. With the diffuser retracted, there is still light coming from the end of the light, so it can also be used more like a normal flashlight. Best part, both are around $30 USD, and are available from our friendly Chinese budget sellers, which the last time I looked still shipped to Australia.

peter yetman said:

Edit: Have a look at a Lumintop Tool Nichia 219b.
Not my sort of thing, but it's AAA 3 modes and under 50 bucks.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Titanium)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-and-more
P

Click to expand...

One I was going to recommend also. The black anodized aluminum version can be found with the Nichia emitter, but is normally sold with a rear clicky switch, which would shoot down the tail standing. But Lumintop sells a second tail cap with a magnet in it that would enable it to tail stand, as well as cling to portions of the bed, etc., to possibly get a better angle.

Another possibility would be the Nitecore LA10 CRI. It too it AAA, and looks like a lipstick. It acts like one too in that rotating a ring near the bottom will extend a diffuser that does a great job of softly illuminating an area, with three levels of brightness. It has a magnetic bottom, which increases the flexibility of where to place the light. With the diffuser retracted, there is still light coming from the end of the light, so it can also be used more like a normal flashlight. Best part, both are around $30 USD, and are available from our friendly Chinese budget sellers, which the last time I looked still shipped to Australia.

Another one that seems like it would fit the bill is a lumintop worm. I did not see anything about twisty vs clicky for on off or modes, but I got my brass worm for $18 on amaxon. They can be had on ebay for around $30, buying from Hong Kong, I am sure they ship anywhere. Single AAA for 20 lumens or so for 4 hours on medium, or a 3 lumen low for many more hours. If you want a high mode, it is there but you don't need to use it. That lasts about 40 minutes at 80 or so lumens.

You can also pick up a diffuser for the worm or many other AAA lights on ebay, just search [FONT=&quot]GITD Grow in the dark Diffuser

Another decent choice is an neutral white Ti3 from Thrunite. It starts on firefly then goes to about 8 lumens. A very similar light in terms of function and with a Nichia emitter is the Manker E01. Only problem with this one is it does not tail stand, but you could put it in a cup for that purpose I suppose.

Both the thrunite and Manker are sub $20 lights. The thrunite would work with the diffuser above, so does the Manker, but it is a tight fit.

Hope that helps.

[/FONT]

the Tool (in black anodised aluminium) and the Worm are both affordable. and the low modes are perfect for working in an environment *so* dark that you can barely see the patient in the bed you're sitting next to.

many of the lights suggested are way over budget, but man are they nice.

i'm a sucker for looks, and although the budget lights are more function than form, some of the pricier models are just beautiful.

lights like the Lumintop Copper Prince look real sweet. anything that looks steampunk or lightsaber-ish is a winner too. :thumbsup:

oh, a quick questikn about the Tool with a magnetic tail-cap fitted... how do you activate it? hard to tell from the photos if there's a flush button on the magnetic tail. is the Tool a twisty also? (ie: can it be turned on or off with either the head-twist *or* the tail clicky?)

I think the Lumintop Tool might be a good option. My main concern is runtime and output, since it's only a AAA light - about 30 minutes on max mode, from what I've heard, but quite a bit longer on the lower modes.

It comes in medium, then the next mode is low, then high. Not my preferred mode sequence, but others strongly prefer it this way - it's entirely personal.

The Nitecore Tip is available in a high CRI version, but it won't tail-stand. It's a USB-rechargeable keychain light.

The Jaxman E2 also is available with a Nichia 219B - one of the cheapest Nichia lights out there. It requires a rechargeable 18650, lithium ion battery, which for a protected cell that won't let you over-discharge it, will cost almost half as much as the light itself. This will be a fair amount larger than the other lights suggested.

I know this is out of your budget, but I think the Zebralight SC5C II is worth considering, since we're talking about a light you will use daily in your job. Zebralight has a good reputation and should last years of regular use. This is a brand new light, using a high CRI Cree LED, and is in high demand so it is currently back-ordered. The only concern I'd have is it has a lot of modes and a somewhat complex interface that could take some time to get used to.

As long as I've made one suggestion out of your planned budget, I might as well add another: the Eagletac D25A Clicky is available with a Nichia high CRI emitter, too.

chenrazee said:

oh, a quick questikn about the Tool with a magnetic tail-cap fitted... how do you activate it? hard to tell from the photos if there's a flush button on the magnetic tail. is the Tool a twisty also? (ie: can it be turned on or off with either the head-twist *or* the tail clicky?)

Click to expand...

With the magnetic base, the basic Tool becomes a twisty, twist the head back and forth to make and break contact gives the same result as momentarily pressing the tail switch.

The collective knowledge of the members of this forum is impressive! You've given me a range of lights to ponder, from the 'buy now' to the 'christmas wishlist' variety. Thank you for the advice. You're all awesome! :twothumbs:

Just to further cloud the issue: There exists a titanium version of the Tool that has a flat tail cap with imbedded switch button that is able to tail stand, as well as a brass version on Massdrop that I don't believe has closed yet. Also, the Maratac AAA lights on County Com are basically Lumintop Tools with a few minor changes.

Also, it you are the type that sometimes puts their light in their mouth as a third hand, TerraLux sells a Lightstar 80 that takes two AAA cells has has a 'higher' CRI emitter. I say higher because they claim high, but it is really somewhere between 80 & 85 CRI - better than most, but not a Nichia. It only has a single mode of 80 lumens, but its claim to fame is a rubber ring around the body of the light at the end, suitable for allowing one to clamp it between one's teeth without having to bite on metal. In your environment a good swipe with sanitizer on a regular basis would probably be required. It is not ideal, but like I said, if you use your mouth as a third hand, it is an option.

Maybe the Nitecore MT06MD for about $32. 2AAA, high CRI Nichia 219, soft focus, three power levels that cycle L-M-H and the low is 4 lumens.

I don't think it will tail stand for a hands-free ceiling bounce, though.