Flood/Throw - what do we really NEED? (a new epiphany from a not so new flashaholic)

OK....so I have sold and bought some new lights lately. Among them was a new 415 lumen Elzetta Alpha. During my pre-purchase research on the Alpha I did see a few rather ugly white-wall beam shots where the light had an oddly squarish shape. I was assured by several here at CPF that it wouldn't matter in the slightest when I actually USE the light. For folks closer to the average end of the Autistic Spectrum this would probably be accurate. But I am a self-diagnosed High Functioning Autistic dude (or Asperger Syndrome as it used to be called). So once I see something I perceive as "wrong" or "flawed" I generally can't ever let it go! Silly I know but that is the way I'm wired. So I took precautionary measures and ordered the Pure Flood Lens Just In Case.

Sure enough with the standard lens in place I found the Alpha's beam a little wanting....odd artifacts and a weird shape -not what I am accustomed to coming from primarily Malkoff lights. So I promptly changed the lens. This was the FIRST pure flood style flashlight I have ever owned or used. It was in a word -a revelation! The flood lens smoothed the ugly out and dispersed it across a crazy wide area. But that was only the beginning. After using it at work a few times and around the house and a limited amount in the front yard (it's small) I was in love. Now I am questioning everything I once believed to be Grand Truths of Flashlights. The biggest one being that the "best" beam for an EDC/General purpose or even a tactical light is a nice well balanced beam that offers SOME throw but with plenty of "room filling spill" like the now classic Malkoff M61.

At this point let me backup a bit in time and explain my previous and current need for a carry light. I changed jobs (same place different position) a few years ago. I am now an "Accuracy Controller" (Quality Control Auditor) at a large warehouse. Before I was a Problem Solver working in and around High Rack Storage. With the old job much of my time was spent tracking lost pallets of merchandise both through a computer system and through the Racks themselves. The High Bay Racks are 8 levels high and each tier is about 5 ft. 65,000 pallet locations in total. I was also a certified lift driver but I found that most of the time it was much faster and easier to stay on foot and just use binoculars and my M61 Malkoff. With a fresh 18650 I could quite easily read the info from pallets on the top level (the racks are POORLY lit by crappy fluorescent lights).

With the new job I'm usually not in the dark racks but I do often have to read small print and numbers on boxes stacked close enough that a little light helps my 49 year old eyes focus on the info. Until recently I was using the Malkoff MD2 with M61 for this task as well. Of course with 325 lumens and a well defined hot spot this would always wash out my reading target so I learned to use the spill for this. It wasn't hard to aim the spot just a little away from my target...but what if you didn't have to do that? With a pure flood lens I don't have to! And this is with 415 lumens.

I almost forgot to mention aside from all this work stuff I also carry a concealed hand-gun when not at work (as they would fire me for that) so I either need to carry two lights or carry one that can also work as a tactical light.

So my Grand Epiphany is thus:

For MOST tasks not involving search and rescue or looking for items across a long distance a pure flood light is optimal. I will always need my Malkoff Hound Dog 18650s for looking across the large fields around my house but for "normal stuff" do we really "NEED" throw at all? And if the answer is NO....then why aren't MOST flashlights pure flooders?

Thoughts?

A lot of people want throw. Most people need flood. The majority of flashlights attempt to balance flood and throw, which is generally a good thing. One thing I appreciate about Elzetta is the user interchangeable lenses, leaving beam profile in the hands of the end user. I have an Elzetta flood lens, although I rarely use it because I have a dedicated flood light from Malkoff (WC v6).

I have to admit, though, that the beam profile from an Elzetta flood lens is pretty fantastic. Cheers on finding the beam profile that works for you.

Thanks

Now I am wanting to order an Elzetta Bones and the flood lens for that! I wish Gene would make an 18650 WildCat!

Modernflame said:

A lot of people want throw. Most people need flood....

Click to expand...

Yep.

I've said the same thing! A single 18650 version of the Wildcat would certainly find a spot in my collection.

Back in '13 when I first really got into lights, I was on a quest for a light to 'reach out and touch somebody', starting with the Nitecore TM11. Then came the EA8, then the TM16, and following that, the TM16GT. Then for some reason the P30 touched my soul. A single 18650 so it is reasonably compact, and a larger than normal reflector for that size light that gives to my mind the perfect combination of throw and flood. At the higher modes, one can see a distinct beam of light making up the hotspot, yet there is enough spill to light up the surrounding area without distracting from the main beam. At the lower modes the center hotspot seems to even out and almost disappear into the spill, which is what WebHobbit likes so well. And even though I have become some what of a high CRI snob (Nichia rules!), the neutral white of the P30 works quite well. My only wish now is that the EA11, which is my current EDC, came with a Nichia 90+ emitter. Everyone has to have a dream, don't they?

It's funny how different people are. I don't like floody lights. I consider the m61 to be far too floody. Probably why I like the xpl hi emitter so much

Most people need a low power small flashlight with some throw and mostly flood.

Some people need a medium power medium size flashlight with some throw and mostly flood.

Only a few people need a high power large flashlight with with some throw and mostly flood.

I need a very large very high power flashlight with mostly flood and very little throw, and I also need a very large flashlight with mostly throw and very little flood, and I also need a very large flashlight with a combination of plenty of throw and power in order to feel happy with life.

I used to be a purely throw guy but also discovered the joys of flood. I used to be a rental cop, so of course throw is best for that. Then I got my armytekl elf c2 and partner c2 and loved it. But I still had a problem. I love the smooth bream but it doesn't go out far enough. I found I need some throw with a good profile because of my current work (factory with long halls etc) and I find some throw is better to peer into places. I myself am also a lift driver and like having a brighter center to go into places without having to bright of a spill to distract me is perfect. The Viking pro xhp with op reflector is my new favourite. Nice smooth profile with a brighter center but the power to put the light out there. It's perfect for hiking, trails, my work and anything else.

Maybe some folks want to be prepared for seeing things farther away, and a general-purpose mix of flood and throw is their happy medium. A person can always use the spill for close tasks as was mentioned, yet still have a spot for farther away interest or concern. Some specific work related tasks definitely benefit from a pure, even flood of light, though. When we go out at night for walks, I carry both an area light and a thrower. The new Nitecore TINI is actually a functional area light though certainly not ideal for winter gloves or a need for fast acting emergency use.

Use whatever works best for you. I like to pack a flashlight as a thrower and headlamp with a floodier (but not total flood, gotta have some punch) beam. EDC a mix of throw and flood but floody over throw. Prepping I kinda like the EDC but more power. Then again will use whatever I got or want to crack out to keep things interesting.

I have need for both flood and throw. If I have a car pulled over or I'm doing close up work then I want more flood. I also do 99% of my work outside and in fairly open areas so throw is also important. I have several lights close to hand depending on what sort of light I need.

I appreciate throw but not on a search and rescue team or a LEO - would like to see more flood options.

:wave:

I like both optics but truly the Elzetta flood is pretty amazing especially on the Charlie! The wall of light emanating from the AVS flood is awe inspiring!

Great post, WebHobbit!

FWIW, I have arrived at much the same conclusion. I have been using a Wildcat v.6 neutral (about 1000 lumens on high, 30 on low) with a MD2 body, powered by a pair of IMR 18350 750mah cells for a week now and very much like it. It only has about 17 minutes of run time on high, but since I use it 99% of the time on low, that is not an issue. Even at just 30 lumens (and "all night" run time) the wide, smooth beam pattern with no hot spot allows me to see everything I need to see within a 20 - 30 foot radius without getting blinded by a hot spot. And when the "sun needs to shine" a twist of the bezel unleashes all 1000 lumens of a glorious, high-CRI wall of light.

The WC v.6/MD2 in one pocket and the Hound Dog 18650 in the other pretty much covers everything I need a light for.

Been using primarily Wildcats(V1,V2,V3,V4) and Torchlab triples for years . I have Hound Dog V1 XPG and V3 XML2, and Elzetta M60 3-cell for narrow beams.

Wildcats get most use because flood gives more context of the viewing area. In my vicinity, 150 yds of throw is all I really need.

I think part of the attitude about throw comes from the era when lights were much weaker and if you wanted to see any distance at all you needed to focus that beam.
now lights put out so many photons that they can "afford" to spend most of them in covering an area...and still reach out to significant distances.

I always call my preference a "slightly throw biased flood" (LOL)

It doesn't help that the FL1 standard has two different ratings, peak beam intensity expressed in cd and beam distance, which are kind of redundant, as they are two different ways of measuring the same thing. This tends to sort of glorify any flashlight with a very tight very bright hotspot, because these numbers go up. A flood light with no throw looks unimpressive on paper when measured that way.

But I agree. Flood is king for most general tasks and just a pleasure to use.

The WC v.6 head on a MD2 body with Tricap, Raven Concealment pocket clip and DIY finger lanyard. Very pocketable, very useful and always a joy to witness the light it puts out;

What do I really need? Well, that totally depends on what I am attempting to do.

I don't really have a single use case that dominates my flashlight use, but I find that a light with well spaced output levels and a nice transition from spot to spill usually satisfies my needs quite well.

I like lights that are flood, but in general, I find that floody lights burn though batteries faster than more balanced lights when satisifying the same need since they put light everywhere rather than specifically where I need it. For example, the most used output level on my old HDS is 3.3 lumens, but the most used output level on my Zebra floody is 30+ lumens even though my daily needs don't change depending on what light I grab in the morning.

I do not tolerate lights that have a sharp transition from spot to spill because that makes things just outside the spot appear as if they're in shadow. I find this distracting and I don't like being distracted by my tools when I'm using them. Because of this, I generally prefer a light with a reflector rather than a lens.

--flatline