New to "Spotlights/HID". Seek help.....

SixCats!

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 10, 2011
Messages
239
Hi all,

I am a (fairly) long time member of CPF. Over the years, I amassed a nice little collection of Flashlights mostly AAA, AA/14500, CR123/18650 Flashlights/Headlamp/Lanterns.

Now, here's the thing......I live in a (semi) rural area of Maine (pop. 3200). As much as I like my (single cell) 18650 lights for most situation, I'm find their light "wanting"

for one special purpose. Late at night (from my upstairs Balcony) I often like to "search" the backyard/woods of my property (which is clear for about 50 yards, then

Woods). I live on about 3.5 acres. What I have noticed using my Klarus XT11 is (while quite bright) that it is NOT bright enough. I've learned that WEATHER (especially here in

Maine) has a HUGH impact on how bright the light will shine/illuminate an object/area especially over longer distance. So, where to go from here ? What type/configuration Light

should I consider ? I suspect this (new) light will MOSTLY be kept in the upstairs Bedroom close at hand for use off the Balcony. That is to say, this (new) unit could stayed

"plugged in" to the House Current most of the time as it is not going to travel far. That being said, I always like to have gear that is versatile/portable for special uses.

I appreciate any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations for a BRIGHT light so that I can distinguish (read IDENTIFY) those late night sounds to determine if it's a Deer, Bear,

Moose or Bigfoot! Thanks.


SixCats!
 

BVH

Flashaholic
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
Messages
7,023
Location
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The light that immediately comes to mind is the Lightforce SL240SL Blitz. I'm not an incandescent guy but the stock 240 is a great thrower while also putting lots of light way down field and it's light weight, focusable and easy to handle. It can be turned on and off frequently with no significant ill-effects unlike an HID light. The only hurdle to get over is that it requires 12 Volt input. You didn't mention your modding ability skills? There's a few threads here on CPF that show how members, myself included added a battery box to the bottom of the stock 240 to make it portable and much more usable. It's not very difficult to do. And you can fill the box with a LiFeP04 battery to give you a nominal 13 Volts instead of a nominal 12 Volts from Lipo or automotive battery. The extra Volt makes a significant difference in brightness produced. LiFeP04 Lithium batteries are fairly safe and don't have any significant self-discharge.

I lived on 10 acres for a few years so can appreciate what I think your desires are. Squared off, it would be about 380' X 380' feet or rectangle, about 220' X 660'.

In lieu of all the modding, you could buy a small 120VAC/12 Volt, 12 Amp output power supply and keep it close to where you'll use the light. They will also put out 13-14 volts which will provide a very bright light.

If you have 6 cats, more or less, thanks for providing a home to a great creature!
 
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SixCats!

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 10, 2011
Messages
239
Hi BVH,

Thank you for your VERY informative response. I will look into your suggestion of the Lightforce. My "modding abilities ?" Well Sir, I use to joke that one could give me an Anvil and a rubber mallet and I'd mess it up! lol. Should I go the route of the Lightforce, I like your SECOND suggestion about buying a small 120VAC/12 Volt, 12 Amp output power supply. Oooh BVH, thank you for your kind words regarding providing a home to Cats. In fact, the wife and I have rescued/owned a total of Six Cats at the time when I chose my Internet moniker. I then acquired a seventh Cat! I however stuck with the moniker SixCats! Presently (after many years have passed) I have three Kitties. I've owned/care for twelve Kitties over many years. Yes indeed, Cats are awesome creatures!

Regards,

SixCats!
 

flashnh

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 13, 2015
Messages
4
Streetlight Vulcan 180 LED

I live on a wooded lot in NH and I also sometimes scan my woods at night for deer and other critters. Our street is also very dark and I like to use a spotlight for walking at night that hangs on my shoulder so I can put my hands in my coat pockets if it is cold. I bought an incandescent Streamlight Vulcan (yellow) with a sealed lead acid battery many years ago and amazingly it still works fine with the original battery and (spot) bulb.

Two concerns I have always had with the Vulcan are that it throws a very long but very tight beam, so it does not have a well-lit spill area when I am out walking. Also, the original Vulcan I have does not have any rear-facing lights, so I am not visible to cars approaching from behind.

I never bought the singe Fire Vulcan LED that has been out for quite a few years, but I did just buy the new Vulcan 180 LED (yellow) that has three C4 LEDs and uses a lithium-ion battery. It has a very long beam and also a well-lit spill area. It also has two rear-facing blue LEDs that provide visibility to cars approaching from behind. It has high and low output settings (plus strobe) and I find the low setting is all I need for night time walking. The high setting really lights up the street or my woods! I like it very much. I would be interested to hear what others think about this light, and what similar lights others think may be better.
 

flashnh

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 13, 2015
Messages
4
I don't seem to have editing privileges for my post above. I wanted to change Streetlight and singe to Streamlight, since those are both spellcheck changes that were made in my original post and I missed them.
 
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