Red flashlight

caled · Dec 14, 2018

I just received a flashlight I ordered from China a while back.

The brand name is UltraFire and it uses a single 18650 cell.

It's unusual is that it has three LEDs and therefore has a bigger reflector head than most of the small 18650 lights.

But the real issue is it's beam is red. I ordered red by mistake.

Quite bright with three LEDs.

My question is: what is this kind high lumen red light used for?

It's a low cost light, and not worth sending back so I'll just keep it.

I guess it's a good light for the Christmas season. Maybe I need a green one to go with it.

fresh eddie fresh · Dec 14, 2018

Generally red is used to maintain night adapted vision. Will you reorder a white one?

caled · Dec 14, 2018

fresh eddie fresh said:
Generally red is used to maintain night adapted vision. Will you reorder a white one?

I didn't remember ordering this red light.

Well, in looking at the packing info on the box, it looks like they shipped me the wrong light.

Instead I ordered a couple cheap white lights and that is what is listed on the packing slip. Got this one instead.

Looking up this model on the ebay site, these red lights are being offered as "hunting lights".

I'm not a hunter and I don't know where a red light comes into use while hunting.

Lumen83 · Dec 14, 2018

caled said:
I don't know where a red light comes into use while hunting.

Many game animals have a hard time seeing in that spectrum. Using red light allows you to move around in the woods without disturbing them (vision-wise), and it allows the hunter to retain his or her night adapted vision. Red light also is better for the brain with regard to not disturbing sleep patterns. Light that is more toward the blue spectrum can cause a person to feel awake and have difficulty sleeping. I keep a red light on my night stand for trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It doesn't trigger my insomnia and it doesn't wake up others in the house.

Sos24 · Dec 14, 2018

Red is usually used at night so as not to ruin night vision and also because it cannot be seen from as far away as white. The military uses red at night when they need light but want to minimize the risk of someone else seeing them.

If it is their mistake and not what you ordered, then I would contact the seller because they need to get you the correct one at their cost. You may even end up with them offering you a discount on the one they sent you be mistake so they don't have to pay for you to ship it back.

mortuus · Dec 14, 2018

I have a red jaxman on its way to me, its a nice 3 emitter 18650 host style, there are different colors also i thought for the price its worth a try,

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/JAX...600.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.41774c4dGkulYt

CelticCross74 · Dec 15, 2018

OP I would actually keep the 3 red LED emitter light. Get that POS Ultrafire cell out of it ASAP! Ultrafire cells are actual fire hazards. If you are in the States then Orbtronic.com has your button top protected 3500mah 10amp capable 18650's. They are out of Florida.

If NOT in the States then Keeppower 3500mah 10 amp 18650. That Ultrafire has less than HALF its advertised capacity and is full of mystery chemicals.

That much BRIGHT RED LIGHT is what you want during for example an actual power outage that lasts a couple of days. The red beam actually DOES preserve night vision. I myself have the tri red LED emitter drop in from Eagtac for one of my Eagtac T25C2 lights just for emergencies like that.

jon_slider · Dec 15, 2018

preserving night vision is based on using very low lumen levels below 0.5 lm. the color of the light is NOT a guarantee of preserving night vision

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?183013

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?287859

https://www.itstactical.com/intelli...g-the-dark-how-to-preserve-your-night-vision/

https://www.hdssystems.com/Products/Legacy/Action1/ActionLightTechnology.php
"This is probably a good place to dispel the myths about red lights preserving your night vision. As it turns out, red is nothing special. Any light will preserve your night vision as long as it is of a low intensity. Moonlight does not destroy your night vision even though it is a full spectrum light because it is such a low intensity. What is important here is keeping the contrast low between what you must adapt to and any lighted surfaces."

caled · Dec 16, 2018

CelticCross74 said:
OP I would actually keep the 3 red LED emitter light. Get that POS Ultrafire cell out of it ASAP! Ultrafire cells are actual fire hazards. If you are in the States then Orbtronic.com has your button top protected 3500mah 10amp capable 18650's. They are out of Florida.

If NOT in the States then Keeppower 3500mah 10 amp 18650. That Ultrafire has less than HALF its advertised capacity and is full of mystery chemicals.

That much BRIGHT RED LIGHT is what you want during for example an actual power outage that lasts a couple of days. The red beam actually DOES preserve night vision. I myself have the tri red LED emitter drop in from Eagtac for one of my Eagtac T25C2 lights just for emergencies like that.

Right. I decided to keep it.

In fact, I just got a Green version of the same light. So now I have Christmas colors to play with when we seen the grand kids next week.

It actually seems like a well made light and I've had generally good luck with UltraFire lights.

It didn't come with a battery, so I used what I already had in my spare battery box. I don't think I have any UltraFire batteries. But the brand x ones I have may not be much better. No problems with overheated batteries, let alone fires, yet.

caled · Dec 16, 2018

I just noticed that this forum says I'm "Unenlightened".

As a guy with about 40 flashlights, I don't think that statement is quite right.

nbp · Dec 16, 2018

Lol. The badges are based on post count and change automatically.

Red flashlight

caled

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fresh eddie fresh

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caled

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Lumen83

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Sos24

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mortuus

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CelticCross74

Flashlight Enthusiast

jon_slider

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caled

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caled

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nbp

Flashaholic

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