# What's the DIMMEST flashlight?



## paulr (Feb 29, 2004)

*What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

People keep asking what the brightest one is, but I don't remember anyone asking about the dimmest. I'd like something just bright enough to check my wristwatch with in total darkness, holding the light next to the watch.

What I've tried so far:

CMG Infinity: forget it, this thing lights up a whole room when you bounce it off the ceiling. Compared to what I want, it's practically a HID searchlight.

Arc4+ Second at level 16: dimmer than Infinity but still awfully bright, especially in the hot spot, which it easily casts across a room.

Countycomm coin cell light, white LED but underdriven with a single CR2032 3-volt cell: I like this, comparable total output to Arc4 level 16, but wider beam. Still I'd like something dimmer.

Arc4 "trick": set the lockout mode on the Arc4. Then press and hold the button. The light doesn't turn on, but draws a little current through the led as the microprocessor listens to the button to see if you're triple-clicking it. This makes just about the right amount of light, though very directional because of the Arc4 reflector. Much more problematically, 1) when you first press the button, you get two enormous blinding flashes that indicate that the light is in lockout mode; 2) you have to keep the button held down to remain in the dim mode after that, which is difficult; 3) You can cover up the bezel to suppress the initial two big flashes, but if you let go of the button for even an instant, you get blinded by another pair of flashes; 4) the amount of power the microprocessor uses fluctuates, so the light appears to flicker. So this scheme is sort of cute but not really that useful.


(haven't tried Rigel Systems Skylite, adjustable light, I'm told that at dimmest setting it's around 1/4 of an Arc AAA, measured current at 2.5 mA to two LED's. That sounds comparable to the Countycomm or Arc4, so too bright. But maybe it can be modded.

(haven't tried): PALight in "constant on, locator" setting. This maybe has some promise, though it has an optic that makes a big hot spot.

Anyway, it looks like it may be time for a home-made light with an LED and a volume control potentiometer (logarithmic taper). Other ideas?


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## shankus (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

What about the Swiss Light III, in its dimmest setting?
It can be left in any brightness setting, and turned on & off in that particular one every time.


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## Xrunner (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Perhaps you could do a simple mod to a light using a diffused 3mm LED and a resistor? I wouldn't think it would be overly complex if you did mind something around ARC size. Nothing stock comes to mind either.

-Mike


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## paulr (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Shankus, Swiss Light is an idea, I haven't seen one of those in action. I doubt if I'd buy one though, it's just too specialized.

Xrunner, yes, I might try something like that. Not sure what light I'd mod. I do like the idea of adjustable brightness and was interested in the Rigel Skylite til I found out that its dimmest level was 2.5 mA (I'd hoped for 0.1 mA or so). I have the idea of modding a PT Attitude, changing its internal resistor from 27 ohms (or whatever it is) to 2K or so, letting through about 1 mA to the LED's. That should give a useful but ultra-long-running light.

Or I might try just popping an infrared LED into a Countycomm coin light. Those leds give off some visible red light.


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## raggie33 (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

a broken flashlight is the dimest /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## JerryM (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I have an old SL keychain light that is incand. Now they are LED I think, but my old one is just a little dimmer than a match. I don't know how it compares with a Mag Solitaire.

Jerry


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## Prolepsis (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hi Paulr:

Maybe a little off-topic, but do you carry any phones, PDAs, and so forth? Because you could use the light from the screens to illuminate your watch... but then again, even in total darkness, a colour PDA screen can be a little too bright /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

Or, how about a tritium glowring? That might work?


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## Zelandeth (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hmm, think a Solitaire's probably a contender. Though I have got one which is for some obscure reason about 5 times brighter than the other two...so maybe the two I'm comparing too are broken.


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## JonSidneyB (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

a tritium vile.


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## paulr (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Glowring is an interesting idea. I've been meaning to order some glow-discs, so maybe will get a glowring too.

I have a Casio watch with a backlight, and it's incredible how bright the thing is in a really dark room. It lights up the room almost like a flashlight. 

The sensitivity of dark adapted vision is absolutely amazing. My bedroom window faces the back of the building but still picks up some random light from outside at night. It looks pitch black when I first shut the light off, but after a few minutes I can see around the room easily. A couple nights ago I covered up the window with a towel so now it's completely dark. That makes a big difference in dark adaptation. Last night I found I could easily read the glow-in-the-dark markers on my Seiko 5 wristwatch 24 hours after charging it up with my Arc4. (But that watch is mechanical and had run down by then). Before covering the window I don't think I could have read the watch markers after that long. Just after charging the markers and for a few minutes afterwards, I could easily see around the room with them.

One of these days I guess I'll get one of those Marathon watches with tritium markers.


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## DrJ (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

.


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## stockwiz (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I bought one of them flashlights you shake to recharge on ebay.. one of the better models. It's a pretty dim light, although it seems to run forever on just a few shakes.. at least 20 minutes for 20-30 seconds of shaking.. I fell asleep waiting for it to run out... you can get it really dim by just shaking it once or twice, but it'll be brighter if you shake it much more then that.

A green glowring X2 is bright enough to read text with when eyes are fully dark adjusted.


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## DaveT (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hi Paul - the PALight on always-on glow is substantially dimmer than the Arc4 on level 16 - just checked it out in our windowless bathroom - I wasn't sure that the PALight was on when I tried a side-by-side with the Arc. I've become a fan of the PALight.


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## ResQTech (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

A flashlight with dead batteries? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif

In all seriousness, it probably doesnt get much dimmer than a Mag Solitaire. I think a 5mm LED is brighter, smooth, and has more spill than it.


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## TCG (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

If you put the arc4 in semi-tac mode, then activate the lock, it does not flash twice but still comes on super dim while holding the button.


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## Flying Turtle (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

My Derringer on the low setting appears to be one third to one fourth as bright as my standard Infinity. A Shorelite on lowest setting is also quite dim, but the Derringer's beam is much nicer.


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## Cosmic Superchunk (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

The PALight's "always on" mode produces a very dim light, just enough to find the light in a dark surrounding, but it's not designed to illuminate unless you activate it's other settings.


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## shankus (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Oh, that brings another thing to mind. 
The 70° diffused milky white LEDs at www.whitelightled.com .

You could put it into a Photon II. I think I've seen one light at 3V, from a single cell.


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## MR Bulk (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

[ QUOTE ]
*Cosmic Superchunk said:*
The PALight's "always on" mode produces a very dim light, just enough to find the light in a dark surrounding, but it's not designed to illuminate unless you activate it's other settings. 

[/ QUOTE ]


And you could also reverse the lens to spread out the light further if the "hotspot" is still too bright. I place mine right in front of the power strip's on-off switch in the workshop to find it easily in the dark.


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## jayflash (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I put a few coats of red nail polish on the 222 lamp in a pen light for evenings when I use my telescope. It's quite dim - more so than a Solitare.


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## DBrier (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Another vote for the PAL always on mode.
It can also be brighter if you need it to be. No messing with it to check you watch either, just take it out, use it and put it away. Mine over ran two years that way with a few uses here and there.


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## nikemboka (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

How about an Eternalmax adjusted down to the dimmest setting (one led)?


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## glockboy (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

flip open yours cell phone to use it as a flashlight.


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## Pi_is_blue (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

The EliteMax on the dimmest setting is still surprisingly bright. It wouldn't be ideal for this application.


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## Bill.H (Feb 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Want to buy my old solitaire? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Look up "dim" in the dictionary and there's a picture of it there....


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## Brody (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Actually, the Rigel Skylight on it's dimmest setting in red is very decent for preserving night vision. With the white light, it is brighter on the dimmest setting. 
Hmmm... if it is just to check your time on a watch, wouldn't it be better to just get a watch with a backlight that turns on when you press a button? Watches like that are pretty cheap.


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## Double_A (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

PALight in it's always on mode.

The advantage for the PALight is that you still have a usable flashlight if you need more light.

GregR


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## paulr (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Brody, my watch already has a button like that, but the backlight is way too bright. Anyway I was interested in the more general question of the dimmest flashlight.


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## pal251 (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

buy a new watch


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## milkyspit (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Paulr, why do you always seem to ask these questions that ultimately have no answer? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twakfl.gif

My dimmest light would be my own Milky Candle when set to its dimmest setting, the "nightlight" mode. Draws a regulated 1.3mA or so on that setting, yielding about 1000 hours runtime from a pair of 123 cells. But with dark-adapted eyes, even that's bright enough to illuminate about a 6 foot radius around it.

Incidentally, the nightlight mode only came into existence when I was doing extended testing of the prototype's then-lowest 6.5mA setting, but realized to my dismay that the ENTIRE ROOM WAS ILLUMINATED when I'd wake up in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep in that much light! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Of course, the same circuit could be adjusted about as low as you'd like to go. I'm sure you'll find a suitable light for your needs, but if not, send a PM my way and I'll see what I can cobble together for you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


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## paulr (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I guess I see this as an exploration of how dim a light can possibly be to be useful 1) to see detail with (read a watch holding it next to the light; 2) to see coarse shapes with (i.e. see large objects a few feet away so you won't bump into them; and 3) as a locator/marker light.

I see someone on another thread mentioned making a locator/marker for a 4AA-powered resistor limited LED light, by putting a *50 kilohm* resistor across the on-off switch, i.e. about 0.05 milliamps! Wow!

Your 1.3 mA figure is also interesting. If the Milky Candle is omnidirectional (covers a complete sphere with light), that's 4*pi steradians, so a flashlight with a 1-steradian beam (basically 60 degrees) would need only about 0.1 mA. Realistically the MC probably isn't really omnidirectional, but might be like a 60 degree led at 0.3 mA or whatever. Still neat!


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## [email protected] (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hmm, a PaLight in the always on mode is too bright to keep unshielded in my bedroom... I can easily navigate the house with it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif
A partially covered glowring would be better for me...


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## JasonC8301 (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Would you use a run down battery in a Arc AAA or a CMG Infinity?


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## StuU (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Palight in red led would give just barely enough light to read your watch in total darkness. It's what I use for bedside usage.


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## milkyspit (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Actually Paul, the Milky Candle uses a Nichia Rank S 9200mcd white LED, which I believe has beam half-angle of 15 degrees... in other words, it shoots out a 30 degree beam. When I said nightlight mode illuminates roughly a 6 foot radius around the Milky Candle, that's using light *reflected off the ceiling*. So maybe it's too powerful for your purposes, eh? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Hmm... maybe you need some glow POWDER. That stuff glows really brightly for the first minute or two, then settles into a long lasting but much dimmer glow. If I recall correctly, it supposedly keeps glowing gently for hours. Charge it up just before bedtime, and it'll probably give you the illumination you need for most of the night!


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## bj (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I have one of those adjustable single LED lights from Garrity, which is pretty dim on it's lowest setting. Probably not in competition with a glowring, but with a claimed life of hundreds of hours on 3 AAA's, it's pretty dim for a conventional light. It's got an ugly shaped beam, but I picked it up for power outages, where having a dim but long lasting light could complement my other, brighter lights.


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## SilverFox (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hello Paul,

In my computer room I notice that the green "power on" LED on my laser printer gives enough light to navigate in the dark.

I have also noticed in motel rooms, the LED on my power supply gives a dim but usable amount of light.

I measure the output of the power supply LED at 25 mcd. My PALight measures 50 mcd.

Tom


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## Roy (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Countrycom used to sella small pear shaped key-chain light that operated in the UV range. Most "He-Man" style watches will lightup when hit with UV. It also puts out enough visible light to navigate by.


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## SilverFox (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hello Roy,

That's a good idea.

I just also remembered that my M1 glows. I will have to see if there is any "usable" visible light from that.

Tom


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## SilverFox (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hello Paulr,

I am sorry to say that the M1 is too dim. I can see that I have a watch on, but can not read what time it is.

Tom


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## Stanley (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I'd say try a solitaire 'mod'. I plugged in a 5mm white led and had a very weak and used MN21/23 (car alarm) battery in it to power it. It was dim alright... 

Else how about using a different coloured led instead of white? Yellow perhaps, on weak batts might give just about enough light for your purposes?


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## paulr (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Silverfox, what's an M1?


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## SilverFox (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hello Paulr,

The M1 is SureFire's infrared LED light.

You can see the M1 here 

It has just a bit of a visible red glow when you turn it on. I was thinking it might be just enough to light up a watch, but it is just too dim.

Tom


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## paulr (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Ah, thanks. I begin to think that using a strong infrared emitter like that actually isn't such a great idea. It's not visible, and I know it's not ultraviolet, but it still can't exactly be helpful to the eyes, close-up, dark adapted, etc. I may look for some "cherry red" led's (690 nm or whatever, visible red but deeper than the usual 635mm red led).


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I let an ARC AAA run overnight once. The battery was down FAR. That was pretty darn dim!

Where is the a link to a Garrity 3AA adjustable 1 LED? OH! Nevermind, I have one. I think it's still too bright on the lowest constantly on setting (and you must click through Brightest and 2ND Brightest to get there!

An ARC AAA with a used up battery is what I would choose.


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## paulr (Mar 2, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

The AAA gets nice and dim after the battery runs down, but shut it off and let the battery recover for a few minutes, then turn it on and you get blasted with bright light again.


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## LightScene (Mar 3, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

When I wake up at night I reach for the red CMG Infinity. Yes, it's not dim, but if you point it away from you it doesn't bother your eyes. If you prefer to have a dimmer light, (I don't) then maybe a cheap silver oxide, coin cell light, with a red led would be suitable. Red is definitely easy on the eyes compared to white. 

I have a Palight with the always on, and a white led. I have removed the rubber cover so that there is nothing obstructing the led. I still prefer the red infinity.

There's the answer to your question - a red Palight in the always-on mode.


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## kongfuchicken (Mar 3, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

paulr, you must have really good eyes!
I have one of these really old blue leds, it runs for weeks on a 9 volt battery and is very very dim (but beautiful), if it's really what you want.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 3, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Not with a battery as dead as I am talking about paulr! There ain't much to recover way way down there!


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## LightScene (Mar 3, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Get an Indiglo travel alarm from Walmart for $10.
For a couple bucks more, get a radio controlled travel alarm with an electroluminescent backlight, and it will set itself to the atomic clock, including the date.
These things run on AAA's.


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## chanik (Mar 10, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I think the new Photon Freedom has the dimmest setting on purpose 30,000mcd to 30mcd


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## arab (Mar 10, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Hi Chanik,

Any idea how long the Photon Freedom would last in it's dimmest (30mcd) mode? I.E. Could this be a form of "always on" as per the PAL Light?

Cheers


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## paulr (Mar 10, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I don't think the range is anything like 1000:1 and I don't think the led is at 30,000 mcd. I'd guess it's more like 1000 (lowest), 3000 (middle), 10,000 (highest). I don't have a Freedom but have played with a Scout a little and figure it's likely to be similar (except the Scout has two leds). Runtime in dimmest mode is probably in the hundreds of hours. I think the LED Museum has a current draw measurement for the Photon 3 which is probably also similar to the Freedom.


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## chanik (Mar 11, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I should have been more specific: very new Photon Freedom (IV) has the 1000:1 range. It is not very efficient at the lowest end since the microcontroller dominates the current drain there with 1.2mA. Batteries would only last ~4 days. LED museum has a review on it.


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## vcal (Mar 14, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Paul;
I have the newest, and dimmest candidate for you......

It is one of the lightstick LEDs that we got in the last group buy..

It is a <font color="red">Red</font> one, as you might imagine....I can easily look into the LED and see it's little chip glowing faithfully. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

It's running right now @ 1.81 volts, and drawing *.38 mA* -according to my DMM. -Been going for over 4 days on a completely SHOT L544 cell.
When I started the test, the cell measured 2.01 volts-open circuit. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif 
p.s.-I can even read with it, and, (with adjusted eyes) can find my way around in a dark house without bumping into anything.


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## Chaz (Mar 14, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

The Photon III covert at its lowest setting is what I use to check a watch or other item without bothering anyone else. If that is too bright, a small piece of tissue can be put in the covert housing to dim the light more.


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## Hobydog (Mar 15, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Paul,

I might have a contender for your list. My first flashlight mod was simply a 3v LED in a minim*g. The pins on the LED fit right in the pin holes for the old incandescent bulb, and I had to drill out the reflector just a mite to make room for the bulb, but it worked. As I found out later, though, it is considerably dimmer than even a CMG Infinity. Great run-time - on the order of a hundred hours or so - but NOT the light you want to use if you want to illuminate the next zip code. I use it as my walking-around-at-night-and-not-stub-my-toe light.


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## Hobydog (Mar 16, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I might have another idea for you. I'm remembering my old military days and the crookneck flashight we carried. One of the filters for it was a "blackout" filter - basically a piece of opaque white plastic, which cut about 95% of the light. It occurs to me that making a blackout filter out of the side of a milk jug or a bleach jug would give the same result.


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## bigbird (Mar 30, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Get a tritium Meprolight night sight for a pistol. The front site has one glow-tube that lasts forever, and is very tiny. Suitable for drilling for a keyring...


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## RayT (Mar 30, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

PALLight when turned off. Emits a very dim light so that you can locate the light in the dark. It will last 2+ years in this mode.


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## PeLu (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

It should be easy to shield the lens with you thumb on any not too bright flashlight.. 
At least I use my thumb when entering a room with sleeping people.. But maybe that's too low tech for this audience.
Besides: I have a tritium light about 13mm (half an inch) diameter where you can shade off the vial down to zero. This should be the perfect one for you.

And BTW, when talking to one of the light designers some time ago, I also asked for a very low brightness level and I named it 'The Incomplete Darkness' (my trademark .-)


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## nikon (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Make a cap for your light which can go on and off easily. Here's an Arc AAA with a pinhole cap covered by two layers of masking tape.....


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## The Yeti (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I got some of the glow powder mixed with CHEAP nail polish (expensive nail polish blocks UV, use wet and wild clear) I have a dab on the light switch and on two spots in my bath room the size of a quarter. Once my eyes are dark adapted those are plenty bright enough to navigate in the dark for getting to the bathroom. 

I also took the light fixture out of the kitchen which is a clear sconce, washed it out, and then sprinkled some glow powder in side, dusting it. I use a compact florescent light there, which charges the light well, and that is good for all night. 

I also use glow powder on my cell phone, I just turn the lights off, and there it is are. 

I am planning on coating the inside of my Elektrolumens lights so that they will be able to provide me with a dim light while I have the switch off.


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## NikolaTesla (Mar 31, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

3rd dimmest: Tritium tube (slight green glow) infinate atomic power won't wear out

2nd dimmest: wet matches

1rst dimmest: X990 with DEAD battery!!!!

NikolaTesla
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

An Arc lamp is the Spark that takes away the Dark--

My Lights: *** http://www.tjtech.org/gallery/NikolaTesla/Nikola_lights2


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## BillBill (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I just tried running a Brinkmann Rebel on one cell and an foil wad. The beam it produces was brighter than expected, even though the LED is probably seeing three volts. Its beam brightness on 1.5v can be compared to the brightness of the beam center of a non-lensed single LED light and can be useful in dark situations /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Still, not as dim as one white LED and cr2032.

This led me to believe that the Rebel is semi regulated; it seems to work well at lower voltages too. But there is a MAJOR decrease in brightness when used with one cell.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

In conclusion, a lighter, long running light that, of course, isn't too bright.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jun 11, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

The *Lightwave Infiniton* that I just got today either has a fluke or an intentional "find me" glow when off that powers its 1.2 watt Luxeon LED with somewhere between 1.00µA and 1.49µA (µA=microamps).
This takes the trophy for being "The DIMMEST Flashlight". At least, among those I've seen or used.


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## ThirstyTurtle (Sep 10, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Back from the dead! 

I'm currently using my Thrunite Ti on "firefly" to sneak into my bedroom at night where my 3-month old is sleeping but it seems awfully bright to dark-adjusted eyes and sometimes causes her to stir. 

What's the DIMMEST light I can get? Anything dimmer than the Ti?


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## lunas (Sep 10, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

One of those brass lamplighters? I also have this itp aaa clickly light that goes from 120 lumens from a xpg2 to about 1/2 a lumen on a dead cell what ever it is squeezing out of the battery is just enough to slightly illuminate the led.


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## JimTokle (Sep 10, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



ThirstyTurtle said:


> Back from the dead!
> 
> I'm currently using my Thrunite Ti on "firefly" to sneak into my bedroom at night where my 3-month old is sleeping but it seems awfully bright to dark-adjusted eyes and sometimes causes her to stir.
> 
> What's the DIMMEST light I can get? Anything dimmer than the Ti?



That's .5 lumens, correct? My SC62w has a nice selection of firefly modes and goes down to .4, .06, and .01 lumens.


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## Crazyeddiethefirst (Sep 10, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

The control ring on my v11r ( with extender) and with an Eneloop AA is the dimmest white light I can get, but the red light on my EC1 is so dim it doesn't even bother my dog....


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## dc38 (Sep 10, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Jetbeam RRT01 goes so imperceptibly low that you would have a hard time seeing it in pitch black darkness looking directly at the LED


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## ThirstyTurtle (Sep 11, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



dc38 said:


> Jetbeam RRT01 goes so imperceptibly low that you would have a hard time seeing it in pitch black darkness looking directly at the LED


THAT is what I was looking for! I will definitely give this light a look. I've actually thought about buying this light several times in the past so being able to crank it down that low would certainly make it even more attractive. 


JimTokle said:


> That's .5 lumens, correct? My SC62w has a nice selection of firefly modes and goes down to .4, .06, and .01 lumens.


I think it's supposed to be 0.04 actually. However, I have a SC62w, H602w, and H600w so I'll try the dimmest-of-the-dim on those three to see if one is lower! 


Crazyeddiethefirst said:


> The control ring on my v11r ( with extender) and with an Eneloop AA is the dimmest white light I can get, but the red light on my EC1 is so dim it doesn't even bother my dog....


Noted! I used to have a V11R and remember it going quite low so I'll think about that.


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## lampeDépêche (Sep 11, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

For navigating a house with dark-adjusted eyes, my choice would be a red LED Photon Freedom. You can dial that thing so far down that, in pitch dark, holding the light a foot from your hand, you won't see a bright spot on your palm. Get the covert nose for even better light control. 

So you've got a narrow beam (from the covert nose), pretty much infinite adjustability, and a red light. Hard to beat.

Want it even dimmer? Swap out the red LED, which is stocked at about a 630nm wavelength, with an even deeper red 660nm. They're cheap, like 50 cents, and you don't need to do any soldering to swap an LED in a Photon freedom, just trim and bend the legs a bit.


[ETA: I'm not saying that longer wavelength is dimmer per se, but in fact the 660nm LED puts out fewer lumens than the 630nm at any given power input. And it's also less disruptive of night-vision, though down in these micro-lumen levels the color is less important.]


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Sep 11, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

My Sunwayman D40A neutral white has a hidden "feature" that gives an incredibly dim moonlight mode. It appears that it's a fairly common issue on the D40A's in neutral white. If you turn the light off from the regular moonlight mode, it leaves the LED on in an extremely dim mode, using just microamps to power it. You need dark-adapted vision to see it, and you have to look directly into the reflector. It looks about as bright as a dim glow from a GITD material after several hours in the dark.


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## hyperloop (Sep 11, 2015)

ArmyTek A1 Prime non-pro on Firefly 1 setting, it's advertised as  0.15 lm.


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## ThirstyTurtle (Sep 11, 2015)

hyperloop said:


> ArmyTek A1 Prime non-pro on Firefly 1 setting, it's advertised as  0.15 lm.


Well the Ti is advertised as 0.04 lumens, and I think that's about what it is...I just need less. I'm thinking red transparent tape on the lens?


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## JimTokle (Sep 11, 2015)

ThirstyTurtle said:


> Well the Ti is advertised as 0.04 lumens, and I think that's about what it is...I just need less. I'm thinking red transparent tape on the lens?



Did you try the SC62w? I'm pretty sure that the .01 setting is lower than anyone would actually ever need.


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## ThirstyTurtle (Sep 11, 2015)

JimTokle said:


> Did you try the SC62w? I'm pretty sure that the .01 setting is lower than anyone would actually ever need.


You're right! My H602w (SC62w is in my car and it's pouring rain) is _way_ dimmer than the Ti:


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## wolfey (Sep 11, 2015)

ThirstyTurtle said:


> You're right! My H602w (SC62w is in my car and it's pouring rain) is _way_ dimmer than the Ti:



Good to hear. I was gonna suggest the same light.


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## hyperloop (Sep 12, 2015)

Need to get me one of those man, thanks guys for the tip!


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## Tixx (Sep 12, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



paulr said:


> People keep asking what the brightest one is, but I don't remember anyone asking about the dimmest. I'd like something just bright enough to check my wristwatch with in total darkness, holding the light next to the watch.
> 
> What I've tried so far:
> 
> ...




Photon Freedom Covert if not mentioned already. Wear one around my neck.


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## lampeDépêche (Sep 13, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Yup, a ZL 600w on its lowest mode is good. On the lowest low, 0.01 lumen, it's pretty dim.

But I'm telling you: the red Covert Photon Freedom is *significantly* dimmer.

I just tried both of them down in the basement. Red PhFr *much* dimmer than the very lowest setting on the ZL.

If you really want "_just bright enough to check my wristwatch with in total darkness, holding the light next to the watch,_"

then try the red Photon Freedom.

Plus--it costs you maybe $10.00 to try it, as opposed to $90.00 to try the ZL. 

(Of course, you should *also* own the ZL 600w, because it is the finest headlamp made. But as for dim, there are dimmer.)


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## ThirstyTurtle (Sep 13, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



lampeDépêche said:


> Yup, a ZL 600w on its lowest mode is good. On the lowest low, 0.01 lumen, it's pretty dim.
> 
> But I'm telling you: the red Covert Photon Freedom is *significantly* dimmer.
> 
> ...


You right you right. Turns out though that the ZL on ML is just enough light, any dimmer and it'd be a pain to navigate the room. 

I already owned three ZL's


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## JimTokle (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



ThirstyTurtle said:


> You right you right. Turns out though that the ZL on ML is just enough light, any dimmer and it'd be a pain to navigate the room.
> 
> I already owned three ZL's



Really happy that I was able to help. The lowest setting on the ZL lights is surprisingly useful in a dark room with dark-adjusted eyes. I couldn't imagine a lower level being very useful.


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## lampeDépêche (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

"Turns out though that the ZL on ML is just enough light, any dimmer and it'd be a pain to navigate the room. "


Excellent! We have a satisfied customer!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



JimTokle said:


> Really happy that I was able to help. The lowest setting on the ZL lights is surprisingly useful in a dark room with dark-adjusted eyes. I couldn't imagine a lower level being very useful.



It really depends on the Zebralight model.

The SC52 has very dim moonlight modes, far lower than what ZL claims in their specs. The real outputs are around 0.1 / 0.01 / 0.001 lumens for the 3 moonlight modes. The dimmest is probably lower than 0.001, but it's tough to measure. At some point, I'll do proper camera time-exposures to try to line up brightness with the other modes for comparison.

The SC5 moonlight modes are much brighter. Again, dimmer than what ZL claims, but closer. Around 0.5 / 0.1 / 0.01 lumens.

I'm not sure about the other ZL models, but I think they're close to the SC52 levels.

IMO, 0.001 lumens isn't very useful at all. I do like the 0.01 lumen level for middle-of-the-night in a dark room.


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## akhyar (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Any lower than 0.1lumen on my SC600 L2 mode in pitch darkness, I think I would have to start groping around with my hands [emoji13]


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



akhyar said:


> Any lower than 0.1lumen on my SC600 L2 mode in pitch darkness, I think I would have to start groping around with my hands [emoji13]



Unless you have an eye disease that prevents your eyes from becoming dark-adapted in full darkness, you'd be surprised at how much you can see with 0.01 lumens in the middle of the night. It's plenty to light a path so you can see where to walk. Even ceiling bounced in a small room gives you enough light to see where things are. Not so much to spoil your night vision, but enough to get around.

I wouldn't use 0.01 lumens outdoors, but indoors it gives just enough light.

0.1 lumens is too bright for the middle of the night. It will wreck your night vision. 0.1 lumens is dimmer than most flashlights, but the Zebralights are great for low, low moonlight modes.


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## akhyar (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Cool! Would love to try it someday but my SC600 1st gen can only go down to 0.1lumen for it lowest setting.
My other lights don't even have moonlight mode so I don't know how dim will be 0.01 or 0.001lumen


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



akhyar said:


> Cool! Would love to try it someday but my SC600 1st gen can only go down to 0.1lumen for it lowest setting.



I don't have a 1st gen SC600, but is 0.1 lumen the Zebralight claim, or is it a real measured output? I ask that, because on other Zebralight models, they vastly overstate the moonlight mode output levels. If 0.1 lumens is the spec output, the real output may be much lower, perhaps 0.02 lumens or something like that.


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## markr6 (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Sorry, I was going to say .01lm on SC52 but I think that was already mentioned


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## ThirstyTurtle (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I don't have a 1st gen SC600, but is 0.1 lumen the Zebralight claim, or is it a real measured output? I ask that, because on other Zebralight models, they vastly overstate the moonlight mode output levels. If 0.1 lumens is the spec output, the real output may be much lower, perhaps 0.02 lumens or something like that.



Zebralight claims 0.01 lumens for the lowest low on my H600w. Selfbuilt measured 0.02 lumens on the Ti3 (which I assume is about the same as my Ti) and I'd say the ZL is an order of magnitude dimmer than my Ti so if anything the ZL is indeed LESS than 0.01 lumens.


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## akhyar (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I don't have a 1st gen SC600, but is 0.1 lumen the Zebralight claim, or is it a real measured output? I ask that, because on other Zebralight models, they vastly overstate the moonlight mode output levels. If 0.1 lumens is the spec output, the real output may be much lower, perhaps 0.02 lumens or something like that.



The 0.1lumen is what ZL claim as I don't have any device to measure the light output


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Sep 14, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



akhyar said:


> The 0.1lumen is what ZL claim as I don't have any device to measure the light output



Okay, that explains why you earlier said that anything lower than 0.1 lumens is too dim. You're probably really getting 0.01 or 0.02 lumens, which is about what I also find to be the dimmest useful setting for a moonlight mode.

A rough rule of thumb for Zebralight moonlight specs is to divide them by 10 and that's probably the real lumen output.

They're more accurate on their medium and high output specs. I'm not sure why they're so off on their moonlight specs. Perhaps they just don't have equipment to measure such dim modes accurately.


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## more_vampires (Sep 16, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Dimmest flashlight? Wristwatch back light. 

Used to use one all the time in conjunction with an AAx2 incan Minimag back in the dark ages of crappy flashlights. Things are so very much better now.

Lol, speaking of Maglite I think the incan Solitaire AAAx1 original is one of the dimmest lights ever made. 



lampeDépêche said:


> If you really want "_just bright enough to check my wristwatch with in total darkness, holding the light next to the watch,_"


The Zebralight H502R red floody seems to go FAR dimmer than any of my other Zebras when you program it. You can make the lowest low mode almost require night vision gear to see it. With night adapted vision, I can read with it at a distance of about 2 inches.


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## markr6 (Sep 17, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Just used my SC52w last night. I have my backpacking hammock set up in my basement just to relax in sometimes. I slept in it last night...pitch black down there! I programmed the .01lm setting. I forgot how LOW it is. I had to put it about 6" away from my hand to even tell it was putting out any light!


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## akhyar (Sep 17, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Just received the Olight S1 Baton today and I did compare the moonlight mode of this light, rated at 0.5lumen against ZL SC600 first gen, rated at 0.1m.
All there ratings are published specs, so I've just put these figures as what are given by the manufacturers.

From my naked eyes, by shining the light to white wall, the SC600 is dimmer, but not a lot as the hotspot is still pronounced, while the S1, although brighter, have more even beam that is bit pleasing to the eyes.


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## markr6 (Sep 17, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Nevermind...made an error


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## lampeDépêche (Sep 17, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



more_vampires said:


> The Zebralight H502R red floody seems to go FAR dimmer than any of my other Zebras when you program it. You can make the lowest low mode almost require night vision gear to see it. With night adapted vision, I can read with it at a distance of about 2 inches.



Yeah, agreed--the ZL H502R is super dim.

Dimmer than the Covert Photon Freedom Red?

Hard to say--it's the classic problem of comparing flood vs. throw. The H502 is a mule, and so radiates throughout 120 degrees. The Photon's red LED has a spot of probably about 20 degree. I can tell you that when I bring the ZL up close enough to the wall to get all of the light into a small circle (about 3cm circle) and then hold the Photon back so that it casts a 3cm circle, the ZL circle is noticeably brighter. I think it is putting out more lumens, though of course the lux throughout that broad cone are much much lower.

I certainly prefer the Photon for late night work, because you can direct the beam where you want it to go--less likely to get light in a sleeper's eyes.

On the other hand, if I wanted to leave a light on as a beacon in the dark to see from anywhere in the room, then the ZL's wider beam comes out on top again. 

That's often how I use the ultra-low on my H602w--I set it on the nightstand next to my bed in some strange hotel I'm staying in. It is dim enough not to disturb me or my wife, but if I wake up I can find that glow immediately, and turn it into a hand-held 100-watt bulb with a few clicks.


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## more_vampires (Sep 18, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Don't forget that we can add an additional diffuser film to a light to cut output further.

No light must remain 100% stock. 

Yeah, spot versus flood can really twist perceptions of relative brightness.


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## bykfixer (Sep 27, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

My sure fire 6P with a P61 after 45 minutes. 

Or my buddies 6P with $6 (1000 lumen) LED drop in after 8 minutes...

The glow of the emitter was actually brighter after he switched it off....
(Star Trek dude Scotty voice) "Captain; she's gonna blow!" lol


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## DimmerD (Sep 28, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

Titan T1A, it's the only led light that I can even attempt to look directly at the emitter; on low of course.


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## Swedpat (Sep 28, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

*paulr,*

I have not tried any of the lights you mention. But the dimmiest light I know(with controlled level) is my Armytek Viking: at the lowest mode the brightness is so low that I can hold the light direct to my eye without beeing dazzled(well; in darkness with dark adapted eyes, maybe). 
I would guesstimate the brightness to be somewhere between 1/50 to 1/100 lumen. This level is so low that I barely can see my way in total darkness. It would be perfect to check the wristwatch or read some text on a paper sitting in a cinema, without disturbing the other visitors.


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## lumen aeternum (Oct 3, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I can put my Zebralight into a nice very dim mode and turn it off, but when I turn it on, I can see the low mode for an instant, but then it goes into a much higher brightness. I can't get my finger off the button fast enough. What gives?


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## KeepingItLight (Oct 3, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



lumen aeternum said:


> I can put my Zebralight into a nice very dim mode and turn it off, but when I turn it on, I can see the low mode for an instant, but then it goes into a much higher brightness. I can't get my finger off the button fast enough. What gives?




Zebralights do not have mode memory (except as described below). The reason you are not getting low, is because you are releasing the button too fast!

*From off:*

1 click = hi
2 clicks = med
3 clicks = strobe
4 clicks = battery check
Press & hold (momentarily) = low
Press & hold (longer) = cycle: low, med, hi, repeat

*Once on:*

1 click = off
2 clicks = switch to an alternate for the mode you are in (low, med, hi, strobe)
Press & hold = cycle: low, med, hi, repeat

The alternate modes you select when the flashlight is on will be memorized. If you select an alternate low mode, for instance, the next time you go to low, your alternate will be used. Ditto for med, hi, and strobe.

*Programming the alternate modes:*

In any of the constant brightness modes (low, med, hi), double-click 6 times (i.e., click 12 times fast). After that, double-click some more to cycle through the available alternates. When you see one that you like, click once to select it. This will also turn off the flashlight.

Hope this helps.


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## jabe1 (Oct 3, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I'm surprised to see no mention of any QTC controlled lights. My Quantum DD, and my Peaks all can go low enough to look directly at the led when in a dark room. Lower than any of the others I own, including PALights.


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## KuanR (Oct 3, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I have to say the dimmest light I have seen is the Spy 007 and Tri-V. I can program the light down to a low that I could BARELY see the emitter was on in a dark room.

It's brightness can be lower than a 1.5x6mm tritium vial


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## reppans (Oct 3, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Okay, that explains why you earlier said that anything lower than 0.1 lumens is too dim. You're probably really getting 0.01 or 0.02 lumens, which is about what I also find to be the dimmest useful setting for a moonlight mode.
> 
> A rough rule of thumb for Zebralight moonlight specs is to divide them by 10 and that's probably the real lumen output.
> 
> They're more accurate on their medium and high output specs. I'm not sure why they're so off on their moonlight specs. Perhaps they just don't have equipment to measure such dim modes accurately.



Good rule of thumb for ZL. 

As to why? Probably to appear a lot more efficient than competitor offerings? Most folks don't collect as we flashaholic do and probably would never know the difference. 



jabe1 said:


> I'm surprised to see no mention of any QTC controlled lights. My Quantum DD, and my Peaks all can go low enough to look directly at the led when in a dark room. Lower than any of the others I own, including PALights.



Unfortunately Peak QTCs can't seem to hold low low outputs consistently - gets brighter for a few minutes as the QTC settles, and then gets dimmer as the battery depletes. Quite fiddly trying to maintain a fixed sub-lumen output.


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## Dr. Tweedbucket (Oct 3, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



Zelandeth said:


> Hmm, think a Solitaire's probably a contender. Though I have got one which is for some obscure reason about 5 times brighter than the other two...so maybe the two I'm comparing too are broken.



Yeah, I looked it up: Magnalite Solitaire - 2 lumens :green::green: :green::green: 

:duh2: 

:touche:


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## ginaz (Oct 4, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



dc38 said:


> Jetbeam RRT01 goes so imperceptibly low that you would have a hard time seeing it in pitch black darkness looking directly at the LED



this. you can't get any lower


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## more_vampires (Oct 5, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



Dr. Tweedbucket said:


> Yeah, I looked it up: Magnalite Solitaire - 2 lumens :green::green: :green::green:
> 
> :duh2:
> 
> :touche:


Don't forget what happens to an incan as the battery dies. That's probably 2 lumens at turn on, huh?


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## H-Man (Oct 10, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I can get an XML to go so dim that it is glowing red. Can't remember current, but the e-switches likely pull more.


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## FRITZHID (Oct 10, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



H-Man said:


> I can get an XML to go so dim that it is glowing red. Can't remember current, but the e-switches likely pull more.



Neat! I wanna see a white xml run red!


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## H-Man (Oct 16, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I think I used a 10k or 100k pot and 2 AA cells. It is because the phosphor is absorbing all blue light that this happens I think.


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## Prepped (Oct 26, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I just picked up at Nitecore SRT5, and it gets incredibly low. It makes the moonlight mode on my TN12, and S1 baton look blinding. I'm very happy with it.


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## acl1986 (Oct 27, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



Prepped said:


> I just picked up at Nitecore SRT5, and it gets incredibly low. It makes the moonlight mode on my TN12, and S1 baton look blinding. I'm very happy with it.



Just curious, what do you use such dim lighting for? I imagined using the TN12 for late night bathroom trips, but dimmer that that and I wouldn't see a thing!


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## Prepped (Oct 27, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



acl1986 said:


> Just curious, what do you use such dim lighting for? I imagined using the TN12 for late night bathroom trips, but dimmer that that and I wouldn't see a thing!



I'm in the Marine Corps. When we go to the field, we're often out in the middle of nowhere, and a dim light can be very bright. A lot of times, we're restricted to using red light, which the SRT5 has. When it's time for firewatch, I wanted something very dim so as not to disturb my buddy who's in the tent with me. Also, sometimes I need to look through gear and such, and need something very dim so as not to reveal our position when we are doing a force on force scenario.


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## more_vampires (Oct 28, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



Prepped said:


> I'm in the Marine Corps. When we go to the field, we're often out in the middle of nowhere, and a dim light can be very bright. A lot of times, we're restricted to using red light, which the SRT5 has. When it's time for firewatch, I wanted something very dim so as not to disturb my buddy who's in the tent with me. Also, sometimes I need to look through gear and such, and need something very dim so as not to reveal our position when we are doing a force on force scenario.


In that case, Photon Covert (red.) If you can't find one, you can convert a Photon Red into a Covert Red with a bit of electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.

It's a classic.


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## Bigmac_79 (Oct 29, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

My dimmest light is the Niteye EYE10 - it has an infinitely variable magnetic control ring. I can pick it up in the middle of the night, when I've been asleep for hours and my eyes are completely night adjusted, and start rotating the ring very slowly, and stare right at the emitter, and I can barely see when it first turns on--at first it doesn't seem to really turn on, but just sort of change color. It's so dim I literally can't tell if it's on or not when I stare directly at it from centimeters away.


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## jorn (Nov 5, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*

I dont think we can take the "firefly lumen ratings" for granted. I bought a lot of trunite ti's and they did not have the same brightness in fireflymode. Why? small variations can do alot of difference when we are talking sub-sub lumen lights. Small differenes like Vf, how the led is centered, focused etc etc might make the difference. 
Anyway, if you want the dimmest light, its the low lux youre after, not low lumens. 

A 0,1 lumen thrower will look blinding bright compared with a 1 lumen flood light.


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## Swedpat (Nov 5, 2015)

*Re: What\'s the DIMMEST flashlight?*



Bigmac_79 said:


> My dimmest light is the Niteye EYE10 - it has an infinitely variable magnetic control ring. I can pick it up in the middle of the night, when I've been asleep for hours and my eyes are completely night adjusted, and start rotating the ring very slowly, and stare right at the emitter, and I can barely see when it first turns on--at first it doesn't seem to really turn on, but just sort of change color. It's so dim I literally can't tell if it's on or not when I stare directly at it from centimeters away.



Yeah, that's really dim! It has to be 1/10000lumen or less.


----------

