Flashlight technology sure has improved over the years

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

This thread is making me feel old. I remember going out on patrol with a 2 D cell that might push 14 lumen with a new bulb and a fresh set of batteries. If you had a 27 lumen Maglite you were " THEE man" Now my EDC light does that on low mode for a week with one 14500 cell....

That's my favourite part by a long shot: runtime, runtime, RUNTIME! My lighting needs stay mostly in the <30 lumen range 80% of the time and in the <200 lumen range all of the time*. At these lower ranges, if your battery is of good quality and freshly charged, you can forget about running out of light. That tickles my soul and my brain in just the right spots.

And that is why I will never go back to incandescent tech willingly. The perfect BBL CRI is nice, the low lumens are interesting for my use case, but there's no way the tradeoff in battery life is worth it IMO.

*: I use High/Turbo modes so rarely and for such short timespans that they're statistically irrelevant

 

[orbital]

+

Tints have gotten better too.
Few years ago warmer tints were yellow or dark p!ss yellow.

Now you can get warmer tints (say 3000K) that are more amber and rosier ,
meaning they have more in the red spectrum and are very nice!!

+1 on runtime JLD

 

[lampeDépêche]

I agree for the most part, tactical strobe needs to go. There a few light that use a slow strobe ( like 1 or 2 flashes per second) that are actually useful when directing traffic. I can see potential uses for beacon mode but they are few and far between.

Yeah, I'll pile on with the anti-strobe crowd. I have never used it, and have never missed it. I have never thought it was a positive addition to a light.
I use slow-strobes sometimes for rear lights on a bicycle, but those are specialized bike lights (e.g. Cygo Hotshots) rather than flashlights.
Do manufacturers add strobe because they think that some buyers will think it is "tactical"?
And do any of our friends in law enforcement actually use the strobe function? I would think that it would only make a bad situation worse, and possibly disorient me as much as the perp. I would think you would want a strong, steady light that you can use to scope out exactly where things stand, not a disco-show.

 

[jtr1962]

Yeah, I'll pile on with the anti-strobe crowd. I have never used it, and have never missed it. I have never thought it was a positive addition to a light.
I use slow-strobes sometimes for rear lights on a bicycle, but those are general specialized bike lights (e.g. Cygo Hotshots) rather than flashlights.
Do manufacturers add strobe because they think that some buyers will think it is "tactical"?
And do any of our friends in law enforcement actually use the strobe function? I would think that it would only make a bad situation worse, and possibly disorient me as much as the perp. I would think you would want a strong, steady light that you can use to scope out exactly where things stand, not a disco-show.

Same here. To me strobe is a useless function except for things like rear flashers for bicycles. It seems to be a thing manufacturers add just because it's easy to add via programming.

 

[ghostguy6]

There are already quite a few threads about the use of strobe lights in a tactical situation. The general consensus is they are useless and only make the situation worse. I did once use it on a very drunk patron at the bar but it was only meant to be a distraction so someone else could get behind him. That guy was so drunk he was no real threat though, it was just a way to avoid using any real force.

 

[Kitchen Panda]

This week, I pulled out an older Rayovac LED flashlight to look at something outside. The flashlight was quite dim so I thought it needed new batteries. But even with the new batteries it was still pretty dim. I

I keep a 2 D cell PR2 flashlight around and make myself take it out every once in a while so I can refresh my appreciation of modern lamps.

But cast your mind back a century or so, when a half-pound cardboard tube with a bullseye lens, two expensive D cells that would last for mere minutes, and a tiny bulb was *awesome* because you didn't have to fill it with kerosene first and light a match! Push a button, instant light!

Bill

 

[lampeDépêche]

…and a tiny bulb was *awesome* because you didn't have to fill it with kerosene first and light a match! Push a button, instant light!

Bill

And that’s the great thing about modern technology: you can take an inexpensive plastic Eveready flashlight, fill it with kerosene and light a match, and that plastic will burn for hours.

 

[TPA]

Bright flashlights have always run hot, even back in the old incandescent/halogen/xenon days. They get FAR less hot per lumen than the older technology.

I can't help but think of the Strong Lighting Gladiator follow-spots with 4kW Xenon bulbs. We always budgeted 150,000 lumens for these, but when new with fresh bulbs they're closer to 180,000 lumens. Approximately 400 lbs all-in. Heat? Plenty. I'd throw a carpet over the side to buffer it. I've used arc lamp spots as well which ran hotter but put out far fewer lumens. I still remember that smell.

Compare this to an Imalent MS32. 200,000 lumens. Granted, not sustained.. more like 40,000 sustained. 6 lbs(!). Yes, it gets hot, but given the size comparison, this is truly amazing to me.

As far as incandescents putting out 99CRI, perhaps on paper, yes. In practice, I've been in a few incandescent-only rooms where the CRI visually appeared to be worse than with halogens or modern LEDs. They run a lot warmer/yellower as they age. I like warm tints, but this just felt yellow and sickly.

There are already quite a few threads about the use of strobe lights in a tactical situation. The general consensus is they are useless and only make the situation worse. I did once use it on a very drunk patron at the bar but it was only meant to be a distraction so someone else could get behind him. That guy was so drunk he was no real threat though, it was just a way to avoid using any real force.

You're using the wrong tool for the job. The 5D/6D Maglites were the proper tool for dealing with drunks. And it wasn't for the lumen output. They were drunk, so they're not going to remember that you 'escorted' them out of the bar and used your flashlight to 'encourage' them to leave.

 

[lampeDépêche]

You're using the wrong tool for the job. The 5D/6D Maglites were the proper tool for dealing with drunks. And it wasn't for the lumen output. They were drunk, so they're not going to remember that you 'escorted' them out of the bar and used your flashlight to 'encourage' them to leave.

You know, that was part of my thought. If strobe were so important for law enforcement, then either cops would not have carried Maglites, or Maglite would have figured out a strobe. It seems to me that cops were voting with their wallets, and the vote was “strobe is not important to us.”

 

[nfetterly]

A wonderful light I just received from very generous member.

View attachment 88820

I had one just like that, sold it a few years ago...

 

[nfetterly]

The 5D/6D Maglites were the proper tool for dealing with drunks. And it wasn't for the lumen output. They were drunk, so they're not going to remember that you 'escorted' them out of the bar and used your flashlight to 'encourage' them to leave.

I've got a couple of modded 2D/2C Maglites - but with a (heavy) Stainless bezel on them. Easier to carry & feed than the 5D/6D, but similar concept...

 

[ghostguy6]

You're using the wrong tool for the job. The 5D/6D Maglites were the proper tool for dealing with drunks. And it wasn't for the lumen output. They were drunk, so they're not going to remember that you 'escorted' them out of the bar and used your flashlight to 'encourage' them to leave.

As of 2010, legally while working security here we cant possess any flashlight longer than 18" in Alberta. Last time I checked it was worth a $250 fine and possible permanent revocation of your security license. If you used it as a weapon your license is gone and most likely you will be charged with assault with a weapon. The sad part is they can pull your license as soon you are charged. Even if the charges are dropped or your found not guilty your still out of a job.

 

[Kitchen Panda]

And that’s the great thing about modern technology: you can take an inexpensive plastic Eveready flashlight, fill it with kerosene and light a match, and that plastic will burn for hours.

Now *that* made my morning.

 

[alpg88]

LOL, you can not light up kerosene with a match, you need a whisk and fumes. But urban legends do sound so realistic, like the sugar in a gas tank, it does not work, but almost everyone thinks it does. lol

 

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

LOL, you can not light up kerosene with a match, you need a whisk and fumes. But urban legends do sound so realistic, like the sugar in a gas tank, it does not work, but almost everyone thinks it does. lol

The real ones know you use water instead of sugar

 

[Monocrom]

I don't even use my older incandescent lights. What's the point? And yes, those include some older SureFire models that were far from cheap when purchased new. Things have improved to the point where if you want performance, you just buy it online. It arrives, DONE! No need to piece together parts from other lights. No need to drill out anything. No need to get a special thing-a-ma-jig to slightly bleed off a lamp otherwise the bulb would instantly pop if you turned it on in your customized Mag. Less effort, less enthusiasm. Less desire to share with like-minded folks about your latest acquisition or creation. Resulting in less of a community.

New members likely have no clue regarding the significance of the following numbers: 623.

 

[lampeDépêche]

LOL, you can not light up kerosene with a match, you need a whisk and fumes. But urban legends do sound so realistic, like the sugar in a gas tank, it does not work, but almost everyone thinks it does. lol

I don't know if it will light, but if you are waving a lit match around kerosene, there is definitely a whisk.
In fact, I'd say that you are wunning a weal whisk of winding up as a woasted wabbit!

 

[greatscoot]

I remember when I got my first 6P (still have it Incan bulb and all). 60L of eye searing brightness that lasted about 30 minutes.

 

[lampeDépêche]

I remember when I got my first 6P (still have it Incan bulb and all). 60L of eye searing brightness that lasted about 30 minutes.

Yes! My first 6P must have been around 1990 or 1991, when they were still "Laser Products."
I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Insanely bright! But so expensive to use! Burned through a pair of CR123s in no time, and that was real money.
Now, I can get that many lumens from a single AAA, and it will last for several hours.

 

[alpg88]

There was some time when there was nothing brighter for the size than SF, but times change, now it is the other way around,