[watchmaker]

LIGHTS FOR HIKING



This post will try to show how different lights used for hiking compare with each other, and will clarify the difference between the lumen ratings used in Luxeon (LED) lights and incandescent lights.
In short, I will show (through pictures) how Luxeons lack definition when used at increased distances, but are excellent when walking in well marked trails due to their increased run time in comparison with incandescent lights and their usually more expanded flood (side spill) qualities,

Last month I had conducted one of my annuals deer antlers hunts with a group of boy scouts that my son work with, in those hunts we often do a lot of night travel in the woods, using map and compass like in an orienteering game, and also checking out the new GPS that the kids usually have.

In this last one I used and give out to use a bunch of new lights that I had collected in the winter months, they range from head lights with LED’s to incandescent head lights to the new powerful key chain lights.

I collected a number of opinions in the different lights and the easy or difficulty that was to use them in the woods, and that gave me the idea of making a data-base of beam shots to help people to understand what kind of illumination they can get from them.

For close up chores around the campsite, cooking, washing dishes, pitching the tent etc., I will not be without a lightweight headlight such as my Peltz Tikka or my Princeton Tec Aurora, they have three LED’s Nichias of 5 mm each and they put out a good amount of flood light. I have seen the new improved Tikkas with four LED’s and even the Tikka XP with a 1 watt Luxeon LED., which are of course more powerful than the regular Tikka but will consume more battery juice.

The new key chain lights are really amazing, I have an older ARC AAA that puts out about seven lumens and will do a great job a short distance, but I have adquired the new Fenix LOP (1 AAA) and the Fenix L1P (1AA) and they are amazing in the light output, the L1P is outputting close to 40 lumens of white light.

Of course due to the small diameter reflectors, don’t expect these lights to throw a long way, as the light is quickly converted into flood and dissipated.

As I say the best way to show others is with pictures taken at the same distance and with the same settings.

To make things interesting I placed my bear and deer heads at 26 yards distance from the where the lights was coming from (second story window) and the bear at 18 feet and deer at 12 feet from the camera and tripod.

Here is how they look in daylight:




And here are the contenders, from left to right the Nuwaii Q III, the Fenix L1P the Surefire L-4 Digital Lumamax the Surefire Centurion II in black anodized with the 65 lumens lamp, and the Surefire Centurion II in hard anodized type III with the P-61 lamp, 120 lumens, also a one dollar bill for size reference and a knife on top of the bill so the wind doesn’t blow it away,
And finally the mini spot-light, the Bear Cub 220 lumens rechargeable light.







So here are the beam shots of the lights that we used in that antler collecting trip.

Surefire Centurion-2 65 lumens

This is a light is an incandescent light and will work on two 123’s batteries for one hour, it puts out 65 lumens of light which is more than enough for most walking around in the woods.
The light cost about $100 USD.

SUREFIRE CENTURION II BEAM SHOT (65 LUMENS)



Surefire L-4 (Digital Lumamax) Luxeon V. LED, 100 lumens

This is one of the higher quality offering from Surefire, it is a Luxeon V (a flood Luxeon) and will throw about 100 lumens of light, because the light is in a side spill pattern (flood) it will not have the reach than the C-2 (previous picture) has but the light is quite impressive at shorter ranges providing a lot of flood for a great coverage of near by terrain.

The light is made of aluminum, but with a special military hard anodizing type III that is quite sturdy and resist scratches that will mar other lights finish.
This light is about $160 USD and like the G-2 will work on two of the 123’s batteries for 2 ½ hours.

SUREFIRE L-4 DIGITAL LUMAMAX BEAM SHOT (100 LUMENS)



I have a light that is really out of the key chain size, but not for much, it is a Nuwaii Q III and use one of the 123’s battery and produce around 40 lumens of light, it will run for about one hour on it.
This light cost about $40 in the web and to my thinking it is well worth the price.
Here is the beam shot.

NUWAII Q III BEAM SHOT (40 LUMENS)



And here is the beam shot of the Fenix L1P (1 AA) this light is say to put out 40 lumens, but of course the small reflector make it a flood light that it is quite impressive at short range.

FENIX L1P BEAM SHOT (38 LUMENS)







SUREFIRE CENTURION II BEAM SHOT P-61 LAMP (120 LUMENS)



We had a light that was out of the lightweight class at 13 oz and nine inches long, but was our long range spotter, like a mini-spot light, the beam intensity was amazing and the range reached well over 150 yards.
The Bear Cub uses special Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries to produce 220 lumens for 90 minutes.
The rechargeable batteries of the Bear Cub were a blessing as the others lights using 123’s at almost $2.00 each battery put a dent in the budget of the trip.
Here is the beam shot with the Bear Cub


BEAR CUB RECHARGEABLE, BEAM SHOT, (220 LUMENS)





Perhaps the members can find a light that will suit your needs in this selection, hope this post it will be not too boring, and people find some interest in it.

Cheers,

[silentcal]

Very nice to see the comparison. Night hiking is quite fun actually!

[New Hampshire]

I will take my Black Diamond Zenix IQ into the dark pits of hell with me......it will blind satan himself!

Brian

[joejm66]

moon for me. just walking. not really looking for the day in the night-time. headlamp in a pinch. moon for me.

[dudley]

Watchmaker,
Thanks for the imformative post.
In my case, those lights would be a bit out of my price range.
(okay, I'm one cheap SOB)
I wonder how your basic Mini-Mag, with the LED upgrade would stand up to these more expensive models
(Some where near bottom I would guess)
I think a little experiminting on my own is in order

[New Hampshire]

Dudley,

While a mini-mag with LED would be nowheres near as bright, your battery life would be substantially longer. The problem with most (if not all) the lights in the origional post is that they use such powerful bulbs the battery life on them is only from an hour to two...tops. My Zenix IQ had a large LED and two small ones, all with three power levels. The 2 small LEDs on the high setting would give one about 6 hours of burn time. But kick it up to the Large bulb and you will run out of battery power at about 4 hours. To be honest, I also carry a back-up (and carry a second of the same make in my hunting pack), so what marvel of high tech lighting equipment am I talking about????..........[url]http://store.botacht...m/en6ledhe.html[url]

Yup, you are seeing correctly, its a $20 Energizer LED headlamp. A couple people on VFTT use them as their primary lamps and liked them so much I decided to give one a try. Being a back-up I don't get to use it a lot, though from my experiences with it in the woods hunting I can say its pretty decent for the money.

Brian

[watchmaker]

THE FENIX L1D
AA KEY CHAIN LIGHT
WITH CREE EMITTER

I finally remembered to order one of them, as I am not in any sense keychain-light poor, having several of them from the ARC AAA passing through the CMG (Course Made Good) to the Streamlight key mate and Fenix’s L1P and LOP AAA.

Not long ago, I reviewed the Jet beam II Mark VIII, which is a very similar light to the Fenix L1D. Any of the two can be considered revolutionary, and it is hard not to get excited about them.

I opted to have the Fenix L1D that works with 1 AA battery, as I like the size and shape which is the same as the Fenix L1P that I have been using for the last 18 months.
The L1P is a 40 lumen light that runs on one AA battery. I never did a timed run test because I always carry a couple of extra batteries in my pocket anyway to get extra run time from my lights, but wherever it is, it can never equal the multi-functional powers of the Fenix L1D.

The extreme power is achieved by a Cree 7090 XR-E LED emitter with a life of 50,000 hours- the little torch has two models of output selected by turning the bezel.
The first mode (as you click the light on) is 9 lumens and will last for 25 hours in the AA battery. The second mode (as you soft-press the switch) is 40 lumens and will last for 5 hours, and another soft press on the switch will access the 80 lumen power and your battery will last for 2 hours.
There is also an SOS mode (with another soft press) using the 80 lumens power.

Here are some of the lights, at top is a McGizmo modification (a collector’s item light worth $250 USD) it outputs 135 lumens and the big 32 mm reflector throws the light well at the 26 yards distance.
Next is the Fenix L1D which shows it is a tad longer than the Fenix L1P , below.
Next is the ARC AAA and the Fenix LOP, great keychain lights, all.




The second mode of the light system is accessed by turning the bezel ½ a turn. It is a steady 90 lumens that will last for 1 ½ hours and with a soft press of the switch the 90 lumens becomes a very quick strobe, that can disorient people or help in disco dancing.

Most chores inside the house can be handled with the 9 lumen mode. For walking the dog or hiking a trail at night I will use the 40 lumen mode; in fact, I can see that attaching it to my cap with Velcro will beat all the head lights in the market, as it is so light and so convenient without the restricting head band around my head- and anyway, I always wear a cap to shade my eyes or protect my glasses from rain, branches, etc.

The SOS or the strobe mode will always be there if I need to attract attention in an emergency. It is even useable in the suburbs, like recently, when a member of my family fell and broke her arm in the rear entrance of a church, she landed between two pine trees and the pain was so strong that she was unable to move, or even scream for help, and a key chain light used as a signal called the attention of people nearby and she was able to summon help that way.

Here are beam shots with the L1P on left and the L1D on right both at 40 lumens, the L1P is more yellow in the corona, but at the center are of the same intensity


The 80 lumen mode or the 90 lumen mode puts a tremendous amount of light NEARBY. Yes, I emphasize the word because due to the small reflector (that will diffuse the light into a flood), the reach of this little light even at that power is very restricted. Oh yes, it will serve to illuminate a big room well, but when tested at the 26 yards distance where I have my deer and bear it was just as the poor results that I got before with the Jet beam, so you can check that post if you are curious about the amount of light reaching there.

For that long distance you just need a bigger reflector of a bigger flashlight. My PR Turbo head by McGizmo running two Lithium Ion 123’s is much more efficient in putting illumination in the 26 yard spot just because the Pelican reflector of 32 mm is so much more efficient in canalizing the light.

So, a long distance light it is not, but all the other common chores can be handled very easily with the new Fenix L1D light. The battery will last a long time on the nine lumen mode (25 hours) and will probably be my choice for hanging from the ceiling of the tent all night long, in replacement of the CMG LED that I was using until now.

I paid $52 USD for the light and I consider the cost a bargain. With one in my pocket I just need two or three more powerful lights to cover all lightning situations that I can possible think of; for example, I will use a 200 lumen light in my belt for animal control (in the wild and in the street- and I mean two and four-legged animals) this could be a Surefire Centurion III with the optional P-91 lamp, or even better the rechargeable Bear Cub 220 lumen 90 minutes run time.
For my truck or cars, I am never too far away from a Borealis flashlight, 1050 lumens and 50 minute run time, the most powerful flashlight in the world with the power of a two million candlepower spotlight.
With that I am in control of riots, accident sites, search and rescue, and WWIII.

Coming back to the Fenix L1D, yes I am very happy with this light. Hopefully it will give me even better service than the Fenix L1P and the LOP that I have been using until now -lights that are very good and I have nothing but praise for them.
Respectfully
Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

SOME HEAD LAMPS

For walking in well-marked trails at night, I used to use (like everyone else) a head lamp.
The Peltz Tikka with the three LED’s was good for well-marked trails, as was the Princeton Tec Aurora.
The Tikka with the red filter I use for taking notes while wildlife observing, as the animals will not detect a red spectrum of light. Also, when camping out and walking to the latrine, in consideration to my fellow campers that dislike been shined in the face.
I am using the Tikka now for reading in bed, so as not to disturb my wife’s sleep.



For going cross-country in the woods and when doing compass and map games, we needed something with more throw for the alignment of the next mark. In that case, I used the Princeton Tec Predator pro, with almost 8 hours of duration on the batteries and 28 lumens with good throw.
I like to use rechargeable NIMH batteries, because after the initial cost of batteries and charger, they are almost free to use, as the electricity used to recharge them is negligible.
And a fringe benefit is that I will not pollute another landfill with the alkaline batteries.
But I don’t think I will ever buy another head light. I like the idea of sticking one of the Fenix lights with Velcro tape on top of my cap more; it liberates me from the feeling of the constricting head band, and the new Fenix L1D has multiple power and functions.

The 9 lumen (25 hours) first setting is plenty for most trail walking. A soft touch in the switch pad will access the second setting of 40 lumens (5 hours), and with another soft press on the switch, the 80 lumens will come out (2 hours). One more time will SOS the light in 80 lumens.
A twist on the head will access the 90 lumen mode (1 ½ hours) and a press in the switch and the strobe will be on, which is great for disco dancing.

This little light will do most of the chores that were reserved for bigger, heavier lights, and I predict we will be seeing many of them in the trails.
Kind regards,
Watchmaker

[Chris42]

dudes you guys are way big gear heads who needs to have 5 millions forms of a flashlight.

[watchmaker]

ENERGIZER SIX LED’S
HEADLAMP

I decided to review this LED head light to see if it was suitable for hiking, like other similar lights it works out of three AAA batteries that are included in the package.

The thing that attracted me is the four modes of operation, the first click will put on the main beam that according to the writing in the package will last for 50 hours (but we all know better about those wild claims).

The second click will activate the flood only, another click and you will have both flood and main beam and a last click will activate the red light.


The main beam was bothering me with a reflection that shined on my eyes; of course using a cap with a good bill will eliminate this problem.
The main beam is okay in intensity, but it have an aureole of black around it that is quite distracting and then another narrow aureole of light on the outside of the black circle.



The flood setting was better, no distracting or blinding reflections and quite acceptable in intensity, for doing chores such as washing dishes, cooking and pitching a tent.

Flood and main beam was okay in the sense that the area of coverage for hiking will be more ample than with the main beam alone, I will choose this setting for all the hiking.
The red light is completely unusable, very poor and barely illuminating the ground a few feet in front.

The head band is a little harder in the material that others head bands I had used, a little too uncomfortable; perhaps washing it with Downy will soften it or make it suppler.

The price is $16,97 and the light is usually available at stores such as Wal Mart or Walgreens or Home Depot, it is made in China for www.energizer.com and I consider it an okay light for those that do occasional hiking at night and don’t want to invest in a specialized high ticked light.

My beam shot of the light was taken at 21 feet from the deer target, I will not try a head light LED at the 26 yards that I usually test my hand held lights, Head light LED’s just don’t have the reach.


Cheers,
Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

ENERGIZER PIVOTING LED HEADLIGHT
TWO WHITE LED’S AND ONE RED

Yesterday I was at Home Depot buying some electronic switches when I spotted an Energizer Pivoting LED headlight. What attracted my attention was that it uses two white LED’s and one red. As I use a red light sometimes when I am at camp and I don’t want to shine a bright headlight in people’s faces, it struck me as a good idea.

As the price for the head lamp was only $12.99, the light followed me home when I left the store.



The light runs with three AAA batteries that are included. A bright red sticker claimed it to run 50 hours, but we all know that the lights can still show some light, but if it is useable or not is debatable. Some say as long you can see a keyhole- for my use I have to see a trail. Some LED lights will work for only for 8 to ten hours at the most. I am not going to do a run test on this light, it is not worth it.

Loading the batteries into the battery compartment allowed me to see the cheap construction and the flimsy contact points, nothing similar to a well-made Tikka or an Aurora. The switch is a sliding one with three positions, center for off, to the left for the red LED and to the right for the two white LED’s. The switch also feels cheap, with a lot of play and a not-too-positive contact.

The beam was narrow and with a huge circle of black shadows all around the perimeter. The light is enough to hike only a well-marked trail. The red light was also narrow, irregular in shape and with weird spots of lights going out to the sides, and the light intensity was poor.
Obviously a light with that poor flood coverage is not suitable for washing dishes or setting a tent at night.

For a serious hiker this is not a good light; it’s better to spend the money in a quality light sold by REI or some other good outdoor outlet.
But if you want more information on lights that Energizer make, the web site address is www.energizer.com
For children getting their first headlight to play inside the tent or going to the “loo” at night it is okay. This is where this light is going; my young nephew is interested in camping and will appreciate the gesture.

Cheers.

Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

THE MOST POWERFUL FLASHLIGHTS
LIGHTS FOR TRUCK OR CAR


Hi guys,
Yes, I know that this has nothing to do with hiking, but most of us use car or truck transportation to get to the trail head and usually carry some form of a flashlight in the vehicle.
A powerful light can be a life saver in many instances, I well remember when driving up to the Adirondacks at 2 am in an empty 87 North at a point between exit 28 and 29 (North Hudson) some wild people in a truck tried to run us over into the shoulder of the road, my wife shinned a powerful light into their windshield and they desisted in the intent and actually braked hard and disappeared.
Maybe they though that only police cars would have such a powerful light and that it was better to look for their kicks somewhere else; the case was that the light resolved the situation for us.

Then it was the time when we used it to illuminate the scene of and accident involving a deer and a poor woman in a compact car in a dark lonely side road, where blood and the insides of the deer were everywhere and the car was inoperable.

Calling by phone from New York City to a local in the Adirondacks to get our weather information I was told of a new ruse some bad guys were using to rob and hi jack cars in roads with poor traffic in the area.
The information came handy a few weeks later when in Boreas road near the junction with Tahawus road we were flagged by a guy in a truck with the head lights illuminating a dead dog in the middle of the road. at the time I was using a car I had bought from my neighbor the cop, it had a PA system and blue lights mounted in the vicinity of the radiator; we stopped short, illuminated the area with the two million candlepower of a Borealis flashlight and hit the blue lights and PA system telling them over the mike to stay were they where and to show their hands. The guy in the truck jumped inside and did a burning tire escape even running over the body of the dog, while his confederate in the bushes at the side of the road had just barely time to dive head first into the bed of the truck.

So I though that I will show the guys in the forums what a powerful light is since I have several of them with me.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE LIGHTS, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Maglite 3 D, Magcharger, Ultra Stinger, Surefire M-6 Guardian, and Borealis.



AND HERE A PICTURE OF THE BATTERY STICKS AND CARRIERS FROM LEFT: The 6 volts battery stick of the Magcharger, the skinny 6 volts battery stick of the Ultra Stinger, the plastic carrier for the six 123’s batteries of the Surefire M-6 and last the aluminum and Delryn 12 volts carrier of the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.





The Maglite 3 D is the most popular light carried by almost everybody in a truck or car. The 12 ½ inches of length and the thirty one ounces of weight make also a good impact weapon for emergencies, moreover, is the affordability of the light that can be obtained almost anywhere for less than $20, and, by the way, it is a quality instrument with tight tolerances and proudly still made in the USA.
So the Maglite 3 D is going to be our first test and beam shot, the light is quite waterproof to a good extend, my neighbor’s kids use one to collect coins from the bottom of the pool in a game they have.
The Maglite 3 D output 39 lumens and runs on three of the popular D size alkaline batteries; it will run for an hour before the output drops to 20 lumens due to the sag that alkaline batteries exhibit under load.

BEAM SHOT OF THE MAGLITE 3 D (39 LUMENS)



MAG Instruments also produce a powerful rechargeable police light called the Magcharger, www.maglite.com this light is used by many police departments in the states and abroad; this light is the size and shape of a regular Maglite 3 D but with 2 rings of steel where the contacts for the charger are.
This light will output 200 lumens (40,000 candlepower) and I think that the price is about $120.00 a well built quality light of 12 ½ inch and a weight of thirty one ounces, it works with a 6 volt system on a stick of Ni Cads batteries; the charger will charge the light in 12 hours and as the Ni Cad batteries sometimes acquire memory, it is necessary to discharge it full and recharge to erase the memory in the batteries after using it for a couple of weeks.

BEAM SHOT OF THE MAGCHARGER (200 LUMENS)



The Streamlight Ultra Stinger is the most powerful offering from Streamlight, a well known police flashlight provider, The Ultra Stinger will output 75,000 candlepower, lumens figure is 295 lumens, it also works with a 6 volt system of rechargeable Ni Cad batteries, formed in a stick, the light is very popular with many police agencies and also recharges in 12 hours.
Police station across America have racks of Ultra Stingers in chargers waiting for the night shift to arrive, the light is a lightweight at 12 inches and 15 ounces, I think that the price is around $130 in the street as some lights can be bought at discount from the web.
The address for Streamlight is www.streamlight.com there they have the whole line of Stingers and other police and emergency services lights.

BEAM SHOT OF THE ULTRA STINGER (295 LUMENS)




Our SWAT teams and Special Forces use for entry and to blind suspects a powerful military type flashlight called the Surefire M-6 Guardian. This light works with those powerful 3 volts Lithium batteries that are sometimes used in cameras, the flashlight uses six of them disposables batteries to run the light at 500 lumens for 20 minutes; after the 20 minutes you have to dump the batteries and get another six fresh batteries in the carrier, which is of not importance when the agency pay for the batteries, but to us civilians, dumping $12.00 worth of batteries after a 20 minutes run can get to be expensive.
This light was until recently the most powerful in the world, and Surefire sells a good quantity of them despite the tag of $400 USD.
I used one for a while in my car because it fits my glove compartment, as the light is shorter and lighter than the ones we have been discussing so far.
At 8 inches 14 ounces it is quite compact, but it will make a poor strike weapon although the powerful beam of 500 lumens will blind men or animal.
If you want more information on this light the address of Surefire is www.surefire.com


BEAM SHOT OF THE SUREFIRE M-6 (500 LUMENS)



My red rechargeable Borealis flashlight at 1050 lumens (two million candlepower) is the king of all the powerful lights and the most powerful flashlight in the world at this time.
It is made on the “host” of 3D, so replacement shells are easy available and inexpensive and the owner can replace a shell that have been scratched or dented for a mere $20 if he wishes, and in only 10 minutes transfer the special parts, (some of us take pride in good looking equipment).
This light is seen deployment with some members of the border patrol to illuminate the frontier in their quest for illegal immigration. The light can throw a powerful beam for hundred of yards and in a pinch it can be used as headlights or a landing light.
Police officers are acquiring the Borealis to use the same way that they have been using the Maglite and Magcharger, the tremendous light output makes it ideal for accident sites and traffic stops.
It uses a 12 volt system of rechargeable high current NINH batteries in a beautifully made Rolls Royce carrier, the batteries don’t have any problem with memory and the new type of batteries used in this light can be away from the charger for more than a month before it needs to be topped off, and the recharging time of the light is only 90 minutes.
The run time of this light is 50 continuous minutes; it is 12 ½ inches long and weights 28 ounces. In test ran by the maker, the light was tortured and even shot with a .22 rifle without stopping emitting light. (As a video shows in the web site).
The light sells for $320 shipped directly from the maker, which is www.BlackBearFlashlights.com


BEAM SHOT OF THE BOREALIS (1050 LUMENS)




I thought you guys will be interested to see all these lights in action, and I pointed them to a point in the fence next to the tree with the beams and camera shooting from a 35 yards distance, this is the longest distance that I have in the back yard

Although you can not take them in your night hikes (because of the extra weight) any of them will make a good addition to your car or truck gear, who knows, maybe they can really help you out of a tight situation like they did for me.

Respectfully

Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

THE MOST POWERFUL FLASHLIGHTS
LIGHTS FOR TRUCK OR CAR


Hi guys,
Yes, I know that this has nothing to do with hiking, but most of us use car or truck transportation to get to the trail head and usually carry some form of a flashlight in the vehicle.
A powerful light can be a life saver in many instances, I well remember when driving up to the Adirondacks at 2 am in an empty 87 North at a point between exit 28 and 29 (North Hudson) some wild people in a truck tried to run us over into the shoulder of the road, my wife shinned a powerful light into their windshield and they desisted in the intent and actually braked hard and disappeared.
Maybe they though that only police cars would have such a powerful light and that it was better to look for their kicks somewhere else; the case was that the light resolved the situation for us.

Then it was the time when we used it to illuminate the scene of and accident involving a deer and a poor woman in a compact car in a dark lonely side road, where blood and the insides of the deer were everywhere and the car was inoperable.

Calling by phone from New York City to a local in the Adirondacks to get our weather information I was told of a new ruse some bad guys were using to rob and hi jack cars in roads with poor traffic in the area.
The information came handy a few weeks later when in Boreas road near the junction with Tahawus road we were flagged by a guy in a truck with the head lights illuminating a dead dog in the middle of the road. at the time I was using a car I had bought from my neighbor the cop, it had a PA system and blue lights mounted in the vicinity of the radiator; we stopped short, illuminated the area with the two million candlepower of a Borealis flashlight and hit the blue lights and PA system telling them over the mike to stay were they where and to show their hands. The guy in the truck jumped inside and did a burning tire escape even running over the body of the dog, while his confederate in the bushes at the side of the road had just barely time to dive head first into the bed of the truck.

So I though that I will show the guys in the forums what a powerful light is since I have several of them with me.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE LIGHTS, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Maglite 3 D, Magcharger, Ultra Stinger, Surefire M-6 Guardian, and Borealis.



AND HERE A PICTURE OF THE BATTERY STICKS AND CARRIERS FROM LEFT: The 6 volts battery stick of the Magcharger, the skinny 6 volts battery stick of the Ultra Stinger, the plastic carrier for the six 123’s batteries of the Surefire M-6 and last the aluminum and Delryn 12 volts carrier of the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.





The Maglite 3 D is the most popular light carried by almost everybody in a truck or car. The 12 ½ inches of length and the thirty one ounces of weight make also a good impact weapon for emergencies, moreover, is the affordability of the light that can be obtained almost anywhere for less than $20, and, by the way, it is a quality instrument with tight tolerances and proudly still made in the USA.
So the Maglite 3 D is going to be our first test and beam shot, the light is quite waterproof to a good extend, my neighbor’s kids use one to collect coins from the bottom of the pool in a game they have.
The Maglite 3 D output 39 lumens and runs on three of the popular D size alkaline batteries; it will run for an hour before the output drops to 20 lumens due to the sag that alkaline batteries exhibit under load.

BEAM SHOT OF THE MAGLITE 3 D (39 LUMENS)



MAG Instruments also produce a powerful rechargeable police light called the Magcharger, www.maglite.com this light is used by many police departments in the states and abroad; this light is the size and shape of a regular Maglite 3 D but with 2 rings of steel where the contacts for the charger are.
This light will output 200 lumens (40,000 candlepower) and I think that the price is about $120.00 a well built quality light of 12 ½ inch and a weight of thirty one ounces, it works with a 6 volt system on a stick of Ni Cads batteries; the charger will charge the light in 12 hours and as the Ni Cad batteries sometimes acquire memory, it is necessary to discharge it full and recharge to erase the memory in the batteries after using it for a couple of weeks.

BEAM SHOT OF THE MAGCHARGER (200 LUMENS)



The Streamlight Ultra Stinger is the most powerful offering from Streamlight, a well known police flashlight provider, The Ultra Stinger will output 75,000 candlepower, lumens figure is 295 lumens, it also works with a 6 volt system of rechargeable Ni Cad batteries, formed in a stick, the light is very popular with many police agencies and also recharges in 12 hours.
Police station across America have racks of Ultra Stingers in chargers waiting for the night shift to arrive, the light is a lightweight at 12 inches and 15 ounces, I think that the price is around $130 in the street as some lights can be bought at discount from the web.
The address for Streamlight is www.streamlight.com there they have the whole line of Stingers and other police and emergency services lights.

BEAM SHOT OF THE ULTRA STINGER (295 LUMENS)




Our SWAT teams and Special Forces use for entry and to blind suspects a powerful military type flashlight called the Surefire M-6 Guardian. This light works with those powerful 3 volts Lithium batteries that are sometimes used in cameras, the flashlight uses six of them disposables batteries to run the light at 500 lumens for 20 minutes; after the 20 minutes you have to dump the batteries and get another six fresh batteries in the carrier, which is of not importance when the agency pay for the batteries, but to us civilians, dumping $12.00 worth of batteries after a 20 minutes run can get to be expensive.
This light was until recently the most powerful in the world, and Surefire sells a good quantity of them despite the tag of $400 USD.
I used one for a while in my car because it fits my glove compartment, as the light is shorter and lighter than the ones we have been discussing so far.
At 8 inches 14 ounces it is quite compact, but it will make a poor strike weapon although the powerful beam of 500 lumens will blind men or animal.
If you want more information on this light the address of Surefire is www.surefire.com


BEAM SHOT OF THE SUREFIRE M-6 (500 LUMENS)



My red rechargeable Borealis flashlight at 1050 lumens (two million candlepower) is the king of all the powerful lights and the most powerful flashlight in the world at this time.
It is made on the “host” of 3D, so replacement shells are easy available and inexpensive and the owner can replace a shell that have been scratched or dented for a mere $20 if he wishes, and in only 10 minutes transfer the special parts, (some of us take pride in good looking equipment).
This light is seen deployment with some members of the border patrol to illuminate the frontier in their quest for illegal immigration. The light can throw a powerful beam for hundred of yards and in a pinch it can be used as headlights or a landing light.
Police officers are acquiring the Borealis to use the same way that they have been using the Maglite and Magcharger, the tremendous light output makes it ideal for accident sites and traffic stops.
It uses a 12 volt system of rechargeable high current NINH batteries in a beautifully made Rolls Royce carrier, the batteries don’t have any problem with memory and the new type of batteries used in this light can be away from the charger for more than a month before it needs to be topped off, and the recharging time of the light is only 90 minutes.
The run time of this light is 50 continuous minutes; it is 12 ½ inches long and weights 28 ounces. In test ran by the maker, the light was tortured and even shot with a .22 rifle without stopping emitting light. (As a video shows in the web site).
The light sells for $320 shipped directly from the maker, which is www.BlackBearFlashlights.com


BEAM SHOT OF THE BOREALIS (1050 LUMENS)




I thought you guys will be interested to see all these lights in action, and I pointed them to a point in the fence next to the tree with the beams and camera shooting from a 35 yards distance, this is the longest distance that I have in the back yard

Although you can not take them in your night hikes (because of the extra weight) any of them will make a good addition to your car or truck gear, who knows, maybe they can really help you out of a tight situation like they did for me.

Respectfully

Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

POWERFUL FLASHLIGHTS
BEAR CUB 220 LUMENS AND SUREFIRE M-4, 225 LUMENS

Hi guys,
I have been testing recently two lights that are very similar in output, although the beam pattern is more open in one of them, and the supply of power is very different from the other.

I am a flashaholic, a disease that is kept in check only by buying and using lights, as I own more than two hundred of them; I am well aware what is good and for what purpose.
Even that these lights are a little big for regular pocket carry, they are excellent lights to carry in a pack if a very powerful light is needed.
The M-4 with the 225 lumens lamp is what I have used for years with satisfaction, except for the $8 per hour that cost to run this light with the four 123’s batteries.

THE SUREFIRE M-4 AND THE RECHARGEABLE BEAR CUB




The M-4 is 9 inches long and quite light in weight, it has a stippled reflector that diffuses the light into a flood, which in my opinion is more flood than it is needed; I would like to see this light marketed with a smooth reflector for more useable throw.
The light is made out of aluminum and anodized with the military type III of hard anodized that leaves the light a green-grey non reflective color.
The Surefire M-4 cost $330 in the Surefire web site and anywhere else.
For more about the Surefire M-4 contact Surefire at www.surefire.com

BEAMSHOTS FROM 26 YARDS, CAMERA AT 12 FEET FROM DEER

BEAMSHOT OF THE SUREFIRE M-4




The rechargeable Bear Cub is made by Black Bear Flashlights; it uses two state of the art Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries for 90 minutes run time outputting 220 lumens. This light is made
using the “host” of a maglite 2 C, which means than after years of hard use when the light is scratched or dented, you can renew it just by buying a new “host” for about $14.00.
The light is also 9 inches long, it has a smooth reflector that concentrates the beam and shoots it a long way.
The light is sold with a Li Ion charger that will charge the batteries in 3 ½ hours, so it is no problem to have it ready for the next morning, fully charged. These batteries last for 1,000 recharges so you have 1500 hours of use before needing another set of batteries.
Before the M-4 can run for 1500 hours it will have spend $12,000 in batteries!
Extra lightweight Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries cost $30 per pair, so carrying an extra pair in a pocket will give you another 90 minutes of white intense light.
When these lights are not used in the trails they make a formidable tactical light for home defense, with the capability of momentarily blinding an opponent.
The Bear Cub is available from the maker for $130 shipped, for more about this light contact www.BlackBearFlashlights.com

BEAMSHOT OF THE BEAR CUB





All the best
Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

THE PHOENIX LANTERN
WITH MOTION SENSOR

Hi guys,
I gave this little lantern to my son a few years ago, when he was out camping with the Boy Scouts.
This summer we had opportunity to use it again (after rediscovering it wrapped in a sleeping bag) when we went camping in the Adirondacks Mountains of N.Y.

The motion sensor part of the light come in handy to watch a family of raccoons feeding in some table scraps that we had placed at certain distance. The light been where the food was, every time that they come up to the food, the sensor will detect the motion and light up the scene. That way we in complete darkness were able to watch the raccoons and had a good time.

The light function for five hours on two AA batteries, and for 200 hours in the sensor mode, the rocker switch have on, off, and sensor.
It weights 3 oz without the batteries and the size is 4” by 2.2”. It comes with the cord to hang the lantern from the ceiling of the tent, that way when you move at night it will illuminate the tent without you having to search in the dark for a light.

CMG (Course made good) Phoenix motion sensing lantern.



Cheers
Watchmaker