Torches

[Stuart]

but like holding a car headlight when you need to find your tent from a field away. LED's just can't do this.

Not entirely true.

A 5 watt batwing LED from lumileds with a lens to refine the beam into a spot will throw a beam over a huge distance.

cavers using a single 5 watt LED have found it too powerful as the scatterback hurts their eyes :shock:

they are also much more efficient, these and future generations of LEDs will replace incandecant bulbs in the next few years.

 

[alick]

OK ... fair cop ):

You're absolutely right that 5w luxeon LEDs are pretty pokey and surefire have launched the first LED light that they consider powerful enough to be classed as a "tactical" light (about 100 lumens).

The caving thing is a matter of application. For short range work, low powers are fine - that's why tikka's are so good around camp. It's when you need reach that you need high output because intensity falls off with the square of the distance. In most caves, most of the time you're only looking a few feet ahead. In a big cavern, a high power light is fine. I've used mine in some of the bigger chambers in Derbyshire and they light up the whole place a treat.

Without a doubt LEDs are the future, but my impression is that today it is only a relatively small and fairly pricey minority of LED lights that give really high levels of output. Right now, I'd still not hesitate to buy another P6 if I lost mine.

Anyone seriously interested in flashlights should go check out www.candlepowerforums.com . They'll help you spend anywhere from pennies to hundreds. Obviously flashlights can be as addictive as knives :biggthump

 

[Lost in civilisation]

The petzl tikka is also available in a military version with a red lens cover to save your nightsight.

Here is a website that is a really good source of independent reviews of flashlights, it is absolutely massive

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm

 

[sandbender]

This site has fairly in depth reviews of almost every brand and model there is...

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html

Clearly a chap with a lot of spare time.

 

[brucemacdonald]

Photon II in white light and Photon III in red. Main light is a Petzl Micro which has an adjustable beam.

I have several mini Maglites but they seem to break as soon as you look at them. I use one for astronomy with a red lens and the batteries run out, the bulbs blow or they break if the kids get hold of them.

Best wishes

Bruce

 

[shinobi]

The petzl tikka is also available in a military version with a red lens cover to save your nightsight.

It's called the "Tactikka." I've got one. Bloomin' good lamp. :biggthump It also saves everyone elses night sight as well when you forget you've got it on !!!

Cheers,

Martin

 

[beachlover]

It's called the "Tactikka." I've got one. Bloomin' good lamp. :biggthump It also saves everyone elses night sight as well when you forget you've got it on !!!

Cheers,

Martin

I second that. I have one and apart from the red (still see in the dark soon after) feature, the batteries seem to last forever and when you use it as a torch in white light mode it is pretty impressive too.

 

[Andy]

which was a God send at ashdown

I have a hate for head torches. I've used mini mags with a head band when I need two hands and the rest of the time I'll control a torch in a way that wont blind others. I'll use my nuwai on the same headband

I have a few torches which get used a fair bit

photon copy- handy for on your keys. (£2)A cool small torch is the streamlight keymate (about £10)

nuwai QIII - everyone should get one. They claim 75lumens but thats not the real output. The output for the size is great guys on candlepower forums seem to think about 6times a mini mag (run time of about 2hours)Cost about £20 if you ship from the US (you should be able to just get one through customs without tax)

streamlight twin task -low power LEDs that run for a long time (claimed 28hours)or a normal bulb for the grunt factor(claimed runtime of 2.5hours). On the high power mode it's about the same as a surefire 6P or G2 (again this costs about £20)

The last two run on the funny CR123 cells that are a bit shorter and wides then a AA cell.
I'm not really a torch guy but I like good tools. These cover all my needs. Any more then this and it's just getting silly. I didn a lot of research into them before getting them though

The photon copy lives on my keys for when I don't really expect to need a torch, the nuwai is living on my belt as it's cool new toy but I think I'll leave it in a coat pocket later and the streamlight comes with me when I know I'll want a torch

 

[SquirrelBoy]

It's called the "Tactikka." I've got one. Bloomin' good lamp. :biggthump It also saves everyone elses night sight as well when you forget you've got it on !!!

One thing I do with head torches is to hang it round my neck when in company. This way you dont accidently blind someone you talk to but still have a light on to see what your doing.
Just a thought :biggthump

 

[steven andrews]

I am bit of a torch fetishist. I prefer a floodlight over a spot 99.9% of the time. Runtime is also important.
Around the basha area its the Petzl Tikka Plus for me. The low setting is bright enough for walking about, collecting firewood and personal admin. As the batteries start to die (which takes a loooong time) I boost to medium and then to high setting. The brightness selector is a great feature.

I also like the Inova X5T, UK4AA eLED, Streamlight 4AA 7LED and Opalec Newbeam conversion for the MiniMag. All great "task" lights.
I keep an Arc AAA about my person as back-up.

My torches with bigger throw rarley get used and don't generally get taken out into the woods.

Andy mentioned the Streamlight Twin Task 2L. I have one on the way. It seems to get good press.

 

[hootchi]

One thing I do with head torches is to hang it round my neck when in company. This way you dont accidently blind someone you talk to but still have a light on to see what your doing.
Just a thought :biggthump

That the whole fun of head torches or when your helping someone with something critical look the other direction 'by accident'. :rolmao:

 

[SquirrelBoy]

:Crazy_071 Sounds like youve had some experience...