Lights For Hiking

[David Metsky]

Originally Posted by watchmaker

those that do that will not have hike much at all at night.

I've never found the need for more light then a headlamp can throw out. If above treeline with a good moon, I will hike without any light. I've never had a problem with animals at night; they can hear me before I can see them.

[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]

SPORTMAN XTREME HEADLAMP LED
BY RAYOVAC

I also got this headlight at Wal-Mart. The light is really small and lightweight, it works with one AA battery that drives a one-watt Luxeon with considerable brightness.
It also has two red lights and a blue light (probably Nichias 5 mm) that are set up at a side of the main reflector, and the main reflector has a filter to diffuse the light and make quite a big flood. This feature permits this headlamp to be a thrower of considerable brightness and a flood light to do close-up chores while camping or even reading a book in bed.



Very versatile, the red light is a good feature for those that are considerate and will not shine a light in the face of others campers, and will preserve your night vision. Unlike others that I have seen before, this red light is good enough for walking.

The Nichia LED with the blue tint is billed as a tracking light. Good luck if you try to use the blue light for that purpose only: the main beam without the diffusing filter (that just moves to one side) is much better for tracking, as the white light will show the blood as a natural red color, while the blue light shows it in black.



This light will appeal to the most ultra lightweight backpacker; it is really small and light in weight. The run time is given at two hours, while the lumen output is given at 45.

I am very impressed with the ample flood given by the diffusing filter at close range. It so happened that I was showing my car’s battery terminals to my brother-in-law that is a mechanic, and the little light was giving out plenty of illumination. I have found my new light for changing tires and looking under the hood, as well as hiking some trails.



I decided to make a new distance standard for head lights and I fixed it at 16 yards. Some make it that far and some don’t; I believe that if a head lamp can’t make 16 yards it is not worth having. This light makes a good throw to the 16 yards where my deer target was, as you can see in the picture of the beam shot.




I consider the price I paid for this light a bargain ($18.83) and it is available at Wal-Mart and I imagine in many other places. It uses easily available AA batteries and is almost unnoticeable in weight and bulk. I highly recommend it as an alternative to more expensive lights, and although the two hour runtime will not seem to be enough for serious hikers that spend several days in treks, I think it is okay for a day hike.

Best wishes,
Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

RAYOVAC SPORTMAN XTREME
2AA 3 WATTS LUXEON FLASHLIGHT

I found this one at Wal-Mart and a fortunate find it was, the light is about the size of a Surefire L-4 or Surefire E2L, it even has a switch similar in operation to the Z-52 switch of the Surefire, press once for momentary, and twist the tail cap for permanent.

The package claims 80 lumens and it probably is, but of course, due to the small reflector and being a diode, the light is diffused and doesn’t have good throw, but good enough to make it comparable with other Luxeon III’s that I have seen at much higher prices.



Yes, the price was $25.00 and therefore makes this light a bargain, and another great feature is while others lights consume the expensive 123’s, this one works with two AA batteries.

The body holds a nice clip that makes it unnecessary to carry the light in a holster. It even has a lanyard if you want to keep it with you when you open your hand to do any other task.

The run time is given at two hours, which is good and even better than others lights of this power can give even using 123 batteries.
If you need more runtime than this, you can buy the exact light in the 1 watt version with an output of 45 lumens and a runtime of five hours.
For a long time I have been using rechargeable Nimh AA batteries. I use them for all my power-hungry gadgets, GPS’s, two-way radios, cameras, etc. The Nimhs provide me no-guilt runtime and, at the same time, helps the environment.

Beam shot at 26 yards, camera at 18 feet from the target. I moved the deer up front a little, so the background and the leaves from my cherry tree will not interfere with the picture. I should cut the overgrown bushes that are taking over the fence, but the weather hasn’t cooperated lately for doing yard work.



Cheers,
Watchmaker

[ctenidae]

How big is the storage shed for all your flashlights? Great info, but wow. That's a lot of lights.

[Bumpsis]

During a recent trip to a hardware store I noticed LED replacement light element (bulb?) that fit any of the 2,3 C, D size Maglights. It looked like a single LED. The package description was implying that the LED upgraded Maglight will be much more powerful.

This light element was almost as expensive as a new flashlight (about $ 19).

Any experiences? opinions? Is it worth it?

[watchmaker]

Originally Posted by Bumpsis

During a recent trip to a hardware store I noticed LED replacement light element (bulb?) that fit any of the 2,3 C, D size Maglights. It looked like a single LED. The package description was implying that the LED upgraded Maglight will be much more powerful.

This light element was almost as expensive as a new flashlight (about $ 19).

Any experiences? opinions? Is it worth it?

Yes, to my eyes the power is just a little bit more, hardly noticeable, but the run time is much more.
Here is a post I made not long ago about the new Maglite LED 2 D


MAGLITE 2 D LED
I was intrigued by this light for a while; I knew that the only difference from a regular Krypton 2 D model was in the self contained “bulb” of Luxeon LED.

Still I wanted to try it against a regular Krypton bulb model to see if the increase in price was going to provide an increase in performance.
Recently the Krypton White Star bulb specifications was upped to 36.5 lumens and 16,200 candlepower, I have in my arsenal a brand new Maglite 2 d with Krypton bulb and I just bought a new 2D LED model for the test, you can see them in the picture side by side, they are the two black lights.
The red is also a Maglite “shell” or “host” as I like to call them, but the interior have been changed into a Black Bear 720 lumens powerhouse.
If you are not familiar with the modifications of Black Bear Flashlights, they are full of special components and some skilled labor to convert the regular 2 D’s, 3D’s and other formats, into incredible bright lights outputting 220, 426. 720, 856 and 1050 lumens.




In playing the new LED against the Krypton model, my observation is that the LED light produces a more smoother beam than the Krypton model, the intensity of the beam is, in my opinion not changed, but is of course, whiter.

You can see the results here in my pictures taken at 35 yards distance. I have not seen any place in the package or in the instructions where it mentions the amount of lumens emitted by the three watts Luxeon diode of the new light, but the pictures will help to visualize it.

THE 2D KRIPTON BULB



THE 2 D WITH 3 WATTS LED



AND THE BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS




The package mention the increased battery life and the more rugged emitter (LED’s doesn’t have a filament to burn and can last for 100,000 hours) so the light is an improvement over the Krypton model.
The light has a good throw thanks to the two inch diameter reflector that really help to deliver a beam at long distance, it is the best thrower of all the 3 watts LED in the market, it is an ideal light to keep in car or truck for emergencies and even if necessary, to use as a whacking tool (who knows, you may need it to check for proper inflation in the tires).

The light was on sale at Wal-Mart and I paid $25.00 for it, I think that for that price you get a LOT of quality in a very rugged light that will take abuse and even work underwater.
I recommend the new Maglite 2 D 3 watts LED highly, at 23 oz and ten inches long it is not too heavy but it makes a good impact tool, I know, I have used one to drive tent stakes when camping in the wild.

As for the Black Bear 720 lumens of Black Bear Flashlights, this is a light in another dimension, the internals parts are made with infinite precision and the highest material quality, the Rolls Royce battery carrier (it carriers six rechargeable Nimh batteries) is a work of art, the reflector is a heavy walled solid aluminum and the bulb holder is a quality aluminum and ceramic component, the lens is Pyrex and the torch is heavily modified for the lowest internal resistance.
This Rolls Royce of a flashlight largely hand made, is driving a super-bulb producing 720 lumens of light, only superated by the BOREALIS 1050 lumens, another Black Bear product that is made on the host of the 3 D, 12 ½ inches long and 28 oz.
www.BlackBearFlashlights.com

Back to the Maglite 2 D, LED this light is a quality product made proudly in the USA, the threads are cut with precision and without play and the interior is anodized as well as the outside, the tolerances are minimal and to think that all this quality can be had for less than $30 USD is a miracle of new manufacturing techniques. If some of you are old enough, you may remember that when the new Maglite came into the market in the 1980’s the retail price were $60 USD and the government agencies were flocking to buy them at that price, for the increased quality and innovation that it represented over the other lights in the market then.
www.Maglite.com

For years I had kept a 2D in the glove compartment of my cars and in the trunk the more powerful 6 D’s; I had two of them, one fitted with an orange traffic cone for road emergencies.
The addition of LED technology make the Maglites better than ever, there is many more lights using 3 watts LED’s on the market, but none with the reach of the Maglite and as affordable as they are.


All the best
Watchmaker

[Bumpsis]

thanks for the feedback, watchmaker.
All these flashlights and binoculars must cost you a fortune. Although, quite a few members of these forums are serious equipment/gadget nuts, you, sir, most definitely take the cake!
But then, without your participation, I'd still be wondering about that LED upgrade, so keep on..
By the way, what's your knife collection like?