these days is because in an urban setting torching-off a SkyRay King at 1:30AM in the backyard can sometimes really annoy the neighbors - especially the 6’ 5” knuckle-dragging bodybuilder across the way.
Lumatic may be kinda nutz but he’s not suicidal.
There is also the unappreciated potential of catching some folks in how should I say ‘compromising positions’. How do I know that? Don’t ask. Spill may be a thrill but sometimes ya just need laser-precision to get yer giggles.
To the average person a thrower is much more impressive to them at night. The reason being is that in their everyday life, they are accustomed to seeing flooders all the time. In fact frosted bulbs and globes, diffusers, shades etc. are created to create flooded and seeming non-directional light. It happens that in everyday life, flooding is usually more practical for our use. Flooding also takes lots of lumens, which do not come easily in flashlights. So the only way to impress the average person is to show them something that they are not accustomed to seeing……Throw.
I may be more interested in throwers but I prefer to have more floody lights (diffused actually).
Throwers are more interesting since it doesn’t take much to make a floody light therefore it’s less “interesting” to talk about.
I like in the city as well. I don’t like to suddenly light up my backyard along with the neighbors. I have gotten rid of most of my throwers however and now only really have one aspheric (which is all I need).
I’m always interested in a better thrower (throwing further, better looking,etc).
I was referring to people outside of our community. I have noticed, with pain, that no one has ever been blown away with the flashlights that I have used in a time of unexpected need.
The most recent and somewhat humorous example was when I rolled my mother-in-laws car into Lake Erie. Luckily there was no damage to the car. I let the wrecker guy use my Sipik68 with a 14500 battery. There were 50 or so spectators and it was dark. To me it was obvious that in flood mode the light was extremely impressive, but not a single person noticed. I also had an UF-502B with an XM-L going and no one was impressed with that. The police were using wimpy Surefires and they didn’t notice the awesomeness of the XM-L. In fact when the car was pulled out (no damage) I mentioned to one of the officers that no one even noticed the super-flashlights that I had. He looked me straight in the eye and said “Would you umind using one of those super-flashlights that you have and find me your registration?”
I think if someone is going to have a thrower, they might as well go all the way and buy a HID thrower and be done with it. I mean, after all, it's supposd to Throw!
I don't want a thrower. I have no use for it. I live in a Next Step Community, (the next step is the grave, LOL). They aren't impressed with flashlights per se and they would probably prefer I threw my thrower in the circular thrower storage container. They don't much like my flooders either.... They don't much like anything except white hair and little fluff dogs....
I don't agree about the average person either. The average person hasn't seen a 500 lumen or 1,000 lumen light. No matter what, it's Holy F*** that thing is bright! Doesn't matter if it floods or throws, they just have never seen a real flashlight. They think their cell phone lights are bright...
Old Lumens wrote
“I don’t agree about the average person either. The average person hasn’t seen a 500 lumen or 1,000 lumen light. No matter what, it’s Holy F* that thing is bright! Doesn’t matter if it floods or throws, they just have never seen a real flashlight. They think their cell phone lights are bright…”
My point is that in My experiences this just doesn’t happen. The average person just doesn’t get it.
On a similar vein, concerning cameras, people are impressed with megapixels and zoom. Want to impress the average person with your camera, show them the zoom (throw)
I have had the exact opposite experiences with my lights. A lot of the times when I bust my lights out people are like HOLY SH-T!! Then they are like I cant believe that much light comes out of that small of thing or wow that thing lights up the whole backyard. So on and on, I get a kick out of it.
Or forums to discuss these type of things!Who want’s to have a disscusion on the merits of the 9mm vs the 45acp?Or vice-versa, I’m a summer/winter gun kinda guy.
The other point I was trying to make is that it is easier to impress with throw because it takes less lumens. lets face it (why does my spell checker not like the word “lumens”) a single LED is not so great for total lumen output. An LED’s advantage is that it is produced from a relatively small emitter and therefore can be focused to a coherent beam. In fact an XR-E makes a better thrower than and XM-L because is has a smaller die size even though it puts out less lumens. If you are trying to impress someone with your light, play to it’s strengths.
Has anybody ever said to you when you showed them your flashlight “Wow, that light puts out a Neutral White beam and the spill has no rings, or that the corona is evenly colored with no hint of green or purple”?
Old Lumens, you are correct, in every day life flood is most important (I use my sipik68 the most). But how can every day life impress. Only something extra-ordinary will, therefore throw.
As the golfers say “Drive (Throw) for show, Put (Flood) for Dough.”
I love XM-L throwers. I got some of the better ones out there or at least was at the time and some still are. I just feel like I get more of my money worth buying a Sunwayman T40CS for say $100 vs buying a Sunwayman T20CS for say $85. Both are nice lights, but when it gets dark I know which one I would rather have. I just guess it’s what you like a light to do. Some one a EDC which I can understand. But I don’t carry flashlights on me hardly at all. When I want one, I go to my curio and grab more times than not a good thrower and take it out and have some fun which is usually at nite.
analyzing the psyches here attracted to throwers and those to spillers. Yeah, I gotta feeling he would’ve equated it to sexuality in some form or another. Man, let’s not go there.
All I know is I’ve been using my HD2010 thrower more than any other light on my night hikes and night bike rides.
Yeah, at home I use my flooders more. I especially love using my Xeno e03 with a traffic wand attachment that makes it a lantern with a very even nearly spherical light pattern.
As I was out doing my forest trail walk one early morning, a park officer was flashing his torch at a tree some 100m away. The corona was a bright warm yellow. After they were gone, I flashed my 120 lumen flood at nearly the same spot. Only then did I realise that it wasn’t much of a light. I remember how wimpy it shined. It came back to haunt me now and then. I had to do better, I thought to myself. Months later, I am back with a 26650 single emitter light. I guess it is flashlight all the way now, the further it throws, the better. And I always like to back it up with a flooder. Just to cover both ends.
