Daylight dog walking lights - Field Notes

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

(or my excuse for using EDCs during out of “flashlight season”)

Activity: Walking Gabe (70 lb pitbull) early morning and late afternoon

Setting: rural lanes in a bedroom community - a couple of through roads that avoid the main highway; verges, narrow to overgrown to not at all; commuter, school, and construction worker traffic.

Flashlight purpose: alert oncoming traffic of our presence consciously interact in a responsible manner with motorists in oncoming vehicles

My personal practice: I hold the flashlight loosely in my right hand and use a finger or thumb to turn it on/off; a lanyard is critical in case I need both hands quickly. I turn the flashlight on, generally High or Turbo depending on output, when a car is approaching and then switch it off when the road ahead is clear.

General findings: 500 to 1,500 lumens is the sweet spot for drivers to move towards the middle of the road when they approach, or slow down if there is a car coming in the opposite direction; fewer lumens and we’re not noticed or ignored; more lumens and cars flash their lights or steer closer! Some throw, rather than just flood, seems to work best, perhaps because it can be directed more effectively, e.g. aim at the car when it is at a distance and then aim down and to the side when the car is closer so the driver is not blinded and irritated. Small battery flashlights (18350, 14500, even 16340) are sufficient for a decent daylight walk, when they are only on for a small portion of the time. Tint and CRI don’t make a difference.

Wuben EO5

Light and comfortable; lanyard attaches to the clip, which makes it easy to locate the rubber side-button, which is quite small. I can use either my index finger or thumb to click the switch. UI is supportive because it includes a short hold to go direct to Turbo (900lm) and then a click to turn off. Last mode memory isn’t reliable for daylight dogwalking; you have to hold the button for about a second to turn it off and, if you release it too soon, it may shift to the next mode before turning off, so next time it will turn on in Low, rather than Turbo. Although I don’t like a hold to turn off, the hold on the EO5 doesn’t seem unduly long – about the same as the Sofirn SP10s and Utorch S1 mini – and doesn’t apply if you access Turbo directly. I wear a mechanical watch and so removed the magnet in the tailcap (thanks Mike S. for advising me that the retaining ring holding the spring unscrews).

Thrunite T1

Tiny flashlight with great output; both High (685lm) and Turbo (1500lm) work fine for daylight dogwalking. Single clicks for on and off and ramping with last mode memory mean I can reliably single click to High (top of the ramp) rather than double click to Turbo. There’s a hole for the lanyard at the tail, which I prefer to a hole in the clip. The only downside is that the side switch is a small rubber button, which is not easy to find and switch on in a rush. I did remove the magnet from the tail; couldn’t get the spring back in place (no removable tailcap) but it works fine with an O-ring spacer instead of the button magnet and the spring held in place by the battery pressure; it has a USB charging port so I won’t need to take out the battery for general use.

Sofirn SP32 V2.0

At 123mm, it is the longest of the daylight dogwalking flashlights. Single clicks for on and off and ramping up to Turbo (1300lm) with last mode memory mean I can reliably and effectively use it towards the top of the ramp. The throw is sufficient. I prefer the metal e-switch to a rubber capped one, but it is still rather small to find reliably. If Gabe is bouncing around a bit, I have inadvertently clicked on and held down the switch, changing it from ramping to stepped mode.

Jetbeam RRT01 (2019)

Not the smallest 18350 flashlight but it has a comfortable heft and the ring UI is a tactile delight to clearly control from off to high (950lm) back to off, when cars approach. It has a decent throw for effective communication with drivers, a lanyard hole at the tail, no bloody magnet, and I took the ugly clip off. My favorite flashlight for walking with Gabe in the daytime.

Lumintop AA Tool 2

Quality finish. With the slightly stiff mechanical tailswitch, I have to hold it facing backwards, use my thumb to switch it on/off, and turn it forward to point at cars. Its UI includes Turbo (650lm) in the sequence and it has last mode memory. Turbo is the only mode bright enough for daylight and, if I don’t firmly and clearly turn it off, it may turn on in Low, which is the next mode. Daylight dogwalking is not its best use.

Sofirn SP10S

Feels a bit light and roughly finished, compared to the Lumintop AA Tool 2 and the Wuben EO5. The UI is OK but not great for daylight dogwalking. Its stepped modes ends in High, which is only 301lm. Turbo at 800lm is enough and can be accessed from Off by two clicks; they have to be very fast because otherwise two clicks brings it on at the memory mode and then shifts to the next mode. If you activate Turbo from off, you only have to click once - no hold - to turn it off. The metal e-switch is crisp and clear to use - preferable to the small rubber button e-switches in the Wuben and Thrunite - and the hold to turn off is short. It has the LH351D emitter, which is nice for other purposes.

FW3A

This is an awesome flashlight. Less than 10mm longer than the Jetbeam but takes an 18650 battery! Anduril is the best. The tail e-switch has a light but clear feel so I can hold the flashlight loosely, facing forward in my right hand and use my pinkie to turn it on and off. Last mode memory is reliable but I have to be careful not to set it so bright it dazzles drivers. It is rather overkill for daylight dogwalking but will come into its own in late autumn through winter, when Gabe and I walk in the dark.

Astrolux S43(18350 tube)

Chunky and long for an 18350 light. It is very floody, which seems to irritate drivers if set towards high; getting the brightness set right is tricky in daylight; the small battery drains quickly if set too high . The rubber capped e-switch is easy to find on the blocky head, but can be temperamental on my S43; sometimes won’t switch off unless with a short, sharp tap. With the 18650 tube, its warmth will be welcome in the autumn/winter.

Emisar D4

I have model F002, which doesn’t have a lanyard hole and I don’t like the clip; not a flashlight for dogwalking. If F003 has a lanyard hole, I plan to buy one. More of a late autumn/winter flashlight and, as with the S43 and FW3A, will keep my fingers warm.

OTR M3 PRO

A great daylight walking light. High mode at 720lm is about right for oncoming vehicles to take notice; it has some throw so can be directed not to dazzle. The mode lock is great for my purpose (and if you want to lend it someone); once set (on high) it is a simple short click to switch on and off; no holding; just like an old-fashioned torch. The switch is a good size rubber dome, easy to find opposite the flat cover to the charging port, with a clear tactile feel to operate. The magnet pops out easily - no spacer needed - so my mechanical watch is safe. Together with the Jetbeam RRT01, a favorite daywalking light.

2

Why don’t you use a wearable safety light rather than shining flashlights at oncoming drivers?

3

OTR M3 has a 1 Hz beacon mode which I find useful to get me noticed when biking during the day. The powerful blink draws more attention than a steady light.

You could attach the M3 to the brim of a hat very easily for a hands free solution.

4

Because he’s a flashaholic? :smiley:

5

Sofirn SP32 V2.0

Three clicks to get to bike strobe, which I find effective holding my space in pedestrian crosswalks.

When we had an Akita, we velcro’d a red flasher onto her tail.
That made drivers slow down and pay attention because they were laughing so hard as the word “taillight” exploded in their awareness.

6

Your responses have helped clarify that I use the flashlights to consciously interact with drivers in oncoming cars, not merely to alert them to our presence. For me it proactively improves what is normally a semiconscious and sometimes uneasy relationship. Responsible use of the flashlight emphasizes, in what I hope is a courteous way, that motorists and pedestrians share the road. Drivers respond to the flashlight at varying distances and, as they move to the center of the road, I turn off or point the flashlight away from their cars and wave; if they don’t respond, I dip the flashlight and don’t point it in their eyes. I’m lucky living in a fairly rural community as this is clearly impractical in more urban settings. By way of context, I have a drawer of flashlights and, when it gets light at 5 am and dark at 10 pm and our puppy no longer needs to be lifted outside to pee in the middle of the night, I relish using the smaller lights.

7

So…does it mean that Sofirn totally changed the previous SP10(a/b) UI in this flashlight? Meaning, no access to turbo or strobe from OFF?…

The info of this light on AliExpress page is unclear for me…

8

My mistake. Turbo can be activated by two clicks from off. They have to be fast because otherwise it will switch on to the memory mode and then shift to the next mode. If you activate Turbo from off, a single short click - no hold - turns it off.

9

Thanks for the clarification :+1:

10

The UI for the SP10 needs changing in my opinion. Long presses, short presses, too much thinking when using it for work. I just want to turn it on or off without checking for firefly.