I am a civil engineer and frequently have to look down in drainage inlets for maintenance purposes. Walking in the daytime and trying to look through a grate into a dark hole makes for a tough situation. I have currently tried to use a maglite ml300l to light up the situation, and it has helped to a small extent. I was wondering what the more knowledgeable members thoughts were. My research has brought me to the Astrolux FT03 xhp 50.2, Convoy L6 xhp 70.2, Thorfire BLFQ8 4x XP-L. I would like to keep the cost of light plus batteries to under $100. I already have a charger since i just got a Convoy C8. I just don’t think the C8 is going to be able to be enough of an upgrade.
A quick read of the mag’s specs suggests that it’s a 300 lumen light. Most C8 type lights are 800 plus lumens. How deep are the holes you look into? What do you need, more light output, greater beam reach (more throw) ? (I have a modified maglite outputting 900 ish lumens and it’s a very good thrower in my opinion.)
It is the 3d cell version and the maglite website has it at 625 lumens 406 meter throw. The inlets/holes are generally under 25’. I also tried using an energizer 6AA hd and i think it was labeled 1300 lumens. The energizer results was similar to using the maglite. It did ok, but not really much improvement. The last time I was out nothing was probably past 10’ or so. Overall the energerizer light has more output, and is a floodier light than the maglite.
for safety it is best to stick to lights with only One Battery inside, until you know your way around LiIon a bit better… There are dangers to mismatched cells…
since you just got a C8, reassess after you get a chance to use it
resist the temptation to buy another light, before the one you just ordered arrives…
from your description of working outdoors, I suggest you start with a 6500k LED, as it stands the best chance of competing with sunlight… my hope for you is that a barebones single 18650 Convoy S2 might be sufficient, and easy to tote around
be warned, if you hang out around here, you will buy more than one light… lol
The Astrolux FT03 will be your best choice of the 3 you chose. You may want to look at the Astrolux FT03 SST-40 as it has more throw.
You need a good thrower light. It’s not always the highest lumens, but a combination of lumens plus a good thrower.
Sharkman, sometimes, a light with too much spill lights up the foreground so much that making out details in the background is difficult. I’m NOT a fan of ‘zoomies’ (aspherical lens) but, that may be a suitable option. Read up on them and see what you think. (sorry, been out of touch with flashlights for a year or so, so don’t know what’s good currently. )
Airpro DC7. Takes 4 18650s for looong runtime, is usb rechargeable (ie, you’ll never have to unscrew it to recharge, ever), is throwier than the BLF Q8 (which I prefer because it’s floodier, actually), and outputs a stoopit amount of light when needed. Ramping UI with shortcuts to moonlight and turbo, too.
Get a set of 30Qs to go with, then go crazy.
Oh, and definitely use the lanyard when looking down deep holes.
With the current selection of super bright and affordable lights I’d be tempted to tape one to a probe that would fit through the grate and give better illumination, getting past the bars to reduce bounceback.
Whether it’s a manhole or vault, using a mirror and the sunlight is the quickest and brightest way to see bottom. It was our go to method, lights at the time weren’t as powerful/convenient. Now, I’d probably use my FW3A. Most of the times you just need a quick burst and 2800 lumens would do the trick.
Ah, now I get it. Very ingenious :+1: Although yeah, with our light cannons of nowadays it’s best to use a torch, they’re more versatile (overcast days?) and you don’t have to worry about breaking it as much as a piece of glass.
The light uses x1 26650. This should give you a less harsh 5000k CCT and 2400 lumens.
Lower CCT means less scatter and it should light up the surface rather than being scattered into the dust/water mists.
And if you don’t mind using 3x 18650’s, there’s Sofirn’s SP36 90 CRI version (4x LH351D), which gives you 5000lm peak. Also a 5000k flashlight.
For just a quick burst of high output from a very compact light, an FW3A or an Emisar D4V2 would be hard to top. But if you don’t mind lugging around a Q8, I have to say that I love mine.
A fair amount of my usage is in daylight looking down into 6 inch drilled water wells and wider shallow wells. In the drilled wells I’m mostly just looking to see the the static level or the pumping level. In the shallow wells I’m looking at the wall(s) and sometimes trying to see things on the bottom through 2 or 15ft of water. A highly focused beam is best. Small and portable is important. Two that I rely on often are the GT Mini NW (Convoy C8 holster) and an Olight M2X. I also have 6 inch mirrors and do utilize what I call “the big flashlight in the sky” when it is an option.
