Even for something as simple as dog walking needs can be completely different. I walk late at night in a 100+ year old neighborhood. I need to see sidewalk heaves, ice, the poop of course, etc. I don’t want to disturb my neighbors so don’t use any more light than I need to. Favorites for this are a Ti3 V2 clipped to a cap, and SP40 on its band, or a TH20 clipped to my coat. Any of these do what I need very well. However, there are some foxes that I have needed to move along, times when I want to see what is 100 meters or so away, etc. My current EDC, SC31 Pro takes care of that very well. Usually my winter coat will have a C8 in the pocket and that throws a bit further. As others have mentioned more than one light is good;-)
Have been fortunate in that the only off leash dogs we have encountered just wanted to join us for the company. My 100lb Rottie doesn’t have a point to prove and I think even other dogs find our Cojack cute;-)
your sc31 pro can let you see 100 meters out?? are you sure its not 100 feet? mine sees about 100 feet tops. i mean sure the light can maybe reach 100 meters, but no way it can light up the area to let me see if its a skunk or a ferret or cat or something
Throw is SO subjective… but with my SC31 Pro ON TURBO, at 100 yards… I’d be able to tell a skunk from a cat or dog IF It’s moving. That said, I’d have a hard time at that range with say a possum Vs. a skunk sitting still, looking at me. It’s all in how they move at that range where the SC31 Pro is pretty done with any real definition (color). But at 50 yards, it’s pretty good in my use anyway. YMMV.
Just did google maps on a school that I have tested the SC31Pro Turbo on. Maps has it at 367 feet. Perhaps I wouldn’t know if it were a cat or a skunk but I could see well enough at that distance to know it was a critter and not a rock;-) This is standing under streetlights not total darkness. Mine is the 6000K version FWIW. Agree that 50 Yards much more visible. Now that I have that measurement I am going to have to try again to see just how well I do see and how much difference from the XP-l HI C8.
hm…i may do that too, i only used it a few times outside cuz usually i walk my dog with ft03 or v6, but ima try with sc31 pro tonight and see how it goes. i mean at 100 meters, def you can see if something is moving, but to be able to tell what it is, i have my doubts for now
Thanks for all the suggestions. They give my lots to look at and to research.
Tonight I took 3 torches with me. A Q8, a Convoy C8 SST20, and the Nightwatch Stalker.
The Q8 gives a really nice wide beam so you get lots of peripheral vision. On turbo it appears to throw pretty well - until you turn the C8 or the Stalker on.
Unfortunately, just using the C8 or Stalker gives you a more ‘tunnel vision’ effect.
Having the Q8 and the Stalker on at the same time was really nice - excellent throw and excellent spill. Not very practical though.
I used to dog walk wearing a wide beamed head torch and a C8 in my hand. That was a pretty good combination . Perhaps I need to revert to that if I can’t find anything that fits the bill.
the pictures dont do it justice, with my eyes, i cannot see the fence at all without the light, but with it, i can very clearly see the fence and if there was an animal around there, i think i should be able to tell what it is too! and that fence is easily over 50 meters away, i would say maybe 60-70! and technically i can see past that too, not too well, but if something is moving, i can def spot it, so ya…pleasantly surprised!
I know what he is talking about. I find the flood on the FT03 to be annoying because I use it just for the flood. I’d rather that it didn’t light up the area close to me so much but for dog walking where someone said they wanted throw and flood it does seem appropriate.
I think the lighted dog harness paired with a small basic floodlight would be a good choice. You just need to know where the dog is rather than be able to light up the world between the walker and the dog.
really? mines more noticeable farther away, closer actually looks better…you should shine it on a white wall, thats not a good test, yours looks green lol
Low current I think all the XHP50’s have a tint shift. As least all I’ve seen. Higher current the whiter they get. That was also ramped well down so as to get the hole more visible on camera.
No white walls in my house and I wasn’t tall enough to see the hole on the ceiling. Further away beam looks great. Literally you have to be closer than 6” to get the hole to appear. Same as many of my other lights.
I use Astrolux FT03S and MF01S for night walks with my dog.They are quite large but still fit in pockets and it’s hard to find something better of this size.
Only people who walk seven miles per day, 11,500 miles in four and a half years get ambush attacked by their neighbors loose Shepherd breeds? How about No, as the correct answer to that question. Just because a dog licks its owners face, does not mean it will not viciously attack a pedestrian when it is allowed to be loose. Dog owners make the tragic, fatal mistake when they let their friendly dogs run loose and suddenly the same old song every six seconds in the USA: “He was always so friendly, I don’t know what could’ve gotten into him”. Every six seconds. Lives tragically destroyed because a so-called friendly dog was allowed to be loose. Every six seconds. I don’t carry flashlights to protect myself from loose dogs, and I don’t carry guns to illuminate the darkness. Twice, in 11,500 miles, I did not use a flashlight to avoid immediate need trauma hospitalization. Instead twice, with 1/10 of a second to spare, I used a gun. I don’t know how a human being could possibly be more scared than when he is ambush charged by a growling, snarling Shepherd breed.
“Homeowners insurers paid out $797 million in liability claims related to dog bites and other dog-related injuries in 2019.”
“Dog attack victims suffer over $1 billion in monetary losses annually. JAMA reports this estimate to be as high as $2 billion.“
“There were 4 times as many dog bite-related ED visits and 3 times as many hospital stays in rural areas than in urban areas in 2008.
Back on topic: a nice dog walking flashlight for use when walking your dog on a 6 foot leash does not have to be a large, heavy weight flashlight. A small, lightweight flashlight will work just fine. Just pick the light you like, and for the love of God, put your dog on a leash!
