Something really bothers me with people and flashlight manufacturers.
I seen here and on other forums that people often abusing all kind of aspheric flashlights calling them:
- pencil beam
- ugly beam with no useful side spill
- no real life use
And most of people(80%) are big fans of reflector flashlights although most of reflector flashlights are big, fat monsters that can not fit into jacket pocket.
Most seen arguments for reflector flashlights are:
- Very useful side spill?
- Very nice beam pattern (white wall).
- No matter for big size reflector and diameter of flashlights they are really cool flashlights
- Lumen pumping
I think the main developing ideas of flashlight experts should be based on aspherical type of flashlights with as smaller size as possible. Why? Because of proven facts that;
- Aspeherical flashlight of same size will always out throw same size reflector flashlight(greater cd/lux performance in same size). Greater lux/cd performece can bring greater adjustable hotspot(which imho is the most important part of the beam)
- They are a lot stealthier. You can light between 2 object without anyone notice you.
- Pocket-able size
- Hotspot flood to throw versatile beam pattern
- Hotspot type of the beam. You see further in the night with this type of flashlights. How?
*When you turn on reflector LED light, your night vision is killed by spill light that is reflecting from nearby objects & environment. Your pupil of the eye narrows and you see less. The brighter the environment is, the narrower is the pupil of the eye, so there’s a reduction in light that hits the fundus. Aspherical type of beam has sharp borders, so there is better contrast between illuminated area and dark area. The enhanced contrast lets you to perceive objects/persons/things better.
USEFUL SIDE SPILL IN REFLECTOR FLASHLIGHTS?
- Spill messes with your night vision. Your pupil of the eye narrows and you see less.
- You are spooking and give away your position to anyone around such light(yourself, other people, animals)
- In summer days you are attracting more bugs to your position
- There is no possibility of beam adjustment
I think real future is in ass small as possible aspherical flashlights providing extreme flood to throw (lux/cd performance). I know that I am probably in only 10% of population that shares similar opinion but probably future will bring flashlight creations more similar to this idea
So manufacturers should invent small flashlights with incredible flood to throw intensity (LED technology should be improved, or maybe replace LED with LASER technology), and not only depend on big fat reflectors, big battery housings and CREE LED technology to improve night vision.
Manufacturers in these days can only develop external flashlight appearance, and their flashlight performance is based on CREE engineer experts and newest leds. There is no creative ideas in their lab.
Do you want to carry fat flashlight around your neck? I know that I don’t want that kind of “improvement”. Give me small flashlight that can make night into day instead of pumping 100 000 of different flashlights designs which depends on big father CREE.