These B&D clamp lights were on Woot 3 for 20$....For less than 7$ they were a steal .. they came with batteries too :P
First thing I'd be concerned about is quality and durability. The Shadows provide that. They also would provide long runtimes, and what I'd consider a perfect beam profile for your needs. The modes on them give you the options needed for any lighting situation.
Hands down the best option in my opinion. As far as I am concerned, its not worth messing around with sacrificing quality/runtime with a job that is based around underground work.
Fenix TK15. Tough-as-hell. Works. Waterproof.
My goto light when I absolutely need something that isn't going to bite me in the ass.
and maybe, when something is trying to bite you in the ass...
I would also go for a shadow light, see hikelite's replies.
What batteries do you want to run , AA ...
I just got me a Jetbeam PA40 , ok costs a little more , but its worth checking out ...
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/4941 If you like AA batteries ...
Ooops , you already bought lights ...
Battery Type isn't too important. AA's are great, but I was thinking of going C or D or lithium Ion for high-output with runtime. I currently have U_235 guiding me with modding a Maglite with an XP-G for a high power thrower. I did buy a B&D clamp light to try myself.
Garry
I'd go with UF-H3 headlamps and C8 XM-L hand lights. One battery type (18650), good run times, and tons of light.
Well, it looks like I am going to get a once in a lifetime opportunity to actually go underground myself! And I am just about done with my prototype Modded Maglite which I've been building for this purpose! The Maglite is a 3C with the LED "rebel" reflector, neutral white XP-G R5, and driven by a 3mode Nangj 1.4A driver. Intention is to run it on 3 NiMh C cells for good balance of runtime vs. weight. I don't have the NiMh C cells on hand right now, so I'll be using NiMh AA's in C cell adapters. (I will likely do a build thread on this light.)
Reason I am allowed into this mine without having the usually required underground mine training (I have surface mine training) is that it's an abandoned and therefore inactive mine. It's "inactive" in terms of mining activity, however it is currently "active" as a mushroom farm (ventilated and has some lighting). I don't know the details what this mine is like compared to the "active" stone mines, but I expect it to be like my description in the O.P. (40' x 40' grid of corridors with 25' ceilings) except that this mine has some lighting in place. We will be getting into unlit areas of the mine. I'll try to remember to take my camera and get some photos (if possible). I'm all excited about this opportunity!
-Garry
Any updates on how that mine visit went? :)
Yeah photos please Garry, sounds interesting :)
Sounds like stuff on 28dayslater: http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=69764 can lose hours looking around this site!
The job was post-poned until next week, but I visited the site today. Met with the foreman and went over our intentions. We'll use golf carts to get around and haul equipment. We're figuring on 2 to 3 days to get our work done. I'll try to get pictures, but the foreman will be with us the entire time and I don't want to come across like I'm there to goof off. Will likely be Tues, Wed, and possibly Thurs next week.
EDIT: Forgot to say that the ceilings in this mine will be 15 feet high.
-Garry
Beamshots .
Take a tripod and shoot pics without flash. I'm looking forward to seeing them.
I'm a little leery to do that. I was just going to "sneak" my cheap "point and shoot" camera in and get shots in "night mode" best I can. We'll see. Maybe I can justify the photos being for the engineers use in their design work!
-Garry
Get some small pocket tripod, that will do quite well and perform much better than holding a camera in your hand.
This is also a nice trick, cheap, small, portable:
I use my lights for mine exploring. The ultrafire H3 is very nice for just moving around. They DO take protected batteries now. The old ones were not as forgiving on length, but you will not find a version1 for sale anywhere. I get about 4-5ish hours on high per battery if I remember right.
As long as you are running 18650 in a headlamp then it makes sence to run them in a nice thrower flashlight as well for the long ranges you describe. C8 style maybe? I dont think they can be beat for even twice the price.
Alot of the things mentioned are good in here. Very true without any light than anything will light things up well to adjusted eyes. Hard rock mines will bounce some light off the walls.
The wild card is the 32650 batteies. They are not as MAh packed per pound as 18650's but might tip the scales for your hand held choices
My lights I carry are Zebralight H600, Ultrafire H3, Dry 3XML, and a old MTE light with a MCE led. I also carry 12 or more batteries with me for 10-14 hours underground. Its lumin over kill because I need extra light for photography.
This is a Spark ST6-500CW on high for reference
Day one of underground work. Remember, this is my first experience working underground. One word - DARK! Man is it dark! You don't know darkness until you have been underground (way back inside) and shut off all lights!
I don't have enough time to go into details, but I'll state a few things. Testing new XP-G R5 neutral is going well, but co-workers aren't overly impressed. Still can't fully light up a target at 600+ feet. Co-worker carrying that light. I'm carrying 5 lights on me (like a good flashaholic would!). I'm carrying a 2D Mag LED, a KD C8 XM-L, a 3AAA Rayovac 30/80 lumen, my Ultrafire Sipik SK68 clone, and a cheapie 3AAA Walmart "Bayco" headlamp which I am really quite impressed with. Long runtime with plenty of floody light. I have access to the old incandescent cap lamps, but their too big and bulky (20lb battery alone on your belt) and the 3AAA nearly puts it to shame!
I had one weird experience: in one spot there must not have been much airflow. I could see my breathe (about 55 degrees underground) and it would hang in front of me. I could move to the side to look past it! Never experienced that before!
I am taking photos and they are coming out pretty well surprisingly! Can't post them yet (sorry) Question - should I post a new thread with them? This thread's title might cause some people to overlook these posts. So what do you think?
-Garry
Oh, BTW, the KD C8 on high is the only light that really lights up that place! Even then you feel like you could use more light!
Yeah, baby, this is what I've been waiting for!
Thanks for the first hand experience!
Please open up a new thread for pictures, definitely!
I once visited an old mercury mine turned into a tourist attraction. Part of the tour is the lights being switched off. What you said is true, you have no idea what dark is until you visit a place like that.
Cant wait for the pictures. ;)
Viktor
Ok will do a new thread when ready and place a link back in this one.
BTW - I found my 30 lumen AAA (or KD C8 on low) to be plenty sufficient for general lighting in that environment. I also learned that you really don't want to kill your night vision either unless you need to.
I'm not sure how long it's been since this mine was active, but I did see a steel post marked "ERC'T 6 85" so I'm guessing that post was put in place in June 1985. That was maybe halfway to the extent of the mining.
Ok, here's a teaser:
This is what you see in the mine with little light:
Actually that's a lot of light! You wouldn't see all that foreground! I believe that was the result of the camera's flash (I can't turn the flash off for "Night Landscape" mode.) It does however show you how dark it is just beyond the target.
Here is a shot looking beyond the target. Again, result of flash use. (I moved the camera up on that tripod above with the target so the light wouldn't bounce off the target and ruin the shot):
That faint light in the distance is my co-worker (probably about 700 to 800 feet away).
-Garry