Have flashlights really gotten brighter?

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

This question has struck me. As I’ve mostly had a lay off for a couple of years of buying new lights (or being active on the forum, as being active makes me buy new lights… :person_facepalming: ). But more recently I have acquired a few new ones.

……. well of course the answer is YES :smiley: Newer ones can pump out more lumens.

But I think it is a caveated answer.

Let me explain.

Over the years two things have happened.

1. Technology has moved on. So LEDs have become more efficient and able to emit more output and driver tech has also advanced
2. The flashlight community has pushed the bounds of the technology. Often driving LEDs well beyond their manufacturer rated 100% output level. In general this has been adopted by many flashlight makers. Which makes the industry rather unique.

But point 2 above. Also gives rise to a lot more heat and stress on the batteries. Nearly always requiring a step down or dimming of the light.

So the question again is. Have things really gotten that much brighter?

And here I’m less sure of the answer.

For example I have an old Olight SR52 Intimidator. It runs 3 x 18650 (parallel, so will run on just one) with a large reflector and an XM-L2. It is rated at 1200 lumens. But has no turbo mode and doesn’t really get warm. It is capable of outputting 1200 lumens for 1.5hrs without dropping.

I also have the superb Astrolux FT03 XHP50.2 which uses a single 26650 and puts out a claimed 4300 lumens. But…. the reality is that high lumen count does not last long and soon plummets. And on the regular High mode, the output is only marginally higher than that of the Olight. And certainly to the eye, the output difference in High vs the SR52 are very very similar in use.

So should I want to use either light for say more than 10 mins at a single time. The Olight will actually be performing just as well.

Meaning my new high output light actually isn’t any brighter than my old one.

I’m noticing this with other lights too.

The MF01 Mini is frickin awesome. But again Turbo is really only a show off mode. It just doesn’t last long and gets way too hot to comfortably hold for extended periods of time. And when you have it in the High mode only. While it performs well, I have older lights that seem to light up stuff to a similar level.

I’m sure there will be some exceptions and some newer lights will be able to maintain high outputs for longer without burning your hands. But it has surprised me how much the lumen claims have changed over the past 5-6 years. Yet how little the real world performance seems to have done on like for like comparable lights.

Anyone else noticed this?

2

I turn on a flashlight many times per day but most of the time it’s on for well under a minute. I don’t typically use turbo but it’s nice to have. So yes lights are brighter and have wider ranging capabilities. Why not have moonlight to Turbo available. Cars used to have three or four speed transmissions and now they have eight or more. The first automatic transmission in cars had two speeds.

3

More and more I look at the stepdown level more than the turbo level when purchasing lights. Same with size. Except for EDC lights, I want a size that can handle about 1200 lumens without overheating. It is nice to be able to go up for a brief moment to scare away the boogie man but sustainable high is where it is at. Also, simple UIs are becoming more appealing.

4

Yep, I’m currently using both my sr-52’s since that’s all i need unless I go to the county park where my lep’s can run wild

5

Don’t get me wrong. I like the high output and Turbo modes. I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t have them.

I’m just wondering if things haven’t moved on quite as far as some of the numbers suggest.

6

LEP?

Thanks, Chris

7

Flashy numbers sell merchandise.

Those here understand the specs in a practical, realistic context, and recognize the limitations of things like turbo modes.

The wider number of uninitiated shoppers do not; they just see “two beeeelion lumens!” and pick that one over the one with only one billion.

Flashy numbers sell here as well, but users can select the appropriate tool from the box, and don’t have to rely on a super bright light that will fizzle out after a couple minutes.

The manufacturers are giving the market what it wants, and even here, it wants the gaudy numbers, and fancy firmware, and they get most of the buzz. Just look at the excitement over pocket rockets, versus others.