I still don’t think it was a useful link. I had already done a little bit of research before you posted that and found discussions of emergency room doctors looking for headlights that we do discuss here. They are primarily looking for lights to suture or stitch people up in the emergency room. That sort of discussion I think is more in line with what this doctor in the original post is looking for.
This idea that the light has to be " approved" I think it’s getting way off the track. The same way that what goes on in a surgical setting in a hospital setting is an entirely different set of requirements. And it doesn’t matter what country it’s in.
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LOL, OK, thanks for sharing your concerns.
Nice to see you around… !
Yes, this! 
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HS21/HS42?
Flood is a nice color/tint and high CRI.
Spot is a bit greenish and lower CRI, but is tight enough I wouldn’t use it for anything like that anyway.
Best headstraps I’ve seen in a while, and I usually hate headstraps enough to “palm” lights vs keep 'em on my head, unless I positively absolutely need both hands free.
It’d be cool to have a good headlamp for this, with the latest and greatest LEDs for better beam quality. Not sure there’s anything which really fits though.
Like, the NTG50 / NTG35 emitters are great for color rendition, but I think the only headlamps those come in are an Emisar D2 or DW series. They don’t have the emitters at the center, don’t have built-in charging, and the interface is probably way more complicated than desired for this task.
So… I would use it, but I wouldn’t recommend it to random doctors.
… and for medical purposes, I really would want to test a bunch of emitters IRL to find out which one(s) work best for distinguishing shades of tissue. The best on-paper specs won’t necessarily look the best in person for a specific task. Sometimes it may be beneficial to have weird spikes and dips in the spectrum, to emphasize things which would be hard to see in a natural spectrum.
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That is going to be one very long test procedure.
Is 4500k and high CRI the best option?
I suspect closer to 4000 would be best.
Some might say you need a high R9.
Maybe.
I don’t see anything better than the wizard nichia for this application. One thing I did not mention above is the very good mode spacing.
If armytek offered more high cri options and some warm LEDs they could sell more models.
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Sounds like a solid choice.
I’m thinking about Skilhun H04, it has a nice flood and good CRI.
He can add additional 18650 battery if needed.
It’s not just skin shades and CRI. For some things, zero or even negative CRI is more effective. Like, a narrow deep red works really well for finding veins, while those same veins are almost invisible under a high CRI light.
Different lights are good for different things, and I prefer to test directly whenever possible, to find out which one is best for any specific task.
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Can you post a link of your Paramtek filtered results?
Your needs don’t seem to be special, so Streamlight shouldn’t be the only one that fits your needs."
http://flashlights.parametrek.com/index.html?type=headlamp&battery=1x18650&blink=none&levels=1
slmjim
You selected “no blink” and “1 mode/Level”, which the vast majority of manufacturers don’t do this, they usually make features and then let you decide whether to use. Also this is the filter I suggested
It’s a bit like buying a TV that only shows one channel, maybe you only need that channel, but the manufacturer has to consider everyone.
I would personally recommend the Convoy H series, choose a high CRI emitter like B53AM, 519A, and the color temperature you prefer. I’m not sure what is appropriate, but for most indoor light sources, 4500-5700K is probably appropriate. (Unless you work in darkness, it’s best to keep the color temperature of your light source close to indoor lighting, otherwise it will look too blue or too yellow.)
Compliance may be an issue, but it’s not something we need to think about. Unless it’s a scenario like a coal miner, etc. where using the wrong light could cause a serious accident, I usually leave that issue to the OP themselves.
Some of this thread has gone way off the rails, overthinking it in some regards. Let’s recap.
This is not a hospital setting. I’ll state once again more clearly: the procedures are performed at the homes of invalids, not in a hospital.
There is no corporate hospital nanny looking over his shoulder dictating what equipment can or cannot be used, or how. He’s closer to a peacetime urban combat medic, if you will. His career focus was on ENT, thorax and abdominal.
The surgeon is semi-retired, and provides this care on a pro-bono basis or, in some cases, compensated based on ability to pay. His wife is a retired surgical RN, and is his assistant on site. They both take their Hippocratic Oath and medical service very seriously. Under the hood they’re both humble, regular guy & gal people and, dog lovers. I met them many years ago at my local dog park. We should all be so fortunate to have individuals like this couple as friends.
The ‘operating theater’, such as it is, is the patient’s bed or, maybe a chair in their residence. Often in poor, sketchy parts of town. There is no sterile hospital surgical theater as one would imagine; it’s often a dingy bedroom in a run down house. Bugs included. Their descriptions of the environments and odors they work in is unsettling, to say the least.
The broad definition of the procedures performed for wound care is ‘surgical debridement’. From the interwebs, “Debridement surgery is a procedure to remove damaged, dead, or infected tissue from a wound to promote healing. It’s a crucial step in managing chronic wounds and preventing complications like infection.” He says in some ways it’s more like hacking away at dead / diseased tissue than the Hollywood version of a doctor doing heart surgery wearing highly-magnified binoculars.
Wound care is a specialty that few medical professionals are willing to pursue. It’s unpleasant but necessary. If you or a loved one ever needs care for an open would that won’t heal, pray that a professional couple like this can be found.
I appreciate the good suggestions & replies. Thanks to all who replied with useful info.
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Wonder if he knows about maggot therapy. Sounds absolutely dis-gross-ting, but the little beasties only eat necrotic tissue and leave living tissue untouched. And I think they ooze some antimicrobial stuff, too, which helps prevent infections.
Dunno if they sell a Home Kit for personal use, but…
I absolutely love this post!
Notwithstanding your effort to help your caring friends, what you described Jim, brought forth vivid memories of the work my mom performed as a Visiting Nurse in the last 10 years of her 40 year career as an RN. So thank you for that!
As for your search, although I don’t trial or review flashlights or headlamps, I can’t imagine anything better than the High CRI Zebralight I’ve been using for years. Best wishes in your search!
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