I see thread after thread about this pocket rocket or that 100,000 lumen toys, but what about efficient lights?
Besides a hobby, what about the useful end discussion. After all, I love my Q8 as a toy, but what I really also wanted was usability if/when an emergency came up. So longevity was and is a major consideration.
For me, just like everyone else here, more the marrier, but in an emergency, I need it to light up a large kitchen or family room…or a small underground shelter if I had one. So 400-500 lumen is really usable light to cook and do chore with.
Which single 18650 flashlight has a the best efficiency AND sustainable output in the 400-500 lumen range?
Which multi 18650 flashlight has a the best efficiency AND sustainable output in the 400-500 lumen range?
I believe there is a mode on the Q8 that will give you 500 lumens for 20hrs… but once your eyes adjust even 500 could be more than enough. Not that it’s the most efficient way, but in an emergency the last thing I’m thinking about is efficiency.
What I don’t get is why does this question get asked so often? Are there really that many people here that still don’t understand the concept of using lower modes to get more run time? :person_facepalming:
for the buck-boost driver, is there exist any driver on the market i can buy for this? I don’t seem to see any around at all, but maybe I am searching wrongly.
I must be part Reman or something, but the LuxPro 2×AA that I was using to burn down moribund alkaleaks was plenty bright (for me) with low double-digit lumens lighting up the kitchen, so I wouldn’t go too crazy looking for 500lm as a sustained minimum unless you’re hard-of-seeing or something.
Olight doesn’t seem to want in on the lumen race and if the X6 was a great example of their dedication to runtime over hot rodding. (X6 was 5000 lumens with no step down ever) lol only needed half a foot of dedicated cooling fins and a separate user carried battery pack but they did it!
The M2R is 1x18650
700 lumen high for 2hr
250 lumen med for 6hr15m
The S2RII is 1x18650
400 lumen high for 4hr
Both of these lights have magnetic tailcap charging systems so you could leave it plugged into a computer or usb charger and know that in an emergency it’s 100% always
I own the M2R which is great but I’ve had an S1R as my TRULY EDC (I actually have it on me everyday) for the last 3 years.
SR mini II is 3x18650
600 lumens for 8hrs
SR52-UT is 3x18650
1100lumens for 4hr (no step down)
550 lumens for 7.5hr
I remember blackouts as a kid when my father would whip out that Eveready 6V lantern which probably had a massive 80 lumens with a fresh battery. I somehow survived to speak about it nearly 40 years later.
Right now in my EDC rotation is a 2AA Maglite that does 260 lumens or something like that. I had cut some diffuser film to place over the lens and it puts out an almost 180deg. swath of light. And bright enough to ceiling-bounce and work comfortably.
The reason I chose 400-500 lumen is because that would be on the higher end of full usability in the room. Sure, one can see one’s way around the room with my 120 lumen key chain Olight, but that is hardly food preparation level….unless food means opening a can of beans.
In theory, in an emergency, one needs about 5 hours of light per night. We are not talking about nuclear winter and bunkers, we are talking about the level of failure that we had in the Eastern Seaboard a decade or so back. Plus any number of rural power failures that last about a day.
So for me, 400-500 lumens is just about right of comfortably lighting a 12 x 24 kitchen/dinette. Given a natural gas range, or in our case, a natural gas BBQ, there is really no “apocalypse” issue with losing power for a day.
Or headlamps. Headlamps are awesome when efficient lighting is needed. They provide a dramatically higher lux-per-Watt ratio than a ceiling-bounced light, because they point exactly where you need to see.
75% of my lights are 600 lumens or less. Sure I have a few hot rods but they don’t get used to their full potential very often. More often than not it’s just to show off a bit. My most used lights at 500 or less are a few Zebralights, Olight M18, and a few S2+’s. A MJ1 in the Olight will run for a long time at 500 and it’s one of my favorite lights. Non-Stock emitter in it of course. 4 MJ1’s in a Q8 with a homemade lantern topper will keep the deck in a warm glow for many a evenings in nice weather.
I just want a Luxeon V with a Zebralight driver. It looks like it's still over 150 lumens/watt at 1amp, until you involve 7135s... Around 150 lumens/watt at 2 amps.
