Sharkman, sometimes, a light with too much spill lights up the foreground so much that making out details in the background is difficult. I’m NOT a fan of ‘zoomies’ (aspherical lens) but, that may be a suitable option. Read up on them and see what you think. (sorry, been out of touch with flashlights for a year or so, so don’t know what’s good currently. )
Airpro DC7. Takes 4 18650s for looong runtime, is usb rechargeable (ie, you’ll never have to unscrew it to recharge, ever), is throwier than the BLF Q8 (which I prefer because it’s floodier, actually), and outputs a stoopit amount of light when needed. Ramping UI with shortcuts to moonlight and turbo, too.
Get a set of 30Qs to go with, then go crazy.
Oh, and definitely use the lanyard when looking down deep holes.
I did construction inspection and had to often look down similar depths. Nothing beats a mirror.
With the current selection of super bright and affordable lights I’d be tempted to tape one to a probe that would fit through the grate and give better illumination, getting past the bars to reduce bounceback.
Convoy M21A with SST-40 and 4-mode 6A driver.
… I don’t follow. :S
Whether it’s a manhole or vault, using a mirror and the sunlight is the quickest and brightest way to see bottom. It was our go to method, lights at the time weren’t as powerful/convenient. Now, I’d probably use my FW3A. Most of the times you just need a quick burst and 2800 lumens would do the trick.
Ah, now I get it. Very ingenious :+1: Although yeah, with our light cannons of nowadays it’s best to use a torch, they’re more versatile (overcast days?) and you don’t have to worry about breaking it as much as a piece of glass.
If you’re into High CRI as well, you can check Jaxman’s X1s w/ XHP50 (90 CRI version)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32839002320.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.10.169a7b08fFum3c
The light uses x1 26650. This should give you a less harsh 5000k CCT and 2400 lumens.
Lower CCT means less scatter and it should light up the surface rather than being scattered into the dust/water mists.
And if you don’t mind using 3x 18650’s, there’s Sofirn’s SP36 90 CRI version (4x LH351D), which gives you 5000lm peak. Also a 5000k flashlight.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33017839387.html
This one is rechargable via usb-c too.
Lol, I like how there is usually a light up for sale that meets the criteria. It’d be perfect if it was warmer and high cri.
For just a quick burst of high output from a very compact light, an FW3A or an Emisar D4V2 would be hard to top. But if you don’t mind lugging around a Q8, I have to say that I love mine.
Just use plenty of lube around the O-ring… 
you need at least 1000 lumens for sure
A fair amount of my usage is in daylight looking down into 6 inch drilled water wells and wider shallow wells. In the drilled wells I’m mostly just looking to see the the static level or the pumping level. In the shallow wells I’m looking at the wall(s) and sometimes trying to see things on the bottom through 2 or 15ft of water. A highly focused beam is best. Small and portable is important. Two that I rely on often are the GT Mini NW (Convoy C8 holster) and an Olight M2X. I also have 6 inch mirrors and do utilize what I call “the big flashlight in the sky” when it is an option.
When walking in a main, or looking down a wide shallow bore, you might wanna pick up an FW3A.
When looking down a deep and narrow hole, you want a light as throwy as they come, like an M2X.
A Convoy C8 + Osram flat white emitter is even better!
Don’t take an FW3A for looking down a deep hole. All you will see is the overexposed first yards of the wall.
What about a Jaxman Z1 or a Cometa (maybe even with Osram white flat)
The Z1 requires two batteries in series which could make the light a bit unwieldy when used with 18650/26650. You can use 26350 instead but the battery of this size is not that common to find.
one thing about FW3A, though, is, much as i like it, it will not stay at turbo levels very long
it gets hot
so if you were going to be using it for more than a minute, it gets too hot to hold
even if you are not holding it [ie it is on a string or something] it will get hot and start to reduce its own current and brightness
my impression is, under normal ambient temps, it might settle down to a 300-500 lumen level after 2-3 minutes
you do get to configure the ‘cutoff’ temperature, but if you set it too high , it might have problems - like shortened life span
{i have no idea what ‘too high’ is, or the max value is limited to prevent damage}
wle
I thought I would post an update. Using a c8+ and waiting on my astrolux fto3 xhp50.2. C8+ is doing ok.