Hello. New member here so I’m probably going to asking a question that’s been asked a 1000 times before, so let me ask for your patience beforehand. I know about some things, but flashlights arent one of them. So, your kindness in responding to me is greatly appreciated.
Background - I live in a very rural mountainous area in the US, with acerage. I need to do a perimeter search around my house before I let my dogs out in the evening, as I have encountered mountain lions, large artic Canadian wolves, and coyotes in my yard/driveway. A black bear was on my porch one night looking in my kitchen screen door. I also will need to check on livestock.
So, I’m looking for a larger, all encompassing wide floodlight (but also with “throw”) type of flashlight, as bright as possible, without really noisy fans as I have to be able to hear as well as see in my dark environment. And it must be reliable, and not have too much down time if I have to replace parts on it like a battery, etc. Therefore I’d like to stick with Acebeam, Fennix, Olight brands with excellent relieabily service after the sale in the US. Not sure of Imalent (sp?) brand, heard of some reliability issues. Also I’m cognizant of why buy a super expensive flashlight if the Turbo only lasts for a minute? Or if it gets too hot to hold very quickly? Again having good reliable engineering is very important.
This is an important piece (or 2) of equipment for me, and I would buy a spare battery, a charger, cable, extra o ring, etc…if I have to. After reading some posts here I have discerned that there is quite a split between those who advocate buying flashlights that only allow users to by nonproprietary batteries. That seems like a good consideration. However, I guess for me it depends on the flashlight in question is so good / better for me - that a proprietary battery pack and charger is ok if it is very long lasting. I could live with that if it’s necessity- but I’ll defer to others informed judgments on that.
Lastly I don’t have a doctorate in computer software technology, and I’m older, so a simpler, straightforward user interface is always better.
I will take advantage of Black Friday sales to purchase. I am not setting a budget so all options are on the table. Quality, illumination, and reliability are most important. Open to purchase 1 large and 1 medium size. Or just 1 if it would meet all my requirements.
Just to let you know I had been thinking of buying the Acebeam LX75 but after reading posts on the potential problems and durability of the high usage on the currently installed battery pack I have to re-think that, and thus that’s why I’m here writing to you all.
Anyways, sorry about the length and thank you for your time reading my question to you, and if you are able to respond I would be grateful to any advice /suggestions you can offer.
Thank you raccoon. BTW, I posted a rather lengthy question /post on which flashlightor 2 to buy but about 35 minutes ago. Can you see it? Just wondering. I didn’t see a “post” button after I wrote it. Also, is it in the appropriate section? I think I selected general led info.
Floody negates throw, because a washed-out foreground right in front of you will blind you to what the throwy part of the beam is lighting up way downstream. That’s why in your car, flicking on the brights automatically kills the lowbeams and fogs.
If you just want brute-force bright, well, that’s something else.
Also, a potential budget would be helpful. There are some flood/throw lights, with both selectable in one light, but they tend towards the more expensive.
If it’s not raining, I’d take a Convoy Z1 out personally. Simultaneously one of my most floody and throwy lights, for $30. The only zoomable light anyone on this thread will allow me to recommend lol. I have dual channel lights that do the same thing but they can’t beat the user interface of “twist to zoom”.
SFT40 for max lumens, 519A for best lumens/CCT selection. Get the 12 group option, you’d have to configure it to the mode group you want when you get it and then you never need to configure again.
I read that there were flashlights that had both the capability of floodlight and spotlight. The farther I can “reach out” both to the front and to the side seems like it would cause predators to scatter and /give me as much time to react as possible, if needed. I also thought a neutral white light might help me pick up more detail but not sure about that. I think a far reaching landscape picture would be more beneficial than strictly a narrow beam. The better to look and see if Predators are around is what I’m after, and have the light scare them away if possible.
I’m not setting a budget but a Wuben (sp?) A1 at $700 is too expensive.
Unno, if Predators are around, I doubt anyone would see them with or without a light.
If a zommie is out of the question due to no spill, then a narrow-beam TIR lens should be better. Minimal but still some hint of spill. Retroreflective eyes might still light up if somewhat off-beam.
I don’t need super-long distance spotting, but I was comparing my Cat Mini (incredibly tight beam) vs my IF22A (wider but brighter beam), and the '22A beat the Cat Mini simply because it had more oomf.
You can get a LEP like a Welltool… think it’s an A1? Or is that whar you meant by “Wuben”? There are others that are way cheaper by now. I think The Flasholic reviewed it a coupla years ago, didn’t think that was 700bux, but…
Lotta hunting lights have reflectors but still pretty tight beams. I got some Anekims that are pretty nice, and come with things to use 'em as WMLs, like remote switches, Picadilly mounts, etc.
In general, neutral is better than warm but either cool white or green are the best at spotting things at a distance.
Noctigon DM1.12? Depending on how much throw you need, get the W1 for maximum throw or SFT40 for a bit more brightness, then SST20 in the flood channel.
Almost rec’d this, imo this only cleanly beats the convoy Z1 in waterproofing (and Anduril/RGB/general coolness). Throwier throw, floodier flood out of the Z1.
Either are good options, my heart wishes the DM1.12 was superior in optical performance but it isn’t lol. It’s still really good though, and the waterproofing may be important enough for it to be the best choice.
Maybe get both lol, still under $200 with batteries
The DM1.12 has the same optics and driver as the DM11 for the throw channel, while the Z1’s optics are way less efficient, it is available with the W2.1 rather than just the W1, Simon quotes 162kcd but Simon’s specs are always theoretical maximums and not in any way real-world, while the DM1.12 will get 150kcd with W1.
In terms of flood, there is an even bigger difference, as that’s the less efficient mode on the Z1 so you get ~1500lm with a loss of 50%+ while the DM1.12 has 12 SST20 on FET which is going to be way better - they are probably closer in throw but the DM1.12 will absolutely blow the Z1 out of the water on flood; the beam width up close against a wall will be similar but the DM1.12’s is brighter, so will actually provide more illumination outdoors.
Also, the DM1.12 is available with SBT90 in the throw channel if you want high lumen throw, with the Z1 you’re limited to XHP50.3 as the brightest option which also throws less far.
I don’t have a Z1, but I feel like if people are assuming it’s better than the DM1.12 I need to get one and do a comparison
Lol, idk I’ve got a ton of Hank lights including the DM1.12 (SFT40, 519A) and the Z1 leaves the house with me more often than most despite my affection for Anduril
Throwiness will obviously depend on the LED, I’ve got 519A in mine so it has less raw lumens but the focus does appear better. If a throw oriented chip was used (SFT40, W1, etc), I would expect better throw from it (only based on my experiences with those emitters in other similar optics and their performance).
Floodiness, again it’s a raw lumens thing but instead of chip 1 vs chip 2, this time it’s 1 chip vs 12 chip lol. The optics are definitely floodier.
Forgive the crappy pics, had to be quick but figured they’d be nice to see
Flood (single channel)
The Z1 loses in waterproofing and general mechanical stability, but I don’t really find myself in situations where those are all that critical. Raw lumens is a relevant topic but I’m rarely using my DM1.12 maxed anyways. And yes, Anduril But yeah I mean they’re $30 lol, how could you go wrong
Edit: I have considered putting a ring of diffusion film on the DM1.12 flood channel to flood it out more, but have not done so yet
Looks like the DM1.12 definitely has more output, you’re just comparing a TIR vs an aspheric; TIRs never have a sharp cutoff. I’m betting that outdoors, maybe the Z1 is broader at your feet, but at more than a few metres range it’s just going to fade out.
Also, the DM1.12 hotspot there looks a lot more intense to me. Being a larger/smaller hotspot doesn’t automatically mean more candela either as the actual beam profile matters more (e.g. LEP zoomies like the M1 or SK01S where when in flood mode, the beam crosses over at an ultra-tight focal point usually less than a metre in front of the light), one of the highest candela lights I own has a larger hotspot than either of those.
Definitely the Z1 isn’t bad, a lot of people like the physical control of a zoomie, but I seriously doubt it outperforms a DM1.12 overall.
Yeah as I mentioned it’s a raw lumens thing, the optical focus is definitely tighter on the Z1 throw channel and definitely wider on the Z1 flood channel, but the chip i have in my Z1 (519A) can’t touch the chip I have in my throw channel DM1.12 (SFT40) or the qty on the flood channel (12pcs 519A).
I would wager an SFT40 Z1 would out perform on throw though
Nope, I cannot see your previous post.
This thread is in an appropriate section, but it’s not a “review.”
You might want to un-tag this thread as a review.
I’d argue for the B35A over the 519A in Convoy lights offering both with very few exceptions. As a 6-volt LED, the B35A forces the use of a boost driver, which has considerable efficiency advantages over Convoy’s usual linear driver, especially in a low-forward-voltage LED like the 519A.
It would help if you gave us some numerical idea of the distances involved, specially for throw. Is it like half a mile out, a quarter, or something else?
Keep in mind that much further than a third-of-a-mile or so and you will have a hard time distinguishing details, specially when looking for predators as they tend to stay low to the ground and generally make themselves as incompiscuous as possible while prowling.
But yeah I mean they’re $30 lol, how could you go wrong