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I’m not sure if these lights are being engineered with a mega-lumen burst capability as a “marketing ploy”, but I do think it’s a useful feature either way.
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Of course there’s the “wow factor” but beyond that I feel 10-20 seconds of 4000lm from an EDC size pocket light could be very useful on occasion. If you find yourself outside somewhere in pitch black darkness and briefly need near-daylight illumination of your immediate surroundings, 15 seconds is actually a long time for that. It could be for personal safety, an emergency, or just peace of mind. For me I know there will be times I’ll need that, but everyone is not the same, different lifestyles = different needs.
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Now the output rating of the D4 Nichia version (with the new higher CRI emitters) has been lowered to 3000lm. So a larger spread now between the XPL-HI and the other two. I’m not sure any version of the D4 has “reasonable output” but I think any of them would satisfy in a scenario as I mentioned above. In my experience I don’t notice a huge difference between a 2500lm light and a 3800lm light, yes there is a noticeable difference, but to me its just not a really huge one.
Even though the D4 is a flooder in general, I’m thinking it may be worth the extra $18 to get the XPL-HI version if it has a little more throw than the others. It would be nice to have a bit more range, and as a bonus some extra brightness for the burst mode.
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Although I would like to know between the different versions how long they each can run on turbo before becoming too hot to hold? At 4000 + posts the TK review thread is just too long to try and quickly find specific information.
These kind of posts are interesting. Because one has no need for it one can not imagine any one else needing it…
I do a fair bit of climbing and mountaineering. Every now and then descending is done in the dark, either by abseil, walking or a bit of both. Now, if I need to locate an abseil anchor, or see where I need to walk if there are several options, there is no such thing as too much light. You say 5-10 seconds. Well, how long does it take to locate an abseil anchor in the dark? The more light you have, the quicker you will find it. More often than not, 10 seconds is plenty of time. If I can’t see it within a few seconds, I’ll keep descending with the light on lower mode and then look again. Well, why not bring a bigger light then? When doing alpine climbing/mountaineering, weight and size of the equipment carried does make a difference. I sure don’t want to bring a half kilogram light with me.
I’m also in to photography in old abandoned mines. Navigating this kind of terrain requires light. Sometimes I need short bursts of a lot of light to see where I need to go. Very rarely will I need more than a few seconds at a time for this, so why should I carry a huge light for that? In when it comes to the actual photo shoot, I need to light up what I’m shooting. Very rarely is there such a thing as too much light. The more light I have, the shorter shutter speed I can use. With about 3000 lumens I do not need a very long shutter speed.
I think of many more scenarios where you might want to see as far as you can, and (as long as you’re not a very slow thinker) see what you need to see within a few seconds… but I know from experience that posts like mine tend to get ignored so that those who want to talk trash can carry on
X3 . I agree with the both of you. Other than “check this out” factor, if/when I use turbo it is usually to spot something, or check a “what was that?” off in the distance. 10-20 seconds max usually, unless its something I very interesting.
Short bursts of 3000 lumens in abandoned mines will ruin your night vision. Then 15 seconds later you have a flashlight much dimmer than what your eyes are now adjusted for.
No offense but I think this is post-purchase rationalization.
I don’t think Mike deliberately blinds himself when abseiling or when going into a mine. Plenty of places where 3000 lumen burst is simply not enough as Mike said himself… Pretty straight forward to me.
“Post purchase rationalization?” Wirklich?
This question / topic is a highly opinionated one, and pretty much guaranteed to spark controversy, if not an ought right argument (as evidenced by some of the ensuing exchanges) Even someone who gave several very legitimate uses was accused of “frivolous purchase justification”
Few gave answer to the OP’s underlying question of “which D4 model should I get?”
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The real answer to these questions lies only in the specific needs or desires of the individual, of which can be quite diverse as evidenced by this quote:
The main word in that quote is the word “I”
Someone who is a beer drinker (not the cheap stuff) or even a “Craft Soda buff” would wholeheartedly disagree…
Different lifestyles, different vocations = different needs.
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I posted my opinion earlier but here’s another one:
I’ll buy whatever I want, if I want and when I want, sometimes just because I think it’s cool. :sunglasses:
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I also notice the OP never replied here, maybe he just wanted to sit back and read this stuff and… LOL. :laughing:
You are now telling me how my night vision is ruined when I’m underground? Please… It’s not like I’ve only been down once or twice. Here are just a few of my photos: Exploration photos with my flashlights I’ve been doing this for years and I’ve never had an issue with night vision. I don’t really need it, I have flashlights with me… How many times have you actually been exploring underground in mines or caves?
And locating abseil anchors while descending in the dark. How many times have you actually done that?
+1. It’s not like I go around shining myself in the face.
More like a case of “refuse to loose” argument from your side. Just accept that there are uses that, although useless to you, are useful to others and move on.
It’s so situational. If I had a larger property than the sliver of land I’m on short bursts would come in handy to check what’s in the yard. As it is I have no use for it other than the wow factor. My personal use for bright light is limited to sustained runs. It’s easy to see how this is not a universal use case.
My Jaxman E2L (smaller than my S2+) holds high mode a lot better. I've left it on over 5 minutes and while the flashlight does grow warm, I've yet to have it on long enough that I needed to turn it down.
When I take my dogs out into my yard at night I find myself taking my D4 with me more often than my other lights. I use it on turbo to see what they are doing while they run around and do their business, then I just ramp down to a comfortable level so I don’t blind myself pointing the light at the ground to pick up after them. There is no way that I could keep track of what 3 dogs are doing with a 500 lumen light. Before I got the D4 I used my M43 Meteor or my Nitecore TM06S, both on turbo to see what was going on. So for my situation, the turbo mode on my D4 is very useful. IMO if the OP bought a D4, I don’t think that he would be disappointed with his purchase.
I have to agree with the OP… stock lights turbo mode are for the short burst only… here is a case… if you have a big 10,000 lumen light with the great heatsink, then you can run 5000 lumen until the batery reach 3.7v…
Another case:
Modder try to achieve the highest lumen. Who care about short burst? It is about the possibility…
I will be honest… do i need 4000 lumen or more light?? No… walmart lights should do the task, but i want to have cool flashlights, high lumen, and high thrower light…
I haven’t heard anything from Dale. Terry mentioned that all lights from the group buy should be shipped on (or before) the 31st if I’m not mistaken. I suspect your light should be included as well. But then again, there might be a delay which is so common in flashlight land.
