One thing every off-grid homestead really ought to have is a good bright spotlight. Like the shotgun behind the door it’s not something you’ll need every day but when you need it you need it right now and in perfect operating condition.
For about five years I’ve been using this big clunky Coleman…
…and I’ve been hating it for about that long. It’s heavy, awkward, impossible to lock on without two hands, and only just barely bright enough to meet its need.
Night before last when that loose flashing got me out of bed, I learned that the battery is failing. Not a big surprise, Former Neighbor J had one just like it that didn’t last more than a year. And really it’s not even bad news, because I’ve wanted an excuse to replace it for a long time.
But having come to that place, I don’t know what to replace it with. I’m looking at something like this, but it’s pretty expensive and with only four reviews all of which look like paid advertisements, I’m skittish.
Or I can go old school, but that’s the same design I hated in the Coleman.
Anybody have one you like and would recommend?
At the word “tactical” in any advertisement, I tend to roll my eyes.
Another cautionary keyword is “CREE”. CREE is probably the best and most reliable maker of LED assemblies. Almost every Chinese seller of LED lights promises CREE innards, most don’t deliver. Realistically, there is no way to know.
Here’s another suggestion: Thrunite tn35. Here is a you-tube demonstration of it which looks pretty impressive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZNjs–WGls
That big Coleman has emblazoned right on the side of it “530 Lumens”.
With an incandescent halogen bulb and reflector, that would be a light with reasonable beam spread, and “lumens” are measured at a point. But I still wonder if something like a generic CREE T6 light that runs on a lithium rechargeable or AAA alkalines might be just as bright or brighter in practice, EG:
http://www.amazon.com/Expedition-Handheld-Flashlight-Battery-Rechargeable/dp/B010DHZ78Y
I put an LED replacement bulb in my 3D Maglight that I carry in the car. It is no-where near as bright as modern LED flashlights, but there is something about carrying that thing that presses my “I can deal with this problem” buttons in a way that a tiny penlight cannot.
I have the fatmax light and have no problem seeing a yote at 300 yards with it , eyes out to 5 or 600 . I have had it about a year now and the battery seems to be holding up good though it gets more setting time than using time , and i am careful to unplug it as soon as the charge light turns green . They make two of them that look almost alike but differ in power . Be sure you get the bright one if you go that route .
🙂 Can’t argue with that. There’s a reason cops liked them, and it wasn’t their brightness. But I also put an LED in a Maglight (2D) and you know, for light output it still can’t compete with this BLF LED flashlight that somebody gave me a few months ago. I think time has passed the Maglights by.
The little BLF serves for most things, but sometimes you still find yourself needing a big-ass spotlight to deal with some problem in the middle of the night.
Joel, if the $75 for that bug-eye thing isn’t terribly off-putting, you might look at the YUUUUUUUUUGE number of good, aluminum-body flashlights available, in the 700-1000 lumen range. Maybe you end up finding a better price at Amazon, but a good place to shop is Battery Junction. Click on the “flashlights” drop-down, then view all, then filter by lumens and price. You’ll find lots of choices. Some of them have USB charge plugins right on the flashlight. You’ll get more light than that Coleman, in a smaller package, and a known brand name. Fenix, Nightcore, Jetbeam, Klarus, Streamlight … any of these would be a good choice.
For example, I have a Klarus XT-11, which is a really nice light – the XT-12 is the version with the recharge built-in to the light.
I assume for your situation, you’d prefer to somehow charge direct from your solar system, and I don’t know if there’s anything in a package, of the shelf, to do that, without using the inverter. Except the USB charging dealies will maybe charge from your computer – just be very careful about the current draw, because the USB port is limited to 500mA, and you can damage your ‘pooter.
I too had one of those huge & heavy incandescent hand helds; when it died I sprung for a Fenix 2aa light cannon. Bright, a bit smallish on the beam size, but small enough to be used while gripping a pistol. I’m now trying a Duracell 1300, around $20 from Costco (a little more @ Amazon). Adjustable beam, so it can be widened to ‘flood’ if that’s what’s needed. 4 ‘C’ cells, so it should last awhile. Hefty enough to be used to club baby seals if the need arises.
And, revisiting your BLF – that’s purportedly 1600 lumens. What features are you looking for in a spotlight / searchlight that isn’t supplied by the BLF, or a 2nd good flashlight?
Jed – in looking at lumens, remember that they are measured at a point. A modern LED flashlight advertising 1600 lumens will measure that with the beam focussed as narrowly as it goes. Once you start spreading that beam out to identify the location of “what’s that out there in the dark” it is quite likely that the old-fashioned halogen spot that promises 500+ lumens over a fairly wide beam (with gradual falloff at the edges instead of a sharp cutoff) is actually perceptually brighter for all practical porpoises.
We picked up a couple of those 1300 lumen lights from Costco. They are great, easy to focus with the pull to focus feature. They come on to full power with the first push of the button. They warn you that the batteries are only good for two hours at full power but a second push of the button puts you down to a strong light with 30 hours of battery life.
@Douglas2: Point taken, which is why I’m asking what the functional requirements are. Joel is describing that Coleman as a ‘spotlight’, which implies a narrow beam to me. Whereas the 4-eyed thing appears to be more of a floodlight pattern. I admit, I’m biased against no-name flashlights. The Nitecore MT26 claims, “supplies the user with a unique integration of a flood beam and a hotspot, resulting in discerning objects or people in both specific locations, and in peripheral areas, no matter where you are”. And it uses the 18650 – same as Joel already is using in the BLF, so that seems a plus.
Some of the new small tactical flashlights put out an amazing amount of light. Had a six D cell Bill Boatman flashlight that put a Mag Lite to shame back in the 80’s, but no way could it compete with the new LED flashlights. Have a 3 D cell Loews flashlight that puts out 300 lumens or something like that – looks like an aircraft light, a lot of light for less than $20.
Jed, it’s possible my poor choice of words is causing confusion. The Coleman has a very strong central spot but it’s not just a spotlight, the total beam is extremely wide.
I like that BLF because it’s handy, but I rarely use it on full power. The beam is rather narrow, lasts only minutes on high power, and gets the whole unit uncomfortably hot in less time than that. On lower settings it’s comfortable and handy. Give the Coleman its due, it’s heavy and clunky and unergonomic but it throws a very great deal of light and is useful for when I really need to know what’s out there.
What comes to mind is that the BLF is for when things are normal; I use it several times on a typical day for typical things. The big spotlight is for when things are going wrong.
Might not be the best option for your budget, but this guy
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Xenon-Hi-Beam-Spotlight-Tool-Only-P716/202486523
is pretty frickin sweet.
replacable batteries, 3800 lumens, one hand lock, and a standard design. The fact that that company also has dedicated that they arent changing their battery design as long as they are making 18v stuff is pretty sweet too.
charger and battery
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Battery-and-IntelliPort-Charger-Upgrade-Kit-P128/203466924
Mind you its for the light alone, you’d still need a charger and a battery, but a drill, saw, or any other item usually comes bundled with those…
Oh, they also make a 12v charger for those who live off grid
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-In-Vehicle-Charger-P131/100342149
Just to clarify the lumens are not measured at a point, lumens are a measure of the total light output. Candela is how bright a single spot is, Throw is based on Candela and it is the distance that the surface the light hits is light up about as bright as moonlight.
If the light doesn’t spec the lumens and throw to ANSI-FL1 they are likely lying.
Joel, as compared to the BLF A6 do you want more lumens, or more throw, or more of both? I might have something that will work for you, and I can make a less confusing user interface than the A6.
Joat, I’ve never really paid attention to the subject so the terminology is unfamiliar. I suppose the honest answer is more of both but particularly lumens.
Again, as I classify them a good flashlight is something small and light enough to carry without making a nuisance of itself. A spotlight is something really powerful where size and weight are less a consideration because I’d normally never consider carrying it around. The Coleman, for example, spends its life hanging from a wall. I dust it and charge it now and then, and grab it off the hook when things go bump in the night.
Though I sometimes curse the Coleman, I have no pocketable flashlight that can light up the yard and beyond as well as it can. I’m looking for a light that’s as bright as or brighter than the Coleman while also being lighter and at least marginally less clunky.
An acquaintance makes these LED Searchlights in Tiawan. I was there when he went through my friend’s safe trying pistol grips to model this light’s grip on.
What is the model number of that Coleman? I’d like to look up the specs see if I have anything I can send that is smaller and out throws it.
Joat, hard to say for sure but I think it’s 0311-00218. Does that mean anything? There’s another number but I think it’s the patent.
Is this the Coleman you have? http://www.coleman.com/product/led-rechargeable-spotlight/4351-700
Look like it, yeah.
I carry one of these at work, at home and in the woods.
http://www.uwkinetics.com/products/uk4aa-eled-cpo-front-switch#.Vv1-Po1IgeE
Slim so I can hold it in my mouth if I want. Water proof to 10ft so I can use it in the rain or drop it in a creek. Shock resistant so if I drop it on the ground it will not break.
Bright enough that I have actually used it as a spotlight.
For a small (in size) flashlight I really like my Zebra Light, it runs on one AA battery. I use either a Eneloop rechargeable or any decent alkaline. At full strength, 200+ lumen either battery will last about a half a hour, 100 lumen about two hours and I do not know how long it lasts on low power.
Although now I am looking at 900 lumen headlamps with 18650 rechargeable’s.
My question about the Ryobi would be how long the bulb life is. One commenter stated, “The 35 watt HID Xenon lamp can not be replaced. It even says so in the instructions.” A web search did turn up replacement bulbs – 4/$10. Couldn’t find any beamshots for it, but there is a YouTube review – skip to 5:00 for the outdoor/night shots.
Joel, your description of the beam is what I’d expect from that. Lots of spill giving a flood “halo” around the center spot. That’s very typical. The Coleman website claims 1,387 ft. “beam distance”. But that’s for a slightly different light. That’s a 555 lumen light. But if you assume the reflector and lens are the same, then it’s not much different from yours.
Nightcore claims 190m of throw, which is 632 ft, for the MT26, but I suspect it has better illumination in the flood than the Coleman. Nightcore MT26 Outdoor test at 6:45. My reasoning is that, with higher lumens, the shorter throw means more photons spilling out from the center beam. In fact, in that video, I didn’t notice a hot spot in the center. Here’s a more useful video.
I’m not trying to sell you on the MT26 exactly, it just seems like a good choice. Or, an example of one option. I suspect a lot of the “flood” lights you’ll find will be specifcally that, i.e. they’re intended for area illumination, and so they won’t have the “reach out there” capability. But, if you want to light up the yard, then maybe that’s exactly what you want.
But if I wanted to light up the yard, I might think about flood lamps mounted on the outside walls. Amazon lists a buttload of 12V flood lamps. Hey, flip the switch inside, and light up the yard before having to venture out. There’s some value in that, no?
(Then, get a better flashlight for penetrating the darkness out a ways from the lair. 🙂 )
@jed
True about the bulb, its an HID, so as i understand it not really something you want to replace yourrself. I’m no light pro, but as I understand it would be covered under the three year warranty.
Joel, I have one of these from tractor supply, 3 D cell Cree 650 lumens…. VERY bright! I dont like the switch location (hard to find in the dark) but the darn thing is so bright, it is worth that little quirk…. Using regular batteries is a plus too… here is the link: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/jobsmart-camo-flashlight-650-lumen?cm_vc=-10005