Flashlight Testing
BY Herschel Smith
2 months ago
This is a good set of tests and an interesting channel. I guess one takeaway might be to stick with SureFire and Streamlight (although I have never seen either company field lights that claimed 5000 lumens). I wonder who needs a 5000 lumen flashlight anyway.
Then this is also a good video, but frankly I can’t locate a Maglite 623 with these specifications. I’m guessing it’s a modified version.
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On September 5, 2024 at 6:50 am, Frank Nobody said:
There’s a whole flashlight modifying community, though it’s probably no longer focused on the Mag lites, as the new ones are LED and don’t have the same parts inside.
“Roar of the Pelican” is a 2-D Mag with just a bulb change, new 6-AA battery pack, and maybe a new metal reflector. 600 lumens, but twenty something years ago. That was bright for the time.
I built an 8000 lumen monster, using a 4-D Mag body, 16 2/3A batteries, a 14.4 V projector bulb overdriven to 19V, voltage regulator circuit, and so forth. It would only run for 3 minutes before the batteries were dead and it was too hot to hold anyway (250W). But it would light up six acres of field, easily. Brighter than a pair of car headlights.
Fun, but that one was pointless. And dangerous, frankly.
candlepowerforums.com is where it happens.
A solution looking for a problem that a lot of folks have yet to see is the Laser Excited Phospor (LEP) lights. They throw a white beam, around 500 lumens, but inches wide, expanding to 6′ or so at 1000 yards. Pocket searchlight, but useless closer than 100 yards. You can see the spot on a tree in broad daylight though. Fragile, and again, a solution looking for a problem. But interesting.
Flashlights are fun.
On September 7, 2024 at 4:38 pm, Frankly said:
Malkoff devices – made in USA lights
Arisaka – made in USA weapon light mounts/bodies/tailcaps – use Malkoff heads
Agree with mr Frank Nobody – candlepower forums is a great resource