Does anyone know the first thing about torches?

cleanbluesky said:
How many lumens?
Click to expand...
no idea - and it doesn't say on the box or the website (I've lost the manual - yes the torch came with a manual :confused: )

I thought lumens was directly related to the amount of candles anyway? So 5,000,000 candles X whatever the conversion figure is?
<Waits to be told how wrong I am>

fini
 
Treefrog said:
Not much good for a walk through the pitch black woods then?
Click to expand...
Seemingly not! To say I was a little dissapointed is indeed an understatement.

Better still, the instructions suggest the torch is not left in the 'on' position for a 'prolonged' amount of time.

Oh well, I only bought it to explore the attic anyway - at least that's the excuse I gave :)
 
To be honest I wouldn't go near the homebase torches, they are cheap tat. Yes they can light up things a mile away but their lens is useless and the build quality and battey life is not very good. LED torches have a much better battery life than say a maglite for the same brightness, They will also be a lot smaller and a bit lighter than a comparative bulb torch. The problem is you sacrifice clarity for range. Thats why the majority of good quality head torches have one LED and one halogen bulb, the LED for closeup work and the halogen for long distance.

Personally i would choose an LED torch over a bulb one. What you want to look out for is the wattage of the LED, they come in 1.25, 3 and 5 watt flavours. The higher the wattage the brighter they are but they are usually more expensive and have a shorter batter life.

Brands to choose from in my opinion would be innova and lenser, but only because i have had experience with both and know yiou cant go wrong with either.
 
Yeah, I'm a torch freek, what do you want it for, what size do you want to carry, is it flood or spill your after?

The latest one I've got is a 900 lumen custom bored out 2d Maglite running rechargeable lithium ions.
It needs an aluminium reflector to stop the plastic one melting and a custom glass lens alsto stop the stock one melting.

I've also got another custom built, 3w luxeon LED, rechargeable about 4 inches long pushing 120 Lumens.
 
6d cell maglite, got one here (and a 2AA one).

Great bit of kit, handy in case burglars come around and you need to investigate. 'Sorry officer, I only hit him across the head with my torch'. Weapon of choice for a lot of security guards etc.
 
chipperhead said:
Yeah, I'm a torch freek, what do you want it for, what size do you want to carry, is it flood or spill your after?

The latest one I've got is a 900 lumen custom bored out 2d Maglite running rechargeable lithium ions.
It needs an aluminium reflector to stop the plastic one melting and a custom glass lens alsto stop the stock one melting.

I've also got another custom built, 3w luxeon LED, rechargeable about 4 inches long pushing 120 Lumens.
Click to expand...

Nice. I am looking to use it for outdoor work at night. But something that will take knocks, waterproof etc...
 
You could also get a wind-up powered led torch. Not as powerful as others mentioned here but I find powerful enough and you don't have to worry about batteries.
 
WIBSBOT said:
You could also get a wind-up powered led torch. Not as powerful as others mentioned here but I find powerful enough and you don't have to worry about batteries.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, in this house torch is another name for 'holder for dead batteries'. What is is with kids and torches?
 
http://www.sporttek.co.uk/LED_LENSER_LAW_Enforcement_V6.html this is my torch, id whole heartedly recommend it, LED torches are the future, they are so small yet so bright and the battery's last far longer. This thing is unbreakable, Ive dropped it countless times and its still in one piece, the button is in the perfect position for the thumb to click, fits in the pocket easily and has the same light output as a mahoosive Maglite torch over 4 times the size and weight. It is expensive but worth every penny IMO, looks great as well like something you see Jack bower knocking about with :D .

Mark
 
I've got an INOVA X0 from here:

http://www.shop4tools.co.uk/acatalog/Inova_LED_Torches.html

Its a fantastic bit of kit. Can't describe how bright it is compared to my 3D maglight. I will try to get some comparison pics when its dark and show you just how bright it is. And the best thing about it is because its LED its still as bright as when I got it over a year ago because the battery seems to last so long.

However, if you want range as opposed to anythign else then you should really go for these Xmillion power jobbies. I've got a 3 million one in my boot and when we lost the dog one time it lit up all over the park :D But the battery lasts about 20 mins which is crap lol.

But if you want something thats brighter than a maglite but as small as a AA Maglite then LED is the way IMO :)
 
JohnnyG said:
I'm after some decent night vision equipment too, and a pair of old stockings & a blunt instrument.
Click to expand...
I have some that I need to get rid of fast.

I also have a sock with wet sand in, if you're interested.

Email in trust.
 
MarkyMark said:
Well keeping it on that track of torches might I reccomend a 6D maglite with the baton holder then for your blunt instrument :D :p


http://www.niton999.co.uk/new/productsexpanded.asp?query=1570

:D
Click to expand...
Order a wheel barrow at the same time to trundle it along in :D , seriously bulbs are old tech, LED's are brighter and last longer on much smaller batteries. I think surefire are probably the best but they use Lion batteries which are expensive and don't last long. Much better off with a torch that takes AAA or AA batts, you can get 2500mah ni-mh AA's that last ages for a tenner.

Mark
 
Ahaa....

Torch collector here.

5 cell maglite (Big n Chunky)

Inova X5 Tactical

Surefire E2 Executive

Madjak Police Light

Sapphire Blue LED Keylight


Heinnes do some great kit, as does niton999 and you can get some good bargains off ebay from the States.
 
Daniel Rutter is the web based authority on torches, especially LED ones, as far as I've been able to gather. His site might be worth a look, and he's also fairly amenable to people e-mailing him and asking him questions.
 
Have you used a Maglite?

I would call them long lasting. I find I can get a good 6 hours out of a big'un - if you use it properly as in use it to see which path to take then turn it off until you need it again - retains some night vision. They are also robust enough to be used for defence by security personnel. I tried it once and broke the bulb though - good thing you get a spare bulb in the tail cap ;)

The On/Off switch is perfect, you can lightly press it or click it in to place, and there are several ways to hold the torch depending on what you are doing.

Maglite-D-Cell-600.jpg


I have a 3 cell (perfect balance of power, weight and durability). Also have a 6 cell but I think anything above a 3 cell is classed as an offensive weapon? :confused:

Only concern is that the one time I dropped it the bulb broke and replacing the bulb in the dark isn't so easy. Never tried any other real torches though.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom