Episode 6: Lumens, tactical flashlights and what you need to know

Transcript: In this episode of Flashlights and Stuff I’m going to
try and answer some common questions that get asked all of the
time. Why does one flashlight appear brighter than another, yet
they both have the same lumens rating? Do I need a flashlight
rated at more than 1000 lumens? Why doesn’t a 4000 lumens
flashlight appear 4 times as bright as a 1000 lumens flashlight?
Ready? Let’s get going…


So what are lumens? Essentially, lumens are a measure of
brightness. Flashlights have lumens ratings to give you an
indication of how much perceived brightness you can expect. But,
if you buy tactical flashlights based solely on lumens ratings
you’ll be disappointed.


There are a number of factors that affect the perceived
brightness of a flashlight. Lumens rating can be a starting
point, but there are a bunch of other factors to consider as
well. Let’s start with the reflector.


Is it smooth? Is it orange peel? Is it narrow and deep? Is it
wide? The reflector helps determine light dispersement which
affects the perceived brightness of the flashlight.


Typically, narrow, smooth reflectors produce more throw. So a
narrow, pronounced beam APPEARS brighter. Just remember that
flashlights deemed as “throwers” typically have a ton of light
fall off on the sides. So if you want even lighting throughout
your field of vision this isn’t the type of flashlight you want.


If the flashlight has an orange peel reflector, you will
typically get more flood than throw. By design the orange peel
reflector disperses light in a border pattern. Typically, this
flashlight reflector design will produce more even lighting
across your entire field of view. So if that’s the type of
lighting you’d like your flashlight to produce, this is a type of
reflector design to consider.


Obviously, the width and depth of the reflector make a difference
as well. Generally, a shallow reflector distributes light in a
border pattern while a deeper reflector concentrates light more
effectively.


Let’s move on to the LED. Most tactical flashlights use some
model of a CREE LED. Like any technology, LEDs models change over
time to use power more efficiently, yield greater brightness,
etc. etc. The bottom line is the LED version your flashlight uses
does affect perceived brightness.


Take the Nitecore P12 and the Nitecore P12GT. I own both
flashlights. They are mid-size everyday carry flashlights and
rated at 1000 lumens. Both flashlights use the same reflector,
same power source, are the same size and have the same features.
Even though both are 1000 lumens rated, the Nitecore P12GT is
noticeably brighter than the Nitecore P12. Why? The difference is
in the LED that they use. The P12 uses a CREE XM-L2 U2 led. The
P12 GT uses a newer CREE XP-L HI V3 led. The CREE XP-L HI V3 led
produces more light intensity. So in this case simply swapping in
a newer technology LED makes one 1000 lumens rated flashlight
appear brighter than another 1000 lumens rated flashlight. Both
identical in every way EXCEPT for the LED.


Since we are on the topic of LEDs don’t forget LED tints and
colors can affect your perception of brightness as well. Warmer
LED tints, the ones that lean a bit more toward orangey red, have
a tendency to soften the light thus making it feel less bright to
your eyes. Pure white tints will make the flashlight appear to be
brighter. Just remember, the whiter the tint the harsher it is on
your eyes for viewing. So LED tint and color selection can get a
bit snobbish, but as you purchase more flashlights you may lean
toward a preference.


In fact, the quest for the perfect flashlight for you - lumens
output, LED type, LED color etc. may take you into the world of
flashlight “modding.” Flashlight modification - swapping to
emitters, LEDs etc. is a whole other episode, but is a reminder
just how serious people can take their flashlights.


Another thing to remember about lumens is that a 4000 lumens
flashlight won’t appear four times as bright as a 1000 lumens
flashlight. So this shifts us into the topic of just how many
lumens do you need in a flashlight? I have flashlights with
lumens ratings as low as max 300 to max 4000 lumens. I will say
that my most used flashlights range from 650 lumens to 2000
lumens. Personally, for just about any lighting task I find this
range to be useful. The 2000 lumens flashlight that I really like
is a total thrower… narrow beam, super intense and truthfully not
really useful for anything but non-lethal self-defense. It’s a
Klarus XT11GT. I have it set up in tactical mode so it turns on
in turbo mode or strobe mode via the dual tactical tail switch at
the full 2000 lumens of output.


If you are buying your first tactical flashlight, there are three
I’d highly recommend. Two are a bit more budget friendly and one
is a bit on the expensive side. Let’s start off with the budget
friendly ones.


Here is the flashlight I always recommend IF a person has never
had a decent quality flashlight. It’s the Nitecore P12GT. It’s
got 1000 lumens of output and as I mentioned earlier, extremely
bright. It uses a dual tactical tail switch as well, another
feature I prefer in my flashlights.


Another excellent flashlight with a great reputation is the Fenix
PD35. Like the P12GT, it’s a mid-size EDC flashlight with 1000
lumens of output. It’s just a great all around flashlight and
Fenix just makes good flashlights. All of my Fenix flashlights
have continued to work well over time.


Lastly, I’d highly recommend the Surefire E2D Defender at 1000
lumens. Yes, it’s a bit more spendy, BUT you get excellent build
quality in a made in the USA flashlight.


So to wrap things up… here are the fine points to take away with
you when it comes to understanding lumens:




The lumens rating is good to help you understand what the
general brightness of the flashlight will be




Know the reflector design so you understand if the flashlight
will have more flood than throw or vice versa





LED design makes a difference so make sure you are buying a
recent model utilizing the latest LED technologies and
capabilities





Be aware of the LED color or tint. Pure white LEDs will
appear to be the brightest
 The noticeable difference in
brightness between a 1000 lumens flashlight and a 3000 lumens
flashlight won’t be as much as you’d expect.




Lastly, be wary of cheap flashlights and their lumens output
claims. No, you can’t get a flashlight with 5000 lumens of output
for $19.95.


So that just about wraps it up for my discussion of lumens. I
hope this has helped demystify this topic. If you go to the
website flashlightsansstuff.com I’ll have this up as a blog post
with a bunch of beam shots from various flashlights. You’ll be
able to see how different flashlight designs and LEDs affect the
flood and throw of a flashlight. Until next week, stay healthy
and safe and don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast. Thanks
for listening.


Visit the website: flashlightsandstuff.com