When a tactical flashlight is too strong

**Jacko** · 07-03-2016, 13:00

I was privileged enough to do a fighting in and around buildings & low light course this weekend with Mark Human and Dean Niewoudt.

One thing is clear: My Klarus XT2C is, at 590 lumens, way too strong.

During many of the exercises around bare cement building block structures (not even white painted walls), the reflected light off my own flashlight would actually blind me for a second or two.

I guess it's time to dig out my Streamlight TL2 (120 lumens). The problem being that the latter isn't that good outside, so one ends up with two different flashlights if you don't settle for a do-it-all light of, say, 200 (or thereabouts) lumen flashlight.

**BigT** · 07-03-2016, 13:09

Lumens are like horsepower, too much is just enough.

You can dazzle yourself with a lower lumen light and then struggle to see more because your light doesn't have the go to allow you to see through it.

**nkosi** · 07-03-2016, 13:17

Hi Jacko

Interesting...It is something I have been thinking about for a while. Is it the brightness, or the blueish white colour of the light ? I think that Paul once posted something to the effect that he thought that maybe the yellow light given off by the older globes was better than the white light of the LEDs for spotting stuff in the bush in some situations.

A few weeks ago a buddy and I were spotlighting for some problem feral animals. It is the first time that I have used the modern LED lights in a hunting situation, and I noticed that when we shone the light on anything closer than 10 - 15m (rough guess, I would need to measure it) the glare from light coloured tree trunks and dry grass reflected back at my eyes was enough to disturb my vision temporarily. I also noticed that it really washed out any objects close up.

I am now wondering whether or not halogen globes are better in some situations?

**Kayback** · 07-03-2016, 13:20

I have a Streamlight PT2L which pumps out around 150 lumens and I have 2 Klarus (Klarii?) Which produce "900" and "750". I much prefer my Klarii.

Even if the glare is a dazzle issue I find the room illuminatig brightness of the brighter lights better than the barely illuminating Streamlight.

One of my older house lights is a Surefire 9P body with a TNVC turbo head which produces 750 lumens it is too big to carry. I like the fact modern lights of the same output are more compact.

**nkosi** · 07-03-2016, 13:27

Ok, just tested my cheapie 190 lumen LED light on a white wall - not enough reflected glare at 3m to bother me. But, is it really 190 lumens and, as per BigT's post above, it is not really bright enough at 20m to see well through the lower parts of bushes and shrubs.

I need to do some testing with my friend's light from a few weeks back and try mine again with fresh batteries.

**Jacko** · 07-03-2016, 13:31

Yes of course, nkosi. Dean actually said that he prefers incandecent (or halogen) bulbs to LEDs for indoor work, for exactly that reason.

It was an eye-opener (if you will excuse the pun) to see the difference between the flashlights of the various course goers and how some of us had just too much light.

Bear in mind that this applies to indoor applications and where you are continiously on/off the switch when moving tactically. If you are part of an assault force then throwing a lot of light at your adversaries might be different. Although it would still trouble you in a white-walled environment.

I now understand the raison d'etre of the relatively weak (just over 300 lumens) Surefire Polytac, etc out there.

**Toxxyc** · 07-03-2016, 13:33

This is why I like adjustable lights. I store mine at 180 Lumens (more than enough to work around the house at night), but it has 960 Lumens on tap should I need it.

**Skaaphaas** · 07-03-2016, 13:47

You do get LED lights with warmer tints, but they are generally less popular as they don't "seem" as bright as cool white, even though you can see the same (or more due to better colour rendition) with the warmer tint.

I have recently ordered a Nitecore MH20 with a Neutral White LED for just this reason, being "softer" on the eye, but it is by no means a tactical torch.

You get LEDs that replicate incandescent lights in their tints.

In a tactical light, however, I am quite happy with cool white, even if it has an angry green tinge to it like my Malkoff M61 has.

**nkosi** · 07-03-2016, 14:11

Hi Skaaphaas

Thanks, I did not realise that the LED itself could emit different colours of light, I thought that you had to use a coloured filter lens of some sort.

You learn something new everyday.

**Brendank** · 07-03-2016, 14:14

Originally Posted by BigT

Lumens are like horsepower, too much is just enough.

You can dazzle yourself with a lower lumen light and then struggle to see more because your light doesn't have the go to allow you to see through it.

I'm of the same belief. Too much is never enough when it comes to lumens, esp for an SD torch.