LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
03-24-2007 | 12:12 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Apr 2004
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LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
LIGHTS FOR HUNTING[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
This post will try to show how different lights used for hunting compare with each other, and will clarify the difference between the lumen ratings used in Luxeon (LED) lights and incandescent lights.[/b]
In short, I will show (through pictures) how Luxeons lack definition when used at increased distances.[/b]
[/b]
I have maintained for a long time that LED Luxeons don’t have the range over the incandescent to really be helpful for general hunting. They are excellent lights to use inside the house; their beams are very clean, white and with substantial flood, and in the average house, that is all you need. However, when taken outside to the backyard, woods, or large structure and the distance to the target is 25 yards or more, they lack definition (as they lack the red spectrum of light), and their poor penetration of fog or rain makes them inefficient to clearly identify what you are seeing at that distance.[/b]
Moreover, when the subject being illuminated is an animal with a light-drinking fur (depth of texture), the blending effect of the LED’s (against the background) will cause the observer to lose perspective.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
LOW LIGHT FOR WALKING IN THE WOODS[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
Hunters that have used the Fenix LOP (1 AAA) consider this light ideal (except for the lack of a clip). Another favorite is the ARC AAA. These lights can be held in the mouth without any discomfort.[/b]
[/b]
Fenix has put out a bigger light (1 AA) with two stages output, and the lower output will be also ideal for projecting a soft LED beam that will aid in walking the woods in the pre-dawn blackness when going toward your stand, (perhaps following a trail of cat-eyes) at this time, it is necessary not to pollute the area with more light than what is absolutely needed.[/b]
Some hunters that know the terrain well, prefer to use a red filter over the light, as is well known that deer and others animals cannot see red light.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
THE BELT LIGHT[/b]
[/b]
Those same hunters want to have a good light on their belt. Some prefer the two cell 123’s lights like the Surefire 6P, G2, or C-2 for their better flood beam over the more tightly focused Streamlight Scorpion, TL-2 and Night Fighter II.[/b]
They look for a run time of one hour and an output of 65 lumens.[/b]
Some opt for more intense lights like the Surefire 9P or the C-3 with their 105 lumens and one hour run time.[/b]
The Streamlight TL-3 is a little too tightly focused for a belt light but it will do fine at the longer distances were the bigger lights shine.[/b]
In LED form (Luxeon V), the Surefire L-4 is a good contender due to the excellent flood light that it puts out at medium range, however it lacks the throw needed for more distance illumination.[/b]
[/b]
The main thing is that the hunters want to avoid losing precious seconds by panning a light when in the woods. That is why the Surefires are preferred over the tightly focused others brands, because they have special reflectors that diffuse the light into a bigger flood pattern.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
THE CAR LIGHT[/b]
[/b]
Some hunters wear a light holder in their belt (a plastic and leather ring). On exiting their cars, they slip in the ring one of the powerful rechargeable lights, most commonly the Magcharger (200 lumens) or the Ultra Stinger (295 lumens) and some even a Borealis 1050 lumens mega light.[/b]
[/b]
Those are ideal lights for search for wounded game, search and rescue of lost partner, signaling at long distances and using them as spotlights after the hunt. Being rechargeable, they are always used with a maximum run time (taken out of the charger at start of the day, a thing that you can not do with 123 batteries unless you are willing to dump half-used batteries at the start of every day of hunting.[/b]
[/b]
Their large diameter (2 inches) reflectors put more light at a longer distance than any of the belt lights. Even though some of the belt lights approach 200 lumens, they do it with reduced run time and much reduced throw, due to their small diameter reflectors.[/b]
A Magcharger will put a spot of light at 150 yards, as will the Ultra Stinger and a Borealis has the capability of illuminating the whole road for 250 yards.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
Lets start with the popular Surefire G-2 (or 6 P) at 65 lumens, the target is the 8 by 12 tool shed at 30 yards.[/b]
We are going to pit the Surefire G-2 65 lumens $35.00 against the Surefire Digital Lumamax L-4 (also 65 lumens and with a price tag of $160.00).[/b]
[/b]
Surefire G-2 65 lumens[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
Surefire L-4 Luxeon V, LED, 65 lumens[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
And now we are going to pit the Surefire 6 P with the P-61 120 lumen lamp (20 minutes run time) against the best Luxeon LED thrower that I have (similar to the cree LED).[/b]
This is a Mc Gizmo PR T head with a TWOJ bin Luxeon doing 120 plus lumens.[/b]
[/b]
Surefire Centurion C-2 (same as the 6P) with the P-61 lamp, 120 lumens.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
And the PR T with TWOJ bin Luxeon, (LED) @ 120 lumens[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
And now we are going to show a belt light of 200 lumens (The Surefire Centurion III with the P-91 lamp, 200 lumens, 20 minutes run) and three cars' lights of 200 lumens plus and beyond.[/b]
[/b]
Surefire Centurion C-III, 200 lumens P-91 lamp.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
And here the Magcharger also 200 lumens, with its bigger reflector and tighter focus will throw the light at 150 yards, while the Centurion III range will stop at 45 or 50 yards.[/b]
[/b]
Magcharger 200 lumens (40,000 candlepowers)[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
And here is the Ultra Stinger, the most powerful of the rechargeable from Streamlight with 295 lumens and 75,000 candlepower.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
And now the BOREALIS, the light that has the format of a 3 D (12 1/2 inches long) outputting 1050 lumens for 50 minutes.[/b]
This is similar to a two million candlepower spotlight[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
And even that they have been there all along throughout the shootout of the lights, you can see them for the first time. My assistant is at the left of the tool shed, leaning on the second tree, and the Bear's head is hanging from the tree to the right of the shed.[/b]
[/b]
As I have over 200 lights that I have used at one time or another in my hunting expeditions, I am well familiarized with distinct situations that call for different lights and method of using them.[/b]
I have encountered a new one lately, that calls for following a wounded wild boar at night with a powerful pistol like the S&W 500 or a 454 Casull and also a powerful light in the order of a Surefire M-6 (500 lumens) or a Borealis 1050 lumens.[/b]
For myself, I cannot think of another pursuit that could be more dangerous to life and limb, although I have a lot of respect for the young athletes that have tried it, I consider it too “Extreme” for my good health.[/b]
[/b]
Hope I can do some more talking to the members about my second hobby after knife collecting, which is of course hunting at night and light usage.[/b]
[/b]
Respectfully[/b]
white bear[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
This post will try to show how different lights used for hunting compare with each other, and will clarify the difference between the lumen ratings used in Luxeon (LED) lights and incandescent lights.[/b]
In short, I will show (through pictures) how Luxeons lack definition when used at increased distances.[/b]
[/b]
I have maintained for a long time that LED Luxeons don’t have the range over the incandescent to really be helpful for general hunting. They are excellent lights to use inside the house; their beams are very clean, white and with substantial flood, and in the average house, that is all you need. However, when taken outside to the backyard, woods, or large structure and the distance to the target is 25 yards or more, they lack definition (as they lack the red spectrum of light), and their poor penetration of fog or rain makes them inefficient to clearly identify what you are seeing at that distance.[/b]
Moreover, when the subject being illuminated is an animal with a light-drinking fur (depth of texture), the blending effect of the LED’s (against the background) will cause the observer to lose perspective.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
LOW LIGHT FOR WALKING IN THE WOODS[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
Hunters that have used the Fenix LOP (1 AAA) consider this light ideal (except for the lack of a clip). Another favorite is the ARC AAA. These lights can be held in the mouth without any discomfort.[/b]
[/b]
Fenix has put out a bigger light (1 AA) with two stages output, and the lower output will be also ideal for projecting a soft LED beam that will aid in walking the woods in the pre-dawn blackness when going toward your stand, (perhaps following a trail of cat-eyes) at this time, it is necessary not to pollute the area with more light than what is absolutely needed.[/b]
Some hunters that know the terrain well, prefer to use a red filter over the light, as is well known that deer and others animals cannot see red light.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
THE BELT LIGHT[/b]
[/b]
Those same hunters want to have a good light on their belt. Some prefer the two cell 123’s lights like the Surefire 6P, G2, or C-2 for their better flood beam over the more tightly focused Streamlight Scorpion, TL-2 and Night Fighter II.[/b]
They look for a run time of one hour and an output of 65 lumens.[/b]
Some opt for more intense lights like the Surefire 9P or the C-3 with their 105 lumens and one hour run time.[/b]
The Streamlight TL-3 is a little too tightly focused for a belt light but it will do fine at the longer distances were the bigger lights shine.[/b]
In LED form (Luxeon V), the Surefire L-4 is a good contender due to the excellent flood light that it puts out at medium range, however it lacks the throw needed for more distance illumination.[/b]
[/b]
The main thing is that the hunters want to avoid losing precious seconds by panning a light when in the woods. That is why the Surefires are preferred over the tightly focused others brands, because they have special reflectors that diffuse the light into a bigger flood pattern.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
THE CAR LIGHT[/b]
[/b]
Some hunters wear a light holder in their belt (a plastic and leather ring). On exiting their cars, they slip in the ring one of the powerful rechargeable lights, most commonly the Magcharger (200 lumens) or the Ultra Stinger (295 lumens) and some even a Borealis 1050 lumens mega light.[/b]
[/b]
Those are ideal lights for search for wounded game, search and rescue of lost partner, signaling at long distances and using them as spotlights after the hunt. Being rechargeable, they are always used with a maximum run time (taken out of the charger at start of the day, a thing that you can not do with 123 batteries unless you are willing to dump half-used batteries at the start of every day of hunting.[/b]
[/b]
Their large diameter (2 inches) reflectors put more light at a longer distance than any of the belt lights. Even though some of the belt lights approach 200 lumens, they do it with reduced run time and much reduced throw, due to their small diameter reflectors.[/b]
A Magcharger will put a spot of light at 150 yards, as will the Ultra Stinger and a Borealis has the capability of illuminating the whole road for 250 yards.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
Lets start with the popular Surefire G-2 (or 6 P) at 65 lumens, the target is the 8 by 12 tool shed at 30 yards.[/b]
We are going to pit the Surefire G-2 65 lumens $35.00 against the Surefire Digital Lumamax L-4 (also 65 lumens and with a price tag of $160.00).[/b]
[/b]
Surefire G-2 65 lumens[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
Surefire L-4 Luxeon V, LED, 65 lumens[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
And now we are going to pit the Surefire 6 P with the P-61 120 lumen lamp (20 minutes run time) against the best Luxeon LED thrower that I have (similar to the cree LED).[/b]
This is a Mc Gizmo PR T head with a TWOJ bin Luxeon doing 120 plus lumens.[/b]
[/b]
Surefire Centurion C-2 (same as the 6P) with the P-61 lamp, 120 lumens.[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
And the PR T with TWOJ bin Luxeon, (LED) @ 120 lumens[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
And now we are going to show a belt light of 200 lumens (The Surefire Centurion III with the P-91 lamp, 200 lumens, 20 minutes run) and three cars' lights of 200 lumens plus and beyond.[/b]
[/b]
Surefire Centurion C-III, 200 lumens P-91 lamp.[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
And here the Magcharger also 200 lumens, with its bigger reflector and tighter focus will throw the light at 150 yards, while the Centurion III range will stop at 45 or 50 yards.[/b]
[/b]
Magcharger 200 lumens (40,000 candlepowers)[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
[/b]
And here is the Ultra Stinger, the most powerful of the rechargeable from Streamlight with 295 lumens and 75,000 candlepower.[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
And now the BOREALIS, the light that has the format of a 3 D (12 1/2 inches long) outputting 1050 lumens for 50 minutes.[/b]
This is similar to a two million candlepower spotlight[/b]
[/b]
[/b][/b]
And even that they have been there all along throughout the shootout of the lights, you can see them for the first time. My assistant is at the left of the tool shed, leaning on the second tree, and the Bear's head is hanging from the tree to the right of the shed.[/b]
[/b]
As I have over 200 lights that I have used at one time or another in my hunting expeditions, I am well familiarized with distinct situations that call for different lights and method of using them.[/b]
I have encountered a new one lately, that calls for following a wounded wild boar at night with a powerful pistol like the S&W 500 or a 454 Casull and also a powerful light in the order of a Surefire M-6 (500 lumens) or a Borealis 1050 lumens.[/b]
For myself, I cannot think of another pursuit that could be more dangerous to life and limb, although I have a lot of respect for the young athletes that have tried it, I consider it too “Extreme” for my good health.[/b]
[/b]
Hope I can do some more talking to the members about my second hobby after knife collecting, which is of course hunting at night and light usage.[/b]
[/b]
Respectfully[/b]
white bear[/b]
03-27-2007 | 02:10 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,284
Likes: 3
From: west central wi USA
RE: LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
How do you get past the short run time on the high intensity lights? It'd be great to have that kind of illumination, but not so great 2 hours into a 3 hour blood trail and your light has a life of 1 hr. or less.
03-30-2007 | 05:09 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Apr 2004
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RE: LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
Wingbone,
The answer is extra batteries, in the 123's lights it can get quite expensive to exchange 3 batteries every 20 minutes for the 200 lumens output.
You probably will have noticed that the RECHARGEABLE Bear Cub will give you one hour and a half of run time at 220 lumens, the lightweight Lithium Ion computer batteries that it uses can be carried as extras in a pocket for extra run time. They recharge in 3 1/2 hours in the Fast charger that comes with the light.
white bear
The answer is extra batteries, in the 123's lights it can get quite expensive to exchange 3 batteries every 20 minutes for the 200 lumens output.
You probably will have noticed that the RECHARGEABLE Bear Cub will give you one hour and a half of run time at 220 lumens, the lightweight Lithium Ion computer batteries that it uses can be carried as extras in a pocket for extra run time. They recharge in 3 1/2 hours in the Fast charger that comes with the light.
white bear
04-12-2007 | 07:49 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Apr 2004
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From:
RE: LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
CREE 7090 XR-E LAMP[/b]
[/b]
JET-I (AA) MK IIX FLASHLIGHT[/b]
[/b]
I had the opportunity to test briefly this flashlight a few days ago; since I just got to handle it for a few hours I will not call it a review, but just a little trial.
The light was actually passing by, my friend Luis from Spain had ordered from me a Borealis 1050 lumens and a Bear Cub 220 lumens flashlights, he also wanted one of Emilions’ workbench JET-BEAM I MK IIX little lights that have multiple functions and are billed with a 100 lumens maximum power in the 1 AA version and with the extended tube for two AA batteries at 150 lumens.
So I had one ordered from Emilions and it arrived quite quickly, from Hong Kong to New York in just five days!
Physically, it is the size of my Fenix L1P light, (about 40 lumens) and it is very similar in shape and weight.
For those not familiar with these lights I have here a picture of them side by side.
By adding the extension for another AA, it is claimed that the maximum output is 150 lumens. Now that is a serious lumens output that we are taking about, so my main interest was to see if really the little light was going to reach that high.
Unfortunately I didn’t have available any other comparable light, the closest that I had seem was my friend Fenix L2D that claims 135 lumens, but he was out of state, so the light was unavailable to me.
I have in my stable of lights, one PR T head (Pelican Reflector Turbo) that McGizmo made for me with a TWOJ Lumileds Luxeon III, which is a real screamer, going into the 130 lumens when pushed hard by two of the rechargeable 123’s at 3.7 volts each.
This head is in an E2e body and is my favorite of the Luxeons lights I own.
The comparison to the little reflector of the Jet Beam will be unfair, as the Pelican reflector is much bigger in diameter and deeper, concentrating the light in a much tighter and intense beam.
The smaller reflector of the Jet Beam will tend to disperse the light beam in a more open pattern which will compromise the throw.
But here is a picture of the two lights side by side, so you can see how they look like, and how the Jet Beam is with the added 1 battery extension tube.
And here is a picture of the beam shot against the ceiling at a distance of 6 feet, the one on left is the Jet Beam I MK IIX
And after that, I took pictures of the beams shots at my customary 26 yards against the Deer and Bear heads.
If the picture of the beam shot of the Jet Beam doesn’t look too impressive for the 150 lumens figure, keep in mind the terrible advantage in concentration of light that the Pelican reflector provides for my PR T 130 lumens light.
Beam shot with the Jet Beam 150 lumens (2 batteries, maximum power)
And here the beam shot with the McGizmo PR T head (130 lumens)
I can’t close this account without telling my readers of the many features of the little Jet Beam light,
On the exterior the light is finished in hard anodized type III, the lens is Sapphire crystal and it comes with a set of extra switch covers, lanyard and a nice belt holster.
The circuit is 0.7V to 4.2V, after you click it on (Medium Brightness) soft touching the rubber switch will provide low brightness, maximum brightness and strobe, and one more touch will put the light in standby.
Waiting two seconds and clicking the light again will access the advanced mode with 10 levels of output, and five special functions including strobe SOS at 100 % and SOS at 5 % and others.
This seems to me, is the light to end all of the key chain lights and then some. As soon as my checkbook is recuperated from the ravages of uncle Sam, I am going to order one for myself.
I still think that for clearing a warehouse or a big yard, you need the longer distance reach of a good (in the 200 lumens bracket) incandescent light. When the factories start using the Cree 7090 with bigger reflectors, we will see the results, but I myself believe that the lack of the red spectrum in the Luxeons will always make them short distance lights and reduce the definition on the target; just look at the pictures that I have presented until now and see the performance of Luxeons even with the big reflectors of the Streamlight 4AA and the Task Light.
Kind regards
whitebear
[/b]
JET-I (AA) MK IIX FLASHLIGHT[/b]
[/b]
I had the opportunity to test briefly this flashlight a few days ago; since I just got to handle it for a few hours I will not call it a review, but just a little trial.
The light was actually passing by, my friend Luis from Spain had ordered from me a Borealis 1050 lumens and a Bear Cub 220 lumens flashlights, he also wanted one of Emilions’ workbench JET-BEAM I MK IIX little lights that have multiple functions and are billed with a 100 lumens maximum power in the 1 AA version and with the extended tube for two AA batteries at 150 lumens.
So I had one ordered from Emilions and it arrived quite quickly, from Hong Kong to New York in just five days!
Physically, it is the size of my Fenix L1P light, (about 40 lumens) and it is very similar in shape and weight.
For those not familiar with these lights I have here a picture of them side by side.
By adding the extension for another AA, it is claimed that the maximum output is 150 lumens. Now that is a serious lumens output that we are taking about, so my main interest was to see if really the little light was going to reach that high.
Unfortunately I didn’t have available any other comparable light, the closest that I had seem was my friend Fenix L2D that claims 135 lumens, but he was out of state, so the light was unavailable to me.
I have in my stable of lights, one PR T head (Pelican Reflector Turbo) that McGizmo made for me with a TWOJ Lumileds Luxeon III, which is a real screamer, going into the 130 lumens when pushed hard by two of the rechargeable 123’s at 3.7 volts each.
This head is in an E2e body and is my favorite of the Luxeons lights I own.
The comparison to the little reflector of the Jet Beam will be unfair, as the Pelican reflector is much bigger in diameter and deeper, concentrating the light in a much tighter and intense beam.
The smaller reflector of the Jet Beam will tend to disperse the light beam in a more open pattern which will compromise the throw.
But here is a picture of the two lights side by side, so you can see how they look like, and how the Jet Beam is with the added 1 battery extension tube.
And here is a picture of the beam shot against the ceiling at a distance of 6 feet, the one on left is the Jet Beam I MK IIX
And after that, I took pictures of the beams shots at my customary 26 yards against the Deer and Bear heads.
If the picture of the beam shot of the Jet Beam doesn’t look too impressive for the 150 lumens figure, keep in mind the terrible advantage in concentration of light that the Pelican reflector provides for my PR T 130 lumens light.
Beam shot with the Jet Beam 150 lumens (2 batteries, maximum power)
And here the beam shot with the McGizmo PR T head (130 lumens)
I can’t close this account without telling my readers of the many features of the little Jet Beam light,
On the exterior the light is finished in hard anodized type III, the lens is Sapphire crystal and it comes with a set of extra switch covers, lanyard and a nice belt holster.
The circuit is 0.7V to 4.2V, after you click it on (Medium Brightness) soft touching the rubber switch will provide low brightness, maximum brightness and strobe, and one more touch will put the light in standby.
Waiting two seconds and clicking the light again will access the advanced mode with 10 levels of output, and five special functions including strobe SOS at 100 % and SOS at 5 % and others.
This seems to me, is the light to end all of the key chain lights and then some. As soon as my checkbook is recuperated from the ravages of uncle Sam, I am going to order one for myself.
I still think that for clearing a warehouse or a big yard, you need the longer distance reach of a good (in the 200 lumens bracket) incandescent light. When the factories start using the Cree 7090 with bigger reflectors, we will see the results, but I myself believe that the lack of the red spectrum in the Luxeons will always make them short distance lights and reduce the definition on the target; just look at the pictures that I have presented until now and see the performance of Luxeons even with the big reflectors of the Streamlight 4AA and the Task Light.
Kind regards
whitebear
06-05-2007 | 11:09 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65
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From:
RE: LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
THE STREAMLIGHT SCORPION[/b]
[/b]
I like the little Scorpion a lot, it is powerful (at 6,500 candle powers) light (at 4.4 oz) not too long at 4.9 inches and with a great feel in the hand thanks to the rubber boot that covers the body.
This rubber boot can be especially beneficial in the winter when others lights left in the trunk are too cold to hold without gloves.
The switch is momentary and click on, exactly as I want my switches; it is located in the back of the light and protected by the rubber boot.
The momentary works well, the click is in my case too difficult to operate with my big thumb and I have to click it with my index finger.
But it rarely that I use the click as this light can be used as a “tactical” light and the momentary mode is preferred when using it with a gun. (You don’t want to drop the light “on” and that it will illuminate you or your partner, that is the reason to use the momentary).
The light uses two 123’s batteries and run a xenon bulb for one hour, this xenon bulb is quite small, (a spare is located in the bulb holder inside the head) I will hate to have to change it in less than normal conditions, for starters you have to pry a cover from the bulb holder to access the spare, you will have a few small parts in your hands and you will need calm conditions and plenty of light to do the job properly.
For those situations I really prefer the big bulbs with reflector included of the Surefires’ or even the smaller but easy to handle bulb of the E2e’s.
Why I consider this so important? Well, the bulb is rated for 5 hours of life, which is extremely short.
I say I like this light, but it is really not rational because we have much better designs, for a tactical light. The little Scorpion will roll out on a table that is not perfectly flat, for lack of an anti-roll bezel. Surefires are much better in this department.
The beam can be adjusted by rotating the head (the filament of the bulb will go lower or higher inside the reflector), in reality I have the light set to maximum throw that will not show any artifacts and I don’t twist the head at all because the quality of the beam will be spoiled by artifacts and black spots.
This light is good for throw considering the small reflector and the quality of the beam when set at near maximum throw is good, a nice round circle, (due to the short filament).
The lens is polycarbonate, I would like to see it changed to Pyrex, but that is my personal feelings that this light should deserve a better lens.
I bought mine two years ago from Cabela’s and it cost me $38.00; I think that the price is right for a quality made American product.
The bulbs run about $6.00 each and I also consider them in price, they are so bright because they are overdriven (hence their short life of 5 hours).
I have seen a holster for the light made out of Cordura Nylon, but I haven’t tried it and I don’t know if is any issues in removing the light quickly, the rubber boot cause me trouble when removing the light from tight pockets (read Jean’s) but is okay when the pocket is from s dress pants.
I also have seen filters made for this light in red, blue and yellow for those that would like to penetrate the deer’s woods with a minimum of light pollution.
As always the beam shot are coming from 26 yards away and my camera tripod is in the same position, 12 feet from the deer and 18 from the bear.
I have also included as way of comparison the beam shot with the P-60 lamp out of a Surefire Centurion C-2 (read it also Surefire 6P, Z-2, G-2 D-2 etc).
SCORPION’S BEAM
P-60 LAMP FROM a Surefire Centurion II
You will notice that the beam of the Scorpion is more concentrated than the P-60 lamp, making the target clearer at this distance, for tactical situations at short range the P-60 lamp is better for the extra flood, it will be easier to clear a room with a Surefire without the need to pan the light to cover it all.
Cheers,
WhiteBear
[/b]
I like the little Scorpion a lot, it is powerful (at 6,500 candle powers) light (at 4.4 oz) not too long at 4.9 inches and with a great feel in the hand thanks to the rubber boot that covers the body.
This rubber boot can be especially beneficial in the winter when others lights left in the trunk are too cold to hold without gloves.
The switch is momentary and click on, exactly as I want my switches; it is located in the back of the light and protected by the rubber boot.
The momentary works well, the click is in my case too difficult to operate with my big thumb and I have to click it with my index finger.
But it rarely that I use the click as this light can be used as a “tactical” light and the momentary mode is preferred when using it with a gun. (You don’t want to drop the light “on” and that it will illuminate you or your partner, that is the reason to use the momentary).
The light uses two 123’s batteries and run a xenon bulb for one hour, this xenon bulb is quite small, (a spare is located in the bulb holder inside the head) I will hate to have to change it in less than normal conditions, for starters you have to pry a cover from the bulb holder to access the spare, you will have a few small parts in your hands and you will need calm conditions and plenty of light to do the job properly.
For those situations I really prefer the big bulbs with reflector included of the Surefires’ or even the smaller but easy to handle bulb of the E2e’s.
Why I consider this so important? Well, the bulb is rated for 5 hours of life, which is extremely short.
I say I like this light, but it is really not rational because we have much better designs, for a tactical light. The little Scorpion will roll out on a table that is not perfectly flat, for lack of an anti-roll bezel. Surefires are much better in this department.
The beam can be adjusted by rotating the head (the filament of the bulb will go lower or higher inside the reflector), in reality I have the light set to maximum throw that will not show any artifacts and I don’t twist the head at all because the quality of the beam will be spoiled by artifacts and black spots.
This light is good for throw considering the small reflector and the quality of the beam when set at near maximum throw is good, a nice round circle, (due to the short filament).
The lens is polycarbonate, I would like to see it changed to Pyrex, but that is my personal feelings that this light should deserve a better lens.
I bought mine two years ago from Cabela’s and it cost me $38.00; I think that the price is right for a quality made American product.
The bulbs run about $6.00 each and I also consider them in price, they are so bright because they are overdriven (hence their short life of 5 hours).
I have seen a holster for the light made out of Cordura Nylon, but I haven’t tried it and I don’t know if is any issues in removing the light quickly, the rubber boot cause me trouble when removing the light from tight pockets (read Jean’s) but is okay when the pocket is from s dress pants.
I also have seen filters made for this light in red, blue and yellow for those that would like to penetrate the deer’s woods with a minimum of light pollution.
As always the beam shot are coming from 26 yards away and my camera tripod is in the same position, 12 feet from the deer and 18 from the bear.
I have also included as way of comparison the beam shot with the P-60 lamp out of a Surefire Centurion C-2 (read it also Surefire 6P, Z-2, G-2 D-2 etc).
SCORPION’S BEAM
P-60 LAMP FROM a Surefire Centurion II
You will notice that the beam of the Scorpion is more concentrated than the P-60 lamp, making the target clearer at this distance, for tactical situations at short range the P-60 lamp is better for the extra flood, it will be easier to clear a room with a Surefire without the need to pan the light to cover it all.
Cheers,
WhiteBear
06-12-2007 | 05:19 PM
#6
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
From:
RE: LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
THE SUREFIRE M-6, 500 LUMENS TACTICAL LIGHT
Hi guys,
Here is another of my tactical lights. This beauty is light, relatively small and VERY powerful, and it comes with two lamps; 250 lumens for one hour and 500 lumens for 20 minutes.
THE GOOD NEWS:
In reality, when using fresh 123’s batteries of Surefire brand this light puts out 650 lumens for the first 6 minutes, this is really an outstanding performance as at 650 lumens the light is very white.
After that, the small 123’s start feeling the problem of coping with the high amperage lamp and settle to the 500 lumens output for a little more time, but you can see in the beam how the sag on the little batteries affects the output.
I have had three of the M-6’s and I am very familiar with them, they are very sensitive to what batteries they like, performing quite well with the Surefire brand, but dropping down and with reduced run time with the Battery Station brand, (at least in my experience).
THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS:
Sometimes in a warm summer night when I use the light, I can expect it to shut down after about 11 to 12 minutes of running due to the overheat protection of the batteries.
Yes the batteries will shut down the juice when very hot to avoid reaching the melting point, it is very disconcerting to have the light going full blast and all of a sudden you find yourself in complete dark.
It will no happen often but it had happened to me three times last summer (I am an above average user of powerful lights).
The light that I use for the beam shot is not my own but one that a local customer of mine received in the mail the day I was delivering to him a Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.
This great guy will start a conversation with, hi, I am Effie and I am a flashaholic, the day I visited him we spend hours talking and looking at his lights.
The batteries in the Surefire box, were fresh, I am sure because I deflowered the tough plastic wrapping with my trusty Ken Onion’s knife.
The guy have a one room house with garage in his big back yard, (for his teenage son’s to have his privacy) and that is what we used as a target, it been 27 yards away from the end of the porch where we shoot the beams of the lights and placed the tripod and camera.
As we needed another light to test it against, we used the Borealis 1050 lumens light, this being a top of the line model with the Quick Detach Swivel and the black hard anodized bezel with the glow dots.
Of course the Borealis been a bigger light made in the 3 D format and weighting at 28 oz. and with 12 ½ inches in length, overpower physically and in lumens output the M-6, but we didn’t have anything closer to the 650 lumens of the HOLA lamp of the M-6.
And here are the beam shots
SUREFIRE M-6 HOLA lamp (650 lumens on fresh batteries, 20 minutes run time)
BOREALIS 1050 LUMENS RECHARGEABLE (50 minutes run time)
And here the lights side by side before the shoot out.
THE ONLY REAL PROBLEM:
It is the cost of the batteries, Surefires are close to a couple dollars now with shipping, it hurts my pocket to pay that much when the light uses six of them every twenty minutes and I don’t use the light as much as when the batteries where going for a dollar each.
For the law enforcement sector, when the Agency pays for the batteries, it is not problem, but for us simple civilians like me, even that I don’t have a mortgage anymore, I have a kid with a foot in College and I have to watch out my wallet, paying $36.00 per hour to run a powerful light it is not longer fun.
It is the top of the line of the portable Surefires and at $400 it is well worth the money due to the great and precise machining and finish and the good design specially made for tactical situations.
Cheers,
WhiteBear
Hi guys,
Here is another of my tactical lights. This beauty is light, relatively small and VERY powerful, and it comes with two lamps; 250 lumens for one hour and 500 lumens for 20 minutes.
THE GOOD NEWS:
In reality, when using fresh 123’s batteries of Surefire brand this light puts out 650 lumens for the first 6 minutes, this is really an outstanding performance as at 650 lumens the light is very white.
After that, the small 123’s start feeling the problem of coping with the high amperage lamp and settle to the 500 lumens output for a little more time, but you can see in the beam how the sag on the little batteries affects the output.
I have had three of the M-6’s and I am very familiar with them, they are very sensitive to what batteries they like, performing quite well with the Surefire brand, but dropping down and with reduced run time with the Battery Station brand, (at least in my experience).
THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS:
Sometimes in a warm summer night when I use the light, I can expect it to shut down after about 11 to 12 minutes of running due to the overheat protection of the batteries.
Yes the batteries will shut down the juice when very hot to avoid reaching the melting point, it is very disconcerting to have the light going full blast and all of a sudden you find yourself in complete dark.
It will no happen often but it had happened to me three times last summer (I am an above average user of powerful lights).
The light that I use for the beam shot is not my own but one that a local customer of mine received in the mail the day I was delivering to him a Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.
This great guy will start a conversation with, hi, I am Effie and I am a flashaholic, the day I visited him we spend hours talking and looking at his lights.
The batteries in the Surefire box, were fresh, I am sure because I deflowered the tough plastic wrapping with my trusty Ken Onion’s knife.
The guy have a one room house with garage in his big back yard, (for his teenage son’s to have his privacy) and that is what we used as a target, it been 27 yards away from the end of the porch where we shoot the beams of the lights and placed the tripod and camera.
As we needed another light to test it against, we used the Borealis 1050 lumens light, this being a top of the line model with the Quick Detach Swivel and the black hard anodized bezel with the glow dots.
Of course the Borealis been a bigger light made in the 3 D format and weighting at 28 oz. and with 12 ½ inches in length, overpower physically and in lumens output the M-6, but we didn’t have anything closer to the 650 lumens of the HOLA lamp of the M-6.
And here are the beam shots
SUREFIRE M-6 HOLA lamp (650 lumens on fresh batteries, 20 minutes run time)
BOREALIS 1050 LUMENS RECHARGEABLE (50 minutes run time)
And here the lights side by side before the shoot out.
THE ONLY REAL PROBLEM:
It is the cost of the batteries, Surefires are close to a couple dollars now with shipping, it hurts my pocket to pay that much when the light uses six of them every twenty minutes and I don’t use the light as much as when the batteries where going for a dollar each.
For the law enforcement sector, when the Agency pays for the batteries, it is not problem, but for us simple civilians like me, even that I don’t have a mortgage anymore, I have a kid with a foot in College and I have to watch out my wallet, paying $36.00 per hour to run a powerful light it is not longer fun.
It is the top of the line of the portable Surefires and at $400 it is well worth the money due to the great and precise machining and finish and the good design specially made for tactical situations.
Cheers,
WhiteBear
06-20-2007 | 10:51 AM
#7
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
From:
RE: LIGHTS FOR HUNTING
THE PRINCETON TEC SURGE[/b]
[/b]
Hi guys,
This here is a dive light, but so inexpensive (around $30) and so suited to camping, hunting and having around in boats and wet places, that I have included it in this thread.
A couple of years ago a store was having a sale of them, and I grabbed a bunch to have near the family in case of fire.
They output 105 lumens which is a considerable amount of lumens for such a small light working on eight AA batteries. The batteries are in parallel, so it will also work with only four batteries (and will float) with a reduced run time.
The Surge and the battery carrier and bulb combination
It is said that the light will work for 5 hours on a full compliment of eight batteries. I have never conducted a run time test, so I can’t testify that this is true. Other Princeton Tec products that claim the same run time (Q40) have fallen short.
The bulb is a 7.5 watts and quite bright, my Surges have a deeply stippled reflector that produce a good flood light and by twisting the head it can be opened to even more flood, but I don’t recommend playing with the head underwater as it can compromise the waterproof level of the light.
The instructions claim the light is waterproof to 500 feet. I am a landlubber and never find myself more than six feet underwater, but Princeton Tec is famous for their dive lights and I haven’t heard any complains from divers.
I put the light in my fish scale and it weights 10.8 oz. with batteries and the handy lanyard that comes with the light, so despite all those batteries the Surge is very lightweight.
Beam shot of the Surge against my deer and bear targets from 26 yards
The throw is considerable, rivaling my Streamlight TL-3 and reaching as far as 68 yards, if you consider the low price of this light I say you get a lot of lumens for your money.
Eight batteries in a tightly sealed container as is this light can put out quite a bit of Hydrogen gas, for divers I will recommend that they keep the light with the battery carrier out until they are ready to go on the water.
For other uses such as camping or others I recommend you drill a very small hole in the body of the light, to let the Hydrogen escape. They have been known to explode occasionally due to the build up of gas inside.
Cheers,
WhiteBear
[/b]
Hi guys,
This here is a dive light, but so inexpensive (around $30) and so suited to camping, hunting and having around in boats and wet places, that I have included it in this thread.
A couple of years ago a store was having a sale of them, and I grabbed a bunch to have near the family in case of fire.
They output 105 lumens which is a considerable amount of lumens for such a small light working on eight AA batteries. The batteries are in parallel, so it will also work with only four batteries (and will float) with a reduced run time.
The Surge and the battery carrier and bulb combination
It is said that the light will work for 5 hours on a full compliment of eight batteries. I have never conducted a run time test, so I can’t testify that this is true. Other Princeton Tec products that claim the same run time (Q40) have fallen short.
The bulb is a 7.5 watts and quite bright, my Surges have a deeply stippled reflector that produce a good flood light and by twisting the head it can be opened to even more flood, but I don’t recommend playing with the head underwater as it can compromise the waterproof level of the light.
The instructions claim the light is waterproof to 500 feet. I am a landlubber and never find myself more than six feet underwater, but Princeton Tec is famous for their dive lights and I haven’t heard any complains from divers.
I put the light in my fish scale and it weights 10.8 oz. with batteries and the handy lanyard that comes with the light, so despite all those batteries the Surge is very lightweight.
Beam shot of the Surge against my deer and bear targets from 26 yards
The throw is considerable, rivaling my Streamlight TL-3 and reaching as far as 68 yards, if you consider the low price of this light I say you get a lot of lumens for your money.
Eight batteries in a tightly sealed container as is this light can put out quite a bit of Hydrogen gas, for divers I will recommend that they keep the light with the battery carrier out until they are ready to go on the water.
For other uses such as camping or others I recommend you drill a very small hole in the body of the light, to let the Hydrogen escape. They have been known to explode occasionally due to the build up of gas inside.
Cheers,
WhiteBear
08-18-2011 | 01:10 AM
#8
Spike
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Richmond
Hunting lights are one of the most important thing on the list for Outdoor Hunting Equipments.
Brands like Surefire series and Magcharger series are the best.
Brands like Surefire series and Magcharger series are the best.
