Greatest Thing Since Sliced Maglites

[Talisker]

I am not usually underway near the coast in the dark, but about a week and half ago I had to navigate two narrow channels with unlit marker buoys. The only thing I had on board was my trusty old Ever-Ready flashlight which got us through but only just. So I decided a upgrade was due. Went to the local chandlers looking for an alternative, but all they had on the shelf was a handheld halogen flashlight, with a spiral chord. OK for a motor boat but spiral chords, shrouds and sheets are bound to get tangled at some point. Then the salesman showed me the latest gimmick, LED torches and I was convinced by the lighting power and that the one I bought was 30€ less than the Hella hand flashlight. The top of the range torch, he said, had the power of an Audi A6 headlight and he demonstrated the fact, but was just too big, about a foot long. I bought the 5-6" M7 version for 100€, it is a handy size, has 5 modes, full power, 15% power, Iso flash, SOS, and strobe (passive defense weapon).

Due to it's size and independence from the boat's battery, this is the latest addition to MY grab bag!

Check them out at

LED LENSER - Professionelle, fokussierbare LED-Taschenlampen / Flashlights von Zweibrueder Optoelectronics GmbH

[rebel heart]

I have one of these as well; they're amazing.

Amazon.com: Coast LED Lenser HP8420 LED Lenser Focusing LED Flashlight T7: Home Improvement

[Talisker]

I am going to talk to the manufacturer today, as I am in Germany and speak German.

What I want is a holding clip with either self adhesive backing strip or small screws or both, to have the torch always next to my knife in the gangway, rather than having t hunt for it when needed.

[AK_sailor]

Are they waterproof? I don't mean dive capable, but if I my cold fingers drop it into a few inches of water in the bottom of the dingy, will it still work?

[Talisker]

Haven't tried it! The manufacturer makes no claim that it IS waterproof but the salesman said it would take water spray but nothing about a short dunking.

What I can say is that the battery compartment has a rubber seal, how the frontend is sealed, I just don't know!

BTW, I am not going try, either!!!!

[Hud3]

High powered spotlights like that are great for offshore sailing, too. They really light up your sails when you think a ship is coming too close for comfort. I was on the VHF with a freighter one night. I flashed my Q-Beam at him from about 10 miles away and he saw it instantly.

Take care though. A crew member put it down on the cockpit seat and it slid off, crashed to the sole and broke. For the replacement, I installed a padeye in a small, open compartment in the coaming and put a lanyard with a spring-loaded clip on the light's handle. Clipping it to the padeye kept it safe, but ready for immediate use.

[barnakiel]

I use plain LED torches (15 USD each, 9 LEDS each and four AA batteries)) they go on like forever. Waterproof (turn to 'on' turn to 'off').

Recommended!

b.

[CarinaPDX]

I have fussed with getting good flashlights for years. At this time there are a lot of great LED lights, in a wide range of prices, and I wouldn't buy anything else for a personal light. I have tried red lights for preserving night vision but the magenta warnings on paper charts disappear in red light so I no longer use it. The best lights I have found are the Quark series from www.4Sevens.com; they are waterproof among other things. What I like best is the moonlight mode for preserving night vision - the flashlight I would recommend operates from 0.2 lumens to a whopping 206 lumens, and can use rechargeable AA batteries: Quark AA², R5 Edition 4Sevens.Com. They have a slightly brighter and shorter model that uses CR123 (also available as rechargeable). At $59/$69 they are a relative bargain compared to similar products elsewhere.

If you really want to go overboard with this stuff take a look at CandlePowerForums - more than you ever wanted to know about flashlights.

[Morgan3820]

The coast lights look kool

I came across www.nebotools.com. They make a line of LED lights. The one I bought has a green light, then white and then a powerful red laser that will put a dot on a surface at 150 yards. Uses 3 AAAs and appears to be water resistant.

[AK_sailor]

I've had good luck with the Pelican Stealth. Fully submersable. Mine is the older 2400 with a Xenon bulb. But they now make a newer one (2410) with LED bulbs, which is even brighter. Technology changes too fast sometimes. I can't afford to buy the latest and greatest every year!

You can easily operate the switch one handed with your thumb. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. My only gripe is that it's sometimes easy to bump the switch inadvertently, and let the batteries run down. When I stash it, I usually put a small tab of tape over the switch. Runs on 4 AA batteries.

[Talisker]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

I have fussed with getting good flashlights for years. At this time there are a lot of great LED lights, in a wide range of prices, and I wouldn't buy anything else for a personal light. I have tried red lights for preserving night vision but the magenta warnings on paper charts disappear in red light so I no longer use it. The best lights I have found are the Quark series from www.4Sevens.com; they are waterproof among other things. What I like best is the moonlight mode for preserving night vision - the flashlight I would recommend operates from 0.2 lumens to a whopping 206 lumens, and can use rechargeable AA batteries: Quark AA², R5 Edition 4Sevens.Com. They have a slightly brighter and shorter model that uses CR123 (also available as rechargeable). At $59/$69 they are a relative bargain compared to similar products elsewhere.

If you really want to go overboard with this stuff take a look at CandlePowerForums - more than you ever wanted to know about flashlights.

I have looked at the spec on the Quark, what I didn't like was the short battery life at full power, only 1.8 hours at 230 lumens, whereas the M7 has 11 hours at 210 lumens. The tactical version has the same programable features that mine has. But I tend to look at the worst case scenario, and that in my mind is, I want this thing to work from dusk till dawn at full power, without having to recharge or change batteries in the dark.

[CarinaPDX]

Talisker-

I hate to burst your bubble, but you have been misled by the advertising. In the US we have an expression, "TANSTAAFL" - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. These two flashlights probably use the same Cree LEDs, they both use regulating circuits, and the battery capacity is equal or greater for the Quark depending on the model. The Coast simply cannot run for 6 times as long - and it doesn't. The folks at 4Sevens clearly state the runtime and lumens for each output level; Coast does something else. Looking at the specs for the MT7 (Coast Knives & Tools | LED Lights | LED Flashlights | Knives)

It reads:

• Lumen output -- Max 220, High 180, Low 30
• Runtime -- Max: Task Mode, High: 3.5 hrs, Low: 11 hrs

Note that the 11 hrs is for 30 lumens, not 220. There is no time stated for 220 lumens ("task mode"?). The 2XAA and 2XCR123 Quark flashlights actually last longer than the Coast 4XAA at the lower light level - which is what I would expect due to the larger battery capacity.

I have no experience with this particular Coast model, but generally Coast sells quality LED flashlights at retail outlets such as Lowe's in the US. The ability to focus the light is very useful, and the price is reasonable (here). 4Sevens is a boutique operation that has the Quark series manufactured for them, and imports other quality brands, then sells direct to consumers. The Quark series is priced about the same as the Coast products but in terms of quality exceeds even expensive names like Surefire. I don't want to get into the details, but if you study the specs you'll see what I mean. As I said above, if you really want to get into this take a look at CandlePowerForums; it is quite an education in a very narrow discipline.

Greg

[Talisker]

Greg,

I stand corrected, I should have read the small print, the stuff after the asterisks!

I guess it is time to crack open a fresh set of Triple A's, and find out for myself how long the battery actually lasts at full power, before I get a "rude awakening" as we say on the British Isles, where I come from!!!

After that I shall drop it into the bilge, to answer another question.


Steve

[CarinaPDX]

Steve,

I'm not so sure I would want to do such a test for waterproofing, but the results would be informative in one way or the other. If you are really going to do it, take out the batteries and try with fresh water - that shouldn't be terminal.

While I really appreciate the quality of my Quark and Fenix flashlights, the truth is that the most used flashlight on the boat is an old Mini-Maglite (2xAA) with an LED conversion that is always clipped inside the companionway. It fits my requirements for loose deck gear: Good enough to use; cheap enough to lose.

While out cruising I spent some time in your backyard. I was on the Isle of Wight (Island Harbour Marina, just up from the Folly Inn) for one winter and Brighton for another. Good memories...

Greg

[Talisker]

Greg,

I am interested in the Maglite upgrade, as I have a couple of old 2AA Minis lying around somewhere, but what I have found is that the bulbs offered just won't fit. I have the bulbs with two copperwires at the base. Any suggestions??

BTW, my backyard was the Bristol Channel, South Wales, North Devon and North Cornwall, including an 11m tide. Now my backyard is the western Baltic, and no significant tide to speak of.

Steve