Help me pick a flashlight?

Gene Neill

Gene Neill

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Sep 30, 2013
3,541
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Specifically, a flashlight for spotting markers, crab buoys, pirates ships, and such. I like the idea of a traditional, cylindrical, handheld flashlight over a larger pistol-grip "spotlight". And I don't like bells and whistles - unfortunately for me, because the world seems to have gone MAD over complexity for the sake of complexity, at the expense of reliability.

Obviously a tight beam is probably the most critical feature of all .. next to reliability of course. :)

There is very little in the archives on the subject. Only one thread with "flashlight" in the title!

I have been looking at Marinebeam's "Ultra Long Range Illuminator RLT", which seems to have an astonishingly tight beam. The only drawback I see is that it has three modes, including my ultimate pet peeve, STROBE. If it had a simple on-off switch, I would actually have bought it last night. But the necessity to push the switch three times, in order to turn the light off, made me want to ask around first.
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,104
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Gene
I found this light package at the local Costco for about $20. They light up the night.
Feit LED Flashlight Kit - 3-pack with Case - 1000, 500, 250 Lumens - Black
Flashlights.jpg
 
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Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Gene Neill said:
I have been looking at Marinebeam's "Ultra Long Range Illuminator RLT", which seems to have an astonishingly tight beam. The only drawback I see is that it has three modes, including my ultimate pet peeve, STROBE. If it had a simple on-off switch, I would actually have bought it last night. But the necessity to push the switch three times, in order to turn the light off, made me want to ask around first.
Click to expand
It does not work the way you think.

After you single-press to turn it ON, and single press will turn it OFF.

To switch modes you must press the switch in rapid succession. It remembers what mode it was in last.
 
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Brian S

Brian S

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Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
The thing I like most about the Marinebeam is that it's supposed to recapture light which normally bleeds out sideways. It "collimates" the light into a more coherent beam, with photons all traveling in the same direction. It's much the same idea as a laser. The benefit to a boater is you would then have a spotlight that doesn't light up the light colored deck of your boat, messing up night vision. I wanna get one.
 
RussC

RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,578
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
I purchased a couple of the Bell&Howell tac-lights as advertised on tv and have been very impressed by how well they do actually work. As Jackdaw mentioned about the marine beam, this unit also clicks on and off as any "normal" flashlight would. you have to "double click" to do the strobe and other options. the most impressive thing to me, however, is how good they zoom in. I might try and get a photo after the sun goes down also but to give you an idea I took a couple pics into a darkened room. I've used this light at night and it's possible to see things clearly at 2-3 times the distance when zoomed in on a person, stray critter, etc. it's also totally waterproof, and very solidly built. a great product. I also bought one of the lanterns and it's great also. very bight!

https://www.atomicbeam.com/?uid=DE5...Xc0A5udkEyenQX5g_9L9joUkwTvS7PzNy0aAnmJ8P8HAQ
P1040740.jpg
P1040741.jpg
 
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centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
right here. its the best most compact that ive found... stanley fatmax. it does have a double click switch for low power when used inside the boat, but the one thing that would make it better is if the lens were adjustable for flood light capabilities for short range use outside the boat... it shoots a powerful beam as far as you can reasonably see at night without binocs, but within the 50 yard range, I would prefer a wider beam angle..
if you want a flashlight for general use, the larry light cant be beat. but make sure its the solid led and not the multiple diodes..
both are corrosion proof and long life, but neither have the strobe or SOS feature..
 
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RussC

RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,578
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
huum. 520 and 175 lux? the Atomic-beam style has 5000 and a lower cost.
 
BigEasy

BigEasy

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Jun 21, 2004
2,533
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
I second Centerine's recommendation for the Stanley light.
It is compact and is a good all around light for use inside and around the boat as well as an OK spotlight. The key here is it doesn't excel at each one of these functions but it is a decent multi-purpose light. There are better lights; however, I refuse to pay over $75 for a light. I Gotta think of the "value engineering" concept on a purchase like this. This is my second Stanley light. The first one lasted about four years and just recently died; it would not accept a charge. After reading the reviews; overcharging is a problem with these lights and reduces the life expectancy----guilty as charged. So I bought another and make sure that I only charge as necessary. Again, not a bad light for the price. I would rate it as a "budget buy".
 
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Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Brian S said:
The thing I like most about the Marinebeam is that it's supposed to recapture light which normally bleeds out sideways. It "collimates" the light into a more coherent beam, with photons all traveling in the same direction. It's much the same idea as a laser. The benefit to a boater is you would then have a spotlight that doesn't light up the light colored deck of your boat, messing up night vision. I wanna get one.
Click to expand
Its a goddamn light sabre. The first time you turn it on in the dark, you laugh at the ridiculous shaft of light that pours out of the end. And puts a bright white spot the size of a garage door on the other side of the lake.
 
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centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
it
RussC said:
huum. 520 and 175 lux? the Atomic-beam style has 5000 and a lower cost.
Click to expand
Im sure they are decent lights, but that doesnt necessarily mean the advertised 5000 lux is better... the atomic has a much smaller reflector and so it will dissipate its power much quicker over a distance than a larger lens will....

the stanley fatmax LED is rated in lumens not Lux as the atomic is... it isnt the same measurement so it cant really be compared unless you now the differences... lazer beams have a fairly low lumen value, but they still shine for great distances.
the Lux value is a measurement of the beam angle vs. the intensity of the light shining within the area of the beam angle, at a given distance.... a magnifying glass can produce an extremely high Lux value from a 100 watt bulb....
advertising can make ordinary things sound so great...

I have not used the atomic beam light, but I have used a few of the small "high powered" lights of other brands, and they just arent as nice as one would think they would be... too much light in a confined space is just too bright, and as they dont carry as far as a larger reflector does, they dont work as well at a distance...
even the 100 million candle power spot lights one sees advertised arnt as usable as the candle power rating suggests they would be...
when im investing in a GOOD light that I plan to have for awhile, lumens and price arent the only things that I consider... in a salt water environment, a light with an aluminum housing will be near the bottom of my possible choices, as I know it will be put away wet occasionally.... but all the lights that are floatable and waterproof with impact resistant housings will be near the top of the list....
and the 12V re-chargable option is always nice.
 
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S

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,070
Currently Boatless Okinawa
Jackdaw said:
Its a goddamn light sabre. The first time you turn it on in the dark, you laugh at the ridiculous shaft of light that pours out of the end. And puts a bright white spot the size of a garage door on the other side of the lake.
Click to expand
Exactly. I did laugh out loud, then spent ten minutes alternately verbalizing "cool" and "this is just ridiculous" while I reached out and touched a few things with it. Things that were many hundreds of yards away. The range is extraordinary due to the collimated beam. I can't recommend it highly enough. Pricey, but worth it.

The large one is on the second generation:
https://store.marinebeam.com/marinebeam-ultra-long-range-illuminator-rlt/

I bought the featherlight model, which is $30 cheaper. It's rechargeable instead of using regular D cells.
https://store.marinebeam.com/featherlight-long-range-illuminator/

Having said all that, I will say that it's not a flashlight. I wouldn't use it to light up an engine room unless there was nothing else. It is designed to illuminate objects a long way away - channel markers, boat hulls, shorelines, whatever. I don't use it like a regular flashlight. Horses for courses.
 
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Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Like SFS confirms, you really will laugh when you see this thing in action. Its not a simple flashlight- like ALL the others listed here, which simply take the latest CREE LED and pump it into a tube. This thing is different.

When you turn it on at night, it actually looks like it is burning the atmosphere between the light and the thing you point it at. I mentioned people laugh because you cannot help it. It's crazy. I use a nice traditional 900 lumen LED flashlight for wider close work.
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Flashl...89296415&sr=8-1&keywords=anker+led+flashlight

But if you have to go down-range, accept no substitute. I bought the big one, because it goes to 11.

Marinebeam_Ultra_spot_flashlight_testing_cPanbo__13764.1422483436.1280.1280.jpg
 
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Gene Neill

Gene Neill

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Sep 30, 2013
3,541
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Jackdaw said:
It does not work the way you think.

After you single-press to turn it ON, and single press will turn it OFF.

To switch modes you must press the switch in rapid succession. It remembers what mode it was in last.
Click to expand
That does it then, that's my flashlight. Jackdaw, you just made my day! And by the way, it was you who made me aware of that light in the first place. Thanks, man. :thumbup:

I just ordered one and was happy to pay the price ... especially because one of my product suppliers just gave me a nice fat gift card. So the marinebeam light was "free". :)
 
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