Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There are so many out there right now it can be hard to choose one. I was given a new petzle head lamp and absolutely love it. It has three intensity setings and lets you change the cover lens from clear to green, or blue, or red.
Some of you got the new lights at the HCU meeting. How do they fair in the Field. Also what types of led lights do you guys favor and how long do they last?

Matt.

Well, the Fenix P2D light I won at the HCU meet is little short of awesome. It's exactly the same length as my index finger, and just a hair greater in diameter. Yet it's peak output is 180 lumens! Compare that with the 215 lumens of my favorite field light, a 128 LED unit that weighs a couple of pounds and is about 18 inches long! The amount of illumination this tiny black cylinder can put out is just amazing. Of course the Fenix only has about an hour battery life at peak (and you really cant use it more than 10 minutes at that level because of heat buildup), but at it's more-than-adequate 55 lumens setting it will last several hours. Comes with a really nice belt sheath as well. I doubt I'll ever be without it from here on!
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

Brad,
I wouldn't worry too much about the heat issue (if you're referring to damage to the light). They only put that disclaimer in there incase you accidentally leave it on inside your backpack, pocket, etc. I've run mine on "turbo" mode for over 2 hours with no problem. Travis used mine at the HCU meet all night with no issues.
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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

and that light tTravis was using was MORE than adequate for what we were doing IMO! I am liking the Phoenix lights more and more, can't wait to get back out!
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Todd Hughes

Jason...I think you loaned your light to someone else because I used mine the whole time.

I bought a LED replacement made by TerraLUX for my 3 cell Maglite which works great. It has an output of 140 lumens and can run for 15 hours on new batteries. You can see what I am talking about here: http://www.led-replacement.com/tle-6exb.html

Jason, let me thank you again for getting the Fenix lights donated...they are superb. I got the LD2 Premium Q5 which is small and runs on 2 AA batteries. It is truly amazing how much light comes out of such a small unit. I haven't used any of the other high end LED lights on the market, but I seriously doubt any are superior to Fenix, especially for the price.

Travis

>>Jason...I think you loaned your light to someone else because I used mine the whole time.
>>
>>I bought a LED replacement made by TerraLUX for my 3 cell Maglite which works great. It has an output of 140 lumens and can run for 15 hours on new batteries. You can see what I am talking about here: http://www.led-replacement.com/tle-6exb.html
>>
>>Jason, let me thank you again for getting the Fenix lights donated...they are superb. I got the LD2 Premium Q5 which is small and runs on 2 AA batteries. It is truly amazing how much light comes out of such a small unit. I haven't used any of the other high end LED lights on the market, but I seriously doubt any are superior to Fenix, especially for the price.
>>
>>Travis

De nada, I guess it was Todd or Toby I loaned mine to. Either way, the L2D is the same one I own and it's the light I use 99% of the time at work. Glad you like it!
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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

I've used so many different lights and as I've stated before here. The Princeton Tec line of lights blow all these other lights away. Both the led and halogen lights are bright with no dead spot in the center of the beam. The led versions are pricey but youj get what you pay for. You can go to princetontec.com for more info.. The shockwave led and miniwave led versions are great. Plus they're dive lights and are waterproof and can take a fall very well.
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Steve W.

>>I've used so many different lights and as I've stated before here. The Princeton Tec line of lights blow all these other lights away. Both the led and halogen lights are bright with no dead spot in the center of the beam. The led versions are pricey but youj get what you pay for. You can go to princetontec.com for more info.. The shockwave led and miniwave led versions are great. Plus they're dive lights and are waterproof and can take a fall very well.
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>>Steve W.

Princeton Tec was one of our sponsors as well so we gave away some princton tec lights too. The rep. turns out to be a herper and is in the process of starting an HCU-New Jersey Chapter. I like their lights allot too.
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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

Yahoo for HCU- GO JERSEY!!!
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Todd Hughes

What sort of light you prefer is completely a personal decision. Some go for the brightest, some for the most durable, some for versatility, and some for size/style. You need to decide what suits your needs. What kind of herping do you do mostly? How much time do you spend doing it? What sort of weight are you willing to lug around? What are you willing to spend on batteries? What are you willing to spend on the light itself? The main problem is most of the good lights aren’t available in local retail outlets so you’re relegated to buying something sight unseen and hoping that the reviews you read online were accurate. Nearly all of today’s manufacturers are scrambling to market the next big advancement and one of the problems is that the race for your business sometimes results in claims by those manufacturers that are inaccurate or misleading. Ratings for lumens, candlepower, wattage, and lux are somewhat “apples and oranges” and unless you know how to decipher them you might end up buying a light that claims to be the brightest but isn’t. For examp... some manufacturers rate lumen output based on ideal conditions (bulb lumens)… fresh batteries/ideal temperature/flawless dio... and some rate as OTF (out the front), factoring average diode efficiency and partially depleted batteries. You could therefore get a flashlight that’s ideally rated at 200 lumens that isn’t as bright as one that’s OTF rated at 80 lumens. There is also a tremendously broad market that has developed for versatility... multiple settings, flood vs. spot, night adaptive filters, component exchangeability, and battery options just to name a few. How do you typically hunt? Let me know and I’ll see if I can’t give you some recommendations.

I agree with Damon's statement that each person should choose a light that he or she feels suits the need appropriately.

I think we can all agree that SHADOWS ARE THE ENEMY! That is why Lance and I no longer utilize stubby lights for hunting. Lights with great spread and no bright spots I feel are best for what we do.

Princeton Tec is the light of choice in my opinon. I have not tried the fenix light but would be willing to do so if they want to send me one.

Effective Light Duration vs Lumens or Brightness vs Weight vs Size vs Battery Type vs Light spread/Light type

Lots of great points here in this forum topic.

Good luck to all.

Steven Owens