Flashlights ~ Sorting Out The Lumen Lies.

[QKShooter]

NEBO SOLEIL ULTRA SLIM SOLAR LED FLASHLIGHT #5113

"It has 3 ultra-bright LEDs that put out an incredible 40 lumens of light."




So............I bought this flashlight just as an extra 2nd light for the Mrs. QK Bug Out Bag.
It really was not at all expensive. I "figgered" last ditch ~ Never Needs Batteries...Lightweight, thin, I'll pop one into her bag.

I just let it charge all doggone day long & if that's 40 Lumens...I'll eat every Lumen with ketchup and mustard on them.

Compared to other small LED lights that I own. I'm best guessing 6 Lumens or possibly 8.

How can I tell that? I have a tiny Gerber light that is a single LED 8 Lumen light & it's actually brighter.

It's not like I'm out any big money so that's not a concern & it does actually work fine but, the light output is quite low.

What gives with the extreme, total, BS w/ regard to light brightness/output?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Thunder71]

I have a Nebo Redline rated at 220 and I'd be surprised if it was far off. Love that light!

Posted from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk.

[luvmy40]

The problem is one of standards. There is no accepted industry standard as far as measuring the output in lumens or candle power as far as I can tell.
There are probably discussions on this in abundance at candle power.com
And always rember, you get what you pay for.

[10thmtn]

Huh?

You put a solar powered light inside a bag, where it is dark?

So when you need it (at night), it is dead and cannot be charged?

This is a joke, right?

[QKShooter]

Read my OP.

"So............I bought this flashlight just as an extra 2nd light for the Mrs. QK Bug Out Bag."

That would be because if me and my Wife ever need to BUG out for an extended period of time AKA longer than our battery life we would still have one last ditch light that could be charged by the Sun during the day and used at night.

Not really all that difficult to understand. I am a multi-dimensional thinker.

Huh?

You put a solar powered light inside a bag, where it is dark?

So when you need it (at night), it is dead and cannot be charged?

This is a joke, right?

[QKShooter]

This would be a good place for me to add my thoughts on a survival light. If we need to bug out I intend to stay in PA if it is at all possible. I know the woods and the trees , plants, critters, there is pure, clean, water and always lots of it. The winters are average and not super severe or extensive & usually average amounts of snowfall. I know the people etc. I basically love it here. It's my home. There are actually remote areas of PA that have probably not seen a human footprint since the Native Americans roamed Pennsylvania. I love it here. We don't get any natural disasters. There are just a lot of things to love about the remote areas of PA.
Anyway...back to lights ~ in the more remote areas of PA we get a lot of moonless starless nights where it is totally pitch black at night.
Even after your eyes have adjusted completely to the dark...you honestly cannot see your hand in front of your face.
There is NO ambient light. None.
SO....I like a woods, camp, whatever light with LOWER lumens and I value the longest "run time" possible over a power beam blaster.
That is because after my eyes have adjusted to the blackness - just the reflected light from a powerful beam will cause you major vision problems.
I also do not want to turn on a light and have it look like a radioactive UFO or a flaming meteor just crash landed in the woods.
I do VERY WELL with a nice diffused lower volume of light.
If I can find things in my pak and see where my feet are landing & accomplish mundane tasks...I'm happy.

Mrs. QK likes more and brighter light. I guess to chase the boogie men away should any ever appear.

[10thmtn]

Read my OP.

"So............I bought this flashlight just as an extra 2nd light for the Mrs. QK Bug Out Bag."

That would be because if me and my Wife ever need to BUG out for an extended period of time AKA longer than our battery life we would still have one last ditch light that could be charged by the Sun during the day and used at night.

Not really all that difficult to understand. I am a multi-dimensional thinker.

Maybe you missed the "" - my post was a bit light hearted

I have one of those wind-up flashlight/radio things for the same purpose

Lighten up!

[adric22]

I have one of those wind-up flashlight/radio things for the same purpose

I have bought a few of those too. The big problem is they usually want to make those things as cheap as possible. So they put a tiny coin battery inside that can only hold a charge for about 30 seconds. Naturally, they'll boast numbers like 5 minutes on the packaging, but in reality it is usually more like 30 seconds. So you end up cranking those things constantly.

I bought one at brookstone recently that uses a cordless phone battery. It will actually shine for several minutes after cranking it.

[WHEC724]

It doesn't matter how many lumens that my flashlight is.

I'll still lose it.

[Lotus222]

My emergency backup light is the dual LED flash on my cell phone. It's pretty darn bright. I still need a better primary LED light than what I have, though.

[Thunder71]

Here's my latest acquisition, love this little 120 lumen pen light for daily carry!

http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-Pr.../dp/B005G4G7IY

[SigHawk]

I have a Nebo Redline rated at 220 and I'd be surprised if it was far off. Love that light!

Posted from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk.

I have that same light. Absolutley love it (and the fact that it runs off AAAs).

[QKShooter]

Sorry. I actually did misinterpret that and I did miss the ~~~> These things will happen sometimes.
Meanwhile...take a pass on the NEBO SOLEIL - It looks lots better in the Internet photos than in real life. The construction is not good and it reeks of cheap. Of course it WAS cheap so that's probably why.
Supposedly the "run time" after a full charge is 6 hours but, if they are making that statement and it's as truthful as their Lumen claim then I'm not biting on it.
I also have a NEBO redline and this thing is not even in the same ballpark.

One light that I really do like is the Gerber Tritac. It's a tiny bit Bug Out Bag Heavy for a 2 AA lite (especially if you're watching every ounce of weight) and it's not a high lumen light. It has an incredibly long "run time" on a fresh set of AA batteries.
The actual "out the front" light is quite "to the blue" and I really like that for night use also.
The construction on it is very good. It's not expensive. The emitted light is fairly soft and diffused and I like that for just basic night necessary tasks.
It's (for sure) not a night vision destroyer. It features 3 regulated LEDs and I like the fact if one should (by chance) "blink out" there are two others that will continue to work.
Absolutely for sure it's not a light to "weapon mount" but for safely "putting one foot in front of the other" during a pitch black night it's more than adequate.
If you had to get trapped between floors in an elevator over an extended holiday weekend it would be a good light to have on your person.

Maybe you missed the "" - my post was a bit light hearted

I have one of those wind-up flashlight/radio things for the same purpose

Lighten up!

[cj]

Many times, flashlight makers base the rating of their light off of the manufacturer's LED numbers. Many of the cheap Chinese lights automatically claim the brightest possible rating, even if the light doesn't get enough power to the LED to come close to approaching that output.

Also, I could be wrong, but I think lumens is the total amount of light produced...your little gerber may produce less light, but have it better focused for comparison purposes.

[jbum]

I buy these all the time buy the 50 pack LED Keychain Flashlight White 22000mcd (mega 50-pack) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme I put a hand full in a ziplock in all our bob's for backup lights and locating lights. Probally have about 200 or so.