[Rbrown]

It is reduced!!!!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ledlenser-T.../dp/B00G3CBIJG

[davyk31]

Wait. The deals will get better as that is only half price. A true epic irrestible LED Lenser deal needs a bigger reduction.

[JustChris]

I'm fully subscribed with torches but still tempted...hmm

[Bibbles]

I don't own a single torch, I wonder how I've managed to get this far in life without one. Maybe it's time to enter the fray.

[davyk31]

They are good torches for sure compared to the cheapo plastic rubbish. Probably not market leaders but great for what I wanted.

[Dr Forinor]

I suppose they are fine for most basic uses, but I would rather spend a little more for something a fair bit better.

[Torque of the Devil]

Originally Posted by Dr Forinor

I suppose they are fine for most basic uses, but I would rather spend a little more for something a fair bit better.

Like what? Have you got a link please

[mikeoz]

Above..!!

[Russbmw]

I've got an older version of one of the LED lenser ones as well, and it's bloody good and projects light a damn long way.

Not entirely sure what more the average homeowner could want out of a torch that you'll use maybe once a year tops?! What is "basic" use? It's a torch....it give you some light when it's dark.... I really want to try a "complex" torch task now.

As above....please enlighten (LOL....) us!

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by Bibbles

I don't own a single torch, I wonder how I've managed to get this far in life without one. Maybe it's time to enter the fray.

Who needs a torch when you can use your phone.

[Dr Forinor]

I'm a bit of a flashaholic, so my parameters for a torch will most likely be different from anyone who isn't a flashaholic. I look for things like beam pattern, colour temperature of the beam is important to me and I use high CRI torches.

What I don't like about these torches that do spot/flood, is when it's set to flood, the light in the middle isn't that great.

[Rbrown]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Who needs a torch when you can use your phone.

Can’t believe you dared compare the two!

Excuse the pun....but difference is night and day!!!

[Bibbles]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Who needs a torch when you can use your phone.

This is apparently a tactical torch so you need a plan before you use it. None of that waving light around willy nilly like you would on your phone.

[Russbmw]

I'm still eagerly awaiting an explanation of a complex torch activity.... as the most complex for me so far has been holding it between my teeth, laying on my back under a car whilst trying to hold something or other whilst I undo it.

[Russbmw]

Originally Posted by Dr Forinor

I'm a bit of a flashaholic, so my parameters for a torch will most likely be different from anyone who isn't a flashaholic. I look for things like beam pattern, colour temperature of the beam is important to me and I use high CRI torches.

What I don't like about these torches that do spot/flood, is when it's set to flood, the light in the middle isn't that great.

I'm not actually taking the piss, just genuinely interested- what do you do with a torch that requires a specific colour temperature of beam spread? It kind of stands to reason that flood lighting would be used for general area lighting, rather than spot which is more task specific.

[Dr Forinor]

If you have a look at a good quality torch which isn't adjustable for spot/flood, you will see the beam pattern actually caters for spot and flood.

The spot/flood torch is great for spot, but actually quite crap in flood. But the problem with a spot is in darkness it creates tunnel vision which can be really annoying. And when you use flood on that torch, you will find that the majority of lighting up is done around the periphery of the "flood circle". If you now compare that to a torch which is "generic" (meaning can't adjusted for spot/flood) you will find that it actually lights up just as much area as you would expect the LED Lenser to do in flood, but you have a really useable light in the center of the area that's being lit up. The ONLY one time the spot/flood torch is better than a standard one is when you use spot, but then since that creates tunnel vision I never use spot, therefore a spot/flood torch is useless to me. And with a torch that isn't able to adjust from spot to flood, but you are doing something task specific, then you simply lower the lumen setting and it works great.

Colour temperature, meaning either 4500k or 6000k etc, that's obviously personal preference, but after a few years of trying different colour temperatures I find my eyes strain a lot less (I think there is some science behind it) with a colour temperature that is more neutral, ie closer to the sun's colour temperature. That is most usually 4000-4500k, and you find that your eyes adjust a lot easier to this temperature than a torch which has a much colder temperature of say 6000k or 6500k which has a blue tinge to it. Again this is only noticeable with direct comparison, but once you see it, you can't unsee it, or that's true at least in my case.

High CRI I find very important because it actually allows you to see colours for the colours that they are. If you don't understand this High CRI concept then this may sound silly, but again there is sound science behind this. CRI stands for Colour Rendition Index, and not all torches have high CRI, most are closer to 80ish, which has light that doesn't allow visiblity of all of the colours of any given object to close accuracy. Why is this handy? Well for example in the woods, with a torch that has low CRI, it will be harder to distinguish the difference between mud/soil and dog poo for example. A torch with high CRI the difference is so much more visible, the different shades are much more clearly differentiated. That may also have applications in mechanics where you are trying to find a very specific colour of wire. A high CRI torch will much better assist you in your purpose. And then there is a survival aspect to this also (not saying that it's my reason, but it's a valid reason), where if you need specific types of wood for fire burning, or specific types of tinder for starting a fire, a torch which is high CRI will allow you to be able to tell the difference between different trees by the colour or different greens for tinder.

I enjoy camping a lot, and this is where I am able to try out the difference between a whole range of torches that offer many variabilities. It's after trying them all out (and I have to stress it's much easier to see a clearer difference in complete darkness) in direct comparison that you can actually tell that there is a purpose to different torches, and also which are actually better.

You can actually go a lot more specific and have torches for different purposes, different number of LEDs create different beam patterns and spreads, different depths of reflectors (or sometimes lack thereof) create different beams, a shiny or dimpled/stippled/orange peel reflector creates a different beam pattern, all of which have their own uses.

---------------------

This is my high CRI of 92, with no reflector, creates the most useable light in a camping setting, but you can't see anything in the far distance with it. But whilst around the camp area, nothing beats it, it's the ONLY torch I use;


And you can see a completely different reflector here;


For long distance, 603m (but will still light up a decent area, rather than being tunnel vision style of spot);


A variety I take when I'm out for a camping trip;




A few of the ones I have, of varying sizes, (with an 18650 battery on the right end for size comparison);


-------------------

I hope that helped clear things up a little. At the start of my collection I had a few LED Lenser torches because like yourselves I figured it does spot/flood, what more do I need. After having played with other torches, I got rid of all of my LED Lensers as I found them to be a compromise in everything and not excel at anything in particular.

Whichever hobby you have, the more you know about it the more you understand and can appreciate what is available. If you talk to someone who doesn't like cars, or enjoy driving, they might have a Perodua Myvi and say "well you only need to go from A to B". People like us know that it's more than just "A to B", because we have more interest and knowledge in cars. Similarly, a torch isn't as simple as "you just need it to light things up". If it was that simple people wouldn't spend £28 on an LED Lenser, but buy a £4.99 torch from B & Q. You are buying a £28 LED Lenser because you can appreciate it's better than a torch which costs a fiver, but also you might just not have seen a direct comparison with a torch that may cost a fair bit more - and therefore have seen a proper difference.

Sorry for the long post.

[McBride]

The main thing I took from all that was how to avoid riding my MTB through dog poo at night. Looks like i need to improve my CRI.

[Dr Forinor]

[JD6]

Dr Forinor



OK you win!

[Dr Forinor]

Lol, I wasn't trying to show off, or trying to win anything. I just posted because a few people asked me to elaborate. I have a few torches, so I'm likely to know a thing or two about them.

[SteveChester]

Originally Posted by Dr Forinor

Lol, I wasn't trying to show off, or trying to win anything. I just posted because a few people asked me to elaborate. I have a few torches, so I'm likely to know a thing or two about them.

You win the F30 Post 2017 torchmeister of the year award!!

[Theone88]

Originally Posted by Dr Forinor

Lol, I wasn't trying to show off, or trying to win anything. I just posted because a few people asked me to elaborate. I have a few torches, so I'm likely to know a thing or two about them.

Originally Posted by SteveChester

You win the F30 Post 2017 torchmeister of the year award!!

Originally Posted by Dr Forinor

Lol, I wasn't trying to show off, or trying to win anything. I just posted because a few people asked me to elaborate. I have a few torches, so I'm likely to know a thing or two about them.

Curious to know what you'd recommend around the same price point?

Great explanation!