LIGHTS FOR HUNTING

[watchmaker]

dude how long does the battery life last on that black bear again??

I think i am going to start saving up money for that thing...I love flashlights that work and DAMN!

The Black Bear 720 lumens run time is 40 minutes (as much as many spotlights) and the  RC FAST charger will charge it back in 90 minutes.

The Borealis (12 1/2 inches long 28 oz) output 1050 lumens and will run for 50 minutes. Parts for both lights are the same, but the Black Bear has six batteries while the Borealis has nine.

Regards
Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

Q-BEAM MAX MILLION II
TWO MILLION CANDLEPOWER
SPOTLIGHT

I very recently bought a new Q-Beam two million candlepower spotlight. I am a big user of spotlights, in my case I use them to give demonstration of the power of the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight, in police reunions, night shots, and seminars.

When my eight month-old battery for my two million candlepower Optronics spotlight gave up the ghost, I had to get a new spotlight.
I spied the Q-Beam at Wal-Mart and I bought it on the spot. It is a large spotlight with a four-and-three-quarters inch reflector, and with some extra features not available in other spotlights.

For starters, it comes with two removable batteries. One battery could be on the light while the other is charging, a good feature. Unfortunately, in my case, one of the batteries was already dead and is not recharging. I will have to return the unit and get another, hoping for better luck.

However, bad batteries are nothing new in big spotlights. It seems that the Chinese haven’t gotten the hang of making lead acid batteries last any decent amount of time. I know; I have the corpses of seven spotlights to prove it (some day I will get around to rounding them up and take a picture of them).

I can safely say that I have tried all of them, and I can tell you that a quality spotlight is not available in the USA, unless you buy one of the Australian’s Night Force spotlights.  Australians, with their liberal night hunting laws, know a thing or two more about night hunting and lights that the average American hunter does.

For law enforcement the panorama is different.  With the advent of the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight (12 ½” long, 28 oz) a spotlight in the cruiser is no longer needed.
After all, spotlight use for law enforcement is confined to operation from the car, which is why you don’t see a trooper conducting a traffic stop with spotlight in hand or chasing down a suspect with one in tow.

Coming back to the Q-Beam Max Million II, it also has another feature that was not available before in any other spotlight; a double trigger that when touched high, can activate mechanically a spring that will push the smaller part of the two-part reflector/ bulb holder, forward. This causes the focus to change to a wider flood; interesting concept, but perhaps of dubious utility. I have seen it employed in flashlights before, but by the use of two filaments positioned in the bulb envelope at different heights.

Here is a picture of the Q-Beam together with the Borealis



Unfortunately the Achilles’ heel of any spotlight is the quality of its batteries. In the normal use that I give them, they never last more than 6 to 8 months, which is why I am not looking to pay more than half a century note for one, with is just what the new Q-Beam cost me at Wal-Mart.

How does it compare with the Borealis 1050 lumens (two million candlepower)?
To answer that question, I move them to the backyard of my local church, where I have a solid wall of trees and a range of 35 yards (I try to avoid solid light-painted walls that produce too much reflection and confuse the camera).

Q-Beam Max II Spotlight



Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight




Black Bear 720 lumens flashlight





The new Spotlight did well in comparison, but it is more inside the range of the Black Bear 720 lumens (10 “ long 23 oz) than of the more powerful Borealis.  Here are the pictures for you to judge; of course the Borealis and the BB 720 are  better law enforcement tools as the side spill is bigger and the intensity and the color are brighter. Of course, you need side spill to avoid panning a tight focus’ light and losing precious seconds when clearing a room or warehouse.

For those that use the Q-Beam for varmint shooting (with a partner to hold the light of course) the light will do okay up to 300 yards.
For that use you can take advantage of the red filter (at shorter distance) and the other two filters, ( blue and amber), are completely useless for varmint shooting and for any other use I can imagine, as I can not see a blood tracker using such a big spotlight with the blue filter on it.

Respectfully,
Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

THE UTG BARREL MOUNT
                                                           
                                                         
                                                                               
Hi guys,                                                                       
For  those  wanting  a barrel mount for a flashlight or laser, I have had good
results with the UTG barrel mount.                                             
Initially  purchased  for  an  AK rifle, I found out that it can be mounted in
other rifle barrels, for example, it fits perfectly in a .22 rifle and also in
a Mini 14 I have.                                                             
                                                                               
It is a tri-rail mount with three Picattiny rails that will also accept Weaver
style  rings.  My  model is the #2 mount which have two slots; the UTG is also
available  with  five slots that will accommodate the red dots scopes that are
in the market.                                                                 
                                                                               
Picture of the UTG # 2   

                                                     
                                                                                ]   
                                                                               
Another view
                                                                 
                                                                               
   
                                                                               
         
                                                                       
The UTG fully loaded with two TACM III tactical lights (one with a red filter)
and a laser.
                                                                   
                                                                               
     

                                                                               
The UTG is sold by Cheaper than Dirt and I imagine others places that cater to
tactical rifles. Just look in their catalogue in the AK accessories page.     
                                                                               
Cheers                                                                         
Watchmaker                                                               

[watchmaker]

VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE BY JAMES MAURER
ON THE BRIGHTEST LIGHTS IN THE WORLD
THAT YOU CAN GET OVER THE COUNTER.

THEY ARE ALL THERE
THE TORCH, THE POLARION, THE BOREALIS,
THE SUNFORCE, ETC.

READ IT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LIGHTS

http://www.jamesmaurer.com/worlds-brightest-flashlight.asp

CHEERS

[watchmaker]

REMOTE SWITCHES
WITH PRESSURE PAD

Hi guys,
I have been using remote switches in my tactical lights that are mounted in rifles,  shotguns, and bows, for quite a few years now.
The most effective of them are the ones with a direct connection to the solder pad that touch the battery (no spring), like the ones in the TACM III tactical lights.
The reason that they are more effective is that they don’t rob the system of any voltage (in the way of internal resistance) as do the ones with heavy springs.

Internal resistance is the name of the game, some of them, for example the TAC STAR pressure switch, can really make a bright lamp like the P-60, looks dim and murky, due to too much internal resistance in the design of the tail cap.

THE TAC STAR REMOTE SWITCH



A good one that I have used for years in mounting lights on my friends’ bows and rifles, is the G&P tail cap with remote.  Its design is quite good and the internal resistance is low, but it is not designed for pump shotguns as the cord is just straight and not curly.

THE G&P REMOTE SWITCH



A very good one that I discovered recently is the Aimshot curly cord remote, the spring is copper and quite light and it seems to have very low internal resistance.
I discovered the Aimshot in Cheaper Than Dirt catalogue and at a very good price ($14.97) and it has become my favorite.
I just used one in a Pelican M-6 tactical light and mounted it using a UTG Tri rail mount in an AK rifle, it does the job well.

THE AIMSHOT REMOTE SWITCH



Cheers

Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

THE 200 LUMENS BATTLE

There are now a number of aftermarket lamps for the popular series of Surefire lights.
They will fit the Surefires series: 6P, C, Z, D, G, and maybe others.

I just received a new one that claims 290 lumens and is called a Cree R-2 (it’s supposed to be even more powerful than the Cree Q-5).
I decided to do a shoot out with an assortment of lights that I have in the 200 plus lumens class. That way the members can see how they perform against each other.

Run time was not measured for lack of time and because I am running short on 123’s batteries. The bigger lights, namely the Surefire M-4 with the MN60 lamp (225 lumens for 60 minutes on four 123’s disposable batteries) and the Bear Cub from Black Bear Flashlights (220 lumens for 90 minutes on rechargeable Li Ion batteries) are big throwers and with them you can see clearly objects 120 and 150 yards away.

On the other hand the small reflectors of the Surefires G-2, Centurion 2 and Fenix T-1 are dispersing all those lumens close by, creating a great flood.
Those pocket lights will be great to use as tactical lights by law enforcement personnel, and especially good at clearing houses, while the Surefire M-4 and the Bear Cub will make great lights for car, truck and the open spaces.

The literature of the Fenix states that it’s good for 200 yards, it will probably make a reflective target like a stop sign glow at that distance, but it would hardly  illuminate any other object. My perception from trials I made, is that this light as well as the others LED’s can’t be count to illuminate (poorly) objects beyond 60/70 yards.


In any case, a lamp upgrade if you own a Surefire pocket light, is a good idea as any of them are more powerful than the stock incandescent lamp of 65 lumens or the stock LED lamp of 80 lumens.


The lights as they appear in the picture are, from left to right:


Surefire M-4 MN60 lamp 225 lumens for 1 hour (running on four 123’s batteries)
Bear Cub 220 lumens for 90 minutes, rechargeable
Surefire G-2 in yellow. It is 65 lumens for one hour with the stock P-60 lamp
Surefire G-2 in black, Lumen Factory lamp incandescent of 160 lumens
Surefire G-2 in green, Cree Q-5 by Deal Xtreme, 200 lumens
Surefire Centurion 2 in Jungle Camo, 290 lumens (claimed) with the Cree R-2 lamp
Fenix T-1, 225 lumens using a Cree Q-5 lamp




And now the pictures, target is 20 yards away, watch also the amount of side spill as well as the throw.

SUREFIRE M-4 DESVASTATOR 225 LUMENS



BEAR CUB RECHARGEABLE 220 LUMENS



SUREFIRE G-2 YELLOW 65 LUMENS



SUREFIRE G-2 BLACK LUMENS FACTORY 160 LUMENS LAMP



SUREFIRE G-2 GREEN, DEAL XTREME LAMP CREE Q-5 200 LUMENS



SUREFIRE CENTURION 2, CREE R-2  290 LUMENS (CLAIMED)



FENIX T-1 CREE Q-5  225 LUMENS





One word of caution with high intensity LED lights: most are not thermally regulated and they will suffer from their own heat if used for an extended period. They will get very hot and the tint will change. Short use of 5 minutes or less is recommended, especially in lights like the G-2 that has a plastic body and head.

All metal flashlights like the Surefire 6P are better at dissipating the heat, and in them a few more minutes of constant use can be achieved before the heat will damage the module.
The big heavy head of the Fenix acts as a heat sink, and this light can manage to run much longer without the heat affecting the module.

Besides, the Fenix has a second setting that will run the light at 60 lumens for 10 hours.
So, if you already have a Surefire you want to upgrade, the aftermarkets lamps are great.
If you need a new light look at the Fenix line.

If you need a truck, open spaces light, the Bear Cub is a great value as it is rechargeable and very bright as well as a 150 yards thrower.

Cheers

Watchmaker

[addicted]

all hale watchmaker the flashlight king 

[Charlie]

Great information Watchmaker. Thanks!

[watchmaker]

Merry Christmas to all

[watchmaker]

TERRALUX LIGHTSTAR 220
FLASHLIGHT

For the last two months, I have been using one of the Terralux Lightstar 220 lumens flashlights, which runs on two AA batteries.
This light has two settings on the click-tail cap; the first setting clicks on the light and emits 220 lumens for 1.5 hours.
The second setting of 100 lumens for 6 hours is accessed by softly pressing the rubber button switch.

The LED is a Cree RXE Q-4 and is controlled by a microprocessor for a constant light output.  When battery juice is running low, the LED will flicker to let you know that is time for new batteries.
The unit comes with two Energizer AA batteries, a lanyard and a soft nylon holster.  At an even six inches long, the light is quite portable and also features a clip to attach it to your belt or waistband.




It is very similar to the popular 3 watt 80 lumens Ray-O-Vac Sportsman Xtreme (but is slightly longer as the click tail cap needs more room for the mechanism), and the head is smaller with a small orange peel reflector.

Due to the small reflector the beam throws quite a flood despite the 220 lumens figure.  Small reflectors don’t really have much throw no matter how many lumens you make the light puts out. However, it is quite adequate for most chores inside a house and practical, too, for walking the dog or a walk in the woods.

LIGHTSTAR AT 20 YARDS WITH THE 220 LUMENS




LIGHTSTAR WITH THE 100 LUMENS SETTING






The really nice thing about these lights are that they are very inexpensive to feed as they use common AA batteries. As I use rechargeable AA batteries in all my lights, it is even more inexpensive to use.
The dark green anodized body is quite resistant to scratches as the light is still like new even after a couple months of sharing my pocket with keys and coins.

Cost of the light varies depending where you buy it, but it is around $35 to $40 USD; your best bet is to Google it to see who has a special on it.
I like this light to the point of recommending it to anybody that is looking for a light with these characteristics.  The light is as good as the Ray-O-Vac Sportsman with the added power of the 220 lumen setting.
Cheers.

Watchmaker

[MLBowhunting]

great info should help out on a new light

[watchmaker]

WHEN A LUMEN IS NOT A LUMEN

A lumen is not a lumen when somebody intends to throw a big bunch of them out of a small reflector the size of a dime or nickel. At least it seems to be that way.

It used to be easy to tell the power of a light by the lumens figure, not anymore. You could be an experience user of lights, say a policeman that had used for years a 200 lumens Magchager and is well acquainted with its capabilities. Now he reads about this small light the size of a thumb that also outputs 200 lumens and is all excited to get the new marvel.

He does and is promptly disappointed because the small light seems to throw a good amount of light, but all close by, and is nothing that can compare with his duty Magcharger that can illuminate objects at 100 yards.

Besides emitters in the 200 lumens bracket can kill themselves with the heat that they produce when they are used in small lights with poor heat sinking. It is mostly a novelty thing and it should be used with caution. Some of them come in lights with multiple settings, and that is fine when the literature advice you to use the 200 lumens sparingly, and you follow that advice.

To illustrate the point, here are a couple of pictures of beam shots at 20 yards, you can clearly see the superiority of the Bear Cub (reflector size 2”) over the Lightstar 220, (reflector the size of a dime)  even when both lights are rated at 220 lumens.

LIGHTSTAR 220 LUMENS AT 20 YARDS



BEAR CUB 220 LUMENS AT 20 YARDS


   

Some manufacturers wishing to quote big numbers are now putting clusters of these small reflectors on duty size flashlights. Mind you these clusters that are from three to four are still all small reflectors with limited throw.

So, somebody putting a cluster of four reflectors in a big head can claim 800 lumens, but you know better now, knowing that those 200 lumens for each reflector are not really behaving like real lumens!

Unfortunately I don’t have one of those lights to prove the point. But I can get my own cluster of lights in the 200 lumens bracket, and demonstrate by picture what can you expect.

I have here two of the Lightstar220 lumens, plus a Fenix P3D of 205 lumens and an Ultra Fire with Rebel emitter of 200 lumens, all of which together in a cluster will throw the figure of 845 lumens.
The opposite number is a Black Bear 720 lumens flashlight, a light that is 10” long and weights 24 oz. and uses a 2” reflector that can throw several hundred of yards with a strong white light.

HERE IS THE PICTURE OF THE CONTENDERS



The distance for both beam shots is in this case 35 yards to the target (The no trespassing sign tacked in the tree). The camera is 20 yards from the target.

CLUSTER OF REFLECTORS 845 LUMENS




BLACK BEAR 720 LUMENS ONE REFLECTOR 2”



Observe how the beam of the 720 lumens light travels beyond the range of the cluster lights, illuminating objects that the cluster lights are not capable of showing.
So, if you are in the market for a new light, this use of small reflectors in clusters to boost lumens figures is something you should be aware off.

Cheers
Watchmaker
 

[addicted]

Watchmaker,

Have you done any research into red filtered lights?  I have trouble finding any reviews that weren't paid for lol.

[watchmaker]

A red filter will take a lot of the throw of a good light.

Recently I researched how trapped raccoons react to white light and red light.
They see red light, but are not bothered by it unless the red light is strong and pulsating. I used a Fenix P3D with red filter and the strobe effect to discover it.

Further proof that they see red light was when I was using a laser near them, and they were trying to grab the red dot.

Watchmaker

[watchmaker]

NEW BULB FOR THE BOREALIS FLASHLIGHT
750 LUMENS FOR 75 MINUTES

As you may know the Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight is the most powerful military/police flashlight in use today.

The Borealis will make 1050 lumens for 50 minutes on rechargeable batteries. Now a new bulb is available which will run the light for 75 minutes with a drop of only 300 lumens.

Lights in use by police today are the Magcharger, the Stingers, the SL 20 up to 200 lumens, the Ultra Stinger-295 lumens, the Pelican 7060-135 lumens, and the Fenix TK series up to 240 lumens.
Military forces use a variety of Surefires as weapon lights with 120 lumens and hand held like the Surefire M-4, 350 lumens and the Surefire M-6 at 500 lumens.

So, the above statement of the Borealis been the most powerful is not an exaggeration, many are been used daily by police and many are doing tour of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

What the new bulb does is extend the run time to 75 minutes without reducing drastically the output.
As no other duty flashlight with the same lumens is available, I decided to conduct a shoot out against a big two million candlepower spotlight, the one at hand was an almost new Brikmann Q beam Max million II (two million candlepower) with a reflector of five inches wide and a big bulb of 75 watt.

All this in competition to a bean sized 30 watt bulb and two inch reflector of the Borealis.

DAVID AND GOLIATH




FIVE INCH VERSUS TWO INCH




This particular Borealis has a Light Stippled reflector, a reflector designed to give a good balance between flood and throw, but given the semi custom character of the Borealis three other reflectors are available, smooth for maximum throw, orange peel for just a little less throw but more flood (also called side spill) and a medium stippled reflector designed for a big flood but with the range limited to 100 yards.

As the night was bitterly cold I decided to take the pictures and shoot the beams right out of my second story kitchen window, with the short tripod legs resting in the kitchen sink.

The target is the white and blue cabana which is the second building in the picture after the fence.
The target is 74 yards from my window, with back trees as much as 85 yards (they are still visible with both lights).

Due to the big reflector in the spot light, the beam is concentrated in the center of the picture and illumination from the side spill is not as great as it is with the Borealis 750 lumens bulb.
Observe both pictures and you will see more area illuminated by the Borealis 750 lumens bulb, than is illuminated by the two million candlepower spotlight.
Still the intensity of both beams is similar at the center of the target area.

Q-BEAM MAX TWO MILLION



BOREALIS 750 LUMENS 75 MINUTES BULB




In conclusion the new Borealis bulb of 750 lumens is worthy for those that will want a run time of 75 minutes. Even after loosing 300 lumens the Borealis still is the most powerful flashlight used by the police and the military.

The light can be ordered with the 1050 lumens bulb installed and the spare as the 750 lumens or vice-versa.  You can also order the reflector most appropriate for you work, the only light in the Industry that offers you a choice of four reflectors.

Cheers.

Watchmaker