Today, the lighting market offers a whole host of effective solutions. The most powerful flashlights are distinguished by narrow dispersion angles and an impressive range. However, due to the variety of designs, when choosing a lantern, you can come to some confusion. Therefore, let's try to figure out which characteristics are of particular importance when choosing a good flashlight.
Destination
Powerful flashlights designed for use in the most difficult conditions. The need for their operation arises when it is necessary to create bright, stable lighting, the maintenance of which is possible for a long time period.
Powerful headlamps are often used during rescue operations, hiking, speleological outings. Devices in this category include, first of all, tactical and search lights. Sufficiently high user characteristics are distinguished by underbarrel and camping lighting fixtures. Thus, choosing powerfulflashlights, you should start from the features of the future application.
Defining requirements
Based on the difficult conditions in which powerful flashlights are predominantly used, the following requirements are imposed on the characteristics and design of such devices:
- moisture and impact resistant case;
- the use of materials with high thermal conductivity as production bases, which contributes to the rapid removal of thermal energy from the light source;
- high battery capacity;
- possibility to adjust the luminous flux in a wide range;
- reliability of fixtures and accessories.
Differences between LED lighting and incandescent bulbs
A flashlight with a powerful LED has obvious advantages over devices where an incandescent lamp is used as a light source. First of all, they are harder to damage, because the LED is nothing more than a miniature semiconductor with a light-emitting coating.
The efficiency of incandescent lamps reaches about 30 lumens/W. At the same time, a powerful LED flashlight is capable of demonstrating more than 130 lumens per watt of power consumption. As a result, LED devices provide a stable luminous flux for a longer time with a similar energy reserve to lamp models.
Powerful LED flashlight is able to function onover 50,000 hours of continuous operation. For incandescent lamps, the specified indicator is not more than 5,000 hours. At the same time, the use of LED elements as a source of illumination opens up the possibility of adjusting the brightness in the widest range.
Case
The most high-strength today are the search models of LED lights. Anodized duralumin is often used here as the basis for the manufacture of the case. The material is durable and lightweight, resistant to corrosion, shock, scratches.
Such cases in the bulk are made in the form of a monolithic tube, which simultaneously plays the role of a container for batteries and a handle for a lighting device. However, there are duralumin cases with remote handles.
Light distribution
Powerful hand and headlamps are most often classified according to the light source. However, the defining moment here is the direction of the light flux. Based on this indicator, the following types of lanterns are distinguished:
- Spotlights - the light beam covers a wide range. The most powerful flashlight of this plan is capable of illuminating objects at a distance of about 500 m.
- Long-range models - the light beam is characterized by a rather narrow directionality, which leads to the formation of one bright spot on the object. The range here can reach about 1500 m.
Searchlights are effective at medium and close range. Their defining characteristic is the formation of a brightlight output without deep shadows. This is ensured by the specific design of the reflectors. As a result, searchlights are an ideal solution for hunting, outdoor activities, fishing.
The long-range devices, which are widely used by speleologists, search teams, and miners, have a completely different purpose. Features of the design of optics and reflectors contribute to precise focusing of the light beam. What is important here is not the scattering of rays, but the formation of a saturated light spot at one point.
Light flux pattern
LED flashlight can reproduce a warm or cold glow. This is determined by different color temperatures. The choice of a “warm” LED that gives off yellow, blue or any other shade depends on the individual perception of the user and the tasks set.
If we talk about the cold glow, there is the worst color reproduction. When a cold diode glows, the same grass may not look green, but rather gray. However, such a comparative disadvantage does not matter when using the flashlight in winter or indoor use.
When using flashlights in certain areas of activity, it is important to preserve the natural color of illuminated objects. Especially when it is necessary to distinguish between small shades of objects. For these purposes, "cold" LEDs may not be suitable.
Food
Supplying the light source with energy is possible from a battery or batteries. Powerful rechargeable flashlightit is advisable to operate in conditions where there is access to the mains, which allows timely recharging of storage elements. The use of battery powered devices seems to be a rational solution when organizing long trips. Naturally, the latter option is more costly in material terms.
Operating modes
Powerful flashlights usually operate in three modes, each of which has a separate power consumption. Each lighting device is designed to operate at minimum power, when the lamp gives moderately bright illumination, as well as in nominal and forced modes, where the brightest light is created.
In addition to the above modes, powerful flashlights can operate in additional modes:
- Strobe - activated when self-defense is necessary by disorienting the enemy with a saturated or frequency light pulse. Not present in all models of powerful LED lights.
- SOS mode - used in emergency situations to attract the attention of rescuers or others.
In conclusion
As a result, it is worth noting that when choosing the most powerful flashlight, preference should be given to LED devices, since devices with incandescent lamps are obsolete by modern standards. LEDs are extremely durable and energy efficient. Due to the long service life, the light source does not need to befrequent replacement. In general, when choosing the most powerful flashlight, one should start from the purposes for which it will be used.
