LED Flashlights: What You Wanted To Know

Using LED flashlights for camping or hiking has advantages and disadvantages compared to regular incandescents.

Advantages

LED flashlights are more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but battery life will depend on the number of LED's that you're lighting and how much light each one gives off. Obviously the more draw there is off the battery the faster that battery will be used up. Adding to this the type of battery you use will also effect how often you have to change batteries...

Alkaline are cheaper but they don't perform as well as lithium batteries. Lithium are more expensive but they have a big advantage in that they last longer, perform better at low temperatures, and they're lighter than alkaline. Not to mention longer battery life means less batteries go to the landfill. Also...

LED flashlight "bulbs" last longer than regular incandescent and fluorescent bulbs too. Some offer 100,000+ hours (manufacturers claims), that's over 11 years, of continuous light if conditions are ideal (i.e. the right voltage and power are critical). But over-powering an LED in an attempt to produce more light can quickly shorten its life-span to a blink-of-the-eye and turn it into a molten blob in the process. In general though they shouldn't give up the ghost before 10,000 hours unless something is really wrong. Which means you definitely want to have the right LED in your flashlight.

LED's also have much better resistance to shock and impact. I've heard several stories about LED flashlights being dropped from six feet or better on to concrete and the LED was unharmed, although some of the flashlight cases didn't survive the experience...

Disadvantages

One of the disadvantages of an LED is that some don't make as much light or throw it as far as an incandescent light bulb. This probably isn't that big a deal though because most people use a flashlight to see things relatively close to them anyway. LED's are also more expensive short-term than incandescent bulbs, but the reliability and length of life can more than make up for this especially if you're someone who uses your flashlight often or depends on it to work.

LED flashlights come in many different colors but white offers color that's closer to that of natural sunlight than incandescent bulbs. And as the battery loses power the LED will dim but it will still project a white light not a yellowish-orange like incandescent bulbs do.

How Bright Is It?

Light is measured in lumens (also lux or candlepower). But the numbers only tell part of the story because lumens are measured only at the center of the beam. So two different LED flashlights with the same lumen output could give very different results.

Maybe a keychain flashlight with one LED throws an intense bright light to the center of the beam and then fades quickly as you move out towards the edge of the light. Where a LED flashlight with several LED's may throw the same amount of light to the center of the beam and also deliver a consistent steady beam all the way from the center to the outer circle of light. So the two LED flashlights may put out the same amount of lumens but one may give off more light than the other. In other words lumens don't say anything about how much total light is put out.

What if you want light and also need your night vision too?

Red Lights and Night Vision

Your eyes use two different structures to see, rods and cones. Both being different structures they respond in different ways.

The rods are sensitive in low-light situations and let you see in black, white, and many shades of gray. The cones on the other hand, do their best in bright light, in distinguishing colors, and in detail work. Where cones are located toward the center of the field-of-vision, the rods are located more to the side of it. That's why you may have noticed once your eyes have adjusted to the dark you're able to see an object better, although fuzzy, by looking at it indirectly, instead of looking straight at it.

Where rods can't 'see' red light, cones can. So using a red light of the right frequency, about 620 nanometers or higher, can preserve your night vision just like you never turned the light on in the first place. In other words you can see with your cones and not have to wait up to 60 minutes for your night vision to return like you would have to after turning on a normal light. The drawback of course is that you won't be able to see as much as if you were using a white LED.

If you're looking for a flashlight that projects a beam as far as possible then an LED flashlight may not be your first choice although the Tektite Excursion LS4 seems to defy this idea (below). You may want to take a look at incandescent xenon or halogen bulbs with an adjustable focus instead. If you're looking for a flashlight that gives off a high quality diffused light for tasks that are close at hand, a bulb that's very durable, and a flashlight that offers relatively long battery life, an LED flashlight is a good choice.

Expect LED flashlights light output to fade over time as the batteries lose power, like incandescents. So when a manufacturer makes a claim their flashlight offers so many hours of light they're probably talking usable light like being able to read your compass up close at night, rather than shining it down the path in front of you. On that note here are three of my top recommendations.

A serious metal LED flashlight that throws out serious light.

If you're really serious about getting a great LED flashlight take a look at the Tektite Excursion LS4. This thing is heavy duty, made of aluminum, and is waterproof to 1,000 feet. It throws out a lot of light, probably more than incandescent bulbs with the same number of batteries. Battery life is around 10 hours or so with high output and diminishing from there. Tektite flashlights are designed to last for over 100 years.

A tough workhorse with very good light.

If you're looking for a tough bright LED flashlight that projects light further and is also waterproof to 1,000 feet the Expedition Star could be your answer. It also has a rubber bezel cover to protect the head from impact. This is a great flashlight for camping, hiking, or heck even diving. Since it is brighter than the Lightwave expect the 'brightness' to start dropping off after about 15 hours and then to give about 50 hours of dimmer light after that.

Beginner and good all-around.

The 7 LED Lightwave 3000 is a great all-around LED flashlight. It's good for close-at-hand work the only thing it doesn't do is throw light a long distance. The nice thing is that the batteries last a long time (the manufacturer's claims 600 hours) but remember they'll continue to dim over that time. It's made to last of tough plastic surrounded by rubber so it absorbs impact better too. There's also a Lightwave 4000 but it's bigger, heavier, and puts out about the same amount of light.

Well those are my top three choices. Each fits a different need, but they're all great LED flashlights. The Lightwave for those looking for effeciency. The Expedition Star for a balance between light output and battery life. And the Excursion LS4 for all-out light and durability. I hope this helped to make your decision easier.