Originally Posted by
Richard Cranium
Here's the deal - about the actual OP - whether to "flood" or "spot." In real life, unless you run a really high power light, like at least 400-500 lumen, then you should have an axillary spotting light for some of the incidental situations. Too often a street sign will be too high or too wide for a normal beam to catch.
Another big factor is when animal or autos are approaching from an angle. Currently my setup allows me to "flash oncoming" objects that at an angle to me to assure that they see me. A typical case could involve a fork in a road or deer or a dog coming from the side.
I agree with the ability to flash cars or animals off to the side, but I haven't had a problem with street signs. Street signs are made out of very reflective material - even a slight amount of light will light them up like a christmas tree. If I remember right, even my Lumotec Cyo lit up street signs, and it has a real cutoff on the top (legally mandated in Germany, the market it was first designed for). It only put a tiny bit light off the top, but that's enough for street signs. If I remember right.