Originally Posted by
PlanoFuji
I am curious, have your prior battery lights not produced enough light for you? If they have, why do you feel the need to replace them? If they haven't, at what level will you be happy that they are producing enough, or are you always going to want to 'upgrade'?
A reasonable question that got lost in all the sputtering. No, my prior LEDs didn't provide enough light. The halogens I used for a long time were very bright but heavy due to needing 12 subC NiMH cells per light. At around 2 kg per pack and having to carry 3 packs, that adds up to a lot of weight. I tinkered with LEDs for a while and the very early ones like the Nighthawk were abysmally dim. Flash lights from Dealtime were better but limited in run time. Magicshines were okay but new emitters put out more light and the new lights I use have a much narrower beam that I prefer over the Magicshines. I'm used to 12 degree beams from the halogens and the Magicshines are closer to 35 degree beam. Too floody for my taste.
The technology is changing rapidly and the cost is coming down dramatically, why not experiment? At $20 to $40 per lamp, I'm not out much if the 'upgrade' isn't one.