Originally Posted by Mtn Mike
Are you guys still talking about lighting? If so, I'll chime in about the HID systems. They are definitely the brightest out there. Some people object to the bluish hue they put out, I don't. Some people object to the price, I don't. My L&M HID was an excellent use of $300, and I'd buy it again.
Read this from REI about the 2005 model:
# Full power mode puts out a jaw-dropping 675 lumens of clean, daylight balanced light with 5 hours of run time
# Low power mode offers 6 hours at a still incredible 550 lumens of even light output
Get em. What, $600 is NOTHING, in the grand scheme of your life....am I wrong?
if you don't need 3 or 4 hours runtime it is cheap to buid a brigher and better light system then what you get in a HID light. my system only runs for about 1.5 hours but at 35 watts if halogen light and a real white light it is far briger then any normal HID light. and it cost less to build. plus the charger is a far better charger that takes only a couple hours (it would take less but I used two battery packs) the disadvange is a shorter runtime and more weight for the batteries. but if I chose a small light and then overvolted it more i would get a whiter light more light and longer runtimes. but I like the beam pattern of the 35w lamp I use.
you coulr run a 40 watt halogen system for about 200.00 thats with really good batteries and a real good charger and a good computer controller to control it.