Spikelights headlamp---flamethrower!

[Dos Perros]

Sleeping bag manufacturers publish temperature ratings and weights and those are both easy to game, too. They should still publish something. That gives the consumer something to compare. I would never buy a light that didn't publish this number.

 

[COlineman78]

Sleeping bags introduced EN ratings which somewhat standardized the process so sleeping bags aren't as bad as they once were. Thread Count on sheets is one that are so unbelievable that I don't bother anymore. Dynamic contrast ratio on TVs is something that was gamed into irrelevance as dynamic backlighting came into use. One comparable in the backpacking/camping world is Nemo and their refusal to give R-values on their pads for this same reason. It obviously hasn't worked out for them, so I would hesitate to go down the same route.

Ar for lumens or candle power, I have had lights with a lower rating be significantly brighter than others with very high ratings. I suspect that they put a focusing lens in for the brightness test to game the test. I admit though that as a numbers person I pay some attention to it, but I pay more attention to reviews.

 

[Dos Perros]

Not all sleeping bag manufacturers adhere to EN 13537. I don't believe it's mandatory in the US. It os a good idea though, and I do look to see if the numbers published are EN numbers.

 

[WRM]

There is an ANSI standard for lumens. As explained on the Maglite site, the issue really is how well those lumens are put to use (beam distance). A 100,000 lumen light may not help you much if the beam is not properly focused. I believe that is what Spikelights is addressing on its site. Regardless, my opinion is that the beam distance on this light and output of light at distance is more than satisfactory, regardless what specific number might be generated by an ANSI standard test of lumens.

https://maglite.com/maglab/ansi_lumen_vs_beam_distance__peak_beam/#.Vv9ewPkrLcs

And, lumens = power consumption. So, do you want a light with a high "light output" but poorly focused beam which burns through batteries or one with a more moderate measured light output with a great reflector and thus better beam and lower power consumption?

Finally, if you took the time to look at the link I gave in post 20, you would see that Spikelights actually does give lumen ratings for its lights. After they explain why that number is not nearly as important as you may think and letting you know they can make you a "high lumen" light if that is what you demand--with the notation you will get an "ugly" white light. So, if you "need" 1,000 lumens, get you some!

 

[ahorton]

Just a comment about the 'lumen' ratings:

Everything WRM said is right, but the article he linked is actually a year old and the technology has moved. We make very small batches of these torches so that we are never more than a month away from using new LED technology.

The current (standard) Spikelights have a maximum of about 700 lumens (up from 500 last year). We can also do a good 1200 lumen version (up from 800 last year) but it can't maintain that for long periods of time. Beyond that the quality of the light actually goes down with more lumens. The highest I ever made was almost 3000 lumens. I promise you that the 700 lumen version is better.

As already commented, I try to avoid such figures because they are poorly understood and many manufacturers are dishonest.

The ANSI standard is the best, but it does give some strange results. For example, by ANSI standards the Spikelight would have a range of about 600m (2000 ft). In the real world, with my bare eyes, I can only see things at 300m (1000ft). So this is the rating I give it.

 

[COlineman78]

We can also do a good 1200 lumen version (up from 800 last year) but it can't maintain that for long periods of time. Beyond that the quality of the light actually goes down with more lumens. The highest I ever made was almost 3000 lumens. I promise you that the 700 lumen version is better.

Completely agree. I have one light that I bought out of curiosity that takes 2 18650 batteries and can drain them in about 10 minutes. Not very useful, but is a true 2000+ lumen light. Who really needs to be able to see 1000+ yards away? It's cool but not useful or practical.

 

[WRM]

If you have a penchant for melting plastic ants, you just wanted to leave that pesky isobut stove at home, or your life just won't be complete until you have a 4,000 lumen flashlight, here you go

http://www.wired.com/2014/05/wicked-lasers-flashtorch/

http://www.wickedlasers.com/torch

 

[Clarktar]

Well Hell........ I'm a sucker for headlamps and I didn't want to but I bought one to see how it compares against the Zebralight.

Ryan, did you get your Spike Light? thoughts?

 

[WRM]

Yeah, I was about to PM you myself. So, what did you end up doing/thinking?

 

[Ryan Avery]

Yes, I have it. Haven't had any time to mess with it. I am finally home for the week. I will get something up on it soon.

 

[Clarktar]

Thanks.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Rizzy]

Where is the off/on switch?

 

[WRM]

Go to first pic in post 15. It is on top of light, on left corner. It is a mechanical style push switch. Very sturdy.

 

[ahorton]

Just a comment on the switch since it might not be obvious:
It is a reed switch. The plunger is machined out of aluminium but it contains a very small magnet in it. The magnet is sealed inside the aluminium plunger with epoxy. The plunger is anodised and held in place with a SS spring and a SS grub screw

Inside the sealed lighthead is a reed switch which can sense the position of the magnet.
This means a few things:
1. No moving part ever penetrates the sealed lighthead.
2. The switch cannot be damaged by pressing the button too hard.

 

[WRM]

Thanks, Ashley. Obviously a much more detailed explanation than "see the picture".