Which very powerful torch/flashlight?

This is my favorite so far. Very, very tight beam, almost like a Jedi light saber (but longer ;) ) Been using it for a couple of years and no problems. Nice on a boat because you can point it forward while steering from the cockpit and you get very little side scatter on the sails or decks so doesn't completely kill your night vision. Marinebeam Ultra Long Range LED Illuminator Flashlight
 
I’m amazed that people would spend that much on a torch!

One of the trawlers I worked in we lost a couple overboard, the owner/skipper brought a nice footing and waterproof one - we watched it floating away for some time as difficult to turn when towing a trawl!

W.
 
Exposure....British company ..."brilliant" quality, can be serviced just send it back to them, not plastic throw away, rechargeable with a proper jack plug, not usb c (fiddly)...Dont lose it as expensive...Nik
 
PilotWolf said:
I’m amazed that people would spend that much on a torch!

One of the trawlers I worked in we lost a couple overboard, the owner/skipper brought a nice footing and waterproof one - we watched it floating away for some time as difficult to turn when towing a trawl!

W.
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Harder to lose when it's securely on your head. 48 hour battery life at reasonable brightness or 1.5 hours of midday sun. They also do a sailing one with a red light but it's not as bright :)
HT1000 Head Torch
 
I have purchased this " NightSearcher Trio-550 Rechargeable Searchlight " but from toolstation as it was nearly £10 cheaper at the time. Haven't used in anger yet, but the beam seemed to give a good distance and very little scatter unlike other spotlights I had on board.
It is the 'scatter' that makes a good long range torch on land be useless on the boat imho.
 
ISTM that there are two ways of doing it. Get a good one, recover from the price-induced fibrillation and look after it, or get a few cheapies - one may play up, but you've still got the others. The second option has a number of advantages; fumble, bonk, splash induces a lot less swearing, likewise a leaky battery, and the ready use one's batteries may have died, but chances are one of the ones in the draw will still work
 
Stemar said:
ISTM that there are two ways of doing it. Get a good one, recover from the price-induced fibrillation and look after it, or get a few cheapies - one may play up, but you've still got the others. The second option has a number of advantages; fumble, bonk, splash induces a lot less swearing, likewise a leaky battery, and the ready use one's batteries may have died, but chances are one of the ones in the draw will still work
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I agree with that. The old 'buy cheap, buy twice' adage has always been used as a negative, but in many things I now see it as a positive. Torches is one of them.
 
Now I want to start using 18650 lithium cells rather than putting new batteries in the torch at £8 per new set.

I'll go through this thread again at length, if necessary, but is there a preferred specification or brand, for charger and cells?

Also, is the 1.2 volt output of rechargeable cells sufficient, given that the usual output for, for example C-cells, is 1.5v?
 
dancrane said:
Now I want to start using 18650 lithium cells rather than putting new batteries in the torch at £8 per new set.

I'll go through this thread again at length, if necessary, but is there a preferred specification or brand, for charger and cells?

Also, is the 1.2 volt output of rechargeable cells sufficient, given that the usual output for, for example C-cells, is 1.5v?
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18650 cells are nominally 3.7v each. You need to check that you can use li-ion cells in whatever torch you currently have. If 18650 is OK, Panasonic is the brand to look for (as used in Tesla cars!), but cheaper eBay specials seem to work well, and are often bundled with a charger.
 
Glad I asked! Thanks.

With four of those, I daresay my 6v torch would have worked for one millisecond before cooking the hand that held it.

I just need a rechargeable cell with good long life that will last plenty of cycles, in a C-cell size. Does that have a numerical code?


EDIT! I just read the small print..."Requires 4 x C batteries (not included - not compatible with rechargeable batteries)"

Thanks PVB, I owe you one.

Of course, it gives me an excuse to go shopping for another torch too... ;)
 
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April 5th 2021

Why do I mainly look for torches during the lightest months of the year? ?

Since I already have a couple of Bosch 18v tools (and batteries), I'm tempted by their enormous work-lights...

51097096427_48759c713b_o.jpg


...not that they'd have much use on a yacht, especially as the battery/lamp connection isn't even splashproof.

But in an emergency, 10,000 lumens might be handy for making a glare no crew on a ship's bridge could miss. Only £230.
 
dancrane said:
Not really a boating question although durability in conditions at sea won't make the choice of torch unsuitable for home use.

I want a really powerful one, mostly for illuminating pitch dark corners of near and far neighbouring gardens that are visited by intruders.

I like the look of the 1000+ lumen torches that use LEDs, but there are numerous negative reviews of short-lived components and flickering, and the very high boasted outputs are often refuted by buyers.

I thought of Maglite, but they seem to be quite widely distrusted by people who have had batteries leak inside the metal casing; and I'm supposing that I'll get a more powerful beam from a much wider lens, which isn't the Maglite style.

Is there a brand name to rely on? It needn't be waterproof, lightweight, rechargeable or very cheap, but it needs a long range and a very bright beam.
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I bought this about three years ago for the very same reason as you, also surround by fields and trees. It is incredibly bright, in good visibility will easily illuminate things over 1/4 mile away (if your eyesight is that good ) a sharp beam, very lightweght, comes with a uk 240v charger but seldom needs charging. For all the positives, I have only used it for a maximum of around four/five minutes at a time so any longer and for all I know it could melt/implode/explode or simply expire.

So good I bought another one for the boat though and just as good as the first purchase £24.00 ???

Searchlight Rechargeable Portable Handheld Spotlight Camping Lantern, Power Bank High-Power Super Bright 9000 MA 6000 Lumens, CREE Tactical Torch Lantern Flashlight (Gold)
 
Boathook said:
I have purchased this " NightSearcher Trio-550 Rechargeable Searchlight " but from toolstation as it was nearly £10 cheaper at the time. Haven't used in anger yet, but the beam seemed to give a good distance and very little scatter unlike other spotlights I had on board.
It is the 'scatter' that makes a good long range torch on land be useless on the boat imho.
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I have the same and can recommend it. Doubles up as USB power pack too.

I've had a smaller Night searcher torch for years too and it's been great.
 
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