Type
General type of flashlight.
Hand lamps for general use are divided into
full-size and
compact. However, in addition to this, on the market you can find many models with a narrower specialization and/or specific design and mounting features:
headlamps ;
touring devices, including self-contained
dynamo lights,
L-shaped lights, and
diving models; powerful
hand lamps and ultra-compact
key chains ;
auxiliary lighting systems ; as well as
underbarrel models and
baton flashlights widely used in law enforcement agencies. It should be noted that one model can belong to several types at once. For example, most underbarrel flashlights are equipped with a removable mount for mounting on a weapon, and without such a mount they turn into hand-held or hand-held compact ones; and L-shaped models, in principle, are not an independent type of flashlights — most often this is a design feature of hand-held compact or head-mounted devices (or even models that combine both of these applications).
— Manual. Full-size hand-held flashlights over 20 cm long and weighing over 200 g represent a kin
...d of "middle class". They are designed for those for whom compactness does not play a decisive role and functionality is important first of all. Such lights can carry on board more than 1 LED and powerful power supplies, providing a good luminous flux; they are often supplied with various additional functions.
— Manual compact. This type of flashlight is somewhat larger than key fobs, but can still be classified as compact devices: hand-held compacts look like a tube up to 20 cm long and weighing up to 200 g. They rarely install more than one LED, but their dimensions and weight already allow the use of fairly powerful sources supply, which has a positive effect on the characteristics of the luminous flux (see "Maximum luminous flux"). In addition, a number of additional functions can be used in this type of flashlight, such as focus and brightness adjustment (see below).
— Lantern on the forehead. Flashlights designed to be mounted on the head — usually with special elastic straps that can be adjusted to fit. Mounting features impose restrictions on the weight and dimensions of the lantern, which affects the functionality. When purchasing such a flashlight, it is worth considering that high brightness in this case may be a disadvantage — if you need light to work with objects in close proximity, excessive brightness quickly tyres your eyes. In this case, it may make sense to pay attention to models with brightness control (see below for more details). Typically, such models have the ability to adjust the angle of the beam, but the possibility (and features) of such adjustment needs to be specified separately.
— L-shaped. Lanterns in which the beam of light is directed perpendicular to the body; the body itself, usually, has a cylindrical or close to it shape. Most of these models, according to the main format, belong to hand-held compact ones, and many also allow use in the headlamp format (see above for both). Anyway, L-shaped lanterns with the possibility of manual use have a characteristic clip on the body — on the opposite side of the lamp. Such a clip allows you to hang the device on a belt, the edge of a pocket, an element of an unloading vest or other overalls, etc.; in this case, the light beam will be directed forward, the vertical position of the case will ensure the stability of the device, and the user's hands will be free. (Note that the first L-shaped lanterns designed for such wearing appeared as an element of army equipment — back in World War II, the US military fully appreciated the merits of such a design).
As for the forehead installation, in such cases the body is placed horizontally, and its mount is made movable. Turning the lantern in such a mount, you can set almost any angle of the beam; at the same time, regardless of this angle, the position of the lantern remains equally stable (whereas in some headrests with “heads” of an inclined design, such a “head” may tend to roll forward as the mount wears out).
— Manual lamp. The most powerful type of hand lamps, which can even be called "hand spotlights". Most of these devices are designed to give out a long-range and at the same time sufficiently thick beam of light — much wider than in many other types of lanterns. Actually, the illumination range of hand-held lamps often exceeds 100 or even 200 m, while the large beam width makes it possible to very effectively detect individual objects even at such large distances. Another, less common type of such devices are models that have a short range, but are capable of illuminating a vast area.
Anyway, flashlights of this type turn out to be quite large and heavy, so initially they are not designed to be constantly carried with you (although even one and a half to two hours with such a device in your hands usually do not cause much discomfort). It is worth paying attention to hand lamps in cases where the effective detection range (or bright illumination of a vast area) is of the most fundamental importance to you. In particular, such devices are very popular in rescue services: a powerful beam of a "portable searchlight" is indispensable for search operations at night. Also among the lamps of this type there are so-called "inspection" models, well suited for inspecting machines, industrial equipment, communications (cables, pipelines), etc.
— Tourist. Tourist lamps are mainly lanterns that were originally intended for organizing lighting in a camp, at a halt, etc. Such devices provide diffused light with a coverage of 360 ° horizontally and most often allow installation directly on the ground. In addition, most of them have a hook for hanging, sometimes supplemented with a built-in magnet (see below for both). Thus, such a lantern can be mounted on a tree branch, under the ceiling of a tent / awning, etc., significantly expanding the area of illumination — or hung on a backpack or other equipment, illuminating the path for several people at once.
Most tourist lanterns have only this specialization; however, there are also models that allow other applications. Usually these are hand-held compact devices of a special design — with a retractable diffuser made of white matte material. Such a device allows you to turn the directional beam into diffused light with full horizontal coverage; and when such a beam is not needed, the diffuser can be hidden in the housing. However, some of the more traditional travel models also have a folding design — it makes it easier to carry after hours, especially if the device needs to be hidden in a backpack or bag with other things.
— Dynamo flashlight. Lanterns equipped with a built-in generator (dynamo) that generates energy due to the user's muscular strength — usually for this you have to swing or twist a special lever. Thus, it is possible to recharge the built-in battery even in the absence of power sources (and such lights most often work from batteries). Such features are especially relevant for those who often have to be "far from civilization": tourists, military, researchers, etc. At the same time, dynamo lights can have different specializations — compact, tourist, etc.
— For diving. Lanterns originally designed for diving and long stays at great depths — usually from 50 m or more. Such models, by definition, have a sealed waterproof housing (see "Dust and water protection"). In addition, diving lights are often designed with specific features designed to provide additional convenience and safety. For example, the body can have bright colours or additional inserts that increase visibility under water, as well as be made of lightweight material so that the flashlight released from the hand floats to the surface and does not sink. Often, the device is supplemented with a carabiner for attaching to equipment or a hand strap (see "Complete set"). It is because of these additional features that not every flashlight with a high level of water protection is considered diving. Therefore, it is worth looking for a lamp specifically for diving among the models of this category.
— Auxiliary lighting. Lanterns designed to organize additional stationary lighting where there is no light or it is not enough. In a sense, such models are similar to tourist camping ones (see above), they can also be used in a parking lot or in a tent. However, the matter is not limited to this: many auxiliary lamps are originally designed for use in workshops, garages, etc. Some of them can also be hung on the open hood of a car, which can be very important for field repairs. But such models are not designed for carrying in hands: it is technically possible, but not very convenient.
— Trinket. This category includes the most compact models: their weight, usually, does not exceed 50 g, and the length is 10 cm. Hence the name — most of these lanterns can be worn instead of a keychain on a keychain. Actually, the convenience of wearing is the main advantage of key rings: you can always have such a flashlight at hand. The main disadvantage is low power: key fobs are usually equipped with one LED (see "Number of diodes"), and any "solid" power source in a compact case will not fit. At the same time, such lamps are quite enough for simple everyday tasks — for example, to illuminate the road on an unlit section of the street or find a keyhole if a light bulb has burned out in the entrance.
— Underbarrel. Flashlights designed to be mounted on a weapon are most often under the barrel, but installation on the side is also technically acceptable. Many of these models are essentially hand-held compact flashlights (see above), supplemented by a removable weapon mount (or the ability to install on such a mount — see "Packaging"), as well as, in most cases, a remote button (see below) ; however, there are also purely underbarrel models in which the mount is not removed. In both cases, the mount is usually designed for a standard Weaver / Picatinny rail, but this point needs to be specified separately. This also applies to the possibility of full-fledged use with firearms: the fact is that some underbarrel lights are intended for airsoft drives and are simply not designed for powerful recoil.
— Lantern-baton. Lanterns with a baton or baseball bat body and are strong enough to strike. Such a flashlight can be a very useful addition to the equipment of a watchman or law enforcement officer. Note that some so-called patrol lights, hand-held lights in a large and durable body of traditional design, also allow the use as a “percussion tool”. However, for them, such an application is an extreme case, while baton lamps are initially created as reliable and impact resistant as possible. Therefore, patrol models in our catalog are still not assigned to this category, but to ordinary hand lamps.Max. luminous flux
The maximum luminous flux provided by the lantern.
Luminous flux (denoted in lumens) can be described as the total amount of light produced by an LED or other light source and distributed in all directions where this source shines by itself (without lenses, reflectors, etc.). In fact, this means that the capabilities of the flashlight depend not only on the luminous flux, but also on the angle of illumination (see "Angle of illumination (light)"). For example, a relatively weak stream can be concentrated into a narrow beam, providing good range; and a
large number of lumens will inevitably be needed to effectively cover a wide area.
Note that the coverage angle is not always specified in the characteristics, and even with such data it is difficult to immediately assess the real capabilities of the flashlight. Therefore, for such an assessment, it is best to use information about the actual illumination range (see below), and also take into account the general type of device (see above). For example, for the same number of lumens, a handheld flashlight with a reflector to form a directional beam will give a noticeably greater range than a tourist lamp with 360 ° coverage.
It should also be borne in mind that the
high brightness of the flashlight is far from always justified, and it is worth choosing according to this parameter, taking into account the actual conditions of use. S
...o, when working at short ranges, bright light can become a hindrance: it tyres the eyes and can blind others. In addition, an increase in brightness usually requires more powerful sources of both light and power, and the weight and dimensions of the lantern increase accordingly.Lighting range
The maximum range at which the flashlight provides any effective illumination of objects. Different manufacturers have different criteria for this efficiency when measuring ranges, and therefore it is only possible to unequivocally compare among themselves in range only models of one manufacturer. At the same time, this parameter allows us to compare models from different manufacturers with some certainty: for example, flashlights with a lighting range of 15 m and 100 m will clearly belong to different range classes, regardless of manufacturers.
Note that the range of illumination depends not only on the maximum luminous flux provided by the lantern (see above), but also on the features of its design: the narrower the beam is provided by the reflector of the lantern, the greater the range will be, and vice versa — scattered light does not spread far. Some models allow you to adjust the beam width depending on the requirements of the situation (for more details, see "Adjusting the focus").
It is also worth bearing in mind that models with the same claimed lighting range can cover different spaces. For example, a hand lamp (see Type) with a reflector diameter of 20 cm will be able to provide a wider beam than a conventional hand lamp with a 5 cm reflector. And although in both cases the objects that fall into the light spot will be illuminated in the same way, however, in the first case, the size of the spot itself will be larger, and the actual efficien...cy of the flashlight will be correspondingly higher (in light of the fact that it is easier to "feel" individual objects with a wide beam, especially at a considerable distance).
