Rechargeable Spot Light

kfp673 wrote:
Any recommendations? Looking for a strong spot light we can use when boon docking just to spot deer and other critters around the camp site. When I was a kid we used to go out late at night spotting deer and I loved it. Back then everything was rated in candle power. Now with the shift to LED it's lumens. Anyone have one they really like? Thanks!

We live on acreage close to forested areas, so we have a lot of wildlife at times walking around close by at night.

Over the years, I've gone out a lot at night walking the dog or checking things out, and I've discovered an outstanding way to spot animals at night:

I wear an LED headlamp that is adjustable from flood to spot with a twist of it's lens tube. I start out with it in flood setting and have discovered that - with a light source shining out from a position real close to your eyes (like a headlamp) - animal eyes reflect right back at your eyes from the light source mounted just above your eyes. I then reach up and twist the light's lens into the spot beam position so as to direct a high intensity bright beam right at the glowing eyes in order to see the animal's dark body (that may be many yards away) so as to determine what animal the glowing eyes belong to.

The headlamps I use cost only about $13 each, and they use only 3 AAA batteries for powering the LED bulb. I have two of them for backup in case one ever fails.

This technique is almost magical in how well it works - looking down at the ground I even see tiny bug eyes glowing brightly back up at me. If I bend down to take a closer look, I can see what tiny creature was looking back at my glowing headlamp!

Thanks all! Appreciate the replies. I cant believe how powerful some of these are that I would consider a "flashlight" as opposed to a "spotlight". Amazing they can make some of these small lights over 1000 Lumens. Another one I have been looking at is the LED Ryobi. Just realized they have one that uses the same 18V battery as my drill which I always bring camping.

Regarding spotting deer comment above, I am aware. This is really just to have a long throw spot light when we boondocks camp. Here in PA we are typically in thick woods when we camp so it's nice to have a true spotlight that can send a narrow beam a few hundred yards into the woods to see wildlife. Thanks again!

Sofirn 36 BLF

I have this one, and it is super bright in the turbo mode. Their website has a much better deal than when I bought it on Amazon a couple of months ago. I like it because it's rechargeable which was the minimum qualification.

There is a sub-cult of flashaholics at BudgetLightForum.com, and apparently there is a sub-class of super bright flashlights not carried in the big box stores

pick up one on eBay for about $10.00 use it for 3 to 4 years and then get another one

Candlepower = lumens divided by 12.57

Best light I have ever owned and it shines a long distance.

https://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.aspx/productId/15019

Milwaukee M-18 led- spot, flood, emergency flash.

Battery works with other Milwaukee tools.



C.B.

A word of caution. Spotlighting deer not a good thing to do in some areas. Poachers and and horn hunters in some areas use this technique to find and kill trophy (and meat) deer. We have them in our area, riding backroads and around large fields spotting and killing deer.
State has wildlife officers out trying to stop this but they have huge areas (around our part of the state) to patrol and enforce. There are laws here that prohibit even spotlighting. They are defined as harassing wild life and some judges take a dim view of this.
I don't know the rules in other states, but not a good idea here

I love my Alpha Flashlight for up to about 100 yards.

I can tell you what not to buy, the Q-Beam Max Million III. I have owned a Max Million II for years and it's an incredible true halogen spot light, holding a tight spot for over a 1/4 mile. The rechargeable battery eventually failed. Rather than buying a new battery I decided to buy a whole new setup. The II was obsolete so I bought the III. The III is nowhere close to being the same quality and capability as the II. It's not a spotlight. The III is junk.

I'm happy with my Noctigon K1 flashlight. There are some emitter choices; the 900 lumen W1 LED will throw a beam the farthest (about 1800 yards), the 1400 lumen W2 has a bit less throw but a slightly bigger hotspot, and the SBT90.2 that I have is 4500 lumens for still larger hotspot and more spill but less throw (a paltry 1300 yards!). It has a socket for USB charging, plus the battery can be removed and replaced with another fresh one if you don't want to wait.

BTW, the reason why lower-lumen LEDs throw farther than higher-lumen ones has to do with the diameter of the LED. A physically smaller LED can be focused more tightly by the reflector (than a larger LED set in the same reflector).