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How to choose a suitable flashlight for outdoor?
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In an emergency, a flashlight is one of the most important items to have. Having one handy is useful if you're stuck outside, but what kind of flashlight is best for outdoor use? Would you rather have a light but powerful flashlight, or something more powerful but compact?
but powerful flashlight, or something more powerful but compact?
What is an outdoor flashlight?
The main qualities of an outdoor flashlight would be durability and water resistance so it can endure outside elements. It should also have a long battery life and magnetic compatibility for added hands-free use to shine and point at objects when in need.
As flashlights have been used as emergency lights, some have and SOS or strobe mode for added assistance.
What can the outdoor flashlight do?
Light up a campfire, a backpacking tent, a walkway in your backyard, a garage, an outdoor event or during an emergency. Light the way while camping or hiking and help yourself see what's ahead of you. Help rescue people from car crashes or natural disasters such as landslides and other weather-related catastrophes.
Top Flashlight Models From Hokolite:
#1 1200 Lumens COB Rechargeable Flashlight With Tripod
This heavy duty, lightweight and rechargeable flashlight is the perfect choice for indoor and outdoor usage.
It offers 6 lighting modes, 1200 lumens of brightness which is enough for all sort of work. You can use the built-in tripod to use it as a work light as well.
#2 1000 Lumens COB Zoomable Rechargeable Headlamp Flashlight
If you are looking for a headlamp flashlight for your travel, hiking or any kind of outdoor recreation this one is the best option for you. The best part of this headlamp is it is zoomable, and rechargeable.
It has 4 lighting modes and 90 ° adjustable angle. This high power 1000 lumens light is a must have if you are looking for a headlamp flashlight.
3 800 Lumens Rechargeable COB Mini Keychain Flashlight
This mini keychain flash light can be the perfect addition to your gear list. As the name suggest, it is a keychain that comes with a bottle opener as well. But don’t underestimate utility for its size.
The keychain comes with 800 lumens COB flashlight that is quite enough for doing all type of work at the dark night. It is USB rechargeable for hassle free charging. It is easy to carry. You can hang it anywhere like your backpack or belt easily.
How to choose a suitable outdoor flashlight?
Before purchasing the best flashlight for indoor and outdoor use, you should consider a few factors. Here are the essential elements for you to be aware of.
Brightness:
Different brightness can meet different demand. For example, for daily indoor use, a flashlight with moderate brightness is enough; for outdoor activities such as camping and hiking, you need high brightness or ultra-brightness.
Weight:
Traditional high power incandescent bulbs require more heat dissipation alloy shell, this kind of flashlight body also heavy, easy to let people tired. LED bulb is getting more and more attention because of its advantages in low energy consumption, long life span and small size.
As a result, LED flashlights become hot items on the market today. There is also a new type of light available in the market. That is COB. It is the latest technology that provides more bright light with low power consumption than LED light.
Size:
A larger area of the head will provide a better light effect (luminous intensity); however it will cause inconvenience while carry. A smaller sized head can help reduce flashlight's weight and size.
Material used:
Most of the available flashlights are made from cheap quality plastic materials. Such products are not durable enough. You need to buy from trusted manufacturers like Hokolite, who actually provides better materials that will last ling.
Battery:
Battery in one of the most considerable factors before buying flashlight. It’s better to choose you flashlight with rechargeable battery like this one from Hokolite.
Rechargeable flashlights usually cost a bit more than regular flashlight. But in the long run it will save you a ton in battery cost.
Waterproof:
Choose water-resistant (not waterproof) if you are likely to be using the flashlight for short periods in light rain or other moist conditions.
Choose waterproof if water is likely to splatter onto the flashlight exterior when you are working near large bodies of water, such as oceans, lakes or rivers. Choose submersible if your work will involve directing a flow of water at the flashlight's exterior.
Shock resistance:
Choose shock-resistant flashlights for any work where the flashlights might encounter occasional severe jolts or blows that could damage less sturdy units. Test durability by dropping each unit from heights that are approximately your own height several times.
Solar powered:
Choose a solar-charging flashlight if you need to charge your flashlights through direct sunlight on a regular basis. Choose a rechargeable battery-charging flashlight if you need to charge your flashlights indoors through other methods.
Other Special Features (Optional):
Include cigarette lighter at the bottom of the flashlight and solar charging at the back of it; Include magnetic suction bottom to make more convenient for you carry out your work; Include SOS feature, torch function and zoom-in/out function etc.
"Note": the higher the lumen, the brighter the flashlight is!! The longer the distance, the brighter it is!! And lumens are limited by batteries because it has high energy consumption! So please pay attention to brightness when choosing flashlight!! Better choose high brightness but low lumens, so energy-saving but bright is ok!
Suggestion for Choosing Flashlight:
The brightness of the flashlight will be related to its price, which means brighter is more expensive. This fact doesn't mean you have to buy a high brightness flashlight right now, because there are some other factors that may affect your choice. Mainly, the brightness of the flashlight is affected by its batteries. Better
Choose a flashlight which is bright enough for your usual use, and you can save money to afford a high brightness one for emergency or special occasions. If you are looking for a high brightness flashlight, it would be better for you to buy a model with rechargeable battery.
How many lumens does an outdoor flashlight need?
Some people may consider buying a high brightness flashlight, and the main reason for this is to make sure they can see well when walking in dark places like forest or mountain.
But in fact you don't need such a high brightness flashlight unless you’re walking environment is really terrible (like totally dark without street light or flash light).
Most probably 500 lumens will be enough to satisfy your needs and you still can save money for other purposes. Keep in mind: the brighter the flashlight is, the higher energy consumption it has, so better choose a model with low lumens. And don't forget rechargeable batteries!!
What is lumen in flashlight?
The lumen is a unit of brightness which is defined as the total amount of visible light emitted by a source. Lumen is not an intrinsic property of light, but rather it is defined in relation to the amount of light that falls on the lumen.
Facts show that higher brightness (lumens) means higher energy consumption, so better choose low lumens for high brightness of outdoor flashlight;
How to protect your eyes when using an outdoor flashlight?
When you are in places with bad lightning condition, or when you are highlighting something very close, it is not recommended to use the flashlight directly with the eye.
So better use a pocket clip to hold the screen of flashlight at about 30-35 centimeters away from your eyes, this way will reduce significantly the brightness of light pointing into your eyes.
If you are using a rechargeable battery-charging flashlight, it would be better to use alkaline batteries for emergency cases.
What is the point of strobe flashlight?
Strobe flashlight is commonly used to produce disorienting effect. It may be very dangerous for enemy to look at the light emitted by strobe flashlight directly, because it will make them dizzy and weak in seconds.
So if you are looking for a tactical flash light, better choose one with built-in LED strobe flashlight function to make it as a self-defense tool.
What parts of a flashlight can be recycled?
The material of parts like housing and battery cap can be recycled. But keep in mind: better use the flashlight until it is unusable and dispose it to landfill, because recycling usually involves significant energy costs and releases toxic byproducts into the environment.
How many hours do you need when using an outdoor flashlight?
Most people also think that using a flashlight will expend a lot of battery power, which is not true. In fact, the brightness of LED light source helps to drain the energy quickly but also last for a very long time.
Flashlight Performance:
Basically, the light output is defined as the light produced by a flashlight per unit time. It can also be obtained as a product of all components in the circuit.
Light output measured in lumens indicates how much light is being used. By this measurement, we can easily find out if there is any significant difference among different flashlights which are under the same features.
From this point of view, lumens is more accurate than wattage in evaluating the brightness of a flashlight. So better choose a high lumen outdoor flashlight to get more benefits.
Flashlight Usage:
The most common use for flashlights is generally either illumination or signaling. It can also be used for temporarily disorienting people or enemies.
When you are outside, you are likely to encounter different conditions, like dimly lit areas, blinding light and so on. So it would be better to choose a flashlight with adjustable focus function so that you can adjust the focus according to your needs.
How long does it take for rechargeable battery flashlight to be fully charged?
For rechargeable battery LED flashlight: it takes about 8-12 hours for a complete charge. And the general light time of these flashlights is 2-3 hours after being fully charged.
How long will the use of outdoor flashlight alarming mode last before dying out?
It depends on how many times you press the power button and the voltage and capacity of the batteries. If you want to get a full charge, it may take some time. But you can make sure that your rechargeable battery-charging flashlight has built-in overcharge protection function, which is better for using outdoors.
So as long as you turn off the outdoor flashlight when you don't use it, and replace new batteries before they run out, your outdoor flashlight can work for a long time.
How to use LED Flashlight?
First of all, check if the batteries are correctly installed. For rechargeable battery-charging flashlight, take out the battery first.
Then press the power button for a couple times continuously until you see the beam of light, and release it when you want to open up focus to illuminate something.
When using LED flashlights, please try to avoid looking into the lens, which will do harm to your eyes.
In conclusion, I would like to recommend the "Hokolite" flashlight to you, which boasts its ultra-brightness, waterproof, and anti-skid design. I believe it is the most suitable flashlight for you to carry out your outdoor activities.
