Imagine you’re in the market for a superior spelunking flashlight. Or perhaps you’re an avid mountain biker or nighttime fisherman who needs the perfect LED flashlight to pursue your craft. While browsing the web and store aisles, how do you choose the right flashlight for your needs? What characteristics are important to you as you vet an LED flashlight?

If you’re like most consumers, you may assume that lumens are the best characteristic to compare when shopping for LED flashlights. In reality, however, lumens describe only a single aspect of a flashlight’s design – light output. As this article aims to explain, there are several other key flashlight characteristics that lumens can’t communicate.

Before enumerating those traits, let’s review just what the heck is meant by a “lumen.” One lumen is equivalent to the light emitted by one candle when viewed from one foot away. LED flashlight manufacturers typically advertise the lumen counts on their products, understanding that consumers want to know how much light each flashlight can produce. However, light output is only one slice of the flashlight performance pie; beam intensity, energy efficiency, and beam distance are a few of the qualities that cannot be measured in lumens.

The issue here is that LED flashlights use complex optical systems to translate the light produced by LED chips into usable beams. Although many people assume that there is a simple, universal formula for how a certain number of LED bulbs will convert into light output, nothing could be farther from the truth. Flashlight engineers are charged with creating efficient, precise optics mechanisms for fully exploiting the light that LED chips provide. High-quality LED flashlights have superior optics systems that can deftly provide the characteristics listed below – none of which are measured in lumens.

Beam Distance

Measured in meters, beam distance describes how far a flashlight can shine a useful amount of light. The minimum amount of light a flashlight must be able to shine to qualify for a certain beam distance is.25 lux (lumens per square meter), or about the same amount of light as provided by the full moon on a clear night. Do you need a flashlight that can illuminate objects at far distances? If so, you should consider beam distance as well as output.

Peak Beam Intensity

If you closely examine a LED flashlight’s beam while it shines on a flat surface, you will notice that the light is brighter in the center of the beam. This area is called the hot spot, and it represents the flashlight’s peak beam intensity. Manufacturers measure peak beam intensity at the bulb itself and quantify it in candelas. Without getting too technical, suffice it to say that higher candelas correspond to brighter, more intense light. When considered alongside lumens and beam distance, peak beam intensity can provide an idea of an LED flashlight’s quality. Most flashlights offer peak beam intensity measurements in the thousands of candelas; the highest-end models will deliver tens of thousands of candelas.

Run Time

Will you be using your flashlight in remote areas, where it might be challenging to buy a fresh pack of batteries? If so, you’ll want to pay attention to run time, measured in hours and minutes. Run time describes how long a flashlight can last on a single set of batteries. Manufacturers measure run time from thirty seconds after a torch is turned on, until it is at 10 percent of its original light output.

In many cases, flashlights that offer the highest lumen counts will feature run times that are on the low side. This is because it takes more power to provide greater light output. If you need an LED flashlight that can last a long time, you may have to sacrifice some lumens to get it.

Light Tones, Impact Resistance, Water Resistance and More

These days, some LED flashlights can produce red, green and blue light in addition to traditional white beams. Each color of light has its own applications; for instance, red light is useful for situations when hunters want to preserve their night vision. Impact resistance quantifies how far a flashlight can be dropped and still function properly, with no visible cracks. Finally, some LED flashlights are water-resistant or waterproof. None of these traits can be measured in lumens.

In the end, what’s really important is how well an LED flashlight illuminates a target area. If you’re a cyclist, the target area is right in front of you on the trail. A high-intensity, focused beam will light your path well. However, if your goal in carrying a flashlight is to light up as large an area as possible, you’ll want a bright light with a more diffuse beam

To choose the right flashlight for your needs, think about your target area, how far the light from your LED flashlight should be able to reach and what kind of run time your common activities will require, in addition to the other characteristics listed above. Light output, measured in lumens, often factors into these traits, but it can’t tell the whole story of an LED flashlight’s capabilities.

For more information on LED flashlight technology, visit the website of Coast Products at www.CoastPortland.com, a quality manufacturer of LED headlamps, flashlights and lanterns.