LED Flashlight/Swirl Revealing

L

leungly

New member
Hi all,



I couldn't find a thread that specifically touched on this topic.



I'm familiar with the highly rated:

Brinkmann Maxfire Dual Xenon Spotlight

Amazon.com: Brinkmann Maxfire Dual Xenon Spotlight: Sports & Outdoors



I've also heard many speak well of the Fenix TK10.



I've been browsing candlepoweforums for the last few days trying to search "detailing" or "swirls" or "holograms" and see what others have said in regards to lights they had purchased however came up empty handed.



I'm wondering if anyone else could make some recommendations? Should I be looking for a high flood/close up ability or high throw (distance) ability? Is there a typical lumens output that yields the best results? Is higher rated lumens better? or is there a good range for example between 100-160 lumens?

I think I'd like to find a light that uses the 18650 type of batteries however would not be opposed to AA or CR123's.



(I did find this thread - http://www.autopia.org/forum/hot-tub/68912-best-brightest-flashlight-money.html - however there's been great advancement in LED flashlight technology)



Any and all input would be appreciated.
 
Thanks for the suggestion.



I'll look into the TK11 R2 .



Are there any other generic guidelines I should be looking for in alternatives? (Just want to look at all aspects) I'm not opposed to the cost of this light as it seems very reasonable and good value I just want to compare it to others that are on the market that may also meet our needs.
 
While I'm a big fan of having good flashlights, I dunno about using them for swirl-spotting and other detailing work :think:





I do use my LED-retrofitted SureFire when I'm inspecting used vehicles, but that's only because I have it with me when traveling anyhow.



While I have a scad of different flashlights (mainly Sure Fires), I don't use them for detailing inspections, preferring either regular tripod-mounted halogens or (especially) my incandescents, both the ceiling-mounted ones and my cheapie hand-helds, which I clamp on various things to properly position them.



It's not just about brightness IME and, FWIW, the only light that shows moderate/faint holograms for me is my 3M SunGun.
 
leungly said:
Thanks for the suggestion.



I'll look into the TK11 R2 .



Are there any other generic guidelines I should be looking for in alternatives? (Just want to look at all aspects) I'm not opposed to the cost of this light as it seems very reasonable and good value I just want to compare it to others that are on the market that may also meet our needs.
Click to expand...



The TK11R2 produces a bright white light vrs. the Brinkmann which has a yellow light and not nearly as bright. You can get 4 Brinkmann for the cost of the TK11R2. In this case, you get what you pay for. Oh, and you stick the TK in your pocket not so with the Brinkmann.
 
Accumulator said:
It's not just about brightness IME and, FWIW, the only light that shows moderate/faint holograms for me is my 3M SunGun.
Click to expand...



I rarely differ in opinion with you after hearing your thoughts on an issue... but for whatever reason (at least on *my* paint - 03 SVT Focus in bright "Infra-red") the Brinkmann, when I used it around midnight in my driveway, was able to reveal light rotary holograms left by 205+LC Red - almost to the degree I can see them in sunlight.
 
Cool. I think I understand better now. It's not so much about the cost but that I just wanted to see if I could find a TrustFire or Ultrafire or some other "no-name" brand that would do the job just as well as the TK11 R2.
 
drew.haynes said:
I rarely differ in opinion with you after hearing your thoughts on an issue... but for whatever reason (at least on *my* paint - 03 SVT Focus in bright "Infra-red") the Brinkmann, when I used it around midnight in my driveway, was able to reveal light rotary holograms left by 205+LC Red - almost to the degree I can see them in sunlight.
Click to expand...



I understand. For some reason I just don't see stuff well with my Brinkman even though others do :nixweiss



Yeah, I have the Dual-Xenon model.



Whenever I mention it specifically, I try to remember to also post a "YMMV" disclaimer since they seem to work so well for others.



For that matter, I don't think I see everything as well under my SunGun as, say...Dave KG does. Hey, middle-aged, post-LASIK eyes might make a difference.



Interestingly enough though, once I get the conditions right, I can see stuff under the SunGun that I *can't* even see in natural sunlight! And vice-versa, so my inspections can become as big a job as the correction.



Oh, and you brought up a very important point regarding doing inspections in an otherwise dark environment :xyxthumbs
 
i got a life gear single LED from target a while back and love it. its 80 lumens, and runs between 7-10 hours i think it said. but im pretty sure ive used it longer than that. i noticed a couple weeks ago that you can stop swirls with it real easy.. to answer your question candlepower is a measure of distance it can throw light and lumens it total light output.
 
I use a LED lamp almost exclusively now. I don't remember the last time I broke out the halogens to polish a car. I just bought a LED head lamp that puts out about 80 lumens and that's all I need to polish. Well worth the money!
 
jDizzle said:
i got a life gear single LED from target a while back and love it. its 80 lumens, and runs between 7-10 hours i think it said. but im pretty sure ive used it longer than that. i noticed a couple weeks ago that you can stop swirls with it real easy.. to answer your question candlepower is a measure of distance it can throw light and lumens it total light output.
Click to expand...

I've got a Life Gear 360 lumens with 4 led bulbs and it doesn't come close to the TK11 R2.
 
I had been keeping one of those Brinkman Dual Zenon lights in my trunk just as a better flashlight for utility purposes (it's really bright and you can run the batteries down and then plug it into the 12v power jack in the trunk indefinitely if you want.) That was until I saw this review about a guy who uses one to highlight swirls in his detailing classes.



Brinkman Maxfire Dual Xenon Rechargeable Spotlight - Review and How-To - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum



It really does work great for seeing scratches in the paint.
 
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