Flashlights are more important now than ever because they come in handy during times when you don’t have your usual source of light. Whether it is due to a hurricane when the entire power grid malfunctions or whether it is when you are out hiking in the wilderness and it gets dark, having a flashlight with you can drastically increase your chances of survival in any emergency situation. However, there are different types of flashlights ideal for different purposes and in order to always come out on top of every situation you need to know the ever floating question - how many lumens do I need for a flashlight?
What are Lumens?
I am sure most of you reading this article must have bought a light bulb or a flashlight from your nearest Best Buy or Costco. Have you ever read the specifications mentioned on their packaging? What do you see? Well, if you have bought a bulb or a flashlight you must have seen printed information on how many lumens that particular bulb or flashlight has. Lumens are measurement of light output, more lumens means more brightness and larger area covered.
Whether you are working in law enforcement or are an adventure enthusiast like myself, a flashlight is one of the most essential gadgets you own. Flashlights, like everything else, have gone through their own process of evolution. A decade back, 100 Lumens was a recommended tactical flashlight commonly used by law enforcement all over the world. However, with advancement in LED technology, even 1000 Lumens and above is readily available for tactical usage.
Let us read further about Lumens brightness scale and how bright Lumens are.
How Bright are 100-200 Lumens?
Standard for flashlights of the yesteryear, 100-200 Lumens are enough to light up to 120m distance and are ideally recommended for basic household and adventure activities. An average flashlight with 100-200 Lumens and 2 x AA batteries can provide anywhere between 5 to 7 hours of usage. These flashlights are a staple in almost all households and come in real handy when least expected.
300-600 Lumens Flashlight
While not the maximum in the Lumens brightness scale, 300-600 Lumens are actually pretty good for a tactical flashlight. You can use these flashlights for activities like fishing, spelunking, hiking, climbing, hunting and for all tactical tasks. Flashlights ranging from 300-600 lumens are bright enough to light up an entire room or to be used as a bicycle headlamp.
600-1000 Lumens - High Lumen Flashlight
These are clearly a monstrosity when it comes to brightness and area covered. 600-1000 Lumens Flashlights are great for everything from household use to tactical usage. These flashlights can easily light up a large area such as a dockyard, construction site or a factory. If you are regularly outdoors and working in challenging conditions these flashlights would be best for you.
How to Choose the Perfect Flashlight?
Nowadays, you can use Flashlights with a number of different options to customize according to your usage. There are flashlights that allow you to adjust the lumens according to the situation. You can also buy tactical flashlights that have a number of important functions like zoom, strobe, SOS etcetera. You should also see which type of battery is used in the flashlight, whether the batteries can be recharged within the flashlight (via a USB charger) or whether you have to use a separate external battery charger. There are flashlights that run on AA, AAA batteries whereas the much stronger and resilient flashlights often use external 18650 batteries that provide long usage time and powerful performance.
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