Reader comments on IlluminaTi LED flashlight
Reviewed on July 27, the IlluminaTi LED flashlight is a great little unit. Here are comments from reader James N:
Thanks for your mention of the Illuminati flashlights. If nothing else, I can
use it to astound my friends ;-)
I ordered the 115 lumen version and I just couldn't believe how far the technology has
progressed in the few years since I last purchased an LED flashlight.
DIGLLOYD: indeed, in the last year alone, progress has been impressive. I'm told that the 90 lumen version will be phased out. I ordered several of the 115 lumen version for various purposes.
The last conventional flashlight that I bought with a similar size to this was the Maglight Solitaire several years ago- a light that was handy but barely adequate for searching in the trunk of my car. This thing, at it's maximum setting is much brighter than any full size flashlight that I own.
DIGLLOYD: yes, and even bright enough to ride a bike at 15-20mph on dark streets (personally tested!).
The 3 Lumen output, I think, would ruin the dark adaptation for someone trying to observe the stars- but perhaps not so much trouble for just checking camera controls for photography.
DIGLLOYD: agreed... I’ve found that something more like 0.5 lumens would be better for minimizing night vision impact. But for camera controls, the 3 lumens works reasonably well. One could always use a stale battery I suppose. Then again, if the camera is black, the 3 lumen setting might not light up too much. If you want a flashlight with built-in red, the Surefire Kroma does the trick (I have one), but it’s far more expensive and not small.
Anyway, it does start with 3 lumens on the first click and progresses on from there.
It would be nice to have a red filter to slip over the front for working on settings when wanting to keep dark adaptation.
DIGLLOYD: I suggested this to the manufacturer, and was told that the light output would drop a lot because the LED spectral curve has little red. But since the goal might be to be dim for night use, that might be fine. Another trick: place a finger over it— the blood in the finger is red!
