Our ancestors, when they roamed the wilds, used torches. These tools helped them open up the darkness, illuminating the world around them. We’ve all seen them, long wooden sticks with a combustible material at the end. And we’ve all laughed when in films, they suddenly started swinging them around due to panic. And while we might no longer use them, our need for visual clarity remains. We need to know the world around us and our presence in it. That said, we have developed new, more powerful tools that help us with this. Their name is LED torches or torchlights.
LED, which stands for light-emitting diode, is a semiconductor light source that emits light as current flows through it. They first appeared a century ago, and since then, have made strides in development. They’ve become more powerful and practical, but consequently, they’ve become more detailed and complicated. If you’re looking for a torch and don’t know how to go about it, this article will hopefully help. We’ll go over some of the decisive factors concerning them, like brand, technical features, benefits, etc. In terms of brand, we’ll focus on Fenix, an industry leader.
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Brand
Now, you might think that brand plays no crucial role in terms of torchlights. You’ve seen plenty sold at small markets, gas stops, or different places. Although these places might offer basic torchlights that might do the job should a power outage occur at home, they don’t have many capabilities and features a grade-A torch will have. And here, brand plays a paramount role. An example of a quality guarantee is Fenix torch Australia and for good reasons. If you haven’t heard of them before, they’re on the same level as Olight and ThruNite, and they’ve won many awards.
One of the crucial reasons why they’re so valued is their many product lines. The first and most eye-catching is the E-series. It’s cheap, yet still has many great technical features. The next one is PD, which is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts. Another much more powerful and perfect for rescue missions is the TK series. The LD series is in-between, differing by the fact that it exclusively uses AA and AAA batteries. Finally, the last two are the relatively new RC and headlamps. All of these have their specific technical features, which I will describe next.
Technology
If you’ve even been to a torchlight shop or looked through it on the internet, I understand if you felt overwhelmed. It’s hard not to be. There are so many options and exact technical features. With that in mind, the things you should look out for are few and easy to understand.
Battery
The first thing you want to check out is the battery, as it is decisive in the life of your torch and the options it will have. As previously explained, there are several series of Fenix torches, and they all have different battery types. If you want to have a rechargeable one, you can get the RC series that uses rechargeable batteries. Furthermore, they’re all lithium-ion which is the best battery chemistry. But if you want to use AA and AAA batteries, you can opt for the LD series. Otherwise, the series truly stands out by always using lithium batteries. Additionally, in case of your torch overheating, they have protective measures to prevent this. Some also come with short circuit protection and a battery indicator, which shows how much you have left.
Lumen and Scope
These two are interconnected as they’re the main technical features of any torch. Lumen is the intensity of light the diode generates, while the scope is the beam distance, beam intensity and additional options.
All series of Fenix torch Australia are specialised for their use in regards to these technical features. The E series has a lumen range of 160 to 3000. As such, they’re perfect for many uses, and they’re durable and resistant to natural elements. Regarding scope, the most powerful one has a beam distance of 240 metres, so they’re ideal for outdoor activities. Otherwise, beam distance is usually around 120 metres.
The PD series are more restricted in terms of lumens, as it only allows 1000. Yet, they truly shine when it comes to the many options they offer with beam intensity and distance, all with accessible switches. The turbo option for beam distance is 250 meters, while the beam intensity reaches 15600 cd.
Lastly, the TK series is simply overpowered. They start at 1000 lumens, with some of them reaching 9000. Moreover, what truly distinguishes them is their beam distance and beam intensity, even with a 1000 lumen one. The TK15UE, which has 1000 lumens, has a beam distance of 325 meters and a beam intensity of 26400 cd. If you compare it to the PD, you can see a clear difference.
Extra Features
Despite the importance of the technical features, there are other ones that you need to consider to choose the right one. If you’re going into harsh places where your torch could fall, you can get an impact-resistant one. Or one that resists the cold.
Next are the modes, as they impact your lumen use and battery life. To go back to our discussion of cheap gas stop torches, they only offer low and high modes. Specialised ones, on the other hand, can offer low, medium, high, and a super-powerful turbo option.
Finally, there are special modes that have an impact on the scope. There are three types, strobe, beacon and SOS. You use these for self-defence and emergency purposes, and they can play a life-saving difference.
Benefits
Most of us never consider using an LED torchlight, but we should as it has many benefits and specialised types, like the headlamps. One of the main advantages of using them is that they’re ecological and cost-efficient. They might cost more up-front, but you’ll use them for a long time for many types of situations. Situation-wise, they can be a game-changer in moments when you have a power outage, get stuck somewhere having to fix your car, or when you’re camping in the wilderness. They can play a difference between lost and trying to figure out your way, as they provide indispensable light.