meyerm3d Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 This is an open disscussion... So here's my view first... The Industry standard in theatre has always been the maglite. But now other manufactorers are now offering better alternatives.for me maglite do not cut the mustard enough and I have opted to by an inova X0 which offers 1 watt led 200 ft range. In my opinion maglites arn't bright enough and I fail to see why they are still being marketed in the british theatre market. What torch cuts through the dark for you ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter07 Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Personally I don't very often use a handheld torch but if I do it's a maglite, my gess is that inova are over double the price of the standard maglite. However I mainly stick to my Petzel Headtorch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaboom25 Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 If its for general seeing in dark corners of a backstage area type stuff you want to do then I would recommend the Peli L1. Its a tiny little led-based torch that can be clipped on a lanyard and forgotten about till needed. Its bright enough to see most things backstage without being visible everywhere and I think they are around the £14.00 mark. Add to that the 100hrs out of the tiny coin cell batteries and a lifetime warranty (and I mean a lifetime warranty) then I think they're a pretty good buy. I have one and several stage crew bods I work with have jumped on the bandwagon too and are more than happy. If on the other hand you're looking for something with a little more punch and a conventional xenon bulb I would choose the Peli Mitylite 2430. Its nearly 3 times the brightness of a standard AA maglite, slightly thicker and roughly the same price. Again all peli stuff is lifetime warrantied. It should maybe be noted that I am a Peli torch fan after having many a maglite fail on me. I supply lots of their units to local authority, search and rescue and the like and so have seen first hand the abuse these units can take. Aside from that this isnt a sales pitch - just stating the facts as per the post requests. Safe to say I would specify Peli kit every time over maglite. I wont go on about it any more but if anyone wants some specs or further details on the units PM me. Cheers PS the L1 also comes with a red filter disc and a green filter disc that you can put in front of the led to colour it - the search and rescue boys love them for reading maps at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidLee Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 This is an open disscussion... So here's my view first... The Industry standard in theatre has always been the maglite. But now other manufactorers are now offering better alternatives.for me maglite do not cut the mustard enough and I have opted to by an inova X0 which offers 1 watt led 200 ft range. In my opinion maglites arn't bright enough and I fail to see why they are still being marketed in the british theatre market. What torch cuts through the dark for you ? Most of the time backstage, over-bright is very bad! Certainly, 200ft range in a scene change would not be acceptable! My favourite is a 2xAA Maglite with a disk of light frost to make the beam more uniform for reading scripts etc in the dark and possibly a bit of blue for use during scene changes. If you have the hexagonal rubber cap that comes with the Maglite filter kit then you can quickly remove any bits of gel if you should need more light in a hurry. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrg198 Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Personally, I love the twin AAA cell maglites. I find they are a good size to hold unlike the solitaires (1 x AAA) but fit in your pocket better than the 'standard' AA versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAATW Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 I've had a Surefire G2 for a while now - much more durable than a mini maglite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 For my personal requirements in a theatre, it's far more important that a torch is in my pocket for immediate use than be especially bright. I tend to need them to see the labelling on a connector panel in the dark or perhaps examine the inside of piece of gear undergoing emergency surgery. Both are close-up applications. So....because "being there" is more important than being bright, I tend to have a tiny Maglite Solitaire permanently in my pocket. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlyfarly Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 If you want a bright AA MiniMaglite, go for the LED upgrade! Works for me ;) http://www.maglite-torches.co.uk/niteize-1...le-aa-129-p.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyc Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Ive had a surefire e2 for 3 years and it has served me very well! It is incredibly bright so I still use my Petzl Tika plus for backstage mode! I once had an ARC LS a while back which was great but the company went out of business and they turned into collectors items and I eventually sold it for more than I bought it for! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryson Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Andy's Surefire is very, very nice. I think I'll get one for myself. The website is disturbingly militaristic, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewR Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I have a Fenix L1D CE. Really really bright, but has a built in digital dimmer with 3 levels of brightness, the lowest is quite dim. But best of all, takes a single AA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunk_1984 Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I personally use my standard AA maglite, weight, indestructibility and price make it perfect, in future would probably go for the LED version, but the upgrade kit is relatively expensive compared to the torch, after my last one was nicked I decided not to get the upgrade this time purely as the standard one is fine and is cheaper. and of course the 2D and 6D, but they don't live in the pocket/on the belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entersoundman Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 If you want a bright AA MiniMaglite, go for the LED upgrade! Works for me :) http://www.maglite-torches.co.uk/niteize-1...le-aa-129-p.asp I agree - If you're not happy with your maglite, you can upgrade to LED for next to nothing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamtastic3 Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I just come into work on my bicycle most days so I grab the bike light as a torch. It's LED and it's BRIGHT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferret219 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I've just noticed that Maglite have released LED versions of their torches. http://www.maglite-torches.co.uk/led-2-cel...black-107-p.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.