^ Awesome post, and that's what I like to stress to those who are new shoppers (or "tactical shoppers") who are less familiar with what "the numbers" mean.
It's way too easy to just think that lumens output is all that matters, when in-truth, yes, it's important, but it's by-far not the end-all/be-all.
Your 200-lumens comparison between the Surefire EB1 (which I'm assuming is what you meant to write, as it's the update to the older E1B, which was spec'ed at 110 lumens output) and the XC1 really highlights (no pun intended
) this critical difference.
- The EB1 is 200 lumens, 10,000 candela.
- The XC1, as I noted above, is spec'ed at the same 200 lumens, but at only 750 candela.
These are the "numbers" translations of what you most excellently illustrated real-world with your beamshots, and is what's touched on for a little in the meat of this
Recoil article -
http://www.recoilweb.com/preview-lumens-candelas-6105.html - a well as via the following Elzetta blog entries:
http://www.elzetta.com/blog/lumens/
http://www.elzetta.com/blog/candela/
That EB1's considerably higher candela rating at the same lumens output translates into more throw, and how that manifests is that intense hot-spot in your warehouse shot. At first glance, discounting photographic artifacts, it would seem that the XC1 shown in your lower panel - with its wide, even, and diffuse lighting - would be an absolute winner. However, had your target been that darkish shape in the far right corner
and you needed to see what was in his hands, the balance of power may have shifted to the EB1 instead. [ Casting umbrella light in each scenario would also have been interesting. ]
We look at your first picture in the hotel room, with that X300U (at 600 lumens, 13,000 candela) nearly incinerating the floor lamp in the far corner - and I think this is where a lot of folks still get trapped by the oldthink of "lights above xxx lumens will blind you indoors" via backscatter/glare. The truth, however, as another member posted above, is that this is simply a matter of training: both in terms of understanding how to use the light (I really liked this article from BreachBangClear:
http://www.breachbangclear.com/stop-blinding-yourself/) as well as in simply knowing what to expect when you turn on that light.
For example, in that low-light class that I cited above, it was my first time using my Surefire EB2 - transitioning from my previous EDC of over 3 years, a Surefire E2D with a Malkoff M60/VME update - and among the problems I had that night was a very real acclimation period to the increased backscatter/glare the EB2 gave off of both my shooting hand and the pistol it was gripping. The instructor of that class knew my BSA template, and was wondering why I seemed to be having trouble shooting. My response was that I was finding the foreground glare of the light quite distracting. By the end of the night, though, it was no longer a problem.
What I think is important for those who are looking for lights today to understand is that they need to realize that there's no replacement for power. If your light doesn't have that throw, it just doesn't have that throw: it just can't reach out there. On the other hand, even if you're just looking at a 6' x 6' box of a downtown apartment, there's always the ability to bounce the light or use baseboard/umbrella techniques to avoid blinding oneself.
The XC1 has this very real limitation. Even though it is an excellent light that fills all of my needs as a concealed-carry citizen and is indeed what's slaved to my EDC, I don't think that it's necessarily going to be that automatic right choice for everyone, particularly for those who carry a handgun for duty purposes.
Great set of pictures,
WayneF.