evan_w
member
Reged: 10/15/09
Posts: 35
Loc: Chittenango, NY
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I am looking for suggestions regarding the red LED flashlights for preserving night vision.
I found a Streamlight (Sidewinder) that has mixed reviews on the colored LEDs, but is otherwise good. Are there options other than the Orion and Rigel products I've also seen?
I've got a box full of Maglites - can a Maglite be retrofitted with red LED bulbs?
Thanks - evan
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Midnight Dan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 2768
Loc: Brockport, NY
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There are a whole raft of Red LED headlamps out there that are very handy because they leave both your hands free and aim the light right where you're looking. You want to look for one with several levels of brightness.
I also own the Rigel Starlight for use at star parties because some places frown on headlamps. The Rigel has full brightness control from very bright down to nothing and allows you to set the perfect light level for your needs.
-Dan
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Scopes: Celestron NexStar 8SE, Orion EON 72mm ED/APO, Orion ShortTube 80
Mounts: NexStar Alt/Az GoTo, Orion Astroview (EQ3) w/single axis drive
Eyepieces: Baader Hyperion 36mm (Aspheric), 21mm 13mm, 8mm, 5mm;
Other: 2x & 3x Barlow, 0.63x Focal Reducer, Dew-not strips, DewBuster controller, SQM Meter
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Gandalf223
sage
Reged: 11/04/07
Posts: 365
Loc: Willamette Valley, Oregon
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IMO, factory-stock red LED flashlights are usually still way too bright to really preserve your dark adaptation. They're OK for finding your way but not good for those little tasks while viewing (finding eyepieces and filters, sketching, etc.) Adding some filtration and/or diffusion to reduced the brightness will make them more useful. The idea is to end up with a light that is adequate for exactly what you need, and not one bit more.
My solution was to start with a white LED light, then put several layers of Rubylith over the LED. I now have a light that is just (barely) bright enough to be able to find things in my eyepiece case, and that won't irritate other observers. I also have one of those LED "headlights" that have an elastic band. It also got the Rubylith treatment, and I can use it to see a sketchpad, without being bright enough to kill my dark adaptation even reflected off white paper.
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"Comets are formed by the ascending from earth of human sins and wickedness, formed into a kind of gas and ignited by the anger of God. This poisonous stuff falls down again on people's heads, and causes all kinds of mischief, such as pestilence, Frenchmen, sudden death and bad weather." Tycho Brahe
Keizer, Oregon
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2648
Loc: Arizona, USA
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I use masking tape as my diffuser medium. Easy to get to the correct level of brightness by adding layers.
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
10 inch f/4.7 Newtonian
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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Bob Griffiths
Postmaster
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 6593
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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Sure you can replace a standard Mag Lite with an LED:
http://www.led-replacement.com/lumen.html
Bob G.
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
The sky over my head....
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Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3616
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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Go to any auto parts store and buy a roll of the red turn signal repair tape. About $2.00-- cover the white light with the tape and trim with a sharp knife. You can turn any regular flashlight into a red light flashlight.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV Nighthawk & TelePOD, SV 80/9D & M4 mount, ETX 90, Orion XT10i, 20x80 binoculars, SV-BV3s-- www.texasastro.org
"Great minds discuss ideas;Average minds discuss events;Small minds discuss people." Unknown
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Rick Woods
Postmaster
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 5684
Loc: Inner Solar System
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There is a rubber attachment for MagLites that fits over the front, and comes with several colored filters. That works very well.
LED flashlights are obnoxious when someone shines them in your eyes. The Maglite is much more gentle.
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
Dyslexics Untie!
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GUNER
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/19/04
Posts: 1617
Loc: Bedminster,NJ USA
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I just got my second set of the RayOVac headlamps from here:
http://tinyurl.com/yf8krb2
I really like them. Keeps your hands free. Some people think they are too brite but I haven't had complaints from anyone at the SP I goto. & believe me if they didn't like it they wouldn't be quite about it.
Some people put a dead battery in one of the slots to make it dimmer.
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Thomas
17mm ETHOS NEAF Door Prize
THANK-YOU TELEVUE!!!!
12" SuperCharged LX-200 GPS
TAK SKY 90 on a Vixen Skypod
Stacked GOLD!PST/EXT-70AT/DSX-125
Infinity 2-1 CCD Camera with Lucam Recorder
Custom Scientific 1.25" LRGB filters
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Lane
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/19/07
Posts: 1515
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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This is the best one I have found so far, someone else on cloudy nights told me about it.
You want the red led and the covert model.
Covert just means there is a hood around the led so the light does not hit your eyes, only the star chart.
Fully adjustable from dim to bright and from bright to dim.
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Mounts: CGEM, ORION SIRIUS, AT Voyager/motorized
SCTs: C6, C8, C9.25, C11,
Refractors: TV Pronto, Orion ED80
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srwolf
member
Reged: 12/22/04
Posts: 22
Loc: Edmonton, Alberta
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I have a couple of variable-brightness flashlights. I think it is very important to be able to adjust the brightness. It's nice to have it really dim when you are viewing at a truly dark site, and also be able to turn up the brightness if you need to see a map or chart better.
One of my flashlights is a dual white/red led type. I would not recommend it, though. I sometimes turn on the white by accident and kill my dark adaptation for a little while.
I have also added a layer or 2 of red celophane in front of both of my flashlights to diffuse the light a little better. Without the celophane, the led's make a "bullseye" pattern where it is shining. It makes it hard to sketch when there are bright and dark patterns on the paper.
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12.5" f/5 Portaball
8" f/6 Skywatcher Dob
Feathertouch Focuser 
Telrad x 2
Crappy Binoculars
3-6 zoom,5,9,16 naglers
24,35 panoptics
13mm Ethos
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Luigi
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 4947
Loc: MA
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Red is bad for night vision too, just not as bad as white light. The light should be adjustable down to the minimum brightness necessary for the task at hand.
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17.5" f/5 Dob. IM-715 MCT. 120ED. Lunt 60mm Ha.
Zeiss, Leica, Fujinon, Nikon, Pentax, Bushnell bins
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Dan G
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/27/06
Posts: 1761
Loc: Minisink, NY, USA
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Painting LEDs with red nail polish is also a great way to dim them. Keep adding coats until you reach your desired brightness. Inexpensive and easy to carry in your tool kit.
Dan in NY
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TV 76, Vixen VC200L, TV NP-127is
EM-200, NJP
ML 8300, ST-402
Tranquility Base Observatory aka "The Shed" by non-tranquil members of the house
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lineman_16735
Tak-o-holic
Reged: 12/04/04
Posts: 2604
Loc: Central PA
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Quote:
Painting LEDs with red nail polish is also a great way to dim them. Keep adding coats until you reach your desired brightness. Inexpensive and easy to carry in your tool kit.
Dan in NY
Or your purse 
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Chris
A mount from Illinois
A scope from Japan
A camera from Cal-I-Fornia
A dog from Kentucky
A wife and kids from the "Twilight Zone"
The Geek Shed
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orveko
sage
Reged: 02/04/09
Posts: 208
Loc: Chicago
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My flashlight is threaded for standard 1.25" filters. I did this by attaching a blank (no glass) filter to the end of the flashlight. Now, if I want red light, I screw in a red filter. If I want to tone it down some, I add a ND filter. If I'm having trouble locating a nebula on a star chart, I throw on an OIII filter and *POP* there it is. 
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Zhumell Z10 Dobsonian: 1250mm x 250mm (/5)
- Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
- Smart Astronomy Sterling Plössl: 40mm
- Antares Elite Plössls: 25mm, 15mm, 10mm, 7.5mm
- Siebert Optics Star Splitters: 7.5mm, 6mm, 5mm
Oberwerk 15x70 Binoculars on a Manfrotto 055XB tripod and 128LP head
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Tiny
super member
Reged: 05/02/08
Posts: 197
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Quote:
Red is bad for night vision too, just not as bad as white light. The light should be adjustable down to the minimum brightness necessary for the task at hand.
yes a lot of people dont understand this even at star parties. Very common for people to be toting a very bright red light, this helps absolutely nothing.
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b1gred
Enginerd
Reged: 04/01/04
Posts: 15715
Loc: Castle Rock, CO 6677' MSL
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Quote:
My flashlight is threaded for standard 1.25" filters. I did this by attaching a blank (no glass) filter to the end of the flashlight. Now, if I want red light, I screw in a red filter. If I want to tone it down some, I add a ND filter. If I'm having trouble locating a nebula on a star chart, I throw on an OIII filter and *POP* there it is.
Good one. 
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"Dark Skies & Great Viewing"
RandyR / W0RDR
GPS 9.25 XLT/Sky Align /FeatherTouch
TV85 w/FeatherTouch
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Scott K
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/13/07
Posts: 1413
Loc: Dallas, TX & Eufaula, OK
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Another option:
Proton Pro
Advantages of this light:
1. The light starts on the dimmest red setting of its red LED. You ramp it up to what you need. The dim setting is *really* dim.
2. It's quite small
3. It's reasonably weather proof
4. The white LED is likely brighter than any incandescent flashlight you own. It is also variable brightness. It's low level is also very low.
5. It uses commonly available batteries.
I have one - it's very nice and it works extremely well for astronomy.
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