Questions while on the quest for perfect FLASHLIGHT!

[allaboutdemchicks]

I find myself just standing in the local hardware store just staring at the flashlights. I walk away to confussed to make a rational/educated choice for the best in candling E G G s....wait, I turn around and decide to do like my husband does...buy the most expensive. No, look for the information that sounds like it would be the most powerful. But then I just get confussed more....what's the difference in one that advertises how many "Watts" vs. those that advertise how many "Lumens?"

Man....am I the only one that get confussed? If not, please explain...better yet, just tell me what is so increadible that you can beam that light in there and see if the little embro is blinking it's eyes at me!

I'm looking at the Streamlight - Stinger XT. If anyone is familar with it by all means chime in!

And, I got Black Copper Marans and Ameraucans coming in....is there any one better for this type eggs? I'm so obsessed in poultry and flashlights for candling!

Claudia

 

[walkswithdog]

Well I went from a standard flashlight to an LED flashlight, which was better and today I'm getting an LED penlight, a pretty bright one. We'll see if it works better yet. If it does I'll post info. I bought it on amazon.

As to exact differences in watts and all - you'll have to wait for a guy or a geek.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Claudia, you should look up a BYC member named "Royicus" and PM him. He's a flashlight expert.

 

[metcalfmk]

That sounds like me, I get pretty obsessed with candling too! My son's maglite works like a charm on my easter egger eggs and on brown eggs too! Good luck with your flashlight search

 

[MichiganWoods]

OK, I went through this last year.

Look at the Lumens on each of the flashlights. It's usually (but not always) listed on the packaging somewhere. The more lumens, the more powerful the light will be. But this will also drive the cost of the flashlight up. LED flashlights won't be hot like other lights can be, so there's no chance of baking your egg as you're candling -- I worried about doing that. Also keep in mind the size of the light head. A small pocket-sized light will seal easily to the surface of your egg for minimal to no light leakage. Light leakage can distract your eyes from what you're seeing in your egg. If you have a flashlight with a bigger head, you will either have to mask off the light leakage with your hand, or some sort of foam ring.

Also keep in mind what eggs you are trying to candle. Black Copper Marans eggs, if true to their dark color, you won't be able to candle... unless you happen to find a super powered spotlight they use for advertising at night around the auto dealers... but those aren't usually cheap. My Araucana eggs are very hard to candle and I was only able to see veining and an embryo relatively easy around Day 6. Now that they are on Day 12, it's all dark in there, and I can only barely make out veining when I candle from the bottom.

 

[walkswithdog]

I'm just going to snicker at the idea of trying to candle my actual rooster. He'd be ticked.

 

[MichiganWoods]

Indeed.

 

[Wynette]

Oh gosh - MissPrissy posted a few weeks back about a brand she got - said it was awesome. She got it online. I looked at their website at the time, and I feel like it was in the $30/$40 range, but cna't remember for sure. They are, I believe, made for folks like trackers and armed forces, so they are quite small and quite powerful. You might search for her posts, or PM her.

I made my candler from a very old slide projector - lots of folks on here use them (including SpeckledHen, who has hatched bazillions of eggs). It works great, although it's bulky and is a bit loud when running. Good luck!

 

[RedHead]

Quote:

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

You'll pay extra for these, but it is well worth the money:

LED Maglight - the great-big, long one that takes the D batteries.