Understanding light and lumen count

Posted by Melanie van Zyl on 26 February 2013

When it comes to the language of light you’ll be left in the dark if you know little about lumens. Here’s the 101.

The reason you’d buy any sort of lantern, headlamp or torch is to create visibility in darkness, especially when you’re faced with the great outdoors.Raw light is measured in lumens, so when you’re deciding which light to buy, a lumen count will help you choose which one best suits your needs according to its luminous intensity.

 

A lumen is a unit measurement of the total amount of visible light generated by your device telling you how bright it is. It is different to watts because it measures the output of a light source rather than the input.

In short, a lumen count will tell you how brilliant a light will shine. Most lights are labelled with its output in lumens and the higher the lumen count, the brighter it is. A wax candle generates 13 lumens and a 100 watt bulb generates 1,200 lumens if this gives you any indication.

There you have it, light shopping made easy.

Remember to keep in mind that a product’s lumen count is usually measured when it is fully powered (be it by batteries or otherwise).

If you also think lumens are lekker, check out the March issue of Getaway which gives you a blow-by-blow guide to flashy headgear and choosing the right headlamp for your next trip.

Have a look at the latest headlamp review on the Black Diamond ReVolt sitting at 110 lumens.

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