Thread: New 660nm Red Torches available

I'm now stocking the Convoy C8+ and L21B models with the Luminus SST-20 Deep Red LED at 660nm. Most brands including Maxtoch use 620nm, this is at the start of the red spectrum. At 660nm it's a much darker red and will be the best chance you get at red being effective. It's a bit like 850nm IR being effective but not as good as 940nm IR.

The visible red spectrum is 620nm to 700nm, higher than that is infrared. The downside to using a darker red is less light and range, same as the 940nm IR.

The C8+ with Osram 620nm achieves 550m, and the L21B with 620nm achieves 850m range.

C8+ 660nm measured 275m
L21B 660nm measured 400m

You'll just need to decide whether the loss of range is worth it. I'll continue stocking both versions for now since many have still had good success using 620nm.

If you have previously purchased a red torch from me and would like to swap, I'll charge $15 since it's just an LED swap. For those who have purchased a white or green model, I'll charge $35 for the LED and driver circuit. Postage will of course be on top of that. I will have to order in the LEDs though.

The two Brinyte torch models I have for sale in my "Private Sale Products" page are using a very dark green and red. That's a company that has done their research on what's best.

How does the Red spectrum effect different species of animals .
I’m interested in what Dogs perceive as I’m on a Dingo seek and destroy mission at the moment here in OZ

Sorry, that's beyond my knowledge. I just know that some animals such as deer can't see red, or can't see it well. Mixed feedback on using colours, some say it's very effective, while others have said they run no matter what. I've come to think that animals sense a change in light levels and will eventually learn that what it's sensing means danger, regardless of the colour. If animals can sense 850nm IR, then I can tell you that it's not true that red is invisible to them at only 620-700nm. If they're not seeing the colour, they're still seeing something.

If you're going to use red, I'd personally go for the 660nm and not care about the loss in performance. My thinking is if 940nm IR is most effective, being higher up the spectrum, then 660nm should be better than 620nm. It's a difficult topic that has a lot of mixed opinions with no real solid answers.