How bright is "super-lume?"

[Strongbow]

So I picked up a nice rep Fish. Looks great, etc, but this model supposedly comes with "super-lume.". To me, it doesn't seem so super. It's pretty dim. I can see clearly enough once my eyes are dark adapted, and it's readable throughout the night, but I was expecting something a bit more "super." However, I want to ensure my expectations are properly calibrated before I mention it to the vendor.

[martijnp]

Could you post some pics?

[Strongbow]

Could you post some pics?

I'll try, but I'm not sure my camera can capture it.

[Mike on a bike]

Strongbow do you mean SOSF ? I have one thought could help compare?

[Jkay]

Everyone needs to understand that the important difference in lume is longevity. Lasting thru the night is the #1 hallmark of good lume. A lot of lume powder can be bright after you charge it, but how about in an hour? How about in SEVEN hours?

 

Tritec luminova is the best, and it can not appear to be "battery powered" for very long. But it glows firmly all night and that is the whole point.

 

Initially, you should be able to read a book by it's light but after a short while ... no.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Jkay

[Strongbow]

Pic fail last night. Gonna borrow a camera tonight.

[cosmosblau]

There is a difference between "Super Lume", which is what our Trusted Dealers have been selling on certain watches recently, and "Superluminova", which is a trademark of the Tritec company.  Superluminova is the nuclear-bright lume on most high -end gens, and is very expensive.  The "Super lume" on most of these reps is moderately brighter than the crap rep lume we have been plagued with for years.

[ramviksrille]

If a dealer claims superlume its anything from slightly better than no lume to just below tritec product's. When they actually use tritec superluminova or similar they usually say so in descriptions

[FxrAndy]

The thing is with photos of lume there are so many variables from the amount of charge it has, the exposure time and the background light. You can't compare pictures. If you can read it through the night then that is good. If you want true nuclear lume then GTLS is the way to go

[ramviksrille]

OP, Do you have any other non superlume reps to compare it with? Most likely its better that the

 

 If you want true nuclear lume then GTLS is the way to go

I was a lume freak for a year or so and after raising my demand for luminescence i ended up buying a "superlume" watch (before i learned about tritec) i then realized what you now realize. After this i begun to relume my own watches. Even the cheaper brands of lume powder is giving better or similar lume to the watches with non tritec superlume. So im not sure what crap the watch assemblers use. In the end of this frenzy i almost bought the tritec powder at around $35/gram but at this point its safer and cheaper (depending on how you value your time) to let a experienced modder to the job.

 

Then i tried the GTLS way: Tritium tubes. Since there are not many manufacturers for these tubes the difference should not be that big between brands. It was a disappointment in the same range as the first superlume one. No bright glow at all compared to the better lume compounds. Sure its visible throughout the night but barely visible until your eyes adapted to the dark. Pictures showing the different lume abilities are all about photoskills.

 

Almost anybody can charge their lume with some uv light and snap that shining lume pic after a second, The tritium is a tad harder to capture on photo but nevertheless more about photo skills than brightness.

 

In my last project i lumed the tritec watch with some mid range lume. This mix could be used as a flashlight for some minutes. After charging outdoors in the sun or with the uv light it was impressive.

 

So. If you accept the watch and want more lume send it to one of the modders here, They will all do a better job than the ones applying lume and assembling the watch in the first place.

[FxrAndy]

Then i tried the GTLS way: Tritium tubes. Since there are not many manufacturers for these tubes the difference should not be that big between brands. It was a disappointment in the same range as the first superlume one. No bright glow at all compared to the better lume compounds. Sure its visible throughout the night but barely visible until your eyes adapted to the dark.

That is the thing with GTLS, there was a watch designed for the military which had GTLS and the tips of the hands done in tritec to cover all eventuality, i think it was called a battle timer

[ramviksrille]

That is the thing with GTLS, there was a watch designed for the military which had GTLS and the tips of the hands done in tritec to cover all eventuality, i think it was called a battle timer

That sounds bright indeed When i was on the hunt for one i thought the watches with both tubes and lume were to expensive for try only..

http://www.qualitytime.uk.com/products-page/bespoke_handmade_watches/the-battle-timer/