Can anyone suggest a bright spotlight that plugs in?

I don't know where to really post this, but I figured here because others may want one too.

I'm looking for the brightest cigarette lighter plug in spotlight. Cost is no concern.

I just want insanely bright.

 

try pepboys........they have some spotlights way over 3million candlepower that are really bright, and im pretty sure that most of them come with 12v. powerpoint plug ins!!!

 

Here's a link to one that my dad got...it's insanely bright...and they recently came down in price...they have an AC/DC adapter and a vehicle cigarette lighter adapter (which you may have to purchase separately, but I'm not sure). Link. This next link is to Cabela's spotlight page...there's some others there that claim brighter light...who knows...Link.

 

Anything that can be plugged in a power point/cig lighter is usually limited to the 15-20 amp fuse that protects the circuit. I have several hand held spotlights that use either H1 or H3's in 55 watt form, that I have replaced with 100 watt versions for some improvement. Cheap junk is cheap junk, but the difference between a good medium priced light and a premium priced one is just better optics; precision fitment of bulb in the reflector, and better lead crystal lenses etc, and of course a better feel in the way it is made. Forget the outlandish candlepower claims, 3 million cp is just a 55 watt bulb with the beam concentrated into a tiny spot, the same bulb in a flood beam will be 10,000 cp. I have several 20 year old Brinkman Q-Beams that uses standard PAR sealed beams, and the most versatile is the one with the narrow blue ring and a frosted spot in the center that can be aimed out of a vehicle or house window and get absolutely no glare from the glass, just like it is not there, and was great in fog, and pooled water. The later models had the frosted center, but used a black ring on the outer edge vs the blue. Just get a good looking/feeling one that does not look like a kiddie toy designer designed it, and you will be ok. Huge bulky ones are not really any better unless most of the bulk goes into a deeper reflector/larger lens. Only so much light out of an incandescent bulb at 15-20 amps/12V, but more efficient light sources like HID's, which draw little amperage, but have a heavy ballast would make a good light. I would not doubt that someone somewhere is producing some now, but I have not heard of any. One bad thing about a HID, is it would not have instant on capability. Fluorescents for area lighting, and HID's for bright long reach spot and flood lighting, would give a lot of light for little power use.

EDIT: So for a not to expensive, to hard to find, and service, get one that uses the old easy to find Euro headlamp/driving light/fog light bulbs, the H1 or H3, and then upgrade the bulb just like you would do on your truck, bluish, yelllowish tint bulbs, some that claim to be brighter than a standard 55 watt, but still draw the same current. Also, a single 100 watt will not overload most powerpoints.

 

HID's are sure enough the way to go IF money is not a concern. They have come down in price recently, and the ballasts are smaller & lighter, but I have not seen a handheld, but I have seen in brochures the mountain biking lamps, and a company called Baja Designs makes/markets some very nice ones for off road motorcycles and for upgrading there dirt bike to dualsport changeover kits. I plan to get some HID for (believe it or not) my tractor, I cut several fields, one of which is our old shooting range on a friends property, and I always do it at night, some times at 2-3 AM since the dew keep the dust down some, and more importantly, the night keeps the yellow jackets/wasps down. My tractors factory front lamp assy is 4 of the 9006 car/truck headlamp bulbs in a wraparound housing, The rear is what I need the most, and I have 2 rectangular 70 watt halogen sealed beams; 1 with a 20º x 70º spread, and 1 with a 30º x 80º spread and it is the best of any of my friends setups, but after seeing what the new HID's could do, the difference is like night and day. These compact lights would do well on an off road pickup as a rollbar mounted lamp. The color temperture is much better too. some of these lamps have the ballast built in, and are still not much larger than a softball in the hand, so I see no reason why a handheld spotlamp could not be produced.

Did not mean to start talking tractors, but that is one area where I demand excellent lighting performance